12/30/96 - Received my headers (and tail-light
gaskets).
12/25/96, 12/29/96 - Put a new alternator in the
other Scout
I gave my folks my other Scout because they needed something to plow
thier 1/4 mile driveway with. We found a plow with an electric pump, that
fit perfectly, but the alternator (the original 32 amp piece) wasn't
quite up to the job, so we decided to replace it.
This was a pain for two reasons: 1) someone told me that the alternator
for an '89 suburban was a perfect drop-in replacement that puts out
about 100A (they lied) and 2) the plow pump was mounted on top of the
alternator.
We ended up removing the plow pump. That was a pain, but solved one
problem. Due to my own stupidity, it wasn't until I had installed the
alternator (the one or the Suburban) that I realized that the electrical
plug (not the main wire to the battery, the other one) wasn't even close to
being correct. The original plug wanted a 2 spade connection, while the alt
had at least 5. After much bitching and moaning, I took the alternator
back, and came back another day (my folks live in N.H.) with the right one,
a 63A model that I made sure looked exactly like the original. Installing
this uneventful, except for the pouring rain :-(
But for those interested... The alternator is held in place by two bolts.
It pivots on one, the upper one, and the lower one slides through a long
hole/slot in an arm which is attached to the engine block. The idea is
that, with the bottom bolt loose, the alternator can pivot, letting you
adjust the tension on the belt.
To take the alternator out, first disconnect the battery, disconnect
the bog wire to the alternator, then unplug the smaller wires. Remove
the lower bolt (you may have to do this from underneath), and then the
upper one. That's it. To install, do the same in reverse, but don't
tighten the bottom bolt. Once you have it back in, place the belt back
on the pulley (make sure it is still in the right place on all the other
pulleys!).
Now, using some sort of pry bar (an axe/shovel handle or long crow-bar
works well), push the alternator away from the engine, tightening the
belt. Have someone else tighten the bottom bolt while you keep the
belt tight.
12/21/96 - Worked on the fuel lines
I needed to connect the wires to the fuel tank sender, and attach a short
piece of fuel line hose to the tank, so I dropped it half way. I slid
my small hydralic jack underneath, loosened the hose clamps on the driver's
side, then removed the bolts on the tank retaining straps on the passenger's
side. I slowly let the jack down about 6". this gave me enough room to
work and see what I was doing.
I cut a short piece of fuel line hose and put it on the tank with a hose clamp.
This will get attached to the hard fuel line a few inches away.
I removed on of the tiny bolts which holds the fuel sender in place, and
sanded all around the hole to get clean metal. I put a new connector on
the end of the sender ground wire (one of those connectors with just a hole
in it). And replaced the tiny bolt, attaching the ground wire.
I also cleaned the connector on the end of the "signal" wire before
attaching it. It looks like a tiny spark plug boot/connector, and it slide
over a threaded post on the sending unit.
Just for reference. Both of the wires that go to the tank are encased in
one sleeve which actually goes backwards to the group of connectors by the
passenger's side taillight.
I still need to grease these connections. I found some waterproof conductive
"grease" in a local electronics store which protects connections, but will
not interfere with conductivity (like normal grease). I need to coat these
connections with this stuff.
I decided to go with hard (steel) fuel lines because the original plastic
line was in bad shape, no one local had a replacement, the are durable,
and they look cool because the miror the brake lines on the other side of
the frame :-)
I bent three piece of line, two 4' pieces and a 1' piece. They connect
to the short piece of fuel line hose coming from the tank just at the
front edge of the fuel tank, and follow the frame forward. The line is
attached to the frame using retaining metal "clips" with a rubber
wrapper that I found in the local parts store (a common item). They are
screwed into existing holes in the frame (not supposed to make extra holes
in the frame, if you can avoid it). Oh, before I put the lines in, I primed
them, and painted them silver (to match the brake lines, and the shocks).
12/18/96 - Ordered headers and taillight gaskets
I debated whether to get the painted vs. chrome headers, and also
"regular" vs. "Tri-Y". (The Tri-Y headers have pipes that join two
cylinders one one side in a "Y", then the outputs of those two Y's
are joined in a third Y. This design is supposed to allow for "scavenging"
of un-burnt fuel in exhaust gasses. It also adds $75 to the price).
After a bunch of input from people on the IHC mailling list I decided to
go with the "regular" chrome headers. It suonds like the added performance
I might get from the Tri-Y version would be small, and I could probably
do more for performance by spending the $75 elsewhere (ignition, maybe?).
I went with the chrome because many folks said the chrome would last longer
than the painted ones. Appearently the paint burns off retty quickly, and
rust sets in right away. If the chrome ones are kept clean, they're supposed
to last quite a while. A few people even suggested that the chrome would help
keep the heat in the header, and might cause less heat-related problems
with the starter (see
Jim's Tech Tips for more header info). A few others suggested getting
the painted version, and then have them coated with something called "Jet
Hot Coating", but this route sounded like more work, and possibly more $$$.
I order the headers (made by Stan's Headers) from Giddum' Up Scout for $275.
(other prices: regular-painted $230, Tri-Y-painted $300, Tri-Y-chrome $350).
I called Stan's directly expecting to find a better price. They had none in
stock (but said they could put some together in just a few days), and wanted
$395 for the same header (regular-chrome). They said they wouldn't make the
Tri-Ys right now. So I got the same thing (hopefully) for $120 less than
what the manufacturer charges. Go figure...
I also ordered some tail light gaskets, $1/each.
12/12/96, 12/14, 12/15 - Worked on fuel system
Undercoated new tank. Just for added protection I bought a spray can of
rubberized undercoating, and coated the bottom and the sides of the tank.
Set up vents on new tank. The new tank has 5 vent tubes, the original only
had one. I merged the 5 vents into one hose (using 5/16" hose) and routed
that to the "vapor/liquid separator" (the black plastic tube behind the
fuel system access panel).
Put in new tank. The tank went in pretty easily. I didn't even have to
lift the truck. I slid the tank underneath, and raised the drivers's side
(the one with the filler tube sticking out) and rested the bottom of the
filler tube on the top of the frame. Then I lifted the other side a little
and slid a small hydraulic jack underneath. I slowly jacked it up till it
was in place. The support straps simply bolt to the frame using 2 /12"
(grade 8) bolts.
Attached filler neck to bed wall. The filler neck has two rigid straps around
it with mounting holes. These bolt up against (through) the bed wall.
The top of the "vapor/liquid separator" has a nipple which on some Scouts
(CA emissions?) is used to feed gas vapors to the recovery canister under
the hood. On mine it it just plugged with a little rubber cap, which was
split, so I replaced it.
The "vapor/liquid separator" mounts in the opening behind the fuel system
access panel. I screwed that in place with some stainless steel screws.
Next, I connected filler neck to tank with a piece of 1 7/8" fuel hose.
This stuff is expensive! ($12/foot).
Then I had to connect the vents on the tank to the "vapor/liquid separator".
The problem is that there are 5 vent nipples on the tank, and one nipple on
the "vapor/liquid separator". So I tee'd the 5 together using 5/16" fuel
line hose, and connected the output to the "vapor/liquid separator".
Finally, I installed fuel system access panel. I had to trim the Rhino
overspray from the back, and I used some 3/16" sealed cell weather stripping
on the back to eliminate drafts (the "sealed cell" ensure that us won't
soak up water like a sponge). A few stainless steel screws, and it was done.
As I finished, I realized I should have connected fuel line and
electrical stuff to the tank, before putting it in place. Oh well...
12/11/96 - Called Giddum' Up Scout for info
According to Giddum' Up Scout, the inner diameter of the hose connecting
the fuel filler neck to the gas tank is 1 7/8".
And they sell gaskets for tail lights (the earlier, two piece version with
metal "cup" behind plastic lens) for $1 each.
12/10/96 - Yahoo! Finally got my new
motor mounts.
I got the motor mounts I ordered from Super Scout Specialists. These things
are very expensive ($75/each), but pretty heavy-duty. They look
like the originals, except they're filled completely with polyeurathane. Oh
and they're not all rusty....
With a lot of luck, I might get then engine in this weekend!
12/7/96, 12/8/96 - Cleaned up "new" gas tank.
