Oklahoma City 92 Explorer 05

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MrDNA
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Re: Oklahoma City 92 Explorer 05

Post by MrDNA » March 22nd, 2021, 3:28 am

Fine felinasauruses.
If you can get aerosol methylene chloride it will strip that film on the glass almost instantly. Do heed the warnings on that stuff. Second best thing I have found is just use a brand new razor and the moment it stops working effectively switch to a new one. figure 2 blades per glass. Also, I believe now that the tint is not actually aftermarket, and probably factory applied. I've pulled multiple sets and it is too well and consistently applied compared to other glass that old that obviously has film tint.

I swapped out that power connector to a c14 connector from a junked ATX power supply. The mount points happened to fit perfectly but the external plastic needed a bit of rounding/sanding to fit the shell right. The solder on the board is relatively low temp, easily desolderable. I may have an extra of that c14 style. If you plan to swap out and I do have a spare you may have it no charge except shipping costs.

On your antennas; when/where did you purchase them. Have you verified the size to be what you expected? Another international builder had 2 shipped from The Home Depot to my home and the 46" were actually 43", and the base was ≈1mm taller than the ones I purchased 2 years ago. The difference is insignificant here, but still any change in these parts warrants mention.

The seat comparison is helpful. Thanks for that.
You beat me to that lens!

JEXP94
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Vehicle Make/Model: 1994 Ford Explorer XLT
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Re: Oklahoma City 92 Explorer 05

Post by JEXP94 » March 22nd, 2021, 11:37 am

Loving all the info getting put out there to help us other builders!!

If you ever come to the Dallas area, don't hesitate to reach out to me, I'd love to meet up sometime and hang out over some coffee and or lunch!

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dstone
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Joined: September 8th, 2019, 3:51 pm
Vehicle Make/Model: 1995 Jeep Wrangler
Location: Oklahoma City
Facebook Name: Drew Stone
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Re: Oklahoma City 92 Explorer 05

Post by dstone » March 22nd, 2021, 11:59 am

MrDNA wrote:
March 22nd, 2021, 3:28 am
Fine felinasauruses.
If you can get aerosol methylene chloride it will strip that film on the glass almost instantly. Do heed the warnings on that stuff. Second best thing I have found is just use a brand new razor and the moment it stops working effectively switch to a new one. figure 2 blades per glass. Also, I believe now that the tint is not actually aftermarket, and probably factory applied. I've pulled multiple sets and it is too well and consistently applied compared to other glass that old that obviously has film tint.
Thanks, they certainly seem to think they run the place. Loveable little goobers.

I'll have to give the methylene chloride a go; was just reading about that last night. I'm betting this particular tint was put on by the dealer. The edges are not as clean as I would expect from the factory and there was a cutout in the tint for one of those window-mount cellular antennas.
MrDNA wrote:
March 22nd, 2021, 3:28 am
I swapped out that power connector to a c14 connector from a junked ATX power supply. The mount points happened to fit perfectly but the external plastic needed a bit of rounding/sanding to fit the shell right. The solder on the board is relatively low temp, easily desolderable. I may have an extra of that c14 style. If you plan to swap out and I do have a spare you may have it no charge except shipping costs.
Thanks! That's a good bit of info for the connector; it looked like it would be a close fit. I have a power supply from an intercom panel at the office that just blew its capacitors, that should make for a good donor to the cause.
MrDNA wrote:
March 22nd, 2021, 3:28 am
On your antennas; when/where did you purchase them. Have you verified the size to be what you expected? Another international builder had 2 shipped from The Home Depot to my home and the 46" were actually 43", and the base was ≈1mm taller than the ones I purchased 2 years ago. The difference is insignificant here, but still any change in these parts warrants mention.
I picked up the Tram 1607-HC 46-Inch from Amazon (directly from Amazon, not one of the other sellers) in November 2020. The Tram antenna mast section is 14mm / 9/16" diameter and is roughly 37" long to the mount section (wedding cake, as we would call it at the transmitter sites at work). If the mast were still attached and I measure down to the "grip" section on the wedding cake, that would be 43". If the entirety of the mount is included, that gets it to the 46" as advertised.

"Wedding Cake" Measurements:
Grip section: 25mm
Grip section to first step (centered on wire hole): 12mm
First step/center of wire hole to middle step: 45mm
Middle step to start of taper: 40mm
Taper: approximately 2mm
Taper to antenna mast base: 20mm (there is another slight taper where the antenna mast joins in, it's 1mm)

Overall "wedding cake" length: 145mm


The rod I picked up from Lowe's is a 48" long driveway marker with a diameter of 8mm / 5/16".
MrDNA wrote:
March 22nd, 2021, 3:28 am
The seat comparison is helpful. Thanks for that.
You beat me to that lens!
Happy to help, and sorry about the lens! I was amazed nobody had beat me to it yet.
JEXP94 wrote:
March 22nd, 2021, 11:37 am
Loving all the info getting put out there to help us other builders!!

