Diary of a Restore (Thread)

[AmericanSavage]

You caught the bit about "the right tires and wheels".

Told Rick about your purchase and the tires/wheels on it and he immediately knew what that does to the handling. When he bought the FJ he has it wasn't handling correctly. He brought it down and let me drive it and I recognized the nibbling and darting that oversized tires give you. So he dropped down two sizes on tires and it cured the problem.

However, you can sometimes help the problem by changing tire pressures. We had a brand new Chevy Citation in 1980 that came from the factory with wider than normal tires. On a trip to Denver in December of '80 (very special trip) that thing didn't want to stay in the ruts on I-70. It just kept trying to climb out of the ruts. So I started adjusting the tire pressures and found that I had to run 40 psi when the owner's manual said 35 to get the thing to track properly. Otherwise the edges of the tires followed every little groove in the highway.

These Tires are 80 psi (as the spec on the sidewall)—I think that is too much. But it seems tires are more inflated than they were? What changed?

[AmericanSavage]

TJMAC:

Thank you! I am learning as I am going. A lot of more capable and experienced people than me here. I made my share of mistakes, especially on the body. BUT it is tons better off than it was!

Cheers to you.

OK, Update:

Finally in part one of three on interior redo. Shopping for SEM paint—adhesion, texture, color (always satin btw) and the cleanser. Never do gloss like i did to touch up some of the parts last summer. Will be sanding that all down and applying the SEM. Gonna be over 100 for all the cans—one can each.

Then, the headliner, and the reupholster. Upholster kit is around…$700. GASP!

I spent the last couple weeks wiring up the new sirius antenna. My classic Radio install from last summer has an input for a separate sirius (or anything else). Major improvement over stock radios.

Also, got a Cobra CB I want to put in it. I am still trying to figure out how to mount the darn thing. Not a lot of room under the dash—interference from the ash tray and glove box sort of prohibit it. On other side, my oil pressure gauge is in the way. I could move it, but again, limitation abound on where. So back to square one. So, I am going to have to get crafty. I could fab a bracket to drop the radio from the dash, and I may do that. I could screw it to the front bar of the bench seat too. I could fab a hump mount to sit to the right of the shifters. OR, I could somehow figure a way to put it in a bench console—but I like a clean bench and the drop down armrest. The previous owners stripped the cab and had one screwed into the top. But my headliner I found, prohibits that. And I like the headliner—makes it look better and a little more quiet.

OH, the DASH. I am still trying to figure out how to make a speaker grill for the center. I know Gary had a CAD mock but I cannot find anything like it. My dash has a few cracks and that will be taken care of with bondo, sand, texture, and repaint. But that grill replication with the holes is going to be my biggest challenge at this point. Maybe a thin wood?

Pics will come as I proceed on this. First the paint, then saving for the material for the 87 bench and headliner kits.

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

OK, Update:

Finally in part one of three on interior redo. Shopping for SEM paint—adhesion, texture, color (always satin btw) and the cleanser. Never do gloss like i did to touch up some of the parts last summer. Will be sanding that all down and applying the SEM. Gonna be over 100 for all the cans—one can each.

Then, the headliner, and the reupholster. Upholster kit is around…$700. GASP!

I spent the last couple weeks wiring up the new sirius antenna. My classic Radio install from last summer has an input for a separate sirius (or anything else). Major improvement over stock radios.

Also, got a Cobra CB I want to put in it. I am still trying to figure out how to mount the darn thing. Not a lot of room under the dash—interference from the ash tray and glove box sort of prohibit it. On other side, my oil pressure gauge is in the way. I could move it, but again, limitation abound on where. So back to square one. So, I am going to have to get crafty. I could fab a bracket to drop the radio from the dash, and I may do that. I could screw it to the front bar of the bench seat too. I could fab a hump mount to sit to the right of the shifters. OR, I could somehow figure a way to put it in a bench console—but I like a clean bench and the drop down armrest. The previous owners stripped the cab and had one screwed into the top. But my headliner I found, prohibits that. And I like the headliner—makes it look better and a little more quiet.

OH, the DASH. I am still trying to figure out how to make a speaker grill for the center. I know Gary had a CAD mock but I cannot find anything like it. My dash has a few cracks and that will be taken care of with bondo, sand, texture, and repaint. But that grill replication with the holes is going to be my biggest challenge at this point. Maybe a thin wood?

Pics will come as I proceed on this. First the paint, then saving for the material for the 87 bench and headliner kits.

Gary made the CAD design for Ron/Reamer.

I think there is a sticky in the marketplace section if you want to order a speaker hole dash patch.

[AmericanSavage]

Gary made the CAD design for Ron/Reamer.

I think there is a sticky in the marketplace section if you want to order a speaker hole dash patch.

I sent Reamer a note some time ago. Never heard anything. If you have a way to get to him, let me know. I AM interested!

[ArdWrknTrk]

Gary made the CAD design for Ron/Reamer.

I think there is a sticky in the marketplace section if you want to order a speaker hole dash patch.

I sent Reamer a note some time ago. Never heard anything. If you have a way to get to him, let me know. I AM interested!

Well, he's in the other corner of the state (but it IS a tiny State)

Maybe he hasn't got the printing figured out yet?

I do believe the original ones ($$$ by Shapeways) were fused structural nylon and he has a FDM.

But now many other print farms are in operation, or it could get jobbed out to a 'broker' like Xometry.

