Sye Passion Project

Club Car ‘95 Golf Cart

Posted on April 12, 2024April 12, 2024 by @SyeWorks

Soooo, I’m trying my hand at restoring a golf cart from 1995. I purchased it to use at the school, next year. The golf cart is in pretty good shape as is, but me being extra, I wanted to gussy it up a bit, cosmetically. I was also looking for another restoration project. I did some moderate prep work, and now I’m waiting on the rest of the paint to arrive. I’m not good at waiting, but I’m happy with the progress made so far. See last picture for where I’ve hit the pause button. Unpaused about a week later, and I’m back, ha. I’ve done all I can, and I’m pretty happy with how it came out. The next thing to learn about this golf cart is the maintenance and the upkeep. The batteries are a key component in that; however, I’m confident that I can take care of them as well as the rest of the cart.

Shoe Restoration

Black Cement 3 Sole ReGlue 😬

Posted on February 2, 2024 by @SyeWorks

So my favorite pair of shoes decided to separate from the sole. These shoes are from 2011, so I expected them to not be in the best shape; however, I didn’t think it would be an issue until later on. I’ve had them for about a year or so, and they’ve recently started to separate. Being the OCD person that I am, I decided to help with the separation process. I gently ripped the shoe from the soles. The only part I didn’t mess with is the toe box because I don’t know how to resow shoes. Perhaps that’s another thing I’d like to learn in the future, but for now, regluing is fine. I ended up cleaning the soles as best as I could. I realize I should have sanded the actual shoe down where it was being glued; however, I don’t have the tool to do that. Dang it, I just realized I could have used a fine sanding block. The theory behind the sanding, I assume, is the adhesive will attach better to a smoother surface. Hindsight is 20/20. With that said, I used clear JB Weld, which has a 4700PSI strength rating. These soles are absolutely not separating, again. The stuff is as strong as steel once the epoxy mixes, cures, and creates a bond. I’ve used this stuff to repair a truck seat bracket; it’s legit, and I highly recommend it.

Shoe Restoration Game 👟🤘🏽

Posted on December 13, 2023December 13, 2023 by @SyeWorks

When I retire, I feel like I’m going to become a shoe cobbler, ha! Seriously though, I love bringing old shoes that people have given up on back to life. These particular pair are 2011 Black Cement 3s. They came with the original box and for a reasonable price. I assume the person either needed the money, didn’t want to restore them, or know how to restore them. The mid soles were beat, shoes were dirty, but I saw they were structurally in tact.

Below, are a few more pairs that I restored over the summer. The last one, Sport Blue 3s, I gave to my nephew as they were too big, sz 12. I think people assume I pay a lot for these shoes; however, I don’t. I think the newest shoe pictured is circa 2016 and the oldest are circa 2011. Like I said, I assume people either don’t know how to restore them, don’t want to, or just need some quick cash. A little elbow grease and Angelus Paint go along way. It’s very relaxing and satisfying to bring life back to a shoe that’s been sent to beater status. Also, it helps, in the restoration process, that if I mess up, it’s my mess up and won’t impact anybody else…

F150, passion project

Sound Proof w/ KillMat

Posted on October 20, 2023 by @SyeWorks

I decided to try and make the interior of my F-150 a little more comparable to a newer truck… I’m happy with how the project turned out; however, the perfectionist in me still thinks the truck can be less noisy. That said, the sound deadener really cut down on the noise in the cabin especially with the doors. I ended up putting it all throughout the cabin.

The two spots that I was most hesitant was the roof and the floor. The roof because it felt like a two-man job; however, I made it work. The floor because it would have required unbolting of the seats, and I just wasn’t confident enough that they would bolt back up. I mean I knew they would, but that will be for another day. I feel like 85% of the cabin is now improved. I will get to that other 15% one day. All-in-all the doors are much heavier, and the road noise is much quieter than before.

F150, passion project

New tires or Naw?

Posted on May 19, 2023May 19, 2023 by @SyeWorks

Soooooo I’ve been deliberating on whether I should get new tires for the truck. It really is a want, and I think it would be a waste of money since the tires I have on are pretty solid. *update*

I definitely am glad that I went with the new tires. I ended up getting Maxtrek Ditto RT 31×10.5×15 tires. I purchased them from a local shop, UTire, in Tucson, and I’m pretty happy with the price and look. I had wanted to get a lift or a level, which would have been more money. That said, the tires ended up lifting it ever so slightly to where I like the profile of the truck.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with the other tires. Well, it did kinda give off Grandpa vibes, but other than that, nothing. To me, this gives it more of a modern look without having to do too much. Honestly, after this, I have no clue what else I want to do with this. Hmmm, maybe just enjoy the truck 😉

I think my next task with the truck is to get the windows re-tinted; however, I’m a little apprehensive. My interior is in pristine condition. Okay, that was a little extra but yea. Seriously, my interior is in good shape, and I’m nervous about letting other people take any panels off the doors to tint. Sometimes people aren’t as cautious as they should be with old trucks because they don’t know how brittle 30-year-old plastic material can be even if it looks good. We shall see what the next upgrade will be, but until then, I’m pretty happy with my new set of tires…

F150, passion project

Unprofessional Paint Correction 😬 🎨

Posted on March 31, 2023March 31, 2023 by @SyeWorks

So I decided to correct a paint issue on my truck; however, it was not an actual paint issue. It was a clear coat issue. I found this out while doing the wet sand process of the “paint” correction. That said, my impatience played a part in the final result, which was good, but it could have been easier… As you can see in the image, below, there was an issue with the right rear passenger fender. Honestly, I could have let it go, but being me, I wanted to try and fix it. I wanted to learn the skill to see how it turned out if I had to apply it to my newer vehicles.

