bench seat

[85Ram50]

I have finished painting the interior and putting it back together. You can see the top of the dash pad is solid but obviously it has seen better days. When I get around to it a coverlay dash cover will do it nice. The floor is painted with bedliner the dash and steering column/horn cover and mirror with vinyl paint. I picked up those wires and had them up until it dried. The seat upholstery is paid for and carpet ordered.
all painted.jpg bedliner floor.jpg driver side.jpg

OK here is a picture of the experimental pad with the bondo glass before I ground it off. too much hardener.jpg
Inside corner repair of the dash pad that is in inside corner OE.jpg I ground a lot of that off before I put the Shoe Goo on it and it was still very tight for the instrument surround.

Here is a picture of the top of that experimental pad after I did some repair before the bondo glass incident previously shown practice pad.jpg

EDIT- I grabbed a lot of screws and bolts that weren't rusted while I was on my JY runs to get this stuff back together right.

[geezer101]

It's not perfect but it was never going to be. It's still a vast improvement on what it would've looked like before. I have done a dash pad repair/reskin and it's not that easy, especially on a first try so you've done a pretty good job If you were going to wrap it in vinyl fabric, I would've used expanda-foam like plumbers use around pipe work and then cut and sanded it back. The cab floor is great! That'll withstand almost anything that's thrown at it now.

[claych]

^^ +1
'85ram, vast improvement indeed ! looking good!
& +1 on the screws, clips, push pins, j nuts, & etc...

[MrPaco]

The floor looks pretty good. You can probably even hose it down to clean it when it gets muddy (if the water has a way to drain out).
Nice job.

[85Ram50]

No drain and no plans to hose it out I had a water problem that turns out to have at least partly the rusted out dvr side cowl clean out. I had been thinking it was the cowl drain backing up from the lower fenders being clogged up with garbage. So I wanted to waterproof it for the possibility of that happening again. I was lucky only those freeze plugs (which are the drains technically) rusted up. That rubber grommet where the wire harness goes through the floor could be a drain too.

I got some thin rubber textured on one side for the kick pads. They look nice. I also have some 3/8 sheet foam rubber for the headliner half glued in tonight. I will complete it tomorrow.

Edit- Got a picture of the kick pad. I may glue it down. If you manage to find something like this I cut it with my tin snips. The red one with the offset for cutting straight and curves.
kickpad.jpg

[85Ram50]

If this I am proud! I made new door cards. I used the old connectors as I could not buy new ones locally. I had to glue in a couple of the inserts the tabs pop into on the door as they were coming out when I removed it. Get a plastic too for doing this it's too riskytrying it by hand. Even new this stuff isn't as string as you'd like it to be. I took an old doorcard from the JY not as warped as my own. I made it fit my cutouts on the door and traced it onto new card stock, 1/8"x4'x8' sheet $13. the cards I got were from a better model than mine and I did not grab the arm rests or the screw inserts for it which are longer so I had to use my old card to get the arm rest holes right. I have it covered in headliner foam now and I will either get the same vinyl from the guy making my seat cover or some dark leather color I saw at the fabric store when I got the foam.
new doorcard.jpg

[geezer101]

Nice work It's not as easy as it looks either. The good thing is you can buy the plastic threaded mounting lugs to replace the originals, but I've found that some need a little sanding to fit into the knock outs in the sheet metal as they can be really hard to press in. A word of advice - don't use spray glue to attach the new material if you have foam padding. It will leave permanent dents in the door trim the minute you touch it.

[85Ram50]

Thanks, I surprised myself. I was hurting a lot while I did it. It didn't strike me how nice it looked until I looked at the picture.
If I don't use spray glue how would I attach it? I've already attached the headliner foam materiel to the card with spray contact cement and it hasn't done that. I let it dry before I put them together.

[geezer101]

If you are going to wrap it in fabric you can only glue it from the back face of the door card where it folds over around the edges. The door grab handle and lock handle surround will keep it pinned in place and the speaker mount will help as well.

[85Ram50]

I want to use vinyl. I am hoping to get some of the materiel they are making my seat covers with to do the cards and the headliner.

