Project: No Boundaries #3

Hi all!

I’ve been making some progress on the Escape over the past few weeks, so I figured I’d post an update. If you haven’t noticed; I made a name change since my last post. The Fiesta is officially gone so I had to do a name change. Hopefully I won’t have to make another! More on that later…

Carpet delete - Continued

So a majority of the progress made over the past few weeks is related to the carpet delete. I touched on this at the end of Project: No Boundaries #2. I finished it off by showing a picture of the carpet removed.

Step one

Once the carpet was removed along with seats and trim I was given a decent canvas to start with. I started with removing the rear floor ducts and as much of the loose trash as possible.

Step two

After all the loose trash and unnecessary parts were removed the most labor intensive part began. I’ve seen multiple ways to go about it but regardless of the method; the sound deadening had to come out. It’s over an hour round trip for me to get dry ice so it wasn't realistic for me but it's the easiest method for sure. I chose to wait until it was extremely hot outside and went after it with a cheap gasket scraper, a bent screwdriver, and a hammer. It came up in large sections this way because of the heat; but it isn't a fun process to do.

Step three

Once all the sound deadening was removed the entire floor needed sanding. I used a 4 1/2in 80 grit flap disc, a 4 1/2in rust removal disc, and a Scotch pad. After a few es the metal was cleaned and prepared for primer. Now some bedliners don't require primer but some do. In this case with Herculiner, I decided to prime first because of what I’ve read online and seen videos on the topic.

Step four

After the primer was done, I got the can of bedliner ready for use. Again from what I’ve read online rolling it on seemed to yield a thicker more durable coat. So I rolled and brushed on my first coat. If you plan on doing this yourself, take the time to cover any surfaces you don't want it on. Obviously. You'll be surprised how much gets everywhere even when you're being as careful as possible.

If you do manage to get it on something, an all purpose cleaner and a rag will take it off if it's still wet. The same goes for your hands and arms. Keep in mind if you have a wiring harness on the floor that it'll get bonded to the bedliner unless you lift them up until the bedliner is dry to the touch.

Step five

Once the first coat was on I repeated this twice (per the directions) to achieve the correct thickness and coverage. I must say… I’m extremely happy with the results. I waited 72hrs before installing seats to give the coating time to harden so I didn't risk tearing the coating until it was cured.

No more dash lights

So this was a rather short and insignificant process but I no longer have any warning lights on. I temporarily removed the bulbs from them. The most notable was the low fuel light. It turns out the pump needs a float and since I need a new tank anyways I’m just going to hold off on that until I get a used gas tank. Yes I know this will step on some toes but I’m not selling it so it really doesn't matter.

‘No Boundaries’ roof rack

So during all this I made a run down to UPAP to help a coworker pull a used door for his daughter's VW Beetle. We were about to head out when I figured I’d swing by the Ford section and see if they had some small Escape parts. Then I hit the jackpot. I found a wrecked no boundaries Escape. Unfortunately the bumpers were destroyed so I couldn't get those with the roof rack. The second unfortunate part was the air dam that says “Escape” that makes the no boundaries roof rack what it is; was broken.

I almost didn’t take it because of this but I figured I could always add that later and the roof rack itself was more important. So I pulled that, fender trim, rubber strips, badging, and other small pieces. Total came to $22.45!

Waterless wash results

Once the interior was back together I decided I’d test out chemical guys' waterless wash. That combined with the bargain lot of detailing supplies I got (Full, unopened bottles of Meguiars and Turtle wax for 0.70¢ a bottle during a closeout sale at O'Reilly's!!!). Results were amazing. I had no clue how great the paint was under all the dirt and grime! Here’s what it looks like:

What’s next

Next up I’ll be giving the engine and paint some more attention. This project is really coming along well and I hope to have everything done by thanksgiving or earlier! Now in of a daily. Although I love this car and the 05’ Mustang, I will need to look into getting something a little newer again eventually. For right now I’ll be driving the Escape and Mustang but hopefully next spring/fall I’ll be able to get a daily that’ll get better mileage. I’ve already told a couple of you what I’m getting; so keep them lips zipped :wink: . For the rest of you; here’s my hint:

Additional pictures:

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