1981 F150 Blue. Named Walter, for now anyway

[rcarlisle]

update 8-30-2021:  oer the past weekend, installed a new window winder from LMC.  Also put in Noico sound deadener and vapor barrier on driver's side.   Pass side only got sound deadener and barrier.   Door panel cracked at the top, so will wait on armrest til I can get new panels from Dennis Carpenter.  

Hard to tell if the sound matts and barrier made any difference really, but has to be better right?  Most of the reverb in the doors seems to come from the inner structure rather than the skin.  I put some scraps of the mat on there too.  

Friday this week, I plan to take truck to upholstery shop and get a firm quote.   Hope it's not too bad so I'll have a little left to help buy new door panels.   Once all this is done, gonna have to stop spending, except maintenance and upkeep.   I"ll have spent more on parts and stuff than I spent to buy the truck.   And the interior will be pretty dang restored.  Not too worried about the body.  It's solid and we can deal with what patina it has.  

You can see the sound matt through the speaker hole.  





THe armrests are like molded urethane?  vinyl?  over a metal frame.  THey are heavy and take paint well.  We'll see how the paint holds up.   The duplicolor blue vinyl paint is getting hard to find on the local shelves.

[Gsmblue]

That looks great. What did you use for the vapor barrier?

When i applied the noico i applied it to the outer door skin and to the inner skin. I found it made a huge difference to the sound quality of the stereo (pioneer stereo and infinity speakers) as well to how the door feels when closing it.

[rcarlisle]

Thanks.   I'm not sure how much difference there is, but we're going to say it's noticeable.  

The vapor barrier is decidedly low buck.   A trash bag split in half.   Wish it were a thicker bag, but we'll see how it does.   Old roll of 3m masking tape that still has it's "sticky" to it.  Taped top 3 sides, trimmed the bottom under the carpet panels, taped it in place too.   cut outs with Xacto for speaker holes and other openings just nipped with scissors just enough for window regulator post to pass through and enough to get door handle through.  And the armrest support too.

As someone else said AC seems to work better.   BUT truck was under carport and wasn't all hot metal when I took it out.  

When you're that deep into the door, it's a good time to adjust on things and lube things as possible.   It's not too hard to adjust the strikers with door closed through that hole in latch.   This was a biggy for me on the pass side that has needed slamming pretty good since I did weatherstrip.  I think I have it better.  Shoulda done my side too, but it's not bad - just needs to be closed firmly.  

[rcarlisle]

Update: 9/6/2021:. Seat is out and will go to upholsterer tomorrow.  Removed carpet, cleaned floor pan which is still solid.  Got carpet in the truck.  It is roughed in.  

Since the seat will be gone a week, we got carpet roughly in place.  I'm going to let the sun heat the truck tomorrow and hopefully the carpet will fit a little better still.  Where this piece was made for an extended cab, we are going to try to run the excess up the rear wall of the cab and under the metal trim across the bottom of rear window. It fits.  Didn't get a pic of that but will tomorrow.  

I'm getting an unsupported jpg process error.  So I'll do photos some other time

[Gsmblue]

Excellent news! Looking forward to pics!

[rcarlisle]

Let's try again with the photos.

ORiginal seat/carpet:


Floor pans:


I'll get photos of carpet roughly in place this evening.   It was hot and we were trying to clean up the mess pretty quick.   Hopefully the carpet will soften up in place today and start conforming to the tunnel better today.  I did put my last three pieces of Noico on the floor.  Two on the tunnel and one under driver feet. It did seem to settle the ringing of the floor somewhat and The carpet running up back wall will help even more.  

Wife is going to take the seat to upholsterer today, since she's off work this week.  

 

[Gary Lewis]

Looking good!

It doesn’t take a full covering of sound deadener to make a big difference. My reading says that 20 - 25% coverage works well, but you want to put that out in the middle where the flex is, not at the edges which have support.

[rcarlisle]

Carpet being poked and prodded into place.  The extended cab carpet from GSM Blue.  Didn't cut. Just going to run it up the back wall.  Seat should hide it mostly.  





