Let's try Ford now.

[Jeff V.]

It's not that hard. You're really just looping it back and forth through the existing stitching on the new leather kit. You just need to go slow and keep it tight.

[aaronatstate]

I like that stitch pattern!

My Stealth and RS have a slight variation of that where instead of double thread it’s single threads making an X between the straight stitches.

That also looks way better than the first wheel cover I had installed on my stealth by a “professional” too. The first one I had looked like garbage honestly. I wish I had known it wasn’t that difficult. I was too scared to do it myself.

[Jeff V.]

Finished it up this weekend. I'm super happy with how it came out.



The stitching is just slightly uneven along the top of the rim. It looks worse in the photo for some reason. It's barely noticeable when you're holding it out in front of you. The little leather flap in the bottom center will be held in by the plastic trim ring when I do the final install. I didn't snap it all the way in here because it needs to be painted, and it's a big pain in the ass to take it off.

[Duck Vader]

Nice.

Wonder if I could do something similar on mine.

[Chris GTO TT]

That wheel looks amazing! Great job Jeff!

[aaronatstate]

That looks soo good. Good to know if I need to replace again on anything I can do it myself.

[aaronatstate]

Where did you get the wheel cover from again?

[Jeff V.]

I got it from Stitching Cover.

Looks like they make one for Jason's SD too.

https://stitchingcover.com/collections/ ... -2007-2014

Except I think he has the same base rubber steering wheel I have. So he'd need a leather one as a donor. The nice thing is, it could be pretty rough since you're just covering up the old leather. Something like this. https://www.ebay.com/itm/145431451594

Looks like there's plenty of Expeditions at Pick n Pull. Apparently they use the same steering wheel.

[alienviking]

Woah. You're hired if I ever need this done.

[Jeff V.]

Thanks.

[DCIV]

Wow. Nicely done.


Coop

[Jeff V.]

On to other things.

Last night I started breaking down the Limited crew cab harness so I can remove all the stuff I don't need and transplant the rest into my XL harness. I rigged it up on the Metro rack I snagged at auction recently. These things are amazing for organizing stuff. They're adjustable and sturdy as hell. Brand new they're a couple hundred dollars, but I've been getting them at commercial auctions for $20-30.



This is so much better than sitting on the floor. I can do most of it standing up, or sitting on a barstool I got from my dad's garage.

I also ordered a steering column to facilitate the steering wheel install. I needed a new clockspring to enable the heating function. I found a complete power adjustable column for only a little more than what the clockspring alone would cost. I'm still going to need to make a small jumper harness to enable the paddle shifters though. It'll actually be easier than doing it on a console shift truck since mine already has shift up/down buttons on the column shifter. On the console shift trucks you have to run wires all the way over to the far side of the glovebox area.

[Chris GTO TT]

Looking at that harness is giving me anxiety

[Jeff V.]

It's actually two harnesses. One is a trashed 2 door XL harness I got to use as a template. I would have loved to use it in the truck, but someone cut some stuff off it, and the airbag wiring is frayed in a few places.

I also have three dash harnesses. Two are in the black bin on the bottom shelf, and one is still attached to my new dash.

And there's the harnesses that are still actually in my truck.

You should see the spreadsheet I'm working on for this. It's not even close to done. I also have hand written notes in the printed wiring manual I bought.



There is something very wrong with me. I enjoy this.

[Chris GTO TT]

There's nothing wrong with enjoying what you enjoy.

One of my biggest personal struggles is I don't know what I actually enjoy anymore.

[DCIV]

Black magic.


Coop

[alienviking]

Crazy!

[Jeff V.]

There's a surprising number of 26 gauge wires in this harness. That's super tiny.

[aaronatstate]

There's a surprising number of 26 gauge wires in this harness. That's super tiny.

Fords gotta make that money!

[DCIV]

Just signal wire right?


Coop