What did you do to your Sport Trac today?

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i somehow managed to pop one side of my tailgate off. doesnt wanna pop back on. ill probably ratchet strap it closed till i can figure it out. ugh
 
I finished replacing my body mount bushings today with the red prothane bushings. Had that set for almost 5 years, so clearly procrastination is not a problem for me. The rust on those bolts were insane, but I have to remember that the truck spent its first 3 years of life up in the Chicago area. Ended up snapping both A bolts, but thankfully already had replacement ones ready. All new washers for all positions too. I hope that this is the last mechanical job for a while as in the last 6-9 months I have done:

upper & lower control arms
Sway bar links and bushings
Rear leaf springs
Front wheel hubs
fuel pump & tank straps
Front rotors & calipers

I want to replace the stock radio with something in the next few weeks and start replacing the cluster and console bulbs with led. The interior cab lights and all exterior light (except main headlights) are currently led.
 
I gave mine a bath, and cleaned up the inside. I also pulled out the factory bed mat and scrubbed it, as well as the bed itself.
 
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I finally got new wheels and tires for my '03 XLT. This has been a long time coming - after new suspension, front end, leveling kit, body mounts.
This is by no means it's final form, but it is finally starting to align with my vision for it.
 

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Well not quite today but very recently. Fixed the overhead console display for probably the fourth time in 23 years I've owned my Gen 1 ST. Also replaced 2 Door Striker Bushings that had finally worn out. I was going to make new ones from some PEX Tubing but the OD was a little large and not having a lathe, just bought the Dorman ones from Amazon and used the Bushings from them. I'm glad to say they were an exact fit. The doors close like new. I also had the Driver's Seat bottom cushion rebuilt since I could not find a replacement. That's the second time I've done that. Then the most depressing item was in the 23 years I've owned it, I never put even a small dent in it and about a month ago, I backed into a stone mail box structure, scratched the Bumper Cover and broke the plastic reinforcing bar. It also put a deep scratch in the fender below the Taillight. Quotes to fix it are all over the place. Almost no one wanted to use wrecking yard parts so the cost is very high. I'm looking for the parts now but that was depressing to say the least. Other than that it still runs great and with 215,000 miles uses absolutely no oil, original transmission, starts every time and idles rock solid. The Bumper fiasco was a real bummer!!
 
parker_lansing said:
I finally got new wheels and tires for my '03 XLT. This has been a long time coming - after new suspension, front end, leveling kit, body mounts.
This is by no means it's final form, but it is finally starting to align with my vision for it.
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Looks awesome man! Good lookin tires, what are they?
 
Performance Replicas/PR185/16.0X8/MATTE BLACK (5x)
BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 31.8"x9.3"
Lug nuts (1/2" Thread Bulge Acorn 1.38" Lug Nuts Black 13/16" Hex)

I bought the wheels from Tires / Wheels Direct, and although they could only source two of them (the Matte Black), they worked with the manufacturer to drill out some of their blanks to fill the order (no additional cost). I highly recommend them.

I bought the tires from Belle Tire. I have the same wheel/tire combo on my Jeep Wrangler (10.5"), and I always liked the look of it. These tires are super quiet, long-lasting, and really grippy on the road. I decided to go with the narrowest version of them (9.3") to add some extra stability, improve mileage, and reduce the potential for rubbing during sharp turns. Also, I didn't want to add wheel spacers and fender flares. This thing doesn't have the tightest turning ratio, and I'm still getting used to it (my Wrangler turns on a dime and I'm used to just slipping into small parking spaces).
 
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My doors don't sound real solid when they close and the passenger door is often difficult to close. Is that due to bushings, and if so, where can I buy replacements?
 
John_Fengel said:
scratched the Bumper Cover and broke the plastic reinforcing bar. It also put a deep scratch in the fender below the Taillight. Quotes to fix it are all over the place. Almost no one wanted to use wrecking yard parts so the cost is very high. I'm looking for the parts now but that was depressing to say the least. Other than that it still runs great and with 215,000 miles uses absolutely no oil, original transmission, starts every time and idles rock solid. The Bumper fiasco was a real bummer!!
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my sympathies - I got rear-ended a year or two back, similar story - cover cracked, bumper pushed out of straight.
Couldn't get anyone to replace it except at unreasonable prices, need to go haunt the wrecking yards and see if I can pull one somewhere..

recently put on new tires, went from Futura Scramblers to Atturo Trail Blade A/T, and was surprised to lose 1-2mpg.. was averaging 19-20mpg in summer, dropped to 18-19 summer and 17 in winter. Boo. Guess that aggressive off-trail tread costs..
 
Had a long and sweaty day yestreday putting in new CV axels (tracmotive) and shocks (gabriel ultra truck). My old rear ones were completely done for after 10 years (rancho rs5000x). Also replaced all my dash and a/c lights with leds (sealight). Thankfully they don't have any polarity to worry about. Think i messed something on the cluster though as my autolight no longer kicks on, but if i have to tear up the dash again for that, I'll stick with turning my headlights on manually.

