"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
08/05/2020 at 10:52 • Filed to: Bronco, wrenching, rust
5
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"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
08/05/2020 at 10:52 • Filed to: Bronco, wrenching, rust | 5
| 12 |
When I pulled the seatbelt anchor out of the Bronco’s frame I thought it was hilarious, my girlfriend had the opposite feeling. She hasn’t looked at the truck the same since that day.
What was supposed to be an easier project (repair some minor rust, then start dailying) has evolved into something much more involved.
This is the old Vehicle Speed Sensor. It had pretty hefty-ish metal shavings magnetized to it and it has a rather large gouge in it.
Well, as the sensor sits in the differential, that can only mean a chunk of metal got flirty with the sensor. We contacted the previous owner and apparently the truck’s previous differential spider gears basically exploded and the diff no longer worked. He removed the metal chunks and replaced the gears, returning function to the diff. But what he didn’t replace? The tone ring in the diff that the sensor reads.
That tone ring is responsible for determining vehicle speed, which the computer then uses to determine when to shift gears, odometer mileage, ABS, and of course, speed on the speedometer...so not really something that can be ignored. The diff needs a mild teardown to replace the ring, assuming that’s the only broken thing in the diff. Thankfully, the tone ring seems intact enough to get the truck to about 55. Only in exceeding that speed does things get fun.
As a last ditch effort to make the Bronco project work, she picked up a Camry XV20 to daily while she worked on the truck. She needs to turn in her Impreza lease and she doesn’t want a car payment, so Camry it was. Thankfully the Camry runs and drives great and everything works in it . Its only bad part is a Camry Dent so big a piece of the bumper is missing. Ha.
Despite the Bronco being her dream truck this is quickly becoming a money pit. In addition to the diff repairs it still needs major body and floor rust repairs and due to her health condition she definitely needs A/C on hot days. I reckon the last time the A/C worked in this truck GW was still President. I mean, it was never converted away from R12 (!!!). So she’s made the hard decision to move on before it continues burning a hole in her purse.
The good news is that people seem to LOVE these old trucks and thus the offers she’s gotten have been surprisingly not bad. She’s been offered enough cash to break even, a clean Integra GS-R, a mostly teal Mustang SN95, a LS swapped Camaro project (that’s very very much “someone else’s project”
), a base model Lancer (eh), even an HHR.
She’s just going to take the money and run, save the Bronco dream for a much better example. The Camry will be her daily and she decided to buy the Ranger from me to be her Gambler 500 rig, helping me drop my fleet size. The Ranger’s still doing great. I’ve put about 7,000 miles on it since fixing it and the only thing it needs is a turn signal bulb. She’s christened it as hers by finishing the Communist theme it was supposed to have back in June. My offroad rig is now the Xterra, finally giving it some purpose.
3 Jeeps and a Mazda wants a Fiata
> Mercedes Streeter
08/05/2020 at 11:01 |
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The Bronco turned out to be a rusty piece of shit? Color me surprised.
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> Mercedes Streeter
08/05/2020 at 11:09 |
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TBH dropping the rusty bronco is a very very good decision.
Sovande
> Mercedes Streeter
08/05/2020 at 11:11 |
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Good thinking! I can see the rust from here, and that’s never a good thing.
Brickman
> Mercedes Streeter
08/05/2020 at 11:12 |
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I need to get me a truck bed bear :)
shop-teacher
> Mercedes Streeter
08/05/2020 at 11:12 |
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Selling the Bronco is a good move, given what her goals for it were. She got a great deal, but it was never going to be anything better than a Gambler, without sinking a boatload of money into it.
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shop-teacher
> Mercedes Streeter
08/05/2020 at 11:13 |
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Also, the irony of a 3 for Dale next to a Hammer and Sickle, is not lost on me :)
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Mercedes Streeter
> 3 Jeeps and a Mazda wants a Fiata
08/05/2020 at 11:58 |
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It was always a rusty pile in my eyes and I warned her about it. But she wanted to give it the ol’ college try anyway. At least she won’t really lose any money (but registration fees) and got to learn why I don’t buy things so rusty I can see the road through the floor. lol
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Mercedes Streeter
> Sovande
08/05/2020 at 12:00 |
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It’s amazing how the frame is so solid (confirmed by an actual mechanic, since that I am not) while the body very much isn’t. A part of me thinks if you hit a pothole too hard the body will get a divorce from the frame. lol Usually in the midwest if you have holes in your floors your frame can’t be any better.
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Mercedes Streeter
> shop-teacher
08/05/2020 at 12:08 |
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Agreed. She got to dive head first into the world of DIY car repair, learn some stuff, drive her dream truck a least a little, and will be able to send it to a new home without much of a loss. One day she’ll find one much better suited to her dreams.
She can still get her American truck fix with the Ranger (and learn manual) and reliably make it to court days with the Camry. Win/Win.
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3 Jeeps and a Mazda wants a Fiata
> Mercedes Streeter
08/05/2020 at 13:10 |
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My b est friend had a 1990, same issues with tons of rust, poor quality parts, a shitty 4x4 system that wouldn’t work below 30 degrees, problematic auto hubs that never worked right, and the list goes on. I really wanted to like it but it was a dinosaur cobbled together with cheap parts.
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shop-teacher
> Mercedes Streeter
08/05/2020 at 13:32 |
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That’s not such a bad outcome.
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Mercedes Streeter
> Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/05/2020 at 16:24 |
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Agreed. It wasn’t even my truck and I was almost worried sick about all the rust. I mean, none of it was “terminal”, just omg there was so much and neither of us are what you’d call body experts. lol