VTmanche

Thanks @eaglescout526!

86 2.5 longbed RWD 5 speed manual. I purchased it in 2003 in Portland, OR from who I believe was the second owner. I drove it in Portland for a year, then Colorado for a year and it’s been with me in southern Vermont since 2005. It’s always been registered and on the road since I bought it in 2003 with 115K miles, although for the past 8 years it has been garaged for the winter season. It now has 226K miles. I’ve had it oil undercoated regularly since moving to Vermont so the frame is in excellent shape even though the body has several serious rust spots. Mostly stock, save the radio and speakers and a few random parts under the hood (only because the OEM parts are hard to find.) Original motor. Original paint. Clutch was rebuilt in 2012.

My Comanche and I are down in Newfane, VT, just outside Brattleboro. Where you?

Thanks again Chad R for posting your solution on the air hose. I bought the same one and it’s damned near perfect. Took me 10 mins just like you said. The old hose fell apart as I was pulling it out of the rubber boots, so I used a nylon brush to clean up the inside of the boot. I was surprised that the rubber boots were still in such good shape, still very pliable and no cracks or dry rot. Including some pictures of my process.

Thanks for posting. Gonna purchase this hose to replace my old torn one. How’s it working out so far? Any tips on how you attached the hose to the original rubber boots?

2.5L 86. Bled the coolant system after following instructions on this here forum (thanks!)... point the truck downhill and remove the temp sending unit. Then spent HOURS pressure washing the underside of the truck. Here in Vermont the humidity and salted roads mean a lot of people get their vehicles “oil undercoated”. For years I had a guy nearby who would thoroughly pressure wash the underside and then use chainsaw bar oil to undercoat. I don’t believe that’s legal anymore, so he shut down that business. So now I take it to a place that uses Fluid Film. They charge $130 but they don’t pressure wash/clean before they undercoat. So after 3 or 4 rounds of undercoating with no pre-cleaning, the truck is coated in a thick layer of dirt/grime/grease/lanolin underneath. I’m slowly chipping away at it section by section in prep for the Fluid Film before winter hits.