89 Eliminator "The Rust Bucket"

[Dechion]

I picked this up a few weeks ago, originally planning on letting my daughter drive it to and from school, and using it to tow my boat on weekends.

 

Then I started tinkering around with it and I am really enjoying myself. Now she's got my '03 Malibu and I am fixing up a truck thats old enough to drink.

 

 

It's got a long way to go, and needs quite a bit of work.

 

On the other hand there is a lot of running left in that old horse, as long as I take the time to save her from the neglect the previous owner (and the road salt of Wisconsin) put her through.

 

Either way, this is gonna be a fun time.

[SW86]

i was about to say, i wonder how long your going to let your daughter drive it once you get in there and start working on it :thumbsup:

 

it looks like you've got a good foundation to start with but then again we haven't seen what that salts done underneath. whats it got in it? 4.0, auto, 2wd?

[Dechion]

Now that I think about it I probably should have mentioned the specs. :doh:

 

It's a 2 wheel drive with the 4.0 straight six

Automatic trans (not sure which one, or if there are different ones)

118K original miles.

Bucket seats with a bone stock interior (other than a cd player the PO put in)

 

Known issues:

 

Bad master cylinder (changed)

 

Rusted steel brake lines to the rear. I'll be changing those today, weather permitting. (done)

 

Body rust on the doors, bed and tailgate. :ack: Frame looks good though. Most likely a spring project.

 

My oil pressure gauge is maxed out, even with the key off. Something to look in to.

 

Drivers seat collapsed on one side and won't tilt forward. Something to work on soonish.

 

Still has the sealed coolant system, needs to be retrofitted with a modern one. Probably spring, unless it fails.

 

Needs a trailer hitch to tow the boat with.

 

Rear bumper is shot. It rusted through and someone tried towing with it anyway. :nuts:

 

Spare tire mounted underneath the bed is rusted bad enough i'll need to cut it off. :ack:

 

Once everything else is taken care of, I'll be needing paint that did not come in a rust-oleum can. :yes:

[JeepcoMJ]

I live on 7 mile rd just west of 7 mile fair...swing by one of these days, I have a binch of parts you could probably use.

 

Doors

Rockers

Tailgate

Etc.

[Dechion]

I'll take you up on that, once I actually have it running again. :cheers:

[500 MJ]

Yep, looks about normal for something to start with around these parts. Definitely fixable!

[Dechion]

Huzzah for progress. :cheers:

 

I got the brakes re-piped and bled yesterday and they actually kinda work now. They feel a bit spongy and the brake light is still on, but they work with no (apparent) leaks. I am hoping I just need to spend a bit of time re-bleeding them.

 

If that doesn't stop it I have either an issue with the vacuum booster, or I bought a bad master cylinder at Advance. :wall:

 

Now that I actually have it (kinda) running I am finding more little things, so I'll add them to my fix-it list.

 

Right turn signal doesn't work (gotta check the bulbs later today),

 

No dome light (as in none, gone, bye bye),

 

Fog lights not working (kinda meh on this one, but i'll get around to them)

 

Minor oil leak, looks like the valve cover. (no surprise, i'll grab a gasket next time at the parts store)

 

Radio acts stupid. As in it goes into store display mode and scrolls it's features across the faceplate. Something to call the manufacturer about I suppose. :hmm:

 

Mounting bolts for the drivers seat appear to be made of fossilized rust. Not hopeful about what I am going to find under the carpet. (but the floorpan feels solid enough and looks fine from underneath.) :ack:

 

Oh well, thats what you get when you buy someone elses problems. It will just take a bit more time than I had planned to get her fixed up. I see this as my daily driver for a long time, I just need time, cash, and parts to get the work done. Fortunately for me I found this board. :D

[Dechion]

Time for a bit of an update I think.

 

I got the brake problems sorted, though I ended up replacing everything but the pedal by the time it was over. On the plus side, I should not have to work on that system for a while.

 

The rust that is here and there... well, it was hit with some "turns rust into primer" spray paint to help keep it from getting worse till this summer when I can actually address it right.

