Sunday, September 20, 2009

Sorry, been to busy to post lately

Man, work has been kicking my butt lately! I have found time to get some things done on the Scorpio. I will detail what I have done along with pictures where possible.

#1: I think I have resurrected the moonroof. It was DOA when I got the car. The seal around the glass is dry rotted and the motor couldn't move the track mechanism at all. I took out the glass and cleaned out the area as best I could.

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With the glass out I was able to get the moonroof motor to break loose the mechanism and get the track to move a little. At this point I started applying a dupont product to the track.

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The track mechanism is a flexible cable system that kind of looks like pipe cleaner material. I soaked both sides, a lot, and gradually the track loosened up. I applied more of the lubricant as more of the track was exposed. The liquid would turn brown instantly so I started using my shop vac to suck up the excess until the liquid stayed clear. I used the entire can of lubricant and I now have an operational moonroof. I hope this continues to work as replacement moonroof tracks for the Scorpio would be impossible to find.

I took the moonroof out of my donor Scorpio, which is in much better shape and the one I replaced.

#2 Dash replacement: The original dash is in horrible shape. Taking it out is kind of a pain. Here is a picture of the two dashes.

New and old dash pad

#3: Instrument cluster repair: The original cluster had several issues. A lot of bulbs burned out, the tach didn't work, the temp and fuel gauge were erractic. Basically typical for a Scorpio of this age. The cluster out of my donor car was in much better shape. The main issue was that I needed the speedometer out of the black scorpio to stay, but replace everything else. The letters on the speedometer of the black scorpio were flaking off, probably from extended stays in the heat. The solution was a third speedometer that I had acquired last spring. It had a good face, but the mechanism was faulty. I carefully peeled the face off of it and prepped the good speedometer for the "face transplant" Picture below.

Speedometer and replacement face #2

I used elmers glue and some clamps to attach the face to the speedometer. I figured the glue would dry clear so any light from behind wouldn't show the glue. So far, so good.

#4 Install driver's side door panel:

I took the donor out of the blue scorpio and moved it to the black scorpio. The first picture is half way through the project, didn't think to take a picture at the beginning.

Driver Side Door #4

Finished product:

Driver Side Door #3

#5: Replacement of front speakers: I purchased a set of Blaupunkt 5 1/4 component speakers to replace the front 20 year old paper cone speakers that were in the Scorpio. I only received the woofers and after a conversation with the seller, I got a partial refund. Anyway I got the speakers installed today. I also purchased a set of 3 1/2 inch Soundstream 2 way speakers to replace the dash speakers. They should be here shortly. Here are a few pictures. They sound great.

Passenger Side Door #2

Driver Side Door #1

I used 3/4 inch adhesive door trim insulation to adapt the larger size speaker to the door. The 5 1/4 almost fit perfect and the insulation makes sure they are snug to the door.

I will update after I get the 3 1/2 speakers and I will update on my long range goals.

Darren

Monday, September 7, 2009

Success!

Waiting for me in the mail on Saturday was the title for the Scorpio! After a two month process I officially own it!

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With that issue solved, I can proceed with repairs and updates. I plan on getting it registered here in Kansas by the end of this month.

I started the repair work on the cluster today, I will take pictures and post them soon.

Later,

Darren

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Removed the really cracked dash last night

I got some free time on Tuesday night, so I spent it working on the Scorpio. My objective was to remove the horribly cracked dash out of the Scorp and get the instrument cluster removed so I can R&R it.

Here is a picture of the dash, it is trashed:

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I've never seen this before, but apparently someone used "Great Stuff" foam sealant to attach the instrument cluster bezel to the dash. Needless to say it was a one way approach. I had to destroy the bezel to get it unattached. Luckily I have a spare :)

Great Stuff #3

Next up, replace dash speakers, fix the instrument cluster, take another look at those darn dash motor vents. I swear I am going to find a way to fix them.

Later,

Darren