What have you done to your square lately??

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pinballlarry1

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Made a temporary, ghetto fix to my bench seat.
This is how it was when I took off the saddle blanket style seat cover:
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I put down several layers of white foam to fill the low spot and cavern, getting progressively wider. then a layer of 1" high density foam 18" by 22" wide that actually slipped under the vinyl cover. I used Scotch #77 glue on all the foam and then sat a 20 pound box on it to simulate a fat butt:
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I washed the saddle blanket seat cover (dark brown water in the washer yuck) and sprayed it with disinfectant. Took my time getting all the strings around the seat in the correct places and it looks better than I expected:
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First time I sat on it and drove, I felt much more flat support under my tush, felt great being up just a bit. Now I have to decide on a complete seat rebuilt next summer.

Side note on vehicle inspections, just my opinions: No emissions or safety inspections here in Montana and most of us love that. But I sure hate to see non rebuilt wrecks driving around with carboard/duct tape windows, busted windshields, weird homemade headlights, red rags for brakelights, and airbags removed. I think some type of Federal vehicle standards need to be maintained in every vehicle for everyone's safety.
 
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1STLS1

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I've heard from many sources that Pennsylvania vehicle inspections are notoriously picky. Especially about frame and body rust.....
Having lived in PA and was licensed to performed state inspections and emission tests, yeah they/we were tough. Much of it came down to the inspector. We measured rotor thicknesses and drum diameters, dial indicators on the front suspension parts to measure the play, checked everything per the book. No rust holes, no rusted sharp edges, no rusted frames that were compromised, etc.

2 Funny stories about this. When I was in class for the license and the teacher was explaining how to check ball joints on a fox bodied Mustang, he was doing it wrong and I brought it to his attention along with the 30 other people in the class, it was still loaded and you would never see the play in it. He just looked at me, stared at the car, then agreed and changed the way the car was supported.

Second one was a guy who moved two Pittsburgh from Washington state. He had a really cool '72 Chevrolet Cheyanne Super, two tone blue and white, long bed truck, lowered , short exhaust system, European halogen headlamps, headers, big cam and such. They lowered it by torching the springs, that was a big no no, the exhaust ended in front of the rear axle, PA required it to end outside the vehicle behind the rear tires and the list went on. We ended up quoting the guy ridiculous number to make it compliant, he left and never saw him again.

The irony was 35 miles west was Ohio with no inspection. You would drive around and see rusted out cars with no hoods or fenders, flashlights taped to the fender for driving at night, it was hilarious.
 

bucket

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Having lived in PA and was licensed to performed state inspections and emission tests, yeah they/we were tough. Much of it came down to the inspector. We measured rotor thicknesses and drum diameters, dial indicators on the front suspension parts to measure the play, checked everything per the book. No rust holes, no rusted sharp edges, no rusted frames that were compromised, etc.

2 Funny stories about this. When I was in class for the license and the teacher was explaining how to check ball joints on a fox bodied Mustang, he was doing it wrong and I brought it to his attention along with the 30 other people in the class, it was still loaded and you would never see the play in it. He just looked at me, stared at the car, then agreed and changed the way the car was supported.

Second one was a guy who moved two Pittsburgh from Washington state. He had a really cool '72 Chevrolet Cheyanne Super, two tone blue and white, long bed truck, lowered , short exhaust system, European halogen headlamps, headers, big cam and such. They lowered it by torching the springs, that was a big no no, the exhaust ended in front of the rear axle, PA required it to end outside the vehicle behind the rear tires and the list went on. We ended up quoting the guy ridiculous number to make it compliant, he left and never saw him again.

The irony was 35 miles west was Ohio with no inspection. You would drive around and see rusted out cars with no hoods or fenders, flashlights taped to the fender for driving at night, it was hilarious.

It's always been my understanding that the exhaust must exit after the passenger compartment and that's it. I remember in '96 when the new '97 F150 came out, they had an exhaust that exited before the rear tire. Iirc, that was changed in '98. Maybe due to a law change?

I once knew a guy that had working brake lights and turn signals, but not tail lights. So he taped flashlights to his quarter panels and painted the lenses red. He got pulled over and the cop told him "I understand that it technically works, but you just can't drive around like that" lol.
 

legopnuematic

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It's always been my understanding that the exhaust must exit after the passenger compartment and that's it. I remember in '96 when the new '97 F150 came out, they had an exhaust that exited before the rear tire. Iirc, that was changed in '98. Maybe due to a law change?

I once knew a guy that had working brake lights and turn signals, but not tail lights. So he taped flashlights to his quarter panels and painted the lenses red. He got pulled over and the cop told him "I understand that it technically works, but you just can't drive around like that" lol.

I cannot validate it, but my late uncles' truck was a 97 F150, it had the exhaust exiting in front of the rear tire. I had thought it was just something that a PO had done because the factory system had fallen off or something.

