Doing a bit of upkeep today. FIrst, I took out the spare tire to check it, clean out the well, and give the tire a coat of some now (to me) tire treatment I am now using, having given up on that junk known as Armor All. When removing the tire I remembered that the plastic hold-down screw had a lug broken off so I used the Devcon Plastic Welder I bought (two part epoxy-like glue specifically for plastic). It is rated at 3500 psi strength so it will be interesting to see if the lug I built up holds. if it's tinsle strength is as strong as its odor, then it will work! It hardens REALLY fast, like about a two minute work time (they say 4) and can be handled and worked in 4 minutes! My next task is to rebuild the mounting 'lugs' on the tailgate inner panel.
After that I took out the battery. The positive terminal was looking ugly and so I decided to clean out the battery area. When I was a teenager I worked in the Ward's auto department for just over a year doing tires and batteries- College Mon-Fri and work Sat and Sun. it all sort of came back when I was cleaning teh long hold-down bolt and clamp for the battery today. I used the power wire wheel and the aroma of that battery-acid dust in the air brought back waves of memories of installing dozens of batteries each weekend, especially on sale days. So much for the nostalgia, but the stories I could tell!...
Anyway, I found a lot of ugliness in the battery compartment, under the tray, so I washed and scrubbed, dried, and painted a coat of anti-rust primer. Will have to pick up a pint of matching paint to finish it off during the week.
I think that this is an area that is often neglected and one that deserves annual inspection and attention. Something as simple as taking the battery out, washing the area (including the battery) with an all-purpose cleaner, drying it off and just giving it a spray of WD-40 once in a while can do wonders. it is that much more important with uni-body cars and cars that have the battery tray welded into place or as part of the frame/body. In some countries it can keep the car from passing inspection, but in the US, if it rolls and starts it is legal (around here there are some cars that barely do that!). Like the leaking fuel filler hose on my '74 Ford P.U. that I 'mended' with All Purpose Goop brand adhesive and fiberglass cloth the other day. It's OK, I can't afford to fill the 38 gallon tank(!) anyway, so it should be OK.. ;-) __ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvo '93 960 Estate