It's amazing what you can learn about a vehicles history when you start tearing it apart.

The very first day I got it, I found some business cards for a local stripper in the glove box, and some hair-clips and lots of chewing gum.

Near as I can figure it, my new-to-me beloved SUV belonged to a women I have affectionately dubbed "stripper mom" used to cart around a bunch of kids.

And that's all she did with it - I hope. I don't dare scour the vehicle with a black light for fear of what else I might find!


Also... I learned that my white Durango used to be Red, and there is a 3-year gap in the vehicles history, from about 2004-2007. The first 100,000 km's are perfectly documented, from when it was sold new to its first owner.

After that, I believe the vehicle was probably used in some College/University as a teaching vehicle, which is when the entire thing was stripped down and rebuilt, including a new coat of paint.

Usually when you get a repainted vehicle, the door jambs, engine bay, etc... Are all the wrong color or mis-matched. EVERYTHING in my vehicle has been repainted. I pulled up the carpets inside while doing my stereo install - everything is painted.

I have noticed a few things done incorrectly during re-assembly. The seat belts for example are flipped 180 degrees... Not a big deal, it's just funny because they're backwards.

ANYWAYS...

On to the trans gasket...

When I dropped the pan I realized right away why it was leaking... The gasket was a little chewed up around the bolt holes, and that's where it was leaking from, also... Some of the black paint on the mating surface of the pan had bee sanded off around the bolt holes...

We used an air-grinder with a buffing wheel to strip the pan gasket mating surface down until it was bare metal and perfectly flat all the way around.

Also, In the last 50-60,000km's, there has been almost zero clutch material or other debris dropping into the pan. The magnet was damn near perfectly clean.

I know you guys were worried about my transmission, but it looks to be in incredible condition. As is the rest of the truck, really. But if my theory about this truck is right - the whole thing has basically been rebuilt.

 

It sure sounds that way!

 

I had the carpet and upholstery shampooed after I bought mine last week, but it needed it badly. Driving the thing around full of children and a lack of floor mats had made a mess of it.

It really does sound like everything was taken apart on this one, very strange. You don't see that happen much.