Until I saw another F150 around here that was the same, so I got curious and looked it up, and discovered that it was indeed factory.

So in looking this up one said "Too bad they took away the option not long after due to the exhaust gases making the rims turn green." If that is the reason or not I don't know, but that does make some sense. My uncles truck seemed to always be pushing condensate out.

Of course, this is Ford we are talking about here, the same people that decided to make those "Jellybean" or "dicknose" F-250's 7 lug.
 

78C10BigTen

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It's always been my understanding that the exhaust must exit after the passenger compartment and that's it. I remember in '96 when the new '97 F150 came out, they had an exhaust that exited before the rear tire. Iirc, that was changed in '98. Maybe due to a law change?

I once knew a guy that had working brake lights and turn signals, but not tail lights. So he taped flashlights to his quarter panels and painted the lenses red. He got pulled over and the cop told him "I understand that it technically works, but you just can't drive around like that" lol.
Yea i got bitched at, at the last inspection because my exhaust stops under the bed and before the axle... does not exit out the side. Said thats only legal for "a flat bed truck" (i think he told me).
Mine has a 90° pointed at the ground.
 

bucket

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Yea i got bitched at, at the last inspection because my exhaust stops under the bed and before the axle... does not exit out the side. Said thats only legal for "a flat bed truck" (i think he told me).
Mine has a 90° pointed at the ground.

That could actually be part of the law, I guess. Behind passenger compartment AND out the side. Many medium duty trucks have an exhaust that terminates behind the cab, but still under the truck. And that's even if they were sold new with a van body. I wonder if it's just because medium duty trucks don't have to meet the same requirements, or if it's because they leave the factory as a cab and chassis, to be upfitted later.
 

bucket

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I cannot validate it, but my late uncles' truck was a 97 F150, it had the exhaust exiting in front of the rear tire. I had thought it was just something that a PO had done because the factory system had fallen off or something.

Until I saw another F150 around here that was the same, so I got curious and looked it up, and discovered that it was indeed factory.

So in looking this up one said "Too bad they took away the option not long after due to the exhaust gases making the rims turn green." If that is the reason or not I don't know, but that does make some sense. My uncles truck seemed to always be pushing condensate out.

Of course, this is Ford we are talking about here, the same people that decided to make those "Jellybean" or "dicknose" F-250's 7 lug.

Interesting. I've never seen any wheels turn green on them though. Ford definitely likes to change things though, just for the sake of changing things.

Those goofy 7-lug wheels actually stuck around for a while. They were an option on the '04+ F150s as part of a heavy duty package. Did you ever notice that the base model '99-'04 Super Duties had hubcaps with 7 "lugs"? They were used on 8-lug Econolines too for a number of years. Iirc, the hubcaps were first used on those non-SD '97+ F250s, hence the 7 lugs on the hubcaps.

I've got way too much useless Ford knowledge taking up space in my brain, lol.
 

legopnuematic

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Interesting. I've never seen any wheels turn green on them though. Ford definitely likes to change things though, just for the sake of changing things.

Those goofy 7-lug wheels actually stuck around for a while. They were an option on the '04+ F150s as part of a heavy duty package. Did you ever notice that the base model '99-'04 Super Duties had hubcaps with 7 "lugs"? They were used on 8-lug Econolines too for a number of years. Iirc, the hubcaps were first used on those non-SD '97+ F250s, hence the 7 lugs on the hubcaps.

I've got way too much useless Ford knowledge taking up space in my brain, lol.

I did know about the hubcaps, whenever it was first pointed out to me, the next logical progression was to have to count the “lugs” every time I saw a van with them. Can’t remember the last time I have seen a pickup with them. Did see 3 or 4 years ago a 7 lug F250 that was parked next to me at harbor freight, no hubcaps though.

Useless knowledge is fun! My tidbit, other than ford people genuinely are a different breed, is the F130, they were badged as an F150, 6050 gvwr, used Dana 61 full floating axles, 8 lug. Made around 1976.

Like this one from BAT
 

TotalyHucked

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Interesting. I've never seen any wheels turn green on them though. Ford definitely likes to change things though, just for the sake of changing things.

Those goofy 7-lug wheels actually stuck around for a while. They were an option on the '04+ F150s as part of a heavy duty package. Did you ever notice that the base model '99-'04 Super Duties had hubcaps with 7 "lugs"? They were used on 8-lug Econolines too for a number of years. Iirc, the hubcaps were first used on those non-SD '97+ F250s, hence the 7 lugs on the hubcaps.

I've got way too much useless Ford knowledge taking up space in my brain, lol.
The 7-lug trucks ran through the end of the '14 model year, it was a 7700 GVWR thing. Basically a heavy half for the already heavy half (F150 originated as the Ford version of a Heavy Half/Big 10 in '75 and F100s ran through '83 before it was dropped and they all were F150s).

I too have some random Ford knowledge and gaining more all the time thanks to work lol
 
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