The worst of the rust appears to be in the trunk around the battery box and the gas tank itself. Both areas are what I would call heavy surface rust. Some of the other keys spots seem to be eerily free of any rust. The floor pans both front and rear are super clean. Shock towers are rust free, as is the crossmember. Wheel wells are rust free. The body and paint is in OK shape. There is a baseball sized dent and the paint is chipped, scratched and scuffed in several areas. The interior is in pretty good shape for its age. Three 2-3 inch rips in the seat vinyl. The passenger door panel is missing some trim. The original carpets are in great shape. Front and rear. Back seat area is in good shape. The top is faded and the rear window is cracked, so the top will just need to be replaced. All electrical works with no issues.
My plan is to take care of the mechanicals so I can enjoy this car over the coming summer. This includes timing belt replacement and all the sensible upkeep that goes along with it. I will then take care of the body trouble spots and hopefully stop any further. Put a new top on it and a new stereo in. I will put the body work and repaint until next winter/spring.
I know the things I will be undertaking have probably been documented on FS already, so if you know of any key posts regarding timing belts, tune-ups and any other items that I should address to make this a reliable runner please pass them along. In any case I will try and keep up with posting the progress along the way and hopefully return some of the knowledge bestowed upon me by the FS community. I encourage any suggestions, comments and critiques.
Jackevyn
2003 Ford Excursion 6.0 Diesel - tow vehicle
2002 Hyundai Sonata - daily driver
1992 Airstream Excella 29' - another rolling restore...
1978 FIAT 125 Spider - the new project
