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Sousa632's 2001 Duratec Sable LS Premium Wagon

100K views 525 replies 45 participants last post by  ice445 
#1 · (Edited)
01 Sable LS Premium Wagon, Duratec. Auto Climate control, Cloth seats, pleather door inserts, column shift.



I bought the wagon to replace my wife's Saturn wagon cause we needed more space. Space we got! I picked it up for $1400 and have done a bunch of work to it since it was in my driveway in June of 2011. So far I have replaced the battery, coil, plugs/wires, UIM/LIM gaskets, a few vacuum lines, PCV/PCV hoses, front/rear brake pads and rotors, 3rd cat, 2 o2 sensors, rear balljoints(YES...... a wagon DOES have rear balljoints and YES....... they are replacable), the heater blend door motor, and typical routine maintenance items.

This is how she looked when she came home, and what she replaced in the background...







Ripping in the engine to replace the UIM/LIM, plugs wires and coil




It was hot this day....




I took the Tbird Sport rims I had on my Tbird and put them on the wagon with 225 60R16's on them










After that I put the stock rims back on it and started tinting the rear windows. I never completed that yet with winter set in and no garage to do it in.....







Finally setteled on getting rid of the black Tbird rims, and painted them silver and I'm sticking with that. I might sand them back out and go gunmetal in the spring but I'm not quite sure yet. This picture I took down the road from my house just after Hurricane Sandy right by the water. This area was under water during the storm......... we lucked out.









She's been put to work many times






Cant do that with a sedan! ^^



I'm in process of fixing the lovely door panels now -_-. You can see how bad they are here.




Once the weather finally gets above a reasonable temp to go out and work on the car I have front struts, balljoints to do to it. I also have to get a replacement heater bled door motor(warranty item). I'm hoping to have them done soon cause it's driving me nuts having parts here, and not having them on the car where they are needed............ :angry:

She's been a trooper! I used her to drive the family to NC for vacation, as well as dropping the seats and loading it up with stuff to take to the recycling center as well as trips to home depot for doors in my house. A true all purpose vehicle without being a gas guzzeling truck or a van. Can't go wrong with a wagon! With a new set of front tires I wouldn't hesitate to drive this car down to FL(which I might to get away from this damn cold, and visit family). :p I need to get some new pics...... all these are old minus the one from Hurricane Sandy but that's still like 3 months old.
 
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#30 ·
Thanks. I took the car out today for 'haulin duty' and the front end was nice and tight. I have a rattle/clunk in the passanger rear I have to find and fix but I think that will be the end of the noises. I already replaced the rear ball joints as well. I'm thinking it's either the control arm bushings, or the 'radius arm' bushing. I'm not sure what the name of the bar is but it goes from the body under the rear seat to the lower control arm. In my old bronco the same type arm was called a radius arm. Little by little she's getting better. I just wish this damn weather would act more like spring and less like winter.-_-
 
#31 ·
Today I went back to the Tbird sport rims. I honestly like them better, and think the sable ones look better on the van. Plus the stock Sable rims have MUCH better tires and need to be on the family hauler. Once I get some cash flowing I'll get 2 tires for these rims(the other 2 are in great shape).

So here's the basic jist of what I'm thinking of doing. I want to paint the rims again as the paint on this is just 'ok'. I'm thinking about a gunmetal color. I liked the contrast when the wheels were black but it's a little too much of a contrast with the car being silver. What I also want to do is find a set of sport center caps that will expose the lugnuts. Then get a nice set of chrome lugs. That will pop a little more. Then of course finish the tint.

Here is what those centercaps look like, and what I plan on doing with the rims. I think it'll look good.....
 

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#32 ·
What do you have to do to paint the rims, as far as prep goes? I was thinking of adding some accents to my rims and I've never painted a rim before, so I don't know what you should do to make it a quality job 0_o

I really do like those T-bird rims on the Sable, by the way. Classy and unique.
 
#33 ·
Basically what I have done is sanded them down good, prime and paint. I've used just a rattle can Krylon which has worked out well, kept it's shine and held up against the elements here in the NE, along with the wheel cleaner I use. The silver was not Krylon so it is not holding up as well, and is starting to stain which is another reason why I want to re-paint.

