Project 'Smokey' - '72 Ranger XLT

[DuckRyder]

That looks good,

Glad to have you back, was getting worried about you.

There is so much in this thread I see myself going back to when I get to some of the non drive train stuff.

[Bullitt74]

That looks good,

Glad to have you back, was getting worried about you.

There is so much in this thread I see myself going back to when I get to some of the non drive train stuff.

Thanks Robert! This work is like therapy for me...the new job and home situation is stressful right now. I’ve set a new target for April 2020, which is more than realistic.

[Bullitt74]

That looks good,

Glad to have you back, was getting worried about you.

There is so much in this thread I see myself going back to when I get to some of the non drive train stuff.

Thanks Robert! This work is like therapy for me...the new job and home situation is stressful right now (goin’ through the big “D” and don’t mean Dallas...) I’ve set a new target for April 2020, which is more than realistic.

[Bullitt74]

Back to the project...firewall carpet. This has been a tricky piece, and in the end I don’t know if it will turn out perfect. We started by tracing out the pattern onto the new carpet, then transferring the old backing onto the new carpet as best we could:





After finding the original holes, it was a struggle to get it to stay in place with the vertical firewall surface. Doing this again, I would recommend marking the centreline of the firewall, and designate a centre on the carpet, with a few inches on each side as extra. Before gluing on the backing, I would have used a heat gun to roughly mould and shape the carpet around: (1) the trans hump, and (2) the indent where the heater assembly mounts on the passenger side. Once the backing is glued on, you can’t heat the back to mold it into place. The best I can do is leave it out on a hot day and work it.

So the firewall piece is now back at the upholstery shop receiving a vinyl seam at the bottom edge like the original. I’ll keep the original piece and trace out the pattern of the original backing, and cut out some patterns with my leftover Thermozite. If someone would like one, maybe that’s a product I could offer folks for sale? Just a thought...

[DuckRyder]

Sorry to hear about the D, that has got to be a drag. Understand job stress, what I learned from management is, I don’t want to be a manager... it turns out to be a glorified babysitter IME.

Firewall Carpet - Yet another thing I’ve been thinking about!!!

If you haven’t already seen it I sent you some thoughts on the disk brakes.

If you could make firewall carpet that fit and looked pretty original, you’d likely sell quite a bit of it. I’d buy it...

[Bullitt74]

Thanks Robert! I did get your message re: disc brakes, but decided to hold off on that purchase just so I can get done what I’ve already carved out.

On that topic of project planning, I used to own a 73 Bronco. Very cool ride, enjoyed using it as a daily driver, and overall just a great vehicle to own. Somewhere along the way, I decided to sell it to someone that was going to do a full resto on it.





Turns out that he decided to restore a more rare model, and this Bronco was put on hold (parked in the bush), disassembly partially done.





I’ve gotten a handshake to buy it back when I have the financial resources to do so. I intend to get it back to ‘driver’ status and enjoy it again in its former glory.

[Bullitt74]

Some progress today - installed a set of box rails I found on Kijiji for $50. It cost me more to ship them to Alberta from New Brunswick than the purchase price!

Started by painting the hardware:


The mounts polished up nice:






I am really pleased with them - something about box rails that really finish off a long box nicely!

[Bullitt74]

Also installed belt line trim today...all new stuff from DC:



Some letters to the hood...


And a beautiful gas cap with new DC grommet...

[Lone Ranger]

Looking good as always!

[sargentrs]

Great work!

[MikeB]

Hey Steve
Glad to see your back. Truck is looking awesome. Very interested in the firewall carpet progress. Also who is ACC Carpet?

Mike

[Bullitt74]

Happy Easter! I hope all of you are well and working on you projects as well. My projects have taken a back seat due to some personal stuff, pandemic stuff (work-wise), and learning how to be a single Dad. However, my kids are eager to go cruising and enjoy this old truck, so that is going to be the driver to get it done this spring. I’m gonna need some encouragement here, so comments are welcome!

I did chip away at the carpet the past few years:

The molded carpet is about 2-3mm short. When you see the silver from the sound deadener, it is an eyesore, so I glued some vinyl black strips up against the kick panel:


I fought with this firewall carpet. I have no real pearls of wisdom here...it’s just a struggle, you have to push through, and do the best you can:





That’s all for now - much more to post over the coming days.

[jimmy828]

Nice truck and nice work. My new carpet was a little short also. I expected better fitment. I painted what carpet did not cover black and just learned to live it.

[Bullitt74]

Nice truck and nice work. My new carpet was a little short also. I expected better fitment. I painted what carpet did not cover black and just learned to live it.

I could have swore it had vinyl strips as above from the factory. Unfortunately I wasn’t paying close enough attention when I disassembled it. God knows I saw it somewhere, as I’m not nearly clever enough to come up with that on my own...

[bellamor]

This build looks amazing, your hard work paid off with every update. You can visit 4wheelonline in case you need automobile parts/ accessories for that car.