Roy's Garage: '90 2.4-4G64 5-spd D-50

Now that the truck is running great with no deferred maintenance, I can start thinking about some cosmetic changes. The following photos were taken this morning.

I'd love to find some bucket seats to install, so I'm not going to agonize over my Indian blanket seat covers: they cover that dreadful factory "baby-shit-brown" plastic upholstery. My home-made console, too, will get upgraded when bucket seats go in. Last but not least, I want to modify the door panels.

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I'll start working on body work and paint soon. Meanwhile, I'm going to paint the hood of the parts-truck black and use that until the original hood can be painted the Sahara Gold the truck was originally painted.

The truck was involved in a collision sometime during its history, and the paint was never matched very well. The clear coat also gave up the ghost. I will remove the fenders and recondition them off-frame. Hood, too. The rest of the trucks' paint and clear coat are fine, though I will have some rust spots to contend with eventually.

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The F-150 just got new u-joints, and in conducting that repair I found the leaf spring mount on the passenger-side severely rust-damaged and cracking, so I replaced it with a whole new unit...5 hours worth of banging, hacking, drilling and enduring rust falling on my stubborn head. I'll replace the driver's side later: it isn't in critical condition. The truck then got a much-deserved cleaning, in and out, after such great service over the winter.
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Originally Posted by royster

What a huge difference the new throttle position sensor made! The truck ran well before it, but the CEL was always coming on, and the truck would hesitate at about thermostat-opening.

With the new TPS working with all the other components, it runs really terrific.

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$135.00 well invested: I was able to get the idle where it belongs, and therefore properly time the engine...you can barely feel it run.

I opened the old TPS up to see what's inside. It's a thick, circular circuitry board. Three prongs make the connections inside when the throttle is opened or closed. Though the electronics are beyond me, the positive results of replacing this part cannot be exagerated. I ordered it through RockAuto and used the discount code.

Next parts order will be leaf spring bushings...about the only part of the truck I haven't touched, yet.

I'll also be switching out the rear window, using the nicer one from my parts truck. My understanding...via info from Merrill and Noahwins...is that this is simple to do. I'm guessing to start at the bottom. Noah spoke of using a lubricant, and I'd be prone to use mineral oil. Any comments are very welcome.

Started the D-50 up this morning and it was blowing smoke. [Incert cuss words here]. My guess is another valve guide dropped. I'm waiting to see. If I have to re-do the head-job, I'll certainly have had enough practice to do it swiftly. (If it IS dropped valve guides, I'll just have them all repaired. It is unlikely valve seals wear out in 4,000 miles). The smoke stopped after warm up, so we can be sure it is valve-related.

I spent a LOT of time and energy locating chrome beauty rings for the front tires, but I finally prevailed. I also painted the parts-truck hood black (with some satin enamel I already had) and switched the hoods out: I can work on restoring the original hood off-vehicle.

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While rummaging around a junkyard a few days ago, I visited the only D-50 they had. Poor thing was stripped pretty much, but I noticed the instrument cluster (always looking for the Sport cluster) and while it was standard, it DID have a trip-meter on it. Interesting. I was tempted to get it, just for that feature, but decided to hold out for the real thing.

The junkyard I found is a treasure-trove of stuff. I'll be going there for bucket seats, and also to look for the illussive chrome rear bumper I want.

Haven't checked the valve seals, yet: I'm tolerating smoke on start-up, for now. Once it's warmed up, no problem. I deleiriously hope for just improperly installed valve seals, but I also accept it may be the valve guides, meaning the head has to come off, again. I'm not worried, either way: it drives fine, for now.

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Originally Posted by royster

While rummaging around a junkyard a few days ago, I visited the only D-50 they had. Poor thing was stripped pretty much, but I noticed the instrument cluster (always looking for the Sport cluster) and while it was standard, it DID have a trip-meter on it. Interesting. I was tempted to get it, just for that feature, but decided to hold out for the real thing.

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Thanks to a 'heads~up' from Lem Forder, I got a lead on a sports cluster on Craig's list.