I scraped all the grease and mud from the new used aftermarket 32 gallon
fuel tank and mounting straps I bought. I blew some compressed air through
it for a few minutes
to minimized any fumes (it didn't smell like gas at all, I assume they rinsed
it before shipping, but just in case), then I hit it with a sander to remove
some suface rust. I rinsed it (the outside) with water and some de-greaser
after sealing all the vents and inlets with duct tape.
Then I gave it 2 spray cans of Rustoleum primer, followed by two cans of
Rustoleum flat black.
I was also confused by all the extra tubes sticking out. The original
had the one to the fuel pump on the top, the filler neck one on the side,
the two smaller ones also on the side, of slightly different sizes. The
two smaller ones on the side went to the black plastic "tube" which sits
behind the fuel system access panel in the bed.
I checked the shop manual on this stuff. That black tube is designed to
catch fumes/etc and try to separate the vapor from the liquid. The smallest
of the tubes on the side of the tank goes to the bottom of this tube, the
slightly larger one goes to the middle of the tube. At the top of the tube is
another nipple, but on my Scout this is plugged up. According to the
manual, if this was a California model, there would be a hose running from
this nipple to one of those collection cans up near the engine. These collect
gas fumes in some sort of charcoal until the engine is started. When the
engine is running vacuum pressure sucks air through this charcoal stuff
sucking the stored gas fumes into the engine to be burnt.
But, on my Scout this stuff is just directed back into the tank. The gas cap
has a small pressure release valve built into it so it will hold the vapors
in until the pressure is to great, and the fumes will then be vented into
the air.
I will probably reassemble the system as it was, and if I smell gas often
(as I used to), I'll add that fume collection container.
As for the extra tubes on the side of the "new" tank, according to a few
diagrams from the manual, they appear to be more fume vents. I will merge
them all together into the vapor/liquid separator (the black plastic tube).
11/27/96 - Got some parts
Today felt like Christmas, actually more like my birthday (it is). I got
my gas tank and my brand new radiator. I haven't had a chance to pull
them out of the boxes yet, but I did peek in at the radiator, and was happy
to see that it had foam packing "blown in" all around it. I was a little
worried that UPS was going to "customize" it as they seem to do with most
over-sized packages.
11/19/96 - Ordered a new radiator, hoses, and
(used) gas tank.
Well, after the recent death of the radiator on my second scout, the radiator
from the rebuild scout became "unavailable" (I was planning on having it
re-cored). So I found a brand new 4-core radiator at Giddum' Up
Scout. Yeah, its was expensive (~$400), but it seems kinda silly to skimp
on a radiator for a completely rebuilt engine.
I also picked up a used aftermarket 33 gal. gas tank, complete w/ mounting
straps (and a small dent) for $100.
11/12/96 - Status Update
Lot of people have sent me mail asking why I have no new status info. I have
a few reasons (excuses):
11/1/96 - Gave up on getting a gas tank from Scout
Connection
On 8/19/96 I ordered a "rebuilt" gas tank from The
Scout Connection. The guy I spoke with was very helpful, and described
the process they use to refurbish the tanks. It sounded like a good deal,
so I ordered one (see below for the details).
Well, I have called The Scout Connection about once a week since the end
of September (about two weeks after I was supposed to receive the tank).
For the first few weeks I was told that they send the tanks out to be done,
and they were not completed yet. Then I was told that the tank was being
shipped to the Scout Connection as we spoke, and would be dropped in the
mail to me as soon as it arrived. A week later, they still had not seen
the tank. This went on for a while, until I finally gave up. Now I've
wasted a bunch of time, and still have no gas tank.
I ran into similar problems with The Scout Connection and some (crappy)
bed rails. I've not had good luck with them. While all the parts I've
ordered have had to come from someone else first (they don't re-do the
gas tanks, or make the bed rails), I was still disappointed. Not only in
the wait, but in the fact that I had to call and check on the all the parts,
as opposed to being informed that there would be a delay. (But every
time I called, they did say, "Oh yes, you were on my list of people to call
today". No, I never received a phone call from them).
10/29/96 - Ordered some motor mounts
After calling around, only Super Scout Specailists had new motor mounts
in stock. (It seems silly to do all this work, and use used ones).
Unfortunately they're $75. They're poly-eurathane injected instead of
the original rubber.
10/19/96 - Worked on the wiring harnesses
I'm doing general inspection, and cleanup on the remaining wiring harnesses
(I already did the dash). I'm removeing all the electrical tape (the entire
harness is wrapped in electrical tape), inspecting all the wires (I found a
few about ready to break), cleaning all the connections, and testing for
continuity.
So far, no problems. But wrapping the tail-light harness again in
electrical tape took forever (its about 16' long).
10/17/96 - Install the steering column
I installed the steering column. Two bolts hold it to the brake pedal
frame under the dash. At the firewall, on the engine side, there's a
rubber boot held in place by a two piece collar which bolts through the
firewall into the support place on the other side. The end of the steering
column shaft slides right into the fitting on the rag joint attached to
the power steering box, and that's it. I still need to hook up the
wires, put the turn signal lever back, and put the steering wheel in.
10/12/96 - Put the new tub on the frame!!!
First, I had to put the exhaust pipes in place. I replaced the front
hangers on both pipes, but didn't actually hang them because I couldn't
really judge the correct height until the engine goes in. So I tied them
to the frame until then.
To put the tub on, I lined it and the frame up side-by-side. I placed
the rubber body mounts I got with the body (cost extra, of course) on frame
body supports. We removed all the bolts holding the fiberglass tub
to the skid it was shipped on.
Then, with about six guys, we lifted the tub off the skid, and set it
right down on the frame. We juggled it around a little, to get everything
to line up, and that was it.
Five of the six stainless steel, grade 8 bolts provided with the mounting
kit slid right into place. There's a washer that goes on each end of the
bolt, but on the top side, I put the washers in place before the
Rhino-lining was sprayed in, so from the inside, all you can see is the
head of the bolt. Only four of the six bolts that hold the tub to the frame
go all the way through the floor. The two bolts in the middle go through
a lip around the area where the rear bed meets the front floor.
One of these center mounting holes was off by a few inches. I get the
impression that the guys at Kentrol (who used the mounting holes to attach
the tub to the shiping skid) weren't so careful drilling these center mounting
holes since they are not visible except from underneath. When I get to it
(probably when I first have the thing on the lift) I will have to re-drill
that hole and finish that body mount.
It was a big rush to see the body on the frame. It made it look like a
truck again, instead of a random collection of parts. Don't get me wrong,
it still needs a few things like an engine, transmission, windshield frame,
fenders ..., but now that the body is sitting a good foot or so off the ground,
it looks like a Scout again.
10/10/96 - Finished brake lines, shocks, exhaust
Installed brake lines and hoses.
Painted rear shocks (silver, to match front, and brake lines), installed
front and rear shocks.
Quickly sandblasted exhuast pipes, and coated with high-heat paint, to slow
rust.
10/6/96 - Misc...
Spray painted the brake lines silver, the look good against the black frame.
Sand blasted new (used) rear differential cover I got from Super Scout
Specailists, and front grill support.
10/5/96 - Even more brake line stuff
After looking at the flares once more on the brake lines I decided to go
the "conventional" route and use pre-flared pieces, joined together, and
with adapters on the ends to make the fittings the right size. The stuff
I had set up just didn't look/feel safe (although it looked better than
screwing three pieces together to reach the rear axle).
You need about 13' of tubing to go from the master cylinder to the rear axle.
The nearest 10" increment was 160", so I got one 40" and two 60" pieces. I
bent them all to fit, and primed all the brake lines to minimize rust.
10/2/96 - More brake line stuff
I picked up two short (12") pieces of 1/4" brake line, and cut one end off
each. then I put the appropriate original fittings on. These pieces go
from the master cylinder to the block that regulate/monitors pressure between
the front and rear brakes. I also picked up a longer (20"?) piece of 3/16"
to replace the piece that goes from that block to the little block that
branches to the front calipers. Forunately the original piece has normal
fittings, so all I need to do is bend this one. And I also grabbed two
40" pieces of 1/4" and a union. Once these are screwed together, they will
be the right length to replace the line between the front left and right
brakes (and these fittings don't need any work either).