If you ever come to the Dallas area, don't hesitate to reach out to me, I'd love to meet up sometime and hang out over some coffee and or lunch!
Most definitely! I'll be heading down for Fan Expo in November but will probably wind up down that way a few more times before then. I'll be sure to give you a shout.
1995 Jeep Wrangler JP10 - WIP
1995 Jeep Wrangler JP12
1991 Ford Explorer EX04 - WIP
1992 Ford Explorer EX05 - WIP

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dstone
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Re: Oklahoma City 92 Explorer 05

Post by dstone » April 4th, 2021, 11:59 pm

Still inching forward. Got the mirror antennas finished (many thanks to Dwight for pointing me towards Brandon's measurements). Managed to shatter the glass in the driver's side mirror while trying to remove one of those little blind spot add-a-mirrors. Apparently I wasn't using enough heat. Was going to have to repaint the mirrors anyway since one was pretty bleached compared to the other. Heading out to the junk yard again tomorrow to grab some replacements and a few trim pieces that I've found broken while disassembling things. I looked in to some aftermarket mirrors but they used plastic instead of metal where the antennas would mount. I'd rather go with the metal ones so I don't have to worry about the antennas snapping off when the doors are closed.

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Speaking of doors, got two of them replaced today and the wiring pulled out of the other two before I managed to hurt my back and have to quit for the day. Much easier than trying to hammer out all the dents, plus the back doors had the AS2 glass in them.

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Picked up new shoes for both the Explorer and JP12. I really loved the looks of them on JP10 and figured since I was ordering for the Explorer, might as well do JP12 while I'm at it. Still need to order the tire stickers for them.

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I've also taken the opportunity to fiddle with some more of the props for the vehicle fleet. Got all my radios painted up and programmed.

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I've noticed that the recommended hard hat on the JPMP page has changed styles and is only available in a matte finish now. Looks pretty slick, but definitely not the same sheen that was on screen.

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I sprayed a few coats of gloss clear on it but then went ahead and picked up a few other styles to tinker with. I ordered two alternatives to compare to the Roughneck and the images I've been able to find online of one of the screen used hard hats. The Honeywell North Safety E2Rw46A000 and E2Rw03A000 have a near-identical appearance to the Roughneck P2ARW46A000 (minus the drip edge around the rim of the hat). Ratcheting headband mechanism appears to be the same. The two North Safety hats both come in a gloss finish. I think the regular orange E2Rw03A000 looks to be a bit closer in color to the screen used hat versus the Strong Orange.

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1995 Jeep Wrangler JP10 - WIP
1995 Jeep Wrangler JP12
1991 Ford Explorer EX04 - WIP
1992 Ford Explorer EX05 - WIP

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dstone
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Joined: September 8th, 2019, 3:51 pm
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Re: Oklahoma City 92 Explorer 05

Post by dstone » April 20th, 2021, 11:03 am

More parts have been ordered: dash, center console, SM99 microphone and replacement dog legs and a few other odds-and-ends. I took a wire brush to the rust spots to see if I might be able to seal and patch them and found the damage was more extensive than I originally thought.

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LMC Truck carries a bunch of different body panels for the Explorer so I was able to order some new dog legs to replace the rotted ones. I was surprised by the amount of dirt that was packed inside the area. The rust definitely started in the wheel well and allowed all the crud being slung off the tire to accumulate inside the panel. Fortunately there are already seams in the area so I should be able to hide my crappy welding abilities.

Peeled off the pin stripes and removed the Explorer emblem on the back. The green paint is surprisingly crappy. Quite a bit of damage was done while removing the pin stripes. It came off the red doors like a dream, though. Just underlines the difference between a factory job and the Maaco weekend special. Good thing it's all going to be thoroughly sanded and primed.

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I finally found some paint stripper that had methylene chloride in it. That's some naaaaasty stuff. Worked wonders on stripping the tint off, though. One of the windows has some rubber rot going but I figured I could work with that for now and swap it out for a better one when I run across it.

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I was very fortunate that our local junk yard got in a 92 with the same color interior as mine. Nabbed the A-pillar trim to replace mine (previous owner overtightened a screw and snapped off a chunk of the trim) along with a handful of those little press-fit trim retainers that like to snap off. I found a new set of mirrors from a 96 that would work (would have to change a bit of wiring) but apparently Ford swapped out to plastic components at some point. The 92 had a decent driver's side mirror that I was able to harvest. A little bit of painting and it should be ready for the antennas.

The Panasonic BT-S702 I bought is eating fuses. Still stepping through the power supply to try to figure out what's going on. I ordered a replica faceplate when I purchased the dash and center console; I think I'll transplant the faceplate over to one of my JVC or Sony monitors and use that as a backup if I can't get the Panasonic running again.
1995 Jeep Wrangler JP10 - WIP
1995 Jeep Wrangler JP12
1991 Ford Explorer EX04 - WIP
1992 Ford Explorer EX05 - WIP

MrDNA
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Re: Oklahoma City 92 Explorer 05

Post by MrDNA » April 20th, 2021, 1:06 pm

Couple things in planning: Change the lock rod clips, and bulbs to new ones in your doors , and possibly even the window motors/lifts & speakers before putting any door panels on, and shave down the nylon retainer flanges a bit. This is just advice to help prolong the life of the door plastic, minimizing the reason to remove them, and slightly lessening the force to remove them if needed.