Should have replaced my radio while I was at it, but I forgot to take with me this morning. Got a pioneer single din at the moment but am thinking about doing a double din touchscreen so I can do a backup cam. Any recommendations would be great!

Also discovered that the large corp shop I have gone to a few times over the last six months really screwed up some things. A boot is destroyed on one outer tie-rod and the grease port is mia on the other, my passenger tire is still slightly (but noticeable with the wear now) cambered out despite them checking the alignment 3 times, and a bolt connecting my driver lower control arm to the frame was loose enough that we could hand turn it out/in. They are bout to have have a bad monday
 
We put a SONY XAV-AX1000 6.2" with carplay and SXM $326.99 installed 9/14/2019

Plus $67.50 for a back up camera.

I'm not 100% sure, but this unit may be dis-continued. But I'm sure SONY makes a compariable unit to it if it has been. Works well!!!!! It's in my wife's 2008 Limited.

I kept the original NAV system in my 2008 Adrenalin, but had a back-up camera/mirror put in. It is a Advent RVM744 7.3" replacement rear view mirror with wide screen high brightness monitor. It was $299.99. I don't hate it, but would prefer the bumper mount type. HOWEVER, to not mess up the original Nav unit, it was suggested that I go this way.


Hope this helps.

"Risky Bizness"
 
parker_lansing said:
This thing doesn't have the tightest turning ratio, and I'm still getting used to it (my Wrangler turns on a dime and I'm used to just slipping into small parking spaces).
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People don't realize how stretched out the wheelbase on these is. I had a coworker who drove a '97 F-150 Extended Cab, and he'd give me a strange look when I made a comment about turning into tight parking spaces with my Sport Trac. I went from a Bronco II to a '94 Explorer 4 dr to the Sport Trac. There was a big adjustment each time. My '74 Ranchero is basically the same overall length as the ST, but with a 119" wheelbase vs 126". The Ranchero was easier to park in tight places.
 
I've done a few things in the past week. I fixed my inflatable lumbar supports by lubing up the seal on the bottom of both toggle switches. I jumped the AC compressor relay and added a pro stop leak and then 2 and 1/2 12 oz cans of refrigerant. The AC is ice cold. I had to jump out the compressor because there was no pressure in the system so the clutch would not engage. After the 10oz of stop leak and a half can of 134 the clutch began to run and a added enough to top it off a about 40 psig. I'll see if it leaks down over the next week or so. Lastly, I remade 2 ground straps from the cab to frame. I used 10ga and dielectric grease. Here are a few pics.
 

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Pat in RI said:
I've done a few things in the past week. I fixed my inflatable lumbar supports by lubing up the seal on the bottom of both toggle switches. I jumped the AC compressor relay and added a pro stop leak and then 2 and 1/2 12 oz cans of refrigerant. The AC is ice cold. I had to jump out the compressor because there was no pressure in the system so the clutch would not engage. After the 10oz of stop leak and a half can of 134 the clutch began to run and a added enough to top it off a about 40 psig. I'll see if it leaks down over the next week or so. Lastly, I remade 2 ground straps from the cab to frame. I used 10ga and dielectric grease. Here are a few pics.
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Both of my ground straps are rotted out, so this is on my list too. Do you have any rust where the front brackets of the running boards bolt up? I pulled my running boards off, and a hand-sized piece of metal came off with it (both sides). It's the only rust on my vehicle.
 
parker_lansing said:
Both of my ground straps are rotted out, so this is on my list too. Do you have any rust where the front brackets of the running boards bolt up? I pulled my running boards off, and a hand-sized piece of metal came off with it (both sides). It's the only rust on my vehicle.
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Yes. I pulled the nerf bars off and lost a chunk of metal. After removing a little more metal, I plan on rustproofing the area and using steel rivets to attach a new piece of metal. Overall, the rust on my 03 is not fatal but will take a lot of work to rustproof the truck this summer.
 
I installed a new radio with wireless Apple Car Play and a hard wired backup camera. Think best thing to share though is after spending a couple of hours barely squeezing under my Gen2 V8 4x4 was I found a rubber grommet under the front passenger seat to push wire up into the cab. Since I was pulling the RCA cable to the cab, I also pulled a little speaker into the cab and mounted four of the backup sensors that beep when I get too close to something.
 
VickyA said:
I installed a new radio with wireless Apple Car Play and a hard wired backup camera. Think best thing to share though is after spending a couple of hours barely squeezing under my Gen2 V8 4x4 was I found a rubber grommet under the front passenger seat to push wire up into the cab. Since I was pulling the RCA cable to the cab, I also pulled a little speaker into the cab and mounted four of the backup sensors that beep when I get too close to something.
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I'd love to see a bit of a write-up on the backup camera and sensors. Photos, brand, etc.
 

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