Next I drove over to the local Midas shop (closer to work than Speedy), and
talked the guy into flaring both ends of the rear line, and the ends I cut
of the two small lines. He did an ok job. Not great, though. They're
not very neat, and I'm betting they will leak. but, I'll try them out, and
if they do leak, I'll end up doing it myself (if you want something done
right...)
10/1/96 - Worked on brake lines
I took the rear brake line I bent to the local Speedy Muffler/Brake guy
because I don't have the tools to do the flares at the ends, and it didn't
make much sense to spend $40 for tools I'd use once. The Speedy guy said he
didn't have any fittings to replace originals, and he couldn't get to it
till the next day, so I left (with my lines). I combed most of the local
parts places, and no one had all the fittings. It seems that the ones that
screw into the master cylinder are unusually large for such a small diameter
tubing.
I ended up spending a hour with a torch removing the old ones, and cleaning
them up. Hopefully I haven't mangled the threads too bad.
9/28/96 - Reassembled axles & frame, worked on (bent)
rear brake line
Finally, the fun part. I actually got to put something together, instead of
taking aprt or sandblasting old, rusty, parts. (Ok, so these are still old,
just not rusty).
First, I lubed and installed all the bushings. Make sure you use the lube,
or you're polyeurethane bushings will squeak a lot (fortunatelty I was warned
ahead of time). Then I went hardware hunting. Finding twelve 3 1/2 long,
grade 8, 7/16" sets of nuts & bolts is a hell of a lot harder than I thought
it would be. I checked every parts place in town, and I ended up buying the
nuts in one place, lock washers in another, and bolts in a third.
Once I had the bushing in and the hardware on hand, things went pretty
smoothly. The only thing to watch out for is ripping the spring bushings
on the end of the springs without the shackles. Geting the springs and bushings
in the little frame brackets is a tight fit, and I put a small tear in the
outer flange on one bushing.
Next I bolted on the power steering box.
One it was all together, it really was an impressive sight. Everything is
clean, black and shiny. It was a ton of work, but worth it.
Next I started working on the rear brake line. It seems that the "normal"
way of replacing an brake line longer that 60" is to piece a bunch of them
together. But given that the rear brake line is over 15 feet long, I really
wasn't to psyched about hacking together four pieces of tubing to replace one,
so I found a 25' roll of 3/16" tubing (see below), and bent my own rear line.
Bending it is pretty easy, but a tubing bender is a must for the sharper
bends.
9/27/96 - Painted brake drums, installed
brake booster/master cylinder, got brake line tubing for rear.
I painted the brake drums (rear) with a spray can off "high heat" paint.
I used this paint on the theory that the drums must get pretty toasty
while doing a lot of braking.
I bolted the master cylinder/brake booster (which I painted on
9/12) to the firewall. I put large, thin,
stainless steel washers with a ring of weatherproof caulk around the hole
in the center between the brake booster mounting brakets and the firewall
for a little added support and to seal the holes.
After a lot of searching, I found a 25' roll of 3/16" double-walled steel
brake line tubing to re-plumb the rear brakes with (this was about $15).
I was a little nervous about bending the stuff but I was able to unroll
it into a straight line pretty easily (and a friend loaned me a tubing bending
tool to do the real work) But I decided to wait to bend the tubing to match
the original until I get the frame back on the axles (right now its leanning
up against a wall, making it tough to check the bends).
I also called a local Speedy Muffler/Brake place and asked them if they'd
be willing to flare the ends of the lines for me since I don't have the
tools. They said "no problem".
9/21 - 9/23/96 - Sandblasted, prepped, primed and
painted axles
This weekend I took care of cleaning up the axles. I sand blasted the front
axle (I finished the rear last weekend), painted and primed them both.
Before painting I masked off the brake drums on the rear axle because I
figured they might get too hot for the primer/paint I was using. I also
masked all of the moving parts at the ends of the front axles.
I used the same primer and paint that I used on the frame. It probably
won't wear extremely well, given all the crap that hits the axles, but it
should help protect them a bit.
I also prepped/primed/painted the power steering pump, and the steering box.
9/14/96 - Ordered a (used) diff cover
I called all over the place and finally found one at Super Scout Specialists
for $15.
9/16/96 - (Finally) received my second set of bed
rails from The Scout Connection.
The complete story on these is below, but to summerize, I ordered a pair
of these on 6/25/96, and they showed up on 7/15 (a week later than they
promised, but not bad), and were dented. I tried them on the Scout (on
both Scouts, actually), and the holes were in the wrong place. I called
The Scout Connection back on 8/19, and he said he'd rush me a new pair.
I called three weeks later, and he said they'd sent a pair, but the got
mangled in shipping and returned, and another pair was already on the way.
(Remember that I called them when I got my first dented pair, and
strongly suggested they pack them better, appearently they didn't
listen or don't care?) The new pair showed up a week later, they are in
decent shape, but the holes look a little large, and are varying distances
from the edge. We'll see how fit tonight.
To make a long story short, if you need a set of these, try Giddum' Up
Scout. They cost more ($10 more per side), but you'll probably get better
stuff sooner.
9/12/96 - Painted misc little parts
I blasted and painted the following:
9/14/96 - Sand-blasted rear axle
More sand-blasting, I really can't wait till I'm done with that. The
rear axles cleaned up pretty well. The only problem I ran into was
that I blasted a tiny hole through the rear diff cover. Appearently
it was rusted through, but the rust was keeping it from leaking, until
I came along. The hole doesn't look big enough for any sand to get in, but
I'll flush it out when I replace the cover, just to be safe.
9/12/96 - Painted the frame
I painted the frame with Rustoleum Gloss Black enamel. To use in the
spray-gun, this paint must be thinned slightly, about 8:1.
This paint seems to work pretty well. It covers well without running to
easily, and there's a GTO in the shop I'm working in that had its frame
painted 3 years ago (without being primed) and it still looks almost new.
Its also affordable at about $21/gallon. I used about half a gallon
from the frame, and I'll need the rest for the axles, and touch-up.
That's the other nice thing about using Rustoleum, you can always
pick-up a spray can of the same paint for easy touch-ups.
9/9/96 - Primed top of frame
Today I finished off the priming. Same steps as below.
9/8/96 - Primed bottom of frame
Before priming I taped up the rear rubber bumpers (the ones that keep the frame
from hitting the axles), and I stuffed all the bushing holes w/ paper towels.
For primer I used Rustoleum "Clean Metal Primer" (the stufft that's recommended
for use under the Rustoleum Black Gloss Enamel I'm using as a top coat). The
stuff is pretty simple to work with, you can thin it and clean up with
mineral spirits. To get a good complete coat, I decided to prime it in two
steps, bottom, then top side of the frame.
I thinned the primer a little, adding just less that 20% mineral spirits,
and sprayed at about 35-40 psi. It took about 35 minutes to actually spray
the bottom and the sides.
9/7/96 - Removed bushings, painted steering column
The bushings are a real pain to remove. The bushings are a sleeve of thin
metal wrapped around a rubber core, and in the center of the rubber core is
a heavy steel sleeve. All of this is pressed into the frame or the spring.
With the rubber out of the way, you can get the outer metal sleeve out
pretty easily with an air chisel. The problem is that the rubber is larger
than the opening in the bushing, and won't compress at all with the inner
sleeve in place. Of course the inner sleeve is rusted, and usually won't
come out.
The most suggested solution, and the one I tried was a torch. And it works
pretty well. I toko a regular propane torch and pointed it inside the center
metal sleeve. After about 2 minutes the rubber around the sleeve would start
to bubble. One shot with the air chisel, and the inner sleeve would sail
across the shop. Next I worked the torch around the outside of the bushing.
This took a little longer (3-4 minutes) but eventually the edges would start
bubbling, and a little work with the air-chisel would get the rubber core out.
This leaves just the outer metal sleeve, which can be worked out with the
air-chisel also.
I also painted the steering column today. The previous owner had painted
many parts of the interior bright red, including the steering column.
(I removed the steering column on 6/8/96 , and sanded
it on 7/5/96.)
I taped up the key hole, and all the electrical contacts, and then sprayed
it with black gloss Rustoleum (two coats) and it actuall looks pretty good.