Definitely TPU or PETN would have a hard time keeping their shape, baking in the sun on a summer day.

What I CAN DO is assign him to this thread so he will get notice and perhaps reply.

 

[AmericanSavage]

Well, he's in the other corner of the state (but it IS a tiny State)

Maybe he hasn't got the printing figured out yet?

I do believe the original ones ($$$ by Shapeways) were fused structural nylon and he has a FDM.

But now many other print farms are in operation, or it could get jobbed out to a 'broker' like Xometry.

Definitely TPU or PETN would have a hard time keeping their shape, baking in the sun on a summer day.

What I CAN DO is assign him to this thread so he will get notice and perhaps reply.

Please do and THANK YOU!

[ArdWrknTrk]

Well, he's in the other corner of the state (but it IS a tiny State)

Maybe he hasn't got the printing figured out yet?

I do believe the original ones ($$$ by Shapeways) were fused structural nylon and he has a FDM.

But now many other print farms are in operation, or it could get jobbed out to a 'broker' like Xometry.

Definitely TPU or PETN would have a hard time keeping their shape, baking in the sun on a summer day.

What I CAN DO is assign him to this thread so he will get notice and perhaps reply.

Please do and THANK YOU!

I already did! 😁

You can see 'assignments' at the top of any page in this thread.

"Priority 3, normal"

You're basically sending them a request to participate.

Hopefully Ron has some good news for anyone that wants/needs these dash patches, because quite a few members have reached out, unsuccessfully.

I'm not sure if it is still in the Shapeways library.

Perhaps I can go back to FTE and dig up the thread.

Edit: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1359252-dash-speaker-hole-area-repair-plate-finished.html

And: https://www.garysgaragemahal.com/#nabble-td30179

[Gary Lewis]

These Tires are 80 psi (as the spec on the sidewall)—I think that is too much. But it seems tires are more inflated than they were? What changed?

I meant to reply to this and forgot. The 80 psi # is the max the tires are supposed to ever have, and that is to carry the maximum load they are rated for. But the "right" pressure for your application is less than that.

For instance, the original tires on Blue, not Big Blue, are rated for 2535 lbs at 51 psi, but the owners manual tells you to run 35 psi in them at all times. The tires on Big Blue are rated for 3750 @ 80 psi but I'm running 60 in them normally, although I would boost that a bit for the back tires if I were to pull a trailer for any distance.

You have to find what is the "right" pressure for your vehicle depending on the tire, the weight of the vehicle, and the way it handles on the road. That 1980 Chevy Citation X11 had very wide tires from the factory and didn't drive right with the factory-recommended pressure - which was the same as if it had the normal tires. But bumping the pressure up a bit fixed that. However, that was still far less than the max pressure rating on the sidewall.

What you are looking for is the tread to have equal weight all across it so the tire wears evenly. But also to prevent the edges of the tire from following ruts and gouges in the pavement. So it is an experiment to see what is best for your situation.

 

[81-F150-Explorer]

These Tires are 80 psi (as the spec on the sidewall)—I think that is too much. But it seems tires are more inflated than they were? What changed?

I meant to reply to this and forgot. The 80 psi # is the max the tires are supposed to ever have, and that is to carry the maximum load they are rated for. But the "right" pressure for your application is less than that.

For instance, the original tires on Blue, not Big Blue, are rated for 2535 lbs at 51 psi, but the owners manual tells you to run 35 psi in them at all times. The tires on Big Blue are rated for 3750 @ 80 psi but I'm running 60 in them normally, although I would boost that a bit for the back tires if I were to pull a trailer for any distance.

You have to find what is the "right" pressure for your vehicle depending on the tire, the weight of the vehicle, and the way it handles on the road. That 1980 Chevy Citation X11 had very wide tires from the factory and didn't drive right with the factory-recommended pressure - which was the same as if it had the normal tires. But bumping the pressure up a bit fixed that. However, that was still far less than the max pressure rating on the sidewall.

What you are looking for is the tread to have equal weight all across it so the tire wears evenly. But also to prevent the edges of the tire from following ruts and gouges in the pavement. So it is an experiment to see what is best for your situation.

Just to add to Gary's excellent explanation:

The Tire PSI rating on the certification label is for the tires and wheels that came with the vehicle new.

So if your truck has the same size tires and wheels it came with from the factory, use the PSI on the certification label.

But if you changed the tires and wheels sizes for smaller or bigger, this can (but not always) mess up the PSI ratings on the certification label for your application as well.

So you will have to adjust the PSI to optimize it for your new wheels/tires sizes like Gary states etc...

Good luck explaining that to some tire counter clerks.

[AmericanSavage]

Just to add to Gary's excellent explanation:

The Tire PSI rating on the certification label is for the tires and wheels that came with the vehicle new.

So if your truck has the same size tires and wheels it came with from the factory, use the PSI on the certification label.

But if you changed the tires and wheels sizes for smaller or bigger, this can (but not always) mess up the PSI ratings on the certification label for your application as well.

So you will have to adjust the PSI to optimize it for your new wheels/tires sizes like Gary states etc...

Good luck explaining that to some tire counter clerks.

81-150:

This makes perfect sense to me—not the tire guys.

The ones I bought say 80--265/75 R16. The big ones 305/70 r16 that were on it say 50.

I think 80 is WAY too high for my truck as I am not carrying loads for the most part, but that is just a hunch and not based on any facts/math/etc.

And also, thanks Gary. Both of you have convinced me. I am going to play around with the pressure.