Our
maintenance and painting action had been planned for weeks and
we were happy that we were in position to begin as scheduled.
Since our arrival was on Sunday afternoon, we camped in Rob's
parking lot so we were on-site at the start of business the
following day. For good or bad, we have spent many nights in
this parking lot over the years and were very comfortable with
the situation.
The
photos below are what we saw.
Rob
arrived promptly at 0730 and after a short driveway rodeo of
re-positioning vehicles, we ready to enter the shop. In the
photo above is a newly-refurbished U1550 expedition SUV that
will be going up for sale soon. Contact Rob at Terry Lee
Enterprises if interested. This is a one-of-a-kind vehicle with
all deluxe options.
Thor was
put up on the lift rack for a fluid service. Differential oil,
transfer case and transmission fluids were changed.
The
primary objective of this shop visit was a paint job. Mirrors
were removed and before the painting process could start, plenty
of prep work was needed. Several dents needed to be removed and
rust spots needed to be addressed.
The
spare tire was lowered to allow access to the hood area.
Windshield wipers were removed.
Thor
captured many insects on our travels around America. A close
encounter with the steam washer was required to remove all the
bug guts from the paint.
The cab
was tilted to allow access to the motor and a careful inspection
was begun. Rob's sharp eye spotted a coolant seep coming from
the junction between the head and the block. Not good. This will
require additional investigation as the preliminary diagnosis is
a bad or loose head gasket.
Rob's
assistant, Antonio, rapidly removed the large crease in the top
of the cab and corner of the passenger's door. The wound was
covered in an epoxy filler (Antonio described it as "super
Bondo") and the area was covered with primer.
The
pressure washing removed the evidence of the head seep, but both
Rob and I saw it. No question it is real, particularly when
combined with my observation of white smoke present upon
starting the motor after sitting a day or so. The white smoke
was likely due to coolant that had seeped into the cylinder.
The
underside of the cab is a mass of air lines for the various
controls.
The
opposite side of the motor hosts the turbocharger.
This
photo shows the cab lift hydraulic cylinder and power steering
plumbing.
Several
rust spots on the top of the cab were visible when the cab was
tilted into maintenance position.
The two
rust spots were present on the cab when I purchased the truck in
2010. We have been trying to get the paint done ever since and a
comedy of complications prevented completion until now.
A
significant rust spot on the passenger door was sanded down to
bare metal.
The
grill was removed to allow access to the up-front portion of the
truck.
The
doors were removed as was the rubber door seal.
The door
will get "special attention".
The
windshield had major cracks and was slated to be removed as part
of the painting.
| Previous Adventure | ||
| Trip Home Page |
Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2021. All rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.