9/3/96 - Ordered some new spring bushings.
I order some polyurathane bushings from J.C. Whitney.
The J.C.W part number is 38BD1743P (this is one set of 12 bushings & 6 sleeves, for one axle,
front and rear use the same part number).
9/2/96 - Finished blasting frame, installed vent
cover panels.
I finally finished sandblasting the frame. I also removed the
rubber "bumpers" in the front (the ones which keep the axle from hitting
the frame).
When I removed the axles, and I had a choice of bolts to remove to get
the springs off (on the shackle ends of the springs), I removed the easiest
one, so I still had a few shackles attached to the frame. Since I decided
to replace the spring bushings, I wanted to remove the shackles completely
before painting.
The nuts on the shackle bolts came off easily, but most of the bolts themselves
were rusted to the metal sleeves inside the bushings. I ended up having to
take a small sledge hammer to these bolts, and pushing the sleeve
all the way through the bushing.
I also installed the "kick panels" which cover the holes by the foot area
where normal (non-SSII) Scouts have vents. Since I've Rhino-lined the
walls that these panels go up against, I needed some relatively thick (3/16")
weather stripping to seal between the (smooth) back of the panels, and the
(rough) Rhino-lined walls. I used stainless steel screws w/ black heads.
Looks pretty cool :-). I had to remove the parking brake pedal to install
the driver's side panel, so I also had to re-install that.
And in preparation for painting the frame, I de-greased all the slightly
greasy spots (the sandblasting removes most of the grease), then completely
rinsed off the frame. This also removed all the leftover sand. Immeadiately
after I rinsed it, I dried it off with an air hose to prevent new rust.
I also bought the paint and primer for the frame. I'm using black gloss
Rustoleum enamel, on top of the recommended Rustoleum clean-metal primer. Both
of these will be sprayed on.
8/27/96 - Took axles off frame.
To make the rest of the sandblasting easier, I took the axles off the frame.
I did most of the work last week (see below). Before removing the axles,
all I had left to do was disconnect the parking brake cable from the frame,
and remove the steering box.
With that stuff off, all that was left was to pull the bolts holding the
springs on. To do this I just put a floor jack in the middle of the frame
with a 2x4 across it to reach both sides of the frame, and jacked it up enough
to take most of the weight off the springs. All the bolts came right out
by hand, or with a little tap from a hammer, except one (these can be
hammered because you always replace them).
The rear bolt on the front passenger side spring was rusted solid to the
metal collar inside the bushing, and the metal collar was firmly attached
to the bushing itself. Even the airgun wouldn't turn this bolt. I ended up
(carefully) taking a small sledge hammer to it. It finally came out.
Hopefully, over the long weekend, I'll finish blasting the frame and at least
get it primed, maybe painted.
8/26/96 - Got plate to reinforce steering
Thanks to Sam Young!
8/20/96 - Started to strip frame.
I'm ready to sandblast the hard-to-reach spots on the frame, so I need to
take the axles off the frame.
First, I removed the front and rear shocks, very easy, but an air-gun
really helps.
Next I had to disconnect the brake lines. For the rear end there's one
brake line from the frame to the axle. Unforunately the coupling between
the steel brake line (on the frame) and the rubber brake line (to the axle)
was in tough shape. I managed to get the end of the rubber line to turn,
but the fitting at the end of the steel line was rusted to the line itself
(this fitting is supposed to spin around the steel tubing). Any attempt
to turn this fitting would twist the steel line. I managed to turn the
rubber line fitting (which twists the rubber line, not good) enough to
unscrew it.
On the front, each wheel has its own brake line. On the passenger side,
I ran into the same problem I found in back. The fitting to the steel line
was seized to the tubing. Again, I twisted the rubber line to get them apart.
Does anyone know of a better way to deal with this without trashing the
steel line?
On the front drivers side, the connection between the steel lines and the
wheel is a small distribtion block. There's a bolt through the center of the
block that attaches the line to the wheel. This one came apart easily.
After I had the brake connections to the wheels disconnected, I realized that
the only thing keeping the metal brake lines on the frame were one bolt, and
a bunch of plastic hooks. The steel tubing slides out from under the plastic
hooks (which stay on the frame) with a little effort, and the bolt comes out
easily. This let me completely remove the brake lines from the frame (which
will keep then from getting over blasted, or sand in them).
Next I removed the cotter pin through the nut that connects the pitman arm
to the steering rod. I tried to separate the pieces by hand (once the nut was
off), with no luck. I left it to deal with later.
Again I pulled out the air-gun and removed the nuts from the bolts holding
the rear springs. Then I ran out of time....
8/19/96 - More frame sandblasting...
I spent most of Sunday sand blasting. I finished the top and sides of the
frame, and the rear bumper. I still need to flip the frame over and do the
bottom.
I also just heard from the shop that's rebuilding the engine. Appearently one
of the lobes on the cam-shaft was completely worn away.
I just spoke with the guy a "The Scout Connection". I order some bed rails
from them about 2 months ago, and they didn't fit correctly. I called
to complain, and they said they'd get another pair made, and sent out. I
called today to check on the progress, and to look into a gas tank. I'm a
little hesistant about doing business with these guys since they screwed up
the bed rails (pretty simple parts), but they seem to have the best deal on
completely "rebuilt" gas tanks, and they have a life time guarantee.
They said they'd have to send the gas tank out which would take about three
weeks, so I can expect it in about four. :-(
8/16/96 - Progress has been slow due to work, and the
heat (to hot to put on a sandblasting hood). But with a little luck, I should
finish blasting the frame this weekend....
8/14/96 - More frame sandblasting...
8/8/96 - More frame sandblasting...
8/6/96 - Got some pictures, finally.
Click here to see them...
8/4/96 - Sandblasted frame, and misc other stuff
Started to sandblast the frame. This is gonna take a while. I also
blasted the dash cover I got from the junkyard, and the bedrails from
the beater Scout I just got. I'm gonna get these Rhino'd, and put them
on the rebuilt Scout.
8/3/96 - Picked parts off junkyard Scout
I grabbed:
8/1/96 - Put in the dash, and parking brake pedal
I installed the dash, again (I installed it once before
the Rhino Coat went in, then decided to take it out for the spraying). It went
in the same as before.
I also installed the parking brake pedal. The pedal bracket has two bolts
that go through the firewall, and one the bolts into the dash frame. I
calked the ones going through the firewall. Unfortunately, soon after I did
this I realized that I can't put the kick panel cover (which I've discovered
is really a vent in Scouts that came w/ a hardtop) in with the parking brake in
the way. And I can't put the cover plate in yet because I have to take them
to be Rhino's (I forgot to bring them when I had the body done). I guess I'll
be taking the brake out, and putting it in again :-(
7/31/96 - Called "The Scout Connection" about
defective bedrails.
I called them up, and described the problem. The guy I spoke with sounded
like he didn't quite believe me, but said he would check with the guy
who makes them for him, and get back to me.
7/30/96 - Installed brake pedal
Installing the brake pedal is very straight-forward. The
support plate goes in between the brake pedal
assembly and the firewall, and the brake pedal assembly is mounted to
the firewall with bolts from the engine side. I'm not ready to put the
master cylinder in yet, so I only installed the bolts that aren't used
to support it. On the bolts that I did install, I used body washers
on the engine side of the firewall so the bolt heads don't pull through
the fiberglass.
Two holes must also be drilled up through the horizontal surface above
the brake pedal (the surface that the windshield frame sits on).
In the metal body there are two bolts welded to this surface that stick
down through holes in the top of the brake pedal assembly. Since these
bolts aren't in the fibergalss body, you must drill holes and drop in two
bolts from the top. Put a little weatherproof caulk around the edge of the
holes (on the top side) to prevent leaks.
Since I now have another Scout to compare them to, I checked out the
new bedrails I got from "The Scout Connection". (The holes weren't lining
up with the nut-inserts in the fiberglass body, but I no longer had
the original rails or body to determine whether the holes in the fiberglass
or the holes in the new bed rails were wrong). It turns out that all the
holes in the new bedrails are off by at least 1/2". I'm gonna call "The
Scout Connection" tomorrow and bitch.