This is harder than it should be?  Not an easy project.  

[Gsmblue]

That looks great, can you come do mine too??!!

[rcarlisle]

Gsmblue wrote

That looks great, can you come do mine too??!!

  HECK NO!   If I get this one in half-arsed, I'll be done with car carpet forever I hope.   The dang creases from the folding to fit in box are killing me.   Maybe it will settle down next summer, but I am afraid I may have waited too late in the year.  Gas pedal is hanging on the carpet and I'm having to hack it apart up there.  And it's just barely wide enough at the doors.  Definitely no extra on the sides.   None of this is your fault, but just saying what I'm running into.  Plus the airfare to get me there and back home would be way worse than the shipping.  lol

I do APPRECIATE the carpet and the effort you went to to save me money.  

Instructions say to lay old carpet over the new, but I was not laying that disease ridden old carpet on this.  Plus it was falling apart.  

I hope to get all the holes cut and start putting the panels and sills back in tonight or by the weekend.  

[Gsmblue]

Everything you say is exactly what I was struggling with. Not just that carpet, but the replacement one I am trying to get in to Elyza now.

It is a total pain in the posterior. I am out there everyday jigging, stretching, weighting down and the damn thing just won't sit how I think it is supposed to.

I really need someone that nows how to do this to help out, but those people seem few and far between. In hindsight I regret getting the "mass backed" version, I should have got the regular and just put sounder deadener down..

My ordeal has been going on for weeks and I am totally demotivated!!!

[rcarlisle]

Yep.  Same page.   Just doesn't lay like you would hope.   Even where mine is laid down, still doesn't feel like it's laying on the metal.  

I think, all things considered, it will be okay if I can get it in there and the gas pedal work properly and not hang on the carpet.   My wife looks at it and says it looks great and feels right to her.  That I'm expecting too much.   And ours is NOT a full resto - just improvements.   So if it lays down, it should be okay in a while.  

The blind nuts on firewall holding gas pedal in place - 2 of them have come loose, so I gotta find someone to help fix that back.  

It is very frustrating and aggravating.   But I'm hanging in there.   You do same.  

[Gsmblue]

Stick with it!

I have to go out of town for work for a week or so, but when I come back, that carpet is getting finished!!

[rcarlisle]

oh yeah.  Whatever is in there when the seat gets done is what it will be.  It's about as good as it's going to get I think.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Randy, no matter what you think it seems an incredible improvement from my vantage.

Can't wait to see it when your seat gets back!  

[rcarlisle]

That's what my wife says and she says rule #1 is Lisa is always right.   Rule #2 is to see rule #1.

I just ordered new door panels from Dennis Carpenter and rear window trim from LMC.   I SWEAR I'M DONE!!!  Except maintenance.   I can't think of anything else that's easy and I'm tired of hard projects after this carpet.  

I swear I'm just going to drive and enjoy it.   And not mess with it anymore.   I promise.   LOL.  

I hope it keeps running now that I've spent the purchase price again.  

[Gsmblue]

"rcarlisle” wrote

I SWEAR I'M DONE!!!

Let’s see, eh? 😎

[rcarlisle]

I told wife she could do bodily harm if I tried anything else.  I need time to think if we take it anywhere else.  All that's left really is new wheels or paint.  I wouldn't mind finding some old 5 hole mags.   Muscle truck style maybe?  See?   Too easy to go down that rabbit hole.  There is a swap meet coming next month - that will be the test.  I do need new trim rings.  And I may have a bent wheel.  That's "Maintenance".   LOL.  

[rcarlisle]

I may have to go to Raleigh and help Jonathan with his.  Get him going again?  Although I doubt I can work on his level.   He is a whole other level from me.  

I truly don't want to see him lose interest in his - he says work has been busy lately though.  

[rcarlisle]

Couple more photos as we make progress.  This is basically it.  Shifter back in, clean up.  Wait for seat.