One component I'm putting priority on is finding a gas tank, with fuel pump intact, from a 2.4 fuel-injected model. Last year, when I dropped my tank to fix a leak, I was able to see how badly rusted the nuts-n-bolts were: it's obvious that repairing the tank would take much more work than I care to do. Finding a tank in decent condition will allow me to spend that same effort on making it serviceable. My main concern is the fuel pump deciding to die while I'm out remote, somewhere. A serviceable tank would prompt me to replace the pump with a new one, for (hopefully) some worry-free driving. You can't gravity-feed a fuel injected engine in a pinch.

In other mundane and obsessive news, I'm cleaning up the little center hub caps that originally came with these trucks. I'm photographing the process. Instead of painting them standard black, I've stripped them and polished the steel. So far, the results are good, and I hope to get a rally-wheel affect when it's finished. These caps are impossible to find, and most are beat up from tire-changers whacking them out of the center with a hammer. Retaining the stock parts is one of my obsessions. Custom rims do look good on these trucks, but my choice has been to keep it as stock as possible. There are a few stockers on the forum, and I know they appreciate the retaining of genuine factory features.

Some photos of the "tuna can" hub cap project. While I had the wheels off, I clear coated them.

Here's what I starterd with, and then how it turned out. (The flash doesn't do it justice).
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I found that a stripping wheel was perfect for inserting into the cap in order to spin it. Discovering this, I was able to do the whole process in fairly little time.
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I had 3 caps off the parts truck (I gave one to a forum member some time ago) which were in better shape than the ones my truck came with, so I used those and the best one from the original set. Spray paint stripper first, then a series of sandpaper, stripping pads (the plastic ones) and on some of them, wire wheel for stubborn spots. Some un-denting was conducted (carefully).
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When pretty smoothed out, I used a series of rubbing compund, polishing compound, and finally PlaticX (for headlight polishing) and some mother's aluminum polish...using an old t-shirt and the hand drill. It turns out that the center indent is exactly the size of a 2" PVC coupling, so I used that to spray a center accent (hammered paint). I experiemented with clear coating a finished product, but it diminished the shine, so these are all protected with some McGuire's polymer wax.
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The truck was happy about the upgrade.
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These photos are literally photos: I use a disposable camera, have the film developed, then scan them to my computer. A couple pics came back with some interesting lighting affects.
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I need to take some daylight pictures of how well the wheels came out...they very much look like rally wheels, but most of the photos were taken last evening, when I was finally done, so I used a flash...and the images suck.

Today I took out the "redneck air-conditioning" rear window from the parts truck, and spent a good part of the day cleaning and restoring it. I got it installed this evening, and it looks terrific. Photos another time. And I do agree with those who said removing and installing the back windows is easy.

Nice work Roy, nothing like a bit of spun finished metal. Your wheels have got that cool 80's retro look to them. Might be time to invest in a second hand D-SLR camera, a shutter remote and a tripod. After some experimenting with a D-SLR, you'll find it is nearly impossible to take a lousy photo with. The tripod and remote will allow you to take photos in really low light and still look pro (handy for those 'work in progress' shots in the garage at night)

Good thing you can paint good because the photography is a little rough

man you are tough ... he explained why they were not so good.

Truth is, a digital camera is not on my priority list, though it is likely in my future. The days of developing film are quickly coming to an end, joining the list of harder-to-find items like chrome beauty rings and pre-1975 bumpers...more symptoms of my younger days fading into fast-food plastic obsolecense. In the meantime, this is what I've got, and it's how I'm able to share.

The rear window is in and looking good (crappy photos later) and at present I'm installing some bucket seats I got at the bone~yard.

The junkyard I got them from is huge, and fairly old. But that '73 AMC rear chrome bumper I want is going to take a lot of searching. In searching the junkyard it becomes really apparent how much plastic has gone into and onto cars in the past 20 years. Though these little trucks require a few expensive sensors, it's nothing like what's on cars today: I really DON'T need an idiot~light on the dash telling me my tire's air pressure is low. I hail from the days when you rolled your own cigarette while the VW warmed up, you checked everything yourself (or there were "service stations" that did those tasks as a standard...and employed people) and you didn't rely on some sensor/device to shift into 4-wheel drive when IT feels you need it.