7/29/96 - Rhino Lined!
The Rhino Lining is in, and it looks great! This stuff ain't cheap (it
cost me about $450), but it sure is tough.
I had the entire interior sprayed, including the firewall behind the dash.
I also had the floor dimmer switch in, so those wires are now hidden under
the Rhino. I did not have the transmission cover sprayed. I painted that
black (with a kind of rough texture). I also forgot to bring the kick
plate covers, and the gas filler access cover, so I have to take those
back some day.
The guys at "Rhino Lining of Concord" (in MA) did a pretty good job. They
were reasonably careful about the new paint job (I only found one very slight
dribble on the exterior paint), and they varied the thinkness as I asked
(thick on the floor, thin on the firewall and in the channels where the
bedrails sit).
The Rhino was definitely the right choice for this project. It is completely
water-proof with no seams, it will definitely quiet body noise, it
is actually strong enough to strengthen the fiberglass body a bit, and it
looks great.
7/26/96 - Bought another Scout,
click here for details...
7/25/96 - Worked on mounts for rear seatbelts,
body mounts, and bed-rails.
I made a mounting plate for the rear seatbelts, the ones that bolt through the
middle of the bed floor. I just cut a 2"x5" piece of 1/8" steel, (with a small
notch in the 5" side so it sits flat around one of the "ribs" in the floor).
I drilled a hole through the middle, and epoxied it to the floor.
I also epoxied the large body washers over the body mount holes inside the
body (only 2 of the 3 sets of mounts that mount the tub are inside). I did
this so the Rhino Coat covers the washers. The mounting bolt heads will
still be visible, unfortunately, but I can paint them black later.
I still wasn't happy with the way one of the bed rails was sitting. It
wouldn't sit flat, so I first worked on the rail itself a little. I noticed
that one edge of the rail wasn't quite square, so I worked it gently with a
hammer. Then I tooks the dremel tool, and squared up the channel in the
body some more. Its not perfect, but now its much better.
7/23/96 - Worked on mounts for seatbelts
I'm still trying to get everything ready for the Rhino Lining which will be
sprayed
next week. So I rustproofed and installed the steel
plates to reinforce the spots where the seat belts mount in the floor.
I used the rustproofing primer (Wurth's RustGuard Black, great stuff,
but $$$) so there was no possibility of the plates rusting. (They will be
under the RhinoLining, but moisture may get in from underneath.) Then I
expoxied these over the holes, so the stay in place while the RhinoCoat
is being sprayed in.
7/22/96 - Drilled some more holes, worked on
the bed rails...
I drilled the holes for the transmission cover screws and the gas filler
access panel screws.
I also cleaned out the channel at the top of the bed walls (where the rear
quarter panels meet the inside of the bed). The bed rails I got from The
Scout Connection connection don't seem to fit very well, for a few reasons.
First, the holes don't exactly line up with the "nut-inserts" in the body.
I thought they might have been just a little sloppy (either the maker of the
bed rails, or the guys who made the body), but both sides (of each) line
up exactly. The holes are in exactly the same places on both bed rails, and
on both sides of the bed. I guess I'm just gonna have to enlarge the holes
in the bed rails, and do some creative patching.
Second, the channel that the bed rail covers/sits-in isn't very clean, or
square. There's were a lot of fiberglass "drippings" in here that kept the
bed rails from even coming close to fitting. I cut this crap out with a
cutting bit in the dremel tool. (If you do any fiberglass work, you must get
one of these.)
The rails still don't fit perfectly, but they look a lot better. They fit
something like this. This is a cross section
of the bed wall. The bedrail sits half in, and half out of the channel in
the top of the wall. As you can see in the picture, the inside of the
channel in the fiberglass body isn't exactly square, so the bedrail doesn't
sit quite as flat as I'd like, but its not too bad.
The outer side of the wall (the quarter panel) is painted up over the outside
lip of the channel. The inside will be RhinoCoated over the inside lip, and
into the channel. So, when the bedrail is in, it will hide the seam between
the paint and the Rhino stuff.
7/20-7/21/96 - Preparing for RhinoCoat
As I was putting in the dash last week, I decided to re-arrange the shedule
a bit. I was originally planning to install the bare minimum in the interior
(the dash, pedals, shifter, and driver's seat, just enough to be drivable).
The plan was to make it drivable and then take it to the "local" RhinoCoat
dealer. As I was putting in the dash, I realized that it would really work
better to have the RhinoCoat applied while the interior was still completely
empty.
The body is still on the skid that it came packed on, so it can be dragged
around (it weighs about 550 lbs), and is about 6'x11'. So I figure with a
little effort, I can probably get it into the back of a large rented moving
truck. I'll take it to the RhinoCoat place, have them spray it, then drag
it back to the shop.
In preparation for this, I had a lot of work to do to get the interior
ready for the RhinoCoat. The RhinoCoat guys told me that the "ToughStuff"
sticks well to fiberglass, but not to gel-coat (the coating on the fiberglass),
so all the gel-coat had to be sanded off. This stuff is a little
thicker/tougher than a heavey primer, and took a while to remove. I used
#36 sandpaper on an air-powered sander, and it took me about 6 hours to do
the interior (I still have to do the tailgate). This was not a lot of fun,
especially because you have to wear a "real" breathing mask (not one of those
little paper things) when sanding fiberglass.
Before the RhinoCoat goes on, I also want all the needed holes drilled. The
main reason for this is that the location for the holes are marked by small
indentations in the fiberglass, and these won't be visible once the lining
is sprayed on. I drilled holes for the following:
7/17/96 - Worked on dash
I had to finish assembling the dash before I could put it in. I had to
put the ashtray support and the defroster vents back in. The defroster
vents were covered with red paint, so I lightly sandblasted them (they're
plastic), and hit them with a light coat of black Rustoleum, then installed
them.
I put the dash in, loosely. The dash is primarily held in place by three
bolts at either end of the dash support frame. Fortunately the fiberglass
body came with "nut-inserts" to screw these into. I also discovered it
is much easier to assmble things loosely, then tighten everything down once
you have it in place.
Soon after I got the dash in, I realized I forgot to put in the brake pedal
assembly (and the plate that goes behind it). Fortunately, this stuff
would still slide in behind the dash. I only attched this stuff loosely
because some of the bolts that hold this in place, also support the master
cylinder on the other side of the firewall, and I'm not ready to put that
back in yet.
7/16/96 - Cut holes in firewall then painted it
Before I put the dash in, I wanted to make sure I had all the holes cut in
the firewall that I'd need. Fortunately I had some good pictures of the engine
side of the firewall (with the engine out). I already made all the holes for
the driver's side, but I never got to the passenger's side. So, I cut the two
rectangular holes for the engine, and rear wiring harness connectors, as well
as a few other holes for heater cables and wiring.
I also wanted to paint the inner side of the firewall black before putting
the dash in, just in case you could see behind it at all. I sanded it all
down, then coated the entire firewall (both sides) with black gloss Rustoleum.
I wasn't going to bother with the engine compartment, but someone talked me
into it reasoning that it was very little work now, and would definitely make
a noticeable difference.
I also had to do a little work on the parking brake pedal assembly. When I
tried to remove this piece, both bolts snapped. These bolts are spot welded
into the assembly, and didn't want to come out. So I just cut them off, and
ground them down, and drilled two new holes just above them. Once I have the
dash in, I'll drill the holes in the firewall, and mount this assembly (it
bolt to the dash support, as well as the firewall).
7/15/96 - Primed/rustproofed bed rails, and ashtray
support
When I did the rest of the dash, I forgot the ashtray support. So I
sandblasted that, and used the rustproofing paint on it, and the new bed rails
(I pounded the dents out the bed rails first).
7/15/96 - Just got my new bed rails from The Scout
Connection
If you order any of these (especially from these guys) make sure you tell them
to pack them well. All they did for mine was tape them to a wooden stick.
UPS managed to find a way to dent the unprotected (top) side pretty good. Its
not really a big deal, but you figure, if you pay for new parts....
These will get primed, painted black, and installed.
7/14/96 - Touch ups, and re-assembled dash.
I had a few touch ups to do (and I forgot to paint the ash tray) on the
previous day's paint job.
