Re: Simple brake job on '96 Explorer 4x4

Nate Nagel wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news1.newsguy.com:

I find those stupid Ford squeezy caliper

slider things to be the most irritating way of mounting a caliper > possible,

You mean the long ones with the silicone sandwiched in the middle?

The worst thing about those is that it's possible for incompetents to install them turned 90-degrees, after which they require a lot of pounding with a hammer to drive them out again.

Reply to
Tegger
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Yes, exactly!

Even if they're installed correctly, it's one of those things where you have to see them apart before it's obvious what you need to do to take them apart. The first time I did a brake job on a Ford with those things it took me for f**kin' ever to get the first caliper out. And even when you do know how to get them out, it really helps to have a pair of pliers and a drift that's just exactly the right size. And the caked on grease that makes your pliers slip off is just irritating.

I guess they must be cheaper than the traditional threaded pin and Teflon (I assume it's Teflon? Or maybe Delrin?) tube that everyone else uses...

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

spoken like a true champ and exemplary engineer...

Reply to
jim beam

I would think that if you turn them 90 degrees it takes a lot of pounding to install them!!!

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

Ashton Crusher wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

That's what I was wondering. I wasn't the one that installed them wrongly.

Reply to
Tegger

Nate Nagel wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news3.newsguy.com:

To vehicle EXTERIORS. I'm told the interiors are a different story.

Reply to
Tegger

Already have it scheduled for the first weekend after I lose my mind.

I think I'll give the engine and tranny time to start leaking and lube those up for me instead.

I don't know what I wrote that could have suggested fasteners presented any challenge.

I'm surprised you missed an opportunity to mention Porsche in comparison. -----

- gpsman

Reply to
gpsman

it's because he's too busy getting his sicko pervy thrills getting flagellated by me.

Reply to
jim beam

It's pretty hard on some dashboard padding but other then that not really an issue. I think mainly because all cars in the past couple decades have solar tinted windows that filter out 90% of the UV. So you don't get the kind of sun rot you did years and years ago. You just cook the plastic and some of it can take it and some can't.

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

*shrug* your choice...

I'd also recommend power washing it and going over everything with a paintbrush and some POR-15 or similar.

Hah. That actually helps, if they start leaking early enough in the vehicle's life (think Studebaker)

You did mention the length of time required to complete repair, even with pulling the axles that seems long. I ASSumed that some of that time was spent spraying penetrating oil, torching, or setting up the compressor and impact that you didn't think you'd need when you started the project.

Dude, seriously, give it a rest. I saw you post a reasonably serious post and I thought that I would give you a serious reply in return, in the interest of improving the general tone around here and actually contributing to a discussion.

Regarding my initial recommendation, it's something that I have in fact done, not on the late P-car but on my Jeep, because I'm planning to swap the rear bumper for one with an integral tow hitch at some point when I have a weekend with nice weather. I spent a good afternoon going around and anti-seizing fasteners; I expect it will pay off if I keep this thing as long as I anticipate. The rear shock bolts in particular on that vehicle are problematic if they break, and they are known to. My example isn't particularly rusty, but even so, those fasteners were a bit of a challenge to remove and I'm glad I've replaced them.

Difficulty: in my case, the bolts that hold the gas tank skid to the "frame" area of the unibody (which I think are M12? something beefy like that, anyway) were apparently Loctited at the factory. Yes, they do need to be removed to install the hitch/bumper support bracing, so this isn't just anal-retentiveness, this is preparation for near-future work therefore needed to be done. Combine that with the inevitable rust on the exposed threads on the far side of the nutstrips, where all you can do is spray penetrating oil on them (no access with wire brush, die, etc.) they fight ya.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

I would if I lived there invest in some good window tint, not necessarily the ultra-dark "gangsta" tint but a quality tint designed for solar/thermal rejection. In fact currently living in VA I did do a legal tint with the 3M "ceramic" tint on the Bimmer partly because it's black and therefore every little bit helps with your personal comfort in the summertime when parked outside (especially when returning to a car that's been parked a while); partly in an attempt to preserve the interior from the damage you describe, although I do expect that the factory windows also offer some protection of their own, and, of course, lastly because it does look killer on a black car.

I personally wouldn't do a limo tint because of the safety and legal concerns, but obviously there are a significant number of people who disagree with that...

