Well, it's been a few years and a lot has changed. I used to always be on this forum 3 years ago but I ended up giving my truck to my father so I could get a car that had better fuel economy. I went through a lot of cars, enlisted in the USAF, and now I've got my truck back. Unfortunately, it was neglected since I was away. The clear coat has faded on the hood and roof. The rear bumper is rusting away. The doors have rust on the bottom. The dashboard cracked. The plastic trim in the interior has lost its color in some places. The chrome wheels lost their shine.

Now that I have my truck back, I am going to be working on restoring it to its former glory! I have already replaced the plenum and head gaskets. When I went to pick up the truck, I fixed a rust spot on the bed. (Replaced a small chunk of metal with a piece of a Fiat 500 hood!) The paint turned out pretty good too! Yesterday, I polished two of the wheels and I'm gonna try and knock out the rest tonight. On my way home from work, I noticed that whenever I step on the gas, the A/C goes to defrost until I let off. Vacuum leak? Well anyway, it's great to be back with this amazing community. I will probably start a thread of the restoration progress!

 

I think you just did.

Check the vacuum check valves, should be two up by the manifold, passenger side. If you can't find them, well, that's at least part of the problem.

And of course, WE WANT PICS!!

Still in the AF??

Welcome Back.

 

Okay, I'll definitely take a look at those lines!

Gonna have to figure out how to post HD pics......again....

And yes, still in the AF. I'm stationed at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX. My AFSC is 3D1X1, Client Systems Technician. I'm basically Geek Squad haha

Thanks again for the warm welcome!

 

Awesome. I remember Lackland. It got farking HOT there..... Camp Bullis was worse.... (I was Security Specialist. I sat in a pickup truck, and watched B-52's rust. )

 

I'm still adjusting to the heat haha been here for a little over a year too! I have enough toys to keep me occupied though! The Ram, 2004 Mustang GT, 2013 Beetle 2.0t (Wife's), and my 2016 HD Sportster Iron 883!! Really focused on putting this poor truck back together though. With the rust and whatnot, she really pales in comparison to all of the fancy trucks that roll around.

 

So as you can see here, my wheels were really starting to look bad..This before picture was after a car wash too, it looked way worse. After some polishing, all 4 wheels are now returned to their original luster! Next stop, faded black trim! (interior and exterior)

EDIT: I already know about my lug nuts lol I have already installed the replacements! It was just after the pic was taken..

 

Wow. Those cleaned up nice.

Should be LOTS of rust free parts there though...... if you see a cab for a 96 (extended cab, no rear doors) find out how much it would be to ship it to 49221. (and the cost of the cab, of course. )

 

I'll make sure to keep an eye out!

So right now while I procrastinate the vacuum leak , I have been working on restoring the color to the trim. It's small but it makes a huge difference. I'm not done yet but this was after a few applications. The center console button is proving to be quite a b**** as far as bringing back the color...

 

Oh, and if anybody's curious, here's how she looks now. The picture makes her look way better than she does haha! Lots of minor scratches, a few dings, and all of the clear coat that's fading away on the hood...

When my dad it, he struck a garbage can. That resulted in a smashed headlight and a baseball sized dent in the passenger fender. While I was back in CT, I was able to pull out the dent and repaint the area. I also replaced the headlights but man do they suck. The light pattern is okay but the fitment is absolutely terrible. I really like the look of modern "clear" headlights but I don't know if I want to do the Sport swap. Is there a brand of headlights that people swear by? Or is there a Sport model that only uses one bulb?

 

AM-Autoparts.com sells stock replacement housings that fit very well, and actually have adjusters as well. I got both housings, including side marker lights, with bulbs, for under 100 bucks, shipped to my door. You can get the normal stock single bulb fellers, or, the dual bulb sport housings. Up to you. Your truck appears to be a non-sport though, so, just stick with the single bulb housing.