It's not so much my holding onto nostalgia as it is retaining good, solid serviceable stuff that works reliably. I'm hands-on with the basics in my life, and there is much sanity to being self-sufficient, as many on this forum will attest to. My joke about "driver-side fart sensors" isn't too far from the truth: people seem to be out of touch with the roots of modern mechanisms, like where telephones came from (this includes phone booths) or hand-cranking an engine to get it started (I did this once, in my life: a 1958 Morris Minor).

If you've forgotten your roots, you're out on a limb...without foundation.

[Conclude rant, thank audience, return to Time Machine]

I think part of the appeal of owning an old school vehicle is the simplicity of maintaining it, the reliability and if something does go south - you have a fighting chance of being able to roll up the sleeves and fix it yourself. Plus old cars can take a beatin'. You lean on a new car and the panel will buckle under you. Yeah it can be 'fun' hunting down something that is broken or worn out on a 20 year old + car/truck, but chances are there's a compatible part that, with a few tweaks and some lateral thinking, will do the job. That reminds me - one of the local pick-a-part yards recently got in a complete and running L200 that I need to go check out before the idiots turn it into a skateboard...

Rally Wheels
Recent rain brought signs of rust on the newly-stripped caps, so I have polished them with paste wax. I'll have to do this occassionally in order to keep that look.
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Door Panels
I finally removed the door panels from the parts truck, and made templates. I did some experimenting, and though I'm not real happy with this round of "look", it gave me experience in working with various materials and approaches. These are the original door covers hashed over: later, I'll make new panels, but for now, this spiffies things up a bit.
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Bucket Seats, Rear Panel, Rear Window Exchange
Ah, these wonderful bucket seats! What a difference, although I now know what Merrill was talking about in regards to losing a few inches of seat adjustment when you convert from the stock bench seat.

These came out of a 2001 Saturn, and fitting them was no small issue. I was very lucky to have the parts truck bench seat hardware to use. I therefore had two sets of track to build on, and yes: the holes and bolts are under the carpeting, you just need to locate them.

While the bench seat was out, I fabricated and installed a rear panel. I wasn't 100% happy with the end result as far as appearance, but you don't really see it much, in service.

I removed and rehabbed the rear window from the parts truck...a much nicer one than what came with my truck, and works so much easier. In using acetone on the interior painted trim, I found it easy to expose the aluminum, so I went with the shine of aluminum inside, metalic gray (with clear coat) on the exterior.
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What The heck...?
In making a new console, I used the parts truck center hump to mold expanding foam inside the console. Wax paper on the floor keeps it from sticking, the weight holding it down assures an absolute perfect fit. Looks like hell, though.

And, yes, noahwins: that's a blue steering wheel, but I need it to move the parts truck, for now. You're welcome to it when I'm done. PM me for arrangements.
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Clear coat them and they won't rust. Just remove any wax with lacquer thinner.

Maybe try something like penetrol in a spray can to seal your centre caps. There are a number of metal clear coats but most of them are either expensive or toxic (or both).

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Clear coat them and they won't rust. Just remove any wax with lacquer thinner.

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Originally Posted by geezer101

Maybe try something like penetrol in a spray can to seal your centre caps. There are a number of metal clear coats but most of them are either expensive or toxic (or both).

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Thanks for those suggestions. I had tried to clear coat them originally but it seemed to diminish the shine. However, I'll try a metal clear coat and see what the results are.

Camoit, do you prefer laquer thinner over acetone? I've used acetone all this time but never tried laquer thinner. (Anyone else's opinion is welcome, too).

I appreciate the replies on the Painting Plastic Interior Parts thread, too: working with plastic is a new thing for me, and it certainly has its own rules and requirements. Thanks Pennyman for the TSP suggestion, I'll do that and every precaution offered by the other members. I hope to get good results.