Fortunately the dash didn't need any touch up, so it was dry enough that
I could re-assemble it. I ran to the auto-parts store before I began and
picked up a full set of light bulbs (there are three different kinds used
in the dash), and light bulb holders for the gauge lights.
The dash wiring looks like a mess at first, but there's really not that
much to it.
I'm also adding in an intermittent wiper control. I'm going to try to mount
it under the dash, somewhere out of sight.
7/13/96 - Repainted dash, transmission cover, and
front seat supports.
I painted these once on 7/10/96. I really didn't like
the color, so I repainted them. I used a gloss black and just before the
paint was completely dry, I went back and misted it again (on purpose).
The result was a slightly rough texture. It cuts the gloss a little and
makes the painted surface look more rugged.
7/12/96 - The original body if off the frame!
I just talked to Al (the mechanic), and he said he removed the original
body from the frame. He also grabbed the rear seat belts, the tailgate
hinge pins, the roof rack, and the glass from the top before sending them
to the junk yard. (Ideally I'd like to keep all the old parts around till
the project is completely done, but that isn't an option because of space
limitations. But, all the parts are sitting in a nearby junkyard, and
won't be crushed for quite a while.)
7/10/96 - Painted dash, transmission cover, and
front seat supports.
I used a dark gray metallic on the dash (including the ash tray and glovebox
door), the seat supports, and the transmission cover. I picked that color
because I thought it would go well with the body color, and because there
was some left-over in a can I found in the shop. Now that its done I'm
thinking a simple black (probably not too glossy, almost flat) would look
better. I'll probably paint it again :-(
7/9/96 - Primed dash, and transmission cover
7/8/96 - Cleaned up dash wiring harness
I have the guts of the dash spread out across my living room floor, so
I decided to get to work on the dash wiring harness last night. I went
through every connector, and hit it with a wire brush attachment on the
drill. The female part of the "spade" connectors comes out of the plastic
housing by sticking a very small flat screw driver in between the metal part
of the connector and the plastic housing. There's a little tab on the metal
part of the connector that you need to push down to get it out. You also
need to bend this tab out a bit before putting it back in the plasting housing.
The "pins" in the bulkhead connectors come out of the plastic housing by
squeezing them at the base. They also have a little tab that stick out of
the side of the pin, and keeps them in. I cleaned these up, but the more I
think about it, I will probably replace these connectors with something
more reliable.
7/5/96 - Sandblasted and primed...
I spent almost 8 hours sandblasting and priming/rustproofing the following
parts:
6/27/96 - Paint job (exterior) is done!
The paint job is more or less complete. 2 small runs had to be smoothed out,
and need to be buffed, but the paint guy wants to buff the whole body when
it is assembled. Click here to see some pics...
6/26/96 - Checked out the progress on the paint job,
looked at the Scout offering from "Painless Wiring".
I stopped by the shop to check out the paint job (the garage I'm working in
has a spray booth also). Its coming out a lot better than I expected. Its
amazing what a good coat of paint will do. As soon as I get back from
vacation (bike trip to Maryland for the weekend) I've got to get the dash
blasted, painted and reassembled so I can get it into the body.
I also looked into Painless Wiring's offering for the Scout. They offer
a "modern fuse block with all the wiring" for about $300. This sounded
tempting until I realized that's all you get. A fuse block, with
a lot of wire. No, connectors, at all. The wires are color coated, but
they don't have the Scout circuit numbers on them, and they only cover 12
circuits (I found at least two that my Scout has that their setup doesn't
directly support.) I decided that this would be nice, if it cost about $75.
But for $300, forget it.
6/25/96 - Primed misc parts, the tub is painted,
ordered "bed rails".
The mechanic I'm working with (Al) gave me some incredible metal paint.
This is the kind of stuff that you're supposed to be able to put right
over rust, and its supposed to "solidify" it. Well, I sandblasted all
the rust away, but this stuff is also supposed to be great rustproof
paint. I painted all the stuff I blasted on 6/24 (below),
except for the parts which are getting painted with the body color, on
those I only did the back. This paint almost seems to seep into the metal.
(It also doesn't seem to come off your hands with any kind of solvent.)
The body guy (a different Al) had shot the first color coat on the tub.
I was really psyched to see the color. I was a little nervous picking
out a color based on a sample the size of a postage stamp. (See
here for details on the color.) I must say
I was also impressed with how straight the body looked. Everyone told
me that fiberglass always looks "wavy" compared to metal bodies. This
may be "wavier" (more wavy?) than metal, but it still looks damn good.
I'm taking off for a short vacation this weekend, but I should have
pics of the completed (exterior) paint job by middle of next week.
The "bed rails" (the long, upside-down "U" channels along the sides of the
bed) on the original body are worthless. So I decided to order new ones.
(Are these pieces found on Scouts w/ factory hard-tops? Or do these cap
the channels the hard-top sits in?) I called Giddum' Up Scout,
Super Scout Specailists, and The Scout Connection. The first two wanted
$30/side. The Scout Connection only wanted $20/side. Guess where I got 'em...
6/24/96 - Sand-blasted. The body is primed.
I've never sand-blasted before. Its pretty simple, and very impressive.
The only trick seems to be keeping the nozzle from getting clogged. I
get the impression this is something you learn w/ time/experience.
I blasted the lower front grill so it could be painted with the body.
I also blasted the smaller dash piece (the black part around the speedometer
in this picture), the
windshield brackets, the glovebox
door, the tailgate latch cover panel, one of the "kick panels", and the
tailgate latches.
The guy doing the body work got the whole thing (tub, front fenders, hood, and
tailgate) sanded, patched and primed. We were kind of disappointed to find
a fair number of flaws in the Kentrol part. Most were just small chips, but
the worst one was a "dent" in one of the front outer fenders. This flaw
must be part of the mold as the fiberglass had no marks on it indicating
it had been smashed (and even if it had, it usually springs back).
They body should be completely painted by the end of the week.
6/22/96 - Completely tore down the dash, picked
a paint color.
I finally picked a paint color.
I also took the dash completely apart. Every wire, gauge, and cable was
removed from the dash (and labeled, of course :-). Even the glove
compartment was completely stripped. My goal is to refinish and
reassemble the whole thing and have it be fairly water-proof (e.g.
can easily withstand a good rain storm with the top off).
The tough part of this will be the sealing gauges. I haven't figured
out all the details yet.
6/19/96 - Cut holes for front marker lights.
Cutting these holes was for the front marker lights was just like doing
the rear ones. There were indentations in
the fender to show you where to cut, and I used a dremel tool which was
kind of slow, but effective, and very precise.
6/15/96 - Removed support bracket from original
hood.
The new hood didn't come with the little bracket that the hood support "stick"
sits in, so I had to remove the one on the original hood. It was spot welded
in place.
6/12/96 - Visited the local
Rhino guys.
I went to visit the Rhino Coat guys in W. Concord. (An interesting place,
they do RhinoCoating, and Zamboni repairs). They showed me a truck that
had been coated, a bunch of samples, and a block of the stuff about 12"
thick. More importantly, they explained that when applying the stuff to
fiberglass, they wanted nothing between the Rhino stuff and the fiberglass.
This includes primer, paint, and gel-coat. So, I don't have to get
the inside painted (which is what I went there to find out), but I do
have to sand the inside of the tub before they coat it (or pay them $50 to
do it).
6/11/96 - Removed VIN plate, drivers side tailgate
support, electronic ignition "gold box", speed sensor, and door latch bolts.
The VIN plate was held in with 4 rivets. I just drilled them out.
The tailgate support simply unbolts from the body and tailgate. Interestingly
enough, the new body has a "nut insert" in the body to receive the support,
but not in the tailgate. I'm starting to get the impression I'm going
to have to solve this problem a lot.
The elec. ignition box and the speed sensor were screwed to the engine side
of the firewall, and came out easily. I left all the wires and tubes
attached.
The new body has plates inside the door jam designed to hold the door latches.
These plates are loose inside the door jam, so (even though I don't have/need
door latches because I have soft doors) I took the bolts from the old body
and screwed them into these plates to keep them from rattling around.
6/8/96, 6/9/96 - Removed accelerator pedal,
steering column,
dash, master cylinder, brake pedal, parking brake, spare tire holder,
spare tire floor support, master cylinder support plate. Cut holes
in firewall of new body.
