Sunday, March 17, 2013
Replaced the Rear Springs...
Got a little time out in the garage today, so I replaced the rear springs. I bought them over 6 months ago, but they haven't been a priority. While cleaning the office today I had to keep moving them, so they moved up the list. Easy project to take from start to finish and the car sits level again.
Monday, March 11, 2013
A Little Interior Work...
Been a little while since my last update, but in my defense, I have been non-stop around the house getting the Spring cleaning done early. Anyhow, on to the updates!
Today I was able to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather (we hit 60s in early March!) and do some work on interior trim. I need to get it all pulled, painted or reupholstered so I can pull the dash pad and replace it with the new one, and I need to paint the lower dash. I'm hoping to do that one without removing it, but we will have to see if I can pull that on off.
First off, the pillar trim is padded. I stripped the old covers off and this is what I had left (note original cover still on lower pad):
Unfortunately, the vinyl they used to cover the pad is quite thin, while I had to use the same material as I did for the seats. This made it much more challenging. Hopefully everything fits when done. Spray-mount, press, trim, and work it into place trying to get the adhesive to stick and you get this (original still below):
Much better, but I have some wrinkles I will need to try to work out. The thicker material really makes this a challenge, but it looks a thousand times better and it will match the rest of the interior.
I also redid the spare tire access cover. Resisting instinct to do it my way, I applied adhesive the same way as the factory did. The net result is I ended up with a couple bubbles that will be difficult to do. Hopefully I can get them, but in the meantime, what a difference!
I still need to reinstall the bar at the bottom, and the hook on the inside by the handle hole, but much better.
I also sprayed about a half dozen pieces of trim and then ordered more SEM Super White (which is really an off white, and sorry, no pic yet) because I am going to at a minimum do the door panels as well, and may spray the last two larger interior panels that go in the back of the vehicle. Plus, I need to do ALL of the third row seat assemblies, minus the upholstery. The big panels are upholstered, but it is just going to be way to much work to have new ones sewn up.
Once the trim and dash are set, I can reassemble the interior, and add the console back in. I still need to redo the seat tracks, but I bought a 5 gallon bucket of EvapoRust to soak them, rather than trying to disassemble them and blast them. If my gamble pays off, I can eliminate the rust, paint them and put them back into service while saving myself a ton of added labor, and ultimately end up with a better product.
I found one picture I have of the windlace from the driver's door. It looked rough, but after cleaning with Simple Green and then lacquer thinner and them a fairly heavy couple of coats of SEM Color Coat, and they look almost new!
That's all for now. I'll try to get a pic of the trim for my next post, but there won't be much to tell other than it worked and it was easy, or otherwise.Now to pull all of the third row seats so I can have them soda blasted...
Today I was able to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather (we hit 60s in early March!) and do some work on interior trim. I need to get it all pulled, painted or reupholstered so I can pull the dash pad and replace it with the new one, and I need to paint the lower dash. I'm hoping to do that one without removing it, but we will have to see if I can pull that on off.
First off, the pillar trim is padded. I stripped the old covers off and this is what I had left (note original cover still on lower pad):
Unfortunately, the vinyl they used to cover the pad is quite thin, while I had to use the same material as I did for the seats. This made it much more challenging. Hopefully everything fits when done. Spray-mount, press, trim, and work it into place trying to get the adhesive to stick and you get this (original still below):
Much better, but I have some wrinkles I will need to try to work out. The thicker material really makes this a challenge, but it looks a thousand times better and it will match the rest of the interior.
I also redid the spare tire access cover. Resisting instinct to do it my way, I applied adhesive the same way as the factory did. The net result is I ended up with a couple bubbles that will be difficult to do. Hopefully I can get them, but in the meantime, what a difference!
I still need to reinstall the bar at the bottom, and the hook on the inside by the handle hole, but much better.
I also sprayed about a half dozen pieces of trim and then ordered more SEM Super White (which is really an off white, and sorry, no pic yet) because I am going to at a minimum do the door panels as well, and may spray the last two larger interior panels that go in the back of the vehicle. Plus, I need to do ALL of the third row seat assemblies, minus the upholstery. The big panels are upholstered, but it is just going to be way to much work to have new ones sewn up.
Once the trim and dash are set, I can reassemble the interior, and add the console back in. I still need to redo the seat tracks, but I bought a 5 gallon bucket of EvapoRust to soak them, rather than trying to disassemble them and blast them. If my gamble pays off, I can eliminate the rust, paint them and put them back into service while saving myself a ton of added labor, and ultimately end up with a better product.
I found one picture I have of the windlace from the driver's door. It looked rough, but after cleaning with Simple Green and then lacquer thinner and them a fairly heavy couple of coats of SEM Color Coat, and they look almost new!
That's all for now. I'll try to get a pic of the trim for my next post, but there won't be much to tell other than it worked and it was easy, or otherwise.Now to pull all of the third row seats so I can have them soda blasted...
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