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

Forgot to add, is it just the angle at which the photo is taken or is that leaf spring starting to reverse arch? If you go to the trouble of replacing the shackles, and you really are making a long term commitment to the vehicle, you may want to consider new springs, or if you have an old school spring and driveshaft shop nearby see if you can have them rearched (although some say it works fine, and some say it doesn't last

- I have no experience as every time I've run into that situation it's been on a vehicle for which replacement springs were not extortionately expensive.)

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

Nate Nagel wrote in news:kd4ml901ut0 @news1.newsguy.com:

Rust. Hands down.

Nobody scours the North-East for cars to restore!

Reply to
Tegger

Meh, if you found two identical cars - one in AZ and one in PA - you probably do a vulcan car meld with two junkers to make a viable car.

I'd expect the AZ car to have a good body, baked interior, and possibly worn out drivetrain because, well, nothing rusted away so it was driven until something mechanical failed.

The PA car... well, the floors and everything beneath them will be of questionable integrity...

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

Nate Nagel wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news3.newsguy.com:

Right. And my readings of Hemmings and other classic-car magazines tells me that the bulk of the cost of any restoration lies in two areas:

1) the body's sheet metal, and 2) the thousands of little bits and pieces that complete the vehicle.

#1 is the biggest by far, and that's why you'd be best to start with a south-western shell.

Reply to
Tegger

Depends somewhat on the car... (uh-oh, thread drift)

Ever restore an Avanti?

I'd be willing to bet that you could locate a fairly affordable Avanti body, or even a complete Avanti, unwrecked, for a surprisingly affordable price. I've even been offered a couple, years ago.

However, to steal a catchphrase from a friend of mine, "there's nothing as expensive as a cheap Avanti."

In that case, paint and bodywork are 'spensive as hell, and so are pretty much all the "thousands of little bits and pieces" that aren't the few that are common to other cars...

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

This, and detaching all rusted fasteners is crazy talk. It's more cost efficient to ignore underbody rust until it starts to affect frame integrity. Then junk the vehicle for recycling. The only exception is badly corroded brake lines. I've got a '93 Grand Am and a '97 Lumina, both driven on salted roads. My son and I did front and rear bakes on both last year. Except for one rusted through brake, rust was a non-issue. We did all rear brake lines, which I do consider a maintenance item when they're badly corroded. Rust didn't slow us down at all, beyond the normal wirebrushing Had new cat back exhaust put on the Grand Am. Wasn't charged labor for dealing with rust. But I don't work on Fords, so those folks can judge what you say for themselves.

Reply to
Vic Smith

100% correct. MUCH easier to repair the sun damaged paint and plastic than eliminating the rust.

Want an eye opener, grab an inspection camera and look inside the rockers and fender wells on vehicles. LOT'S of spray in foam sound deadener that holds water like a sponge.

Ever notice the rotted rockers and bed wheel openings on trucks, Care to guess what they used in the opening behind the tin foil to make that "steel" sound solid and not oil can? Spray foam. When you cut open one with rot there you will find the worst rust all around that crap. Cab corners are the same. If that crap wasn't there you could actually rinse out the panels and probably knock the rust growth down by 75% or more.

Reply to
Steve W.

Yer nuts.

How early is early enough...?

You assumed wrong. Again.

You must have forgotten you're a nitwit, again.

Maybe you should consider that just because you're not worth a f*ck at removing difficult fasteners doesn't mean everyone is. -----

- gpsman

Reply to
gpsman

Possibly. But if you truly intend to keep driving this thing, if you

*don't* do that, you are ensuring that someday you will have to purchase a replacement.

Pretty much almost immediately on leaving the showroom.

So you gonna tell us why it took so long? Otherwise we have no choice but to ASSume.

No, I momentarily ignored the fact that you're a f****it. But you just reminded everyone. And like JB, you clearly have all the class of a cracked toilet seat.

Maybe I don't want to have to do it at the side of the road with a pair of water pump pliers and a Klein 10-in-1. Maybe I do plan on keeping my vehicle indefinitely, or passing it on to someone in usable safe condition when I'm done with it. Maybe I like planning ahead. Maybe I'd like to be able to take my vehicle to a shop for repair and not get whacked with the "rustbucket" surcharge.

Just because someone looks at things differently doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be a douche. It does, however, apparently mean that you, personally, *do* have to be a douche.

nate

Reply to
N8N

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