[Sam]

Yes I have heated mirrors. IIRC there was 5 going to the mirror, and there were more wires than that on the 'body side' of the harness.

Well maybe you are wired up. I thought that wasn't an option until the 2002 MY though. Maybe if yours was a late build 2001 it may have had it wired in for some reason. What month was yours built? 5 wires body side is what mine has. If yours has 7 then you may have it wired. The reason I doubt it is because they changed the GEM/SJB for the 2002MY. It had puddle lamps wired in. Maybe you'll get lucky though.

 

[sousa632]

The build date of mine was 4/19/2001. The next time I have the door panel off I'll have to take a look again.

 

[jester4666]

nice wagon.

 

[sousa632]

So after finding the ball joint on the passanger side damn near ready to fall apart I figured it was time to tackle the BJ's and FINALLY put in the struts I got from Sam.

Look ma..... no wheels....(started at ~1:30pm)

Had it tore down to this by 2:15

Here's how I removed the lower BJ.... I stuck the pickle fork in there and gave it a few 'love taps'. Then I took the hammer and hit the threaded part of the BJ up, trying to free it up...... then I took my 4' pipe hooked it into the pickle fork and stood on the end like so.

POP...... BJ came right loose. The second picture was when it was already loose but I had about 2' of leverage to push down.

I then used a pry bar, inserted it in the LCA pushed down while working the knuckle up and out and it came right out..... on the passanger side. The drivers side took a little more 'finess'(cussing all the way) :rolleyes2:

Low and behold the end result...

I then removed the BJ with a loaner from Vato Zone. I didn't use the Ford specific one and it wrked fine for me. The recieving cup was a little large but I was able to make it work no problem.

I had a pair of complete struts I picked up from Sam(Breeves002, thanks again!!) so I put them in while the car was all apart. So far it feels MUCH MUCH better. I've only taken it locally so I can't say buch but the clunking and overall looseness it had is 95% gone. I still have a clunk in the rear I have to find but that didn't concern me as bad as seeing the BJ in the front being as bad as they were..... Here's a vid of how bad the BJ's were.

 

[sousa632]

And BTW.... I'm a FIRM believer in the 50-50 ATF/Acetone concoction. I mixed some today and hit everything I was removing. Everything came free very easily. I missed the caliper bracket bolts and they refused to come loose. I hit them with the concotion, 5 minutes later they came right out.

 

[Sam]

Glad you got it all fixed! I hope mine aren't that bad..... I shall have to try that concoction!

No problem on the struts. I hope they don't give you any problems. From one sable to another!


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[sousa632]

They are a world of difference from the ones I had in mine. The ATF/Acetone I'm sure helped a LOT. You just have to make sure that before you use it, to mix it because it was seperating if left sitting too long. Maybe it's cause I was using the old Type F I had from decades ago :rolleyes2:

The biggest bitch is the lack of clearence on the drivers side. If you dont drop the subframe 1/2-3/4" you will have to wrestle with it.

 

[Sam]

Oh I just drop the front subframe bolts nearly all the way out. That's the easiest way to do it.


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[bull geek]

Wow looks like the ball joints that were on my 97. Way toasted. Good job, congrats getting it done.

 

[sousa632]

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.-_-

 

[sousa632]

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.....

 

[it'sthatcar]

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.

 

[sousa632]

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.

 

[Sam]

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!!

 

[it'sthatcar]

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.

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.

 

[sousa632]

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.

 

[sousa632]

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.

 

[sousa632]

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.

 

[The White Falcon]

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.

 

[Exocet]

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