If you’re wondering about the process, here it is:

Prep the area by using a painter’s plastic drop cloth,
taping the cloth to protect the rest of your vehicle
Clean the area with prep wipes, use 1000+ wet/dry sandpaper,
Use a spray bottle with distilled water (distilled water is optional) while wet sanding the area
Clean off the area with prep wipes and let dry for 10min+
Use Duplicolor Sandable Primer (my preference) + follow the instructions
Wait about 30 minutes or more
Spray the Perfect Match Paint (my brand preference) + follow instructions to a T
Spray clear coat on + follow instructions to a T
Let it sit for a few hours
Use Meguirs Ultra Cut Compound to make the paint lines blend
You typically want to wait 24+ hours to buff/compound; however, I wasn’t patient…lol

I still have some more compound buffing but to me, it looks great. As I said, it turned out to be a clear coat issue. I did get nervous before I buffed out the clear coat/new paint lines because it looked terrible. That said, for under $100 dollars and a few hours of work, I’m very satisfied with the finished product. In the future, I think I will only work on small sections. This time, I started with a large area when I should have just done the small section that had clear coat damage. It was kind of one of those things where I’m glad it worked out, but it could have gone the other way… Also, I redid the rear lower tailgate. We’ll see how well it holds…

F150, passion project

LED Headlights + Interior Install

Posted on February 3, 2023February 3, 2023 by @SyeWorks

So I was bored, and I decided to add some LED headlights. I also wanted to see a little better at night as my eyes are getting worse the older I get… I purchased some headlights for relatively cheap on Amazon, and I was really surprised at how easy they were to install. I was also pleasantly surprised at how much of a difference they made at night. Me being me, I went ahead and installed the LED lights on the interior door panels and overhead lamp. Overall, I would consider it a relatively simple process.

However, me being me, I took it a step further and tried to install some LED lights on the cluster gauge. I was only able to get one in though, which made a huge difference. I’m still kind of frustrated with that part of the installation. It was challenging to get behind the cluster gauge. On the other hand, it was pretty easy to crack open the dashboard. It’s just a couple of screws; maybe about 8. I had to be gentle, so maybe cracking open is a poor choice of words. The dash is about 31 years old, but it’s in good shape; however, it’s still fairly old and brittle in some places. I digress. I was only able to get one lightbulb in because the shift linkage cord was in the way, and I didn’t want to mess that up because I have no clue how to fix that. Even with all of that said, that 1 lightbulb really helped brighten things up. I was also able to get behind the a/c climate control dash to brighten those lights up, too (see pic #1).

In general, I think I’m running out of things to do with the truck, so maybe I just need to enjoy it, ha! That’s not me though… I think the Power Steering Fluid needs to be changed in the near future. I’m going to check it today, and see what my next project will be 😉

F150

Rebuilt e4OD Transmission

Posted on January 25, 2023November 17, 2023 by @SyeWorks

It took awhile, but I had the transmission rebuilt by Transmission Unlimited. It’s running well;however, I’m not sure how much longer I want to keep this old boy. That feeling changes on a daily basis. You have to own an old truck to kinda fully understand the love/hate relationship one has with these classic vehicles…

F150, passion project

Thinking about trading in the OBS…

Posted on January 20, 2023January 20, 2023 by @SyeWorks

So I’m thinking about trading my truck in for this old beast; emphasis on thinking. I think I’m kinda bored with my 92 F-150. However, I get like this from time to time when there isn’t any work to be done on a truck. This, pictured to the left, 1974 Ford 100 V8, which has 117k miles. It came up on my timeline, and I was interested. It’s an older truck and honestly, it’s a little overpriced for a 2WD. That said, I can’t help but wonder if I’ll sell mine and pick something up like this or similar to it. Also, the color for the 2Tone isn’t it; however, that can be changed.

I’d say there’s about a 90% chance that I won’t get this, but it’s fun to look at. Maybe I’ll go test drive it for fun…

F150, passion project

A/c Heater Climate Control (Blend Door)

Posted on January 6, 2023January 6, 2023 by @SyeWorks

So I felt like it was time to cut the heat on in the old truck. I immediately regretted it because I turned the knob too hard, and it busted. It just kept spinning without doing anything in terms of heat/cold adjustment. I did it while I was at work, so I had to wait to open it up and take a look at it. Long story short, my blend door wasn’t working correctly; it still isn’t. For those that don’t know what a blend door is. Don’t quote me on this, but it basically acts as a blocker to the outside air that blows into your vehicle when you activate certain settings on the climate control. For example, when you want the heat on, you turn the knob to warm, you can’t have all this cold air coming in from the outside blowing in the cabin. I feel that explanation was terrible. Here’s a clue as to how to know if you have an issue. The a/c or heat is off and you have a strong breeze still blowing through the cabin via the vents.

That explanation wasn’t very good, but I hope you get the gist of what I had to fix. I had to fix the knob that prevents or at least cuts down on that. My thing was, I don’t really care if I have heat, but I want the a/c to work at all costs. This isn’t my daily truck, and it lives in a garage. The pulley was stuck to the heat/warm position, and it wouldn’t stay in the cold position.

The fix: there isn’t a fix that I know how to do, so I had to seal it back up. Not before I broke the pulley system that controls the heat/cold temperature, which isn’t ideal. I was able to put some JbWeld, so it still gave me a way to control the temp. I also realized that I don’t even think I have heat…lol Seriously, as long as the a/c works, I’m not complaining. I don’t drive old blue that much, and I’m for sure not driving in cold weather out here in Arizona… I feel like I didn’t accomplish much; however, I was able to put in LED lights, which brightened things up a bit. Taking the a/c climate unit off was easy, and that led me to take off the dash bezel, which was a little more difficult. I couldn’t get it all the way off, but it’s another project for another day…