Now that the engine and transmission are out, I'm working to get the body
stripped as quickly as possible. The engine is going out for a complete
rebuild this week.
To remove the accelerator I disconnected the cable from the pedal, then
removed the pedal from the bracket by taking the slip ring off the pivot
pin. Slide the pedal sideways to remove. The bracket is bolted through
the firewall.
Next I wanted to remove the dash. It will come out as one piece, but before
the dash will come out the steering column must be removed. First I
disconnected one of the couplings on the engine side of the firewall.
Then I removed the support bracket that's bolted to the engine side
of the firewall. Its composed of two pieces which bolt together, and
to the firewall. The two pieces support and form a seal around the hole
and the steering column. There is also a rubber seal behind this piece.
I had already removed the collar that goes around the steering column
(right behind the steering wheel) so I had easy access to the four bolts
under the dash which hold the column in place. With these out all you need
to do is unplug the two electrical connectors, and the whole column comes
right out.
Next, the dash. The dash comes out as one piece after you remove three
bolts from each end. These bolts go through the dash frame into the body
of the Scout. With these out, all you need to do is make sure all the wires
are free from the firewall, and you're all set.
The master cylinder. First I disconnected the two brake lines being careful
not to twist them. Then under the dash, I removed the cotter pin and washer
that connects the brake pedal to the "piston" of the master cylinder. Then
I took out the bolts that hold the master cylinder to the firewall (it
actually bolts into the brake pedal support on the other side of the firewall).
That's all there is to it.
The brake pedal swings from a large support thats bolted through the firewall
and through the horizontal surface that the windshield frame sits on. With
the bolts out, the pedal support (and the pedal) comes out.
The parking brake is also bolted through the firewall. When I tried
to remove the nuts both bolts snapped (they were very rusty). The
parking brake pedal was then only attached by the cable, which disconnects
easily.
The spare tire holder is held in place by four large screws which go through
the wall of the bed into a plate. I had to cut the head off one or two 'cause
these were really stuck and stripped easily.
I had similar problems with one of the screws holding in the little support
on the floor that the spare sits on. So I cut one out, unscrewed one, and I
actually just ripped the bracket out since the other two screws were in a
very rusty part of the floor.
All the stuff bolted through the firewall (except the parking brake) goes
through a pretty thick support plate which is spot welded to the firewall.
This plate is actually significantly thicker than the firewall. It was also
attached by 16 spot welds. This was a real pain. I drilled
the welds from the engine side of the firewall, and then tapped them loose
with an air chisel. An hour after I started the plate came out, and
was actually
in pretty good shape. This piece is definitely needed if you're using
a fiberglass body (even though Kentrol leaves this part out of their
instructions that come with their fiberglass tub). It supports all the
weight of the master cylinder, and gives support to the brake pedal and
steering column.
Using this plate as a guide, I starting cutting and drilling the holes
in the firewall of the fiberglass tub. While the tub has none of the holes
cut out (a real bummer), there are indentations where each hole should be.
If you try this at home, you'll need a set of hole saws for some of these.
Also, always wear a breathing mask when cutting/drilling fiberglass. The
powder produced is nasty stuff, and you really don't want it in your nose,
throat, or lungs.
6/4/96 - Al (the mechanic helping me out) pulled
the engine and transmission. I wasn't there, and haven't spoken to him
since then, so I have no details, yet.
6/1/96 - Removed the radiator,
inner fenders, and headlight wiring harness.
I decide to remove the radiator today. First I went to drain it. There's a
little hollow bolt with a head like a wing nut on the bottom left of the
radiator (when you're facing the front of the Scout).
If you screw that bolt all the way in the radiator should
drain through the hollow bolt. Mine didn't.
So I proceeded to remove the "nut" or fitting that this hollow bolt screws
into. Still nothing came out. I cracked open the radiator cap, nothing.
I looked in and saw plenty of coolant. So, I guess my radiator has some
blockages. I loosened the hose clamp on the largest hose going into the
bottom of the radiator, and jiggled it loose until the coolant started to
drain. I let this run for a while into a bucket. I removed all the other
coolant hoses, and then tried to remove the fan shroud. Three bolts came
out, no problem. One was completely stripped, so I moved on. I took the
fan out next, four bolts (the four with the heads towards the front), pretty
easy (look for the two fan blades with a larger gap between them to give you
a little more room to work on these bolts).
There are also two transmission fluid lines going into the radiator on the
right side (when facing the front of the Scout). While loosening the top one
the incoming line got twisted. (This is a piece of metal tubing). Be very
careful when removing these, the tubing is fragile. Next I removed the
four radiator support bolts which screw into the inner fenders. At this
point the radiator is out (except mine is still attached because of this
slightly twisted tranny tube which I'm leaving to the real mechanic to deal
with).
Next I went to work on the inner fenders, passenger side first. With the
heater and windshield washer already out, I had easy access to all the mounting
bolts. There's one body mount into the frame in front (to support the
radiator weight). With all the bolts out the inner fender comes right off.
Driver's side was next. First I had to get the battery out of the way.
Then I unplugged the headlight harness from the firewall. At this point it
is attached to a little silver box (the horn relay, I believe) which is screwed
to the inner wall of the inner fender. I decided to leave this attached, and
deal with it once I got the fender off. There is a brake "distribution box"
bolted to the inner fender as well. With two bolts taken out, it will just
hang there. (There is also a wire from this block into the headlight harness.)
The coolant reservoir must be removed from the wall of the inner
fender. Again, a bunch of body bolts, and one body mount, and this fender is
also off. Once off I removed the two screws which held the horn relay to the
fender, and the headlight harness was completely removed.
I looked over the two removed inner fenders to be sure there were no part left
on them I might need. I found two cable or hose hooks on the passenger side
fender which I removed and mounted on the new fenders. I took out the support
for the battery shelf (but left the shelf itself as it was rusted beyond
use).
5/25/96 - Removed driver's side door inserts,
driver's side outer fender, hard top, windshield frame, front cross support
(between inner fenders, in front of radiator), driver's
seat, tailgate hardware (latch posts, latch button, tailgate
support on one side) driver's side kick panel,
bed rail covers. Installed some of tailgate hardware in new tailgate.
I started today by picking up where I left off last time with the
front outer fenders.
This went about the same as last time.
The hard top was lifted off next. Not difficult, especially since I only
had a few screws in the front (into the windshield frame).
Next came the windshield frame. This was pretty easy to remove. At the
top of the door posts is a little access hole
(
look at the top of the door post on the right)
which allows you to get to the
heads of three bolts. Two are side-by-side, and point forward. These screw
through the body into nuts welded onto the back of a bracket which is bolted
to the windshield frame (you can't remove the bracket from the windshield
frame until the frame and the bracket are removed from the body).
the third bolt points upwards, and screw into the windshield frame "adjuster".
This is a piece that helps you adjust the angle of the windshield relative
to the rest of the body. Here's a rough
picture w/ the windshield frame on its side.
I've heard a lot of people ask about how difficult it would be to replace
the windshield frame. Once you can get to the bolts, its a piece of cake.
Next I removed the front hood support.
This is the member that the hood
hinges are mounted in. It spans the two inner fenders, right over and in
front of the radiator. I had already removed a few bolts from this when I
took off the outer fenders. There was one more on each side which bolted
in from the back, inside the inner fenders. I'll need to keep this piece,
so I'll have to sand blast it, and paint it.
I pulled the driver's seat, same as the passenger's seat, four bolts into the
floor.
I got a fiberglass tailgate,
so I needed to take all the hardware from the
original tailgate. First I tried to get the latch posts off. They have
two screws into a plate on the inside of the end caps. On both side I managed
to get one screw out easily, and the second gave me trouble, so I hack sawed
them. There are no mounting holes for these in the new tub, so I'll have to
come up with some solid way to mount them (there are markings for them).
Next I took off the passenger side tailgate support (the folding arm that
holds it level when open). There are threaded holes in both the fiberglass
tub and tailgate for this piece. I left the driver's side support for later.
