Rich Stern
Well-Known Member
Howdy, all. Glad to see folks still interacting here. Big time thanks to Todd Z and George C for keeping this place going.
Still have my '01. Has 100K miles on it, and now does light "farm duty" at my rural property in N. Georgia.
My son will head off to college later this year. Some of you site old timers may remember Zachary from early ST meetups. He was just a tike back then! How time flies! He'll take one of our two daily drivers with him, which will leave us short a vehicle at home. It occurred to me that instead of getting a replacement vehicle, I could do a light restoration of the Sport Trac and use it as my daily driver again. Because I work from home, I don't drive a lot; maybe 5000 miles a year.
Cosmetically, the ST is still in good shape. Under the pine tar, needles, and leaf residue, the paint still has some shine to it. No body damage, and the bed is still in excellent shape. Windows, sunroof, all of the electrical stuff still work just fine. Cruise control button membranes have disintegrated. Might have to see if I can find replacements for those.
Mechanically, it's a bit squeaky and there's definitely something burning (oil or tranny fluid) that I occasionally catch a whiff of, but it's reliable enough to get to the nearest town and back, or the local dump (30 mile roundtrip) with a light trailer in tow.
I'm starting a list of things the ST will need to be restored to a comfortable, reliable daily driver. It's definitely going to need new tires, shocks, and a battery. It's needs some maintenance on the air ductwork; pretty certain a critter built a nest in there, somewhere. The driver's seat leatherwork is cracked. I have a seat cover on it. I may just stick with that, but recovering the interior is a possibility. The OEM CD changer is kaput. Might put an aftermarket sound system in, but for the most part, I only listen to radio anyway, so that's in the "maybe" column.
On the more serious mechanical side, wondering how much should I would have to invest in having the engine and transmission made reliable? Is it reasonable to look for a mechanic who can go through the engine and transmission, with a list of things that should be replaced/overhauled?
What about the suspension beyond the shocks? What would you consider replacing to get the ride quality back to what it was 15 years ago?
Any thoughts on the topic appreciated.
Still have my '01. Has 100K miles on it, and now does light "farm duty" at my rural property in N. Georgia.
My son will head off to college later this year. Some of you site old timers may remember Zachary from early ST meetups. He was just a tike back then! How time flies! He'll take one of our two daily drivers with him, which will leave us short a vehicle at home. It occurred to me that instead of getting a replacement vehicle, I could do a light restoration of the Sport Trac and use it as my daily driver again. Because I work from home, I don't drive a lot; maybe 5000 miles a year.
Cosmetically, the ST is still in good shape. Under the pine tar, needles, and leaf residue, the paint still has some shine to it. No body damage, and the bed is still in excellent shape. Windows, sunroof, all of the electrical stuff still work just fine. Cruise control button membranes have disintegrated. Might have to see if I can find replacements for those.
Mechanically, it's a bit squeaky and there's definitely something burning (oil or tranny fluid) that I occasionally catch a whiff of, but it's reliable enough to get to the nearest town and back, or the local dump (30 mile roundtrip) with a light trailer in tow.
I'm starting a list of things the ST will need to be restored to a comfortable, reliable daily driver. It's definitely going to need new tires, shocks, and a battery. It's needs some maintenance on the air ductwork; pretty certain a critter built a nest in there, somewhere. The driver's seat leatherwork is cracked. I have a seat cover on it. I may just stick with that, but recovering the interior is a possibility. The OEM CD changer is kaput. Might put an aftermarket sound system in, but for the most part, I only listen to radio anyway, so that's in the "maybe" column.
On the more serious mechanical side, wondering how much should I would have to invest in having the engine and transmission made reliable? Is it reasonable to look for a mechanic who can go through the engine and transmission, with a list of things that should be replaced/overhauled?
What about the suspension beyond the shocks? What would you consider replacing to get the ride quality back to what it was 15 years ago?
Any thoughts on the topic appreciated.
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