After looking at the pictures I'm not 100% about the gunmetal look. If anything I would repaint the wheels a silver but it will be a darker silver. It depends on what I come across and like.
 
#35 ·
What grit did you use for the sandpaper? Did you take the rims off the car to sand and paint them? So I'm looking for Krylon spray paint. Would a place like Advance sell that? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I do it right if I do go through with it.
 
#34 ·
See I don't like those in the first place, the gunmetal even less. However I like your idea of a *SLIGHTLY* darker silver than the one in your current sig pic.

Really you should just get my Sable platinum wheels...... those would look great on that wagon!!
 
#36 · (Edited)
Really you should just get my Sable platinum wheels...... those would look great on that wagon!!
Nah... I dont need another pair of rims sitting around here. As it is, I have the stock windstar rims sitting in a corner I have to get rid of. I like my bird rims. Plus I can put that money to much better use right about now :)

What grit did you use for the sandpaper? Did you take the rims off the car to sand and paint them? So I'm looking for Krylon spray paint. Would a place like Advance sell that? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I do it right if I do go through with it.
ANY store should have Krylon spray. Walmart, Kmart, Target, Ace Hardware , etc etc etc. I started at a 220 grit and got the heavy stuff off then went to 400. That was good enough and didnt show any lines. Make sure you get the rim SPOTLESS and clean with a good paint prep. Prep is the key to an good paint job. A few light coats are better than 1 or 2 heavy coats.
 
#37 · (Edited)
Not much of anything new has happened with the Silver Bullet. The stock rims have been back on it(and the Tbird rims are on the van awaiting 2 new tires). The manifold gasket is still leaking and making racket, but I took it on a comfortable, 325 mile ride this weekend with no issues. Everything worked so I'm happy. Eventually I'm going to have to address the manifold gasket, but I'm doing some suspension work on the van first so I can take mine down for a couple days.

Once the pollen stops(almost done now), I'm going to wash/compound the car to get it nice and shiny again. That and touch up some paint chips.
 
#38 · (Edited)
Today I finally finished the tint on the rear windows........





It's 20% film only on the rear windows. I can't do the fronts legally in this state. Kind of sucks cause it toned down the light in the car nicely and I wish I could do the fronts and not get harassed. I'll have to get better pictures but I'm about to get grilling some sausages :)

Oh and the other day I sanded down the ugly gray-chalked door pillars and sprayed them Krylon satin black. You can see it in the 2nd pic.
 
#39 ·
Today I finally finished the tint on the rear windows........





It's 20% film only on the rear windows. I can't do the fronts legally in this state. Kind of sucks cause it toned down the light in the car nicely and I wish I could do the fronts and not get harassed. I'll have to get better pictures but I'm about to get grilling some sausages :)
I'm jealous. I need to get that done to mine before next summer. I think I might install window deflectors when I get it tinted as well.
 
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#40 ·
The tinting looks great! What brand of tint did you use? The rear window is a PITA due to the compound curve.

So many projects, so little time (and $$$). So far my list has the following:

Valve cover gaskets/UIM
Shocks/struts and springs
Door panel inserts
Muffler with dual outlet SS tip
Front and rear speakers
Rear window tinting
 
#41 ·
The sides were a roll I got from Ebay. I had it for about a year so I don't remember who I got it from or the brand. The rear........ after wasting 2 full sheets trying to work out that compound curve with heat and screwing it up....... I gave in and got the crappy Gilla 6" roll from Vato Zone. It's got a slight bluish hue to it that the sides don't have but I figure tint on it is better than having nothing on it. From the outside, you really cant tell the difference unless you are really looking for it. If it bothers me that much I'll have a professional do it but it's the last thing on my mind now.