For the resourceful do-it-yerselfers on the forum: I'm creating a console (glorified cup holder) using plastic parts from the parts truck...steering collumn cover, pillar covers and that worthless plastic arch under the dash. It's coming along nice, but the painting will be crucial for it to really work, visually. Some teaser photos follow.

Some will get a laugh out of this venture: it looks ridiculous, I'm sure, but it is working well so far. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

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How I started out...
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A Mitsubishi mini truck with CUP HOLDERS? Nice work Roy. It might look a bit industrial, but it's practical and a first attempt at my guess so I'll give you two thumbs up! I'm toying with making my own roof console for a mechless head unit and courtesy lights so it might be enough to inspire me to give it a shot...

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OAK with piano hinge top for storage with arm rest and unused ashtray for fuses and tiny things lol... :P

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Originally Posted by geezer101

A Mitsubishi mini truck with CUP HOLDERS?

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Indeedy, AND coin holder.

Thanks to all the suggestions, it's painted and installed, with working electrical, too. I did use the TSP and scrubbed real good. Then I used a plastic primer, waiting well beyond the recommended time to start painting. As advised, I took my time, light coats, and the results are terrific. Photos soon.

There are also arm rests in the center, I'm about to cover them with padding and upholstery, and the project is finished. I hope you will be stunned by the results.

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Originally Posted by BradMph

OAK with piano hinge top for storage with arm rest and unused ashtray for fuses and tiny things lol... :P

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Awesome!

I need my ram back this makes me miss it awesome work though Roy! Glad to see you doing the fun stuff to make it more enjoyable and not just run better

Thanks RNMM, and good to hear from you. It has indeed been a lot of fun, but a lot of frustration, too. That's what cars are, sort of. But this is a 'project vehicle', and it was intended to be a recreational focus with practical benefits. I still get 25-30 MPH and the truck does serve as a little work horse. The modifications I try to keep simple: there is no need for too many bells-and-whistles...tempting to put gadgets and trinketry everywhere, but it's not necessary. Part of the appeal of these little guys is their simplicity.

I like Geezer's idea of an overhead console for map lights and such. (The GPS makes the map light obsolete for those who indulge in technology. This truck represents a return to manual existance, meaning unfolding a paper map, looking at the road system, and relying on brain cells for navigation). The only real technical upgrade this truck has is the stereo system: the rest remains pretty much as it was manufactured. I had thought of a lot of things I could incorporate into the console, but it ended up being a cup holder and light-switch panel (for extra interior lighting)...and a compass. The project "forced" me to use every provision I built into my garage, and that was an awesome experience. The tools I had amassed came into play, too: the Dremmel tool, clothes iron (for heat-fusing materials), electrical connectors/tools to install them, hot glue gun...all kinds of stuff (toys) I really enjoyed blowing the dust off of and giving a go-round once more in life.

You can go to any autoparts store and buy fake vent-holes (chrome!) and sparkly stick-on statements...gawd, the crap they sell to "customise" vehicles...but it doesn't look good on other vehicles, it won't look good (or serve purpose) on mine. So I hope to represent the average working guy whose "statement" is simply honest attention to detail and serviceability...with a sporty attitude.

The bucket seats opened up a whole bunch of room that was unaccessible when the bench seat was in. The first console let me know what would work, and what was impractical.

By the way, I can easily make paper templates of door panels, center hump contours and the rear top panel if anyone wants to venture into making their own. Just PM me if you're really interested. (I didn't make a template for the rear large panel, but it can be detatched easily and traced if you want one).

I think we need some installed photos!

Hopefully tomorrow. It came out awesome!

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Originally Posted by Redneckmoparman

I think we need some installed photos!

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Armrest
The jury is still out about the material on the headrests: it's just there with saftey pins, for now.
The little box I got at Mal*Wart for $6. I hacked it up and modified it to fit so passenger-access to the seatbelt base was easy. The black device on the board is dash light illumination.
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Behind The Seat Storage
I installed some hooks to hold bungie cords. I have a flat Craftsman tool set that has a restraint and cover behind the driver's seat. Note the crank for the spare tire: it is mounted on a typical broom catch. A tire inflator is Velcroed to the carpeting.
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