 

My oil pressure gauge is still maxed out, even with the key off. I am leaning towards a bad sending unit, but have not done the troubleshooting yet. I just finally found the pdf of the electrical shematics, that will help a ton. :thumbsup:

 

The Drivers seat will tilt forward now, I took it apart and fixed the cable. Unfortunately the seatpan is cracked in half on the bottom, not much fixing for that. For now I have an antifreeze bottle wedged underneath it. Something tells me I really should buy a replacement. :shake:

 

The trailer hitch has turned out to be kind of like finding a needle in a haystack, well unless I want to spend $300-$400 on one. I will probably end up going with the Reese multi-fit for small trucks and suv's. How it sits compared to the bumper is not going to be an issue.

 

The reason it won't be an issue is that the rear bumper is shot. Since I am not going to be using the built in class 1 hitch that a step bumper provides I will just take the old one off and fab up something out of square tubing. Thats why hitch position in relation to the bumper doesn't matter. I'll do the hitch first and make the bumper look good with it afterward. :wrench:

 

The spare tire still needs to be cut off, probably when I do the hitch to make room to work.

 

Other than that the fog lights are still not working, though having the schematics I have traced it far enought to know there is power to the switch, and I can hear the relay clicking. Might just be a pair of bulbs. (Right, like it's going to be the easy thing)

 

I think come spring I will be doing some gasket replacing around my valve covers, and it looks like the oil fill cap's gasget does not seal particularly well either. It'll get addressed. For now, I leak out about a quart of oil a month, and I don't feel like working in the cold.

 

The radio still acts stupid, doing the same stupid it used to do. I have a a spare now though, since my daughter decided to total my Malibu (she's fine). I'll probably just swap it out and put the one that's in my truck now on my boat instead.

 

The biggest project for the spring though has to be pulling out the interior, hauling up the carpet, and dealing with whatever I might find hiding there. It all feels solid, but that means little till I see it for myself. Besides, that way I can Line-X the cab floor at the same time I do the bed.

 

Add all that in with a topper I will be picking up this weekend and a day spent in the paint booth. I should be in a lot better shape in a few short months.

 

I really should get some more pics to post as well. I think I'll take care of that this coming weekend.

[Dechion]

Well, looks like "project rustbucket" is going to be sidelined for a rew years. :(

 

My wife you see, she uses this stuff called "logic" to make me want to do things her way.

 

Seriously, she is right more often than not.

 

Anyhow, as some of you might already know my daughter totaled the family car a while back. Lost control in the fresh snow, hit a pole, yadda yadda. (yes, she's fine)

 

Ove the next several weeks while I was shopping for a replacement vehicle for her to drive things got kind of annoying. With only one vehicle that can actually carry all five of us much car shuffleling happened to make sure the right person had the vehicle with the right ammount of seats and such.

 

Well, I picked up a '94 XJ two door 4WD that needed drug home on a flatbed and repaired. Yesterday I got it running again, now I just need brakes and it's good to go. :thumbsup:

 

So, as I am talkling to my wife last night she points out how annoying the whole car shuffle thing has been, and how she is glad that it's all about to go back to normal. Then she drops the bomb.

 

 

My MJ, my project, should be the vehicle driven by the teenagers for the following reasons:

 

1. If they damage it we are out a vehicle that is a two seater, not a family car.

 

2. Of all three it gets the worst gas milage, so driving it the shortest distance makes sense.

 

3. Letting the teenagers drive the van is just a bad idea... I know, I drove one back when I was a teenager. :oops:

 

4. The XJ already has a reciever hitch, and being 4WD would be a better choice for me dragging my boat back up slimy launch ramps.

 

5. The XJ is a stick, and none of the kids know how to drive one. (I will be teaching them, but they don't have a clue at the moment)

 

6. Even though my wife knows how to drive a stick she needs an automatic to drive, since her right shoulder is messed up. (Rotator cuff surgury next week)

 

 

Darn her pasky logic. :smart: At least she is not planning on me getting rid of it.

 

I will still be able to do a few things to it, and it will still be around. In fact, in terms of making a toy out of it this is good news. Once the teens turn 18 and get thier own wheels it will be the third car, and I can turn around and install all the good stuff I will be gathering over the next few years.

 

Plus I do still get to drive it. :thumbsup:

 

 

The biggest downside is that I am going to end up having to get rid of the camper top that JeepcoMJ was kind enough to sell me and replace it with a tonneau cover, so the kids can actually see while driving. (better odds of them not crashing my truck while I wait to get it back full time)

 

I'd store it if I could, but I really have no place to put it. :fs1:

 

Life moves on I suppose.