I went on to the latch mechanism. I removed the screws on the ends of the
tailgate, which hold plates into which the latches are mounted. Once the
screws are out these pieces come right out. Attached to the latches are
long hollow rods which have squared off ends that slip over the push-button
mechanism in the center of the tailgate. There are also threaded holes for
these plate in the new tailgate. There is a little panel in the center
of the tailgate (on the inside). Removing this panel exposes the push button
mechanism. This has two pieces: the mechanism which turns/releases the
latches (this is the part that the long, squared off rods slip onto), and the
push button itself. Four screws hold in the first piece. The second piece
is a little cylinder with two slots cut in the sides. The cylinder slides
into the tailgate from the out side, and there is a small "collar" that slides
into the slots just on inside if the tailgate sheet metal. I decided to
install this in the new tailgate right away ('cause I thought it would be
easy). I ran into a small problem because the fiver glass is substantially
thicker than the sheet metal, so I had to cut new notches in the push-button
cylinder. I did this with a hack saw. Then it fit fine. I still need to
figure out how to get the tailgate off, since I need the "pivot pins" for
the new one. It looks like the rear bumper needs to come off first, and I'm
waiting to get the truck up on a lift for that.
I removed the driver's side kick panel. Its tough to get to because of the
parking brake. I actually had to break of two screw from the back because
they were rusted, and tough to reach. This piece will be cleaned up, and
re-used.
Next I started to pull up the carpet, and discovered the bed rail covers.
the carpet the previous owner had installed had covered these completely,
so I didn't know they were there. These explain why my hard top never
sat right (I never really checked/cared). I'm guessing that these parts
are specific to the SS II model since everything
else came with a hard top. These rails just cover the little lip formed
by the outer rear fenders and the bed. Unfortunately, mine appeared to
be rusted beyond repair. Anyone know where I can get replacements?
(12/20/96 - Turns out these rails are standard on all Scouts)
5/23/96 - Removed passenger side outer fender.
I removed a bunch of bolts from the inside of the wheel well in the
passenger side front fender. Then the outer fender came right off.
I started to work on the drivers side fender, removed a bunch of bolts, but
many were rusted stuck. I'll deal with that this weekend.
5/21/96 - Removed passenger side door insert
(see 5/18), and hood.
My goal for tonight was to get the outer fenders off. To do this, the
door inserts have to be removed. I drilled out
the rivets holding the door inserts to the body
last time, so all I had to
do was remove the screws holding the two pieces of the door insert together.
(The two small screws go in the top, rear holes). Piece of cake.
I started to remove the bolts that held on the front fender. There are a
bunch along the door frame, and a row that hold the inner and outer fenders
together under the edge of the hood. (There's also a little hook held by
one which holds the wiper hose). I got most of these out, then realized
that the brace that the hood hinges were mounted on was also bolted to
the fender. I considered just removing these bolts, but I was afraid that
if I took them out with the hood still attached, the pressure from the hood
hinges would twist this support. So I decided to take off the hood.
Let me start by saying I'm not sure how you're supposed to remove the hood,
but I'm pretty sure you should have two people around (unfortunately I didn't).
I decided to remove the bolts that held the hinge to the hood, as opposed to
the bolts that held the hinge to the truck. I didn't think doing the latter
would buy me much.
I removed the hood support first (the little spring loaded stick that holds
the hood up), and held the hood open w/ a shovel handle.
The problem I faced (working alone) was removing the final bolts from the hood,
while supporting the hood.
(Safety tip: If you're gonna do this, lay
something long and thick across the engine compartment. I used the front
bumper, figuring that if something went wrong, and the hood came slamming down,
the bumper would prevent the hood from chopping my hands off :-) Better yet,
just get a helper. Anyway, I managed to get the hood off. Be careful
removing the last bolt on each side, the hinges are spring loaded.
I started to remove the fender on the passenger side, when I ran into a
rusted, stripped screw, the last thing holding the fender on. It was getting
late, so I stopped here.
5/18/96 - Removed
dash pad, started to remove door inserts.
The dash pad comes out very easily. A set of screws on the bottom hold it
to the metal dash, and the set on the top go through the metal
dash into the windshield frame. The top ones must be removed
to get the dash out. The top and bottom must be removed to take out the
dash pad. (Removing the top, and leaving the bottom would allow you to take
the dash out w/ the pad connected to it). I took the pad out.
Removed boots and plastic housing around shifter, and transfer case shifter.
Started to remove the transmission cover, but realized that shifting would
not be possible (the truck is still being driven in/out of the garage, and
will be until engine is pulled). So I loosened the 4 bolts holding the shift
mechanism, but left them in. Also removed most of the screws holding in the
transmission cover, but left enough so easy shifting won't warp it.
Next I wanted to removed the outer fenders, but the SSII plastic door inserts
(here's a picture that shows the piece I'm talking
about,
to the left of the IH logo and to the right of the patch in the rear
fender) need to come off first. So I started to drill out the rivets that
hold these in. (I'm not sure what held them in originally. The guy I bought
it from used large, aluminum pop-rivets.) All the outer ones were a snap.
Most of the inner ones were easy, except a few blocked by the roll bar.
So now I had to remove the roll bar. It simply bolts through the floor, 4
bolts per post. The supports which rest on the wheel wells have a plate
underneath. If you need to do this, get someone to help. You can't reach the
nuts and bolts at the same time, and these tend to be a little corroded.
The front set of bolts, the ones on the base of the main roll bar itself,
are tough because reaching the nuts underneath is difficult.
Once I got the roll bar out of the way, I drilled out the last few rivets,
and ran out of time.
5/15/96 - Took off upper and lower grill (the
metal pieces behind the plastic grill), and a lot of skin.
(Hidden, rusted bolts really suck.)
The upper grill screws into the fenders on the sides
(3 per side), the inner fenders on the top (about 6 across the top), and the
lower grill on the bottom (I left these in, and took out both grills at once).
The lower grill bolts to the outer fenders, 2 per side (these are a pain to
get to).
5/14/96 - Removed more parts from original body.
Because of some of the logistics of the garage I'm working in, I need to keep
the Scout movable (under its own power) for a few more days. So I'm staying
away from fundamental stuff, like the engine, dash, steering column, etc.
I removed the heater core, and fan. This is a pretty simple, straightforward
operation. It seems to be in decent shape. Because I need to keep it running
I connected the input hose to the heater, to the "heater output port" on
the engine.
I removed the windshield washer stuff, real easy.
Removed the wipers. The arms just slip off the posts, and the posts come out
by removing a large round slotted nut around the post casing. After taking
off the cowl
plate (the flat piece under the hood w/ the vacuum diagram, and hood bumpers
on it) you can see the wiper motor, which is held in place by three bolts.
Removed the sun visors.
Removed the inside gas filler accessory
door", and the similar panels
in the side walls of the foot area in front of the front seats. All these
panels are solid, but rusty on the back, a little sand-blasting and some paint,
and they'll be as good as new (Kentrol wanted $30 a piece for these plain flat
panels!).
Took some pictures, I'll try to get them on the web ASAP.
Here's a picture of the tub after I put in
the tail lights.
5/13/96 - First work on new body. I put the
tail lights, and rear marker lights in.
The "holes" for the rear tail lights weren't quite right.
It took a lot of work w/ a dremel tool to get the lights to sit flush against
the body (and they're still not perfect, but at least as good as the original).
There were no holes (just small indentations) for the marker lights. Cutting
the holes was pretty easy, but the marker lights mounting mechanism is designed
for a metal (thin) body. One end of the marker light has a notch a little
too small for the thick fiberglass, so I had to grind away a little body
material from the back. The other end of the marker light consists of a little
metal bracket which has to be bent to fit around the thicker body. Nothing
major, but time consuming to get it right.
5/11/96 - Didn't get much done. (The weather really sucked.) Removed all lights, and labeled every wire. Removed mirrors, grill, etc.
5/9/96 - I got the fiberglass body today. It took 4 of us to unload
it (entire body plus crate).
5/3/96 - Called Rhino-Linings (see Body page)
for information on their product, and to see if it sticks to fiberglass (yes).
Found local dealers, and am getting a free sample.
5/4/96 - Took out all seats except driver's, removed stereo, and other interior stuff. Had to leave it drivable until workspace is available (~5/10).