I think tomorrow when I get home I'm going to park it and start soaking the y pipe bolts, and rear exhaust manifold to get ready to replace the oil pan gasket and rear mani gasket. I'll give them a good dousing at least 2x a day till the weekend. if not this weekend, then next weekend. I'll just drive my van's around if need be. :)
 
#42 ·
So......... after discussing our vacation plans for the summer and deciding to go back to the Outer Banks, I'm going to tackle the Exhaust manifold gasket and oil pan gasket soon. The wagon will make the trip again cause it's MUCH better on gas than the van is. Plus it's proved that it can make the trip as I took that last year when we went without a hiccup.

This weekend I'm going to park it till it's done. I'm going to start tearing it down to get better access to the rear of the engine, then start dousing them in the Acetone/ATF mix. Then next weekend is going to be the weekend I'm going to start the job. Cross your fingers!
 
#43 ·
When you're dropping the pan, don't forget to remove the little black plastic cover on the pan. It's hiding two more bolts. Interesting little doo-dad. One of the transmission supports has to come off as well.

I didn't have any rust and the exhaust bolts & nuts were still the worst things to remove. Had to use a breaker bar and a cheater pipe with them (worst ones were the y-pipe to the rest of the exhaust).

Good luck!
 
#44 ·
The y to the 3rd cat I already had off recently cause I replaced that 3rd cat before(which is gutted now:rolleyes2:) so I dont have to worry about those 2 bolts at least. I'm most worried about the 6 manifold bolts:nutkick:
 
#45 · (Edited)
Found out why the Air Conditioning stops working when I hammer on the car....



:angryfire::flamethrower::poop::nuclear::shoot:

The trigger wire for the compressor clutch gets pulled when the engine rocks. There really is too much going on with this car and it seems like when I fix one thing, something else goes wrong......... (and you can see my broken cruise control cable).
 
#47 · (Edited)
Just some newer pictures. I haven't done anything to the car recently cause I've been fluffing up the van to get us to/from NC for our vacation next month(cant wait!!)








I might take off the radio surround this weekend and paint it the same 'brushed aluminum' I painted the gauge surround. I have to do a little repair to it to get it straight cause there are like 3-4 gouges in it from the PO trying to take out the radio.
 
#48 ·
So after putting the Sable rims back on the van to go on vacation, I had put the Tbird rims back on the sable. Yesterday I plasti-dipped those rims black. They came out good I think. Nice thing is if it doesn't grow on me..... peel it off and go back to silver.



I REALLY need to stop procrastinating and do something with the exhaust before the cold settles in. Otherwise it won't be till spring next year and I don't think I could wait that long to do it.
 
#52 · (Edited)
So..... time to work on the wagon to get it back to great shape for daily use. After having the jump the car because the damn battery is junk and needs to go back for warranty replacement, I wanted to move it to the back yard on my concrete patio so 1) it's not in the way when I'm working on it 2) it's on a concrete slab so I'm not messing with wood to jack it up and 3) I can make a make-shift 'garage/tent' if I need to keep it out of the elements.

This is where it's going to sit till I get to fixing it. I already have the rear strut rod bushings but I have to order the exhaust manifold and oil pan gasket, along with the exhaust manifold studs, and motor mount. It's going to be an interesting repair with lots of cursing and beer, but when it's done it's going back on the road. Be it for my wife or myself we aren't sure yet.


Was pretty funny cause I had literally, 1/2" of room on both sides to squeeze the car back there. With my wife directing and me driving we wedged it in, and here is where she sits:)





PLEANTY of room to work on it now!
 
#53 ·
This is why I don't like land-locked properties :p

Or at least properties that have little room to move cars from the front to the back... :p
 
#55 ·
It's a different story when you have to pay the bills, you go with what you can afford;)

I actually have more than enough room..... the problem is I have this stupid concrete planter box that I have never used and have wanted to remove for the past 2 years. Today........ I took a sledgehammer to it so I can get the car in the back. Once it's warmer out the rest of it is coming out!


You're keeping it?

:lol2:
It's going to be an interesting repair with lots of cursing and beer, but when it's done it's going back on the road. Be it for my wife or myself we aren't sure yet.
;):p


And just in time cause tomorrow night and Monday we are supposed to get 10-14" of snow. And that number keeps going up. Last night it was 6-8", this morning, 8-10", now 10-14".
 
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