SK8DIE Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 Hello everyone - I recently dusted off my TC after being parked in my driveway for a year. I'm not a mechanic but love problem solving, tinkering, grilling, hiking, skateboarding, record collecting, LEGO, and 70's/80's punk/hardcore/metal. I've zig zagged the country a few times and up/down the coasts hitting national & state parks, and skate parks with my partner, cats, and dog. Now I mostly use my TC for weekend trips and commuting. Most recently I replaced my battery and wiper fluid pump myself. I replaced the stock 96R battery with a 40R and so far all is well. The only difference is the 40R is a bit shorter lengthwise so I wedged a skateboard bushing in the gap which fit perfectly. The wiper fluid pump was rather simple once I figured out how to pull back the passenger wheel-well cover to access the area. For removing the body clips I grinded the inner two tines of dinner fork flat and that worked ok but ended up bending some of the clip heads. I replaced that with an $8 tool from Harbor Freight for future projects. I don't have plans on a crazy conversion but I do want to move the driver and passenger seats back a few inches. I have the power drivers seat that raises but hate how it moves forward at the same time. I'm 6'1 and could use just a little more leg room. I've seen a few folks use Unistrut (of course!) to accomplish this and look forward to doing the same. I also saw a YouTube video where a guy cuts & fits gutter leaf guards as screens for the 2nd row windows which would be great for camping. The only other thing I really want to explore is larger tires. Mostly just for looks as don't want to get into lifting it for off-roading or anything like that. Does anyone have experience with the WeatherTech Cargo liner that covers the 2nd & 3rd row seats? Since I have second row buckets there is no center support for the fold down floor panels. I'm curious just how strong the cargo liner is? I assume I'll still have to build a plywood box or support beam. Thanks for your time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted May 14, 2022 Share Posted May 14, 2022 On 5/12/2022 at 4:22 PM, SK8DIE said: I replaced the stock 96R battery with a 40R and so far all is well. The only difference is the 40R is a bit shorter lengthwise so I wedged a skateboard bushing in the gap which fit perfectly. The van comes with a Group 40. There are 2 spacers in the battery box. Ford sells the spacers for installing a group 96 battery. On 5/12/2022 at 4:22 PM, SK8DIE said: For removing the body clips I grinded the inner two tines of dinner fork flat and that worked ok but ended up bending some of the clip heads. I replaced that with an $8 tool from Harbor Freight for future projects. A small kit like this will have the tool, and a few extra fasteners just in case you damage any while removing them. On 5/12/2022 at 4:22 PM, SK8DIE said: I assume I'll still have to build a plywood box A piece of plywood or MDF on top of the folded down seats would be fine. It will distribute the weight evenly. And protect your seats from whatever you load on top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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