Instead of using metal screws for your taillight guards, use rivnuts or swage nuts. This will enable repeated removal of the guards without them becoming loose/making sloppy mount holes. You'll need to remove the guards to change any bulbs back there. Install the rivnuts/swage nuts before paint.

on your 702, (and any other electronics troubleshooting) , resettable fuses are very helpful.

NathansPROPS
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Re: Oklahoma City 92 Explorer 05

Post by NathansPROPS » May 21st, 2021, 9:27 pm

Okay how the hell did you find the accurate camera lens! Awesome job so far! seems like you need a Control panel and CD rom panel for your build, hehe. I may be able to help with that. Keep it up!

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dstone
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Re: Oklahoma City 92 Explorer 05

Post by dstone » June 8th, 2021, 6:09 pm

Peeled apart a bit more of the interior this weekend. Everything is now out except for the dash and front carpet. Will have to track down three of the little plastic press-fit keepers that go under the rear windows. The rear windows were leaking quite a bit from the previous painters damaging the seals and the carpet was soaked.

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I scraped off the bad sealant and dropped in the AS2 glass. I'll be pulling them back out when I'm ready to paint. Hopefully I'll have a different passenger side glass by then as the rubber is quite pitted.

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Managed to get all the pits filled in the side mirrors. Still a bit more to go on those before I can bolt on the antennas and mount them back on the Explorer.
MrDNA wrote:
April 20th, 2021, 1:06 pm
Couple things in planning: Change the lock rod clips, and bulbs to new ones in your doors , and possibly even the window motors/lifts & speakers before putting any door panels on, and shave down the nylon retainer flanges a bit. This is just advice to help prolong the life of the door plastic, minimizing the reason to remove them, and slightly lessening the force to remove them if needed.

Instead of using metal screws for your taillight guards, use rivnuts or swage nuts. This will enable repeated removal of the guards without them becoming loose/making sloppy mount holes. You'll need to remove the guards to change any bulbs back there. Install the rivnuts/swage nuts before paint.

on your 702, (and any other electronics troubleshooting) , resettable fuses are very helpful.
Excellent advice. Was already planning on swapping the speakers and changing out the lights to LED for longevity. Might also replace the door lock actuators in addition to the parts you suggested - looks like those had been replaced at least once before on the current doors.

Those rivnuts are awesome! Never knew anything like that existed. Already got the tool and a bag of various size nuts delivered. Several of my engineers at the office also ordered one after seeing it.
NathansPROPS wrote:
May 21st, 2021, 9:27 pm
Okay how the hell did you find the accurate camera lens! Awesome job so far! seems like you need a Control panel and CD rom panel for your build, hehe. I may be able to help with that. Keep it up!
I just happened to stumble on it at the right time. Was amazed nobody had already purchased it. I've got a watch set up to try to get another one but I may have to go with a WV-LA6A if I don't find one by the time the interior is ready to reinstall.

I already have a control panel coming from Jeff with the dash but I'll definitely need a CD-ROM panel. I think I'm on one of those Facebook Chat things for your panels? I really hate Facebook, it's so much harder to keep track of things like that.
1995 Jeep Wrangler JP10 - WIP
1995 Jeep Wrangler JP12
1991 Ford Explorer EX04 - WIP
1992 Ford Explorer EX05 - WIP

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dstone
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Re: Oklahoma City 92 Explorer 05

Post by dstone » September 5th, 2021, 10:52 pm

Slow progress, but progress nonetheless. Finally put up one of those car canopy things to help keep the Ex out of the elements. Finally got the driver's door swapped (those things are heavy!), just need to remove the pin stripe and get all the wiring put back into place. Got the antennas test mounted, too.

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Some of the bigger parts have started making their way in. The bubble dome has arrived and I picked up the center console and dash while I was on vacation.

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The brush guard should arrive next week. Once I get it mounted I'll peel everything back apart and take the rims and bumpers in to be powder coated. I've also started prepping the new tires for the tire stickers after everything comes back from the powder coating shop.

Picked up a functioning Panasonic BT-S701N, so the non-functioning 702N gets banished to the spare parts pile.

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Also picked up the hood light and top fog lights. Figured since I was already ordering a few I might as well take the opportunity to upgrade the rear fog lights on both of the Jeeps.

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I might see about fabricating the steering wheel guard next. That seems like something that should go together and make me feel like I'm getting somewhere.
1995 Jeep Wrangler JP10 - WIP
1995 Jeep Wrangler JP12
1991 Ford Explorer EX04 - WIP
1992 Ford Explorer EX05 - WIP

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Dwight
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Re: Oklahoma City 92 Explorer 05

Post by Dwight » September 7th, 2021, 8:51 pm

Awesome updates Drew!

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