Edit-I made new sun visors. not yet complete. the one that works is glued together, the other is awaiting me finding one at the JY which is closed for labor Day. I will cover them in headliner cloth and eventually if I can manage it vinyl. The middle picture is of the inside where I glued the frame into some foam rubber. The board side will be the side that faces inside where you hand will be putting pressure on it. The black stuff is a kind of expanded foam rubber, Basically a fullly petro product with no rubber in it at all. It smells like recycled tires.
visor inside.jpg frame glued in.jpg visor sun side.jpg

[85Ram50]

I have not covered them yet but I got the parts fixed and installed them to make sure they fit right. had to adjust one. Ignore that paint color. It was on sale for $3 and change a can and it looked a lot more like candy apple red than whorehouse purple on the computer.

visor in.jpg visor down.jpg

[85Ram50]

Carpet is in. got the cheapest one off RA. It still had mass backing under where your feet go. Most of the cutting is along the back & sides then for the steering column. and gas pedal, and a small cutout for the heater mount on the bottom passenger side.Not my best work but its nicer than it has been since I owned it I guess I'll have to call and ask about when the seat cover and roll of vinyl are shipping on Monday.

carpet.jpg around pedal's.jpg

[geezer101]

It looks like the floor of an old school Peugeot 205 gti. Looks awesome!

Geezer approves

[85Ram50]

Thanks Geez

[85Ram50]

Good news bad news. Got the upholstery and it is gorgeous. the bottom also is not made properly. I have not tried the top yet as I haven't got the foam attached to it and it keeps raining off and on.
I think maybe the salesman's people did not actually copy my OE upholstery and allow for the 1 inch of foam I added. That added foam might not matter but making the skirt several inches shorter and not having the slot for the wires sure does. I emailed the salesman and he said he was out of the office and would reply tomorrow.

[85Ram50]

I WAS WRONG. There is no problem. Well he made them differently than I thought we had agreed to and they are harder to put on than I had thought.
Turns out around 10ish today I went out and it was warmer so I tried to do the top of the seat and it went right together. I tried again on the bottom and it was still fighting me but the sun came out. So I put it in the sun for a bit and when I went back out it went right together. It is like having a new truck sitting in it. I haven't driven it yet I had to eat but the seat is great.
Here is the website https://seatzmfg.com/ I dealt with Bryan. This is the guy who responded to me that he doesn't have the D50 then realized it was a MM and wrote back saying he does. Edit the new cover was $140+ shipping I got 8 ft of vinyl to do the headliner, door cards, visors for about $55 shipped

Pictures.Before bench.jpg
After from driver.jpg from passenger.jpg

[geezer101]

That is a top notch reskin. They did a great job of making it and you got it pulled in to shape really well. Did your truck come with a hood lining? That'll be next on the list or it will feel half finished

[85Ram50]

It drives a lot nicer. It feels weird sitting up high and level.

[royster]

That seat looks absolutely great!!! You should be proud of your good work. Wow, it looks like a professional installation! Kudos!

It's an interesting contrast to the carpeting - in a good way.

Can't wait to see how your door panels come out. ("Cards" for Geezer).

[85Ram50]

Thank You Royster. The cards are iffy. Driver side nice passenger side I got to tricky when I should have just made another one. It is in right now. The top cut line was a bit wavy so I used some corner bead to make the line straight. The bead did not stay flat and it gives a visible second edge. The driver was fine so I did not do that again. I need to get a clip for the window crank and the doors will be done. Next stop gluing up the vinyl on the headliner. Should have done that before installing teh seat and carpet I'm still not sure how I will do the visors. I may go to a seamstress or upholsterer to get them covered.

Here is a picture of teh driver side drvr.jpg

[85Ram50]

Everything except the visors is done. The professionalism on the bench upholstery is mostly due to the manufacturer who made it. I just installed it. I ended up trying and succeeding in removing the corner bead I used along the top of the passenger card. I used my mothers Iron to smooth out the line it made in the vinyl. Used a doubled towel and steam to do it. You can see the wobbly spot I was trying to hide above the handle. Nothing left for me to do now but make the motor run right. Maybe next summer. Lots of yardwork to get caught up on.
headliner.jpg redone pass.jpg

EDIT- I was quoted $400+ for a spray on bedliner and $500-600 for reupholstering the bench. For about that much doing it myself I think I spent <$800, I got both of them and a repainted interior, rebuilt heater, repaired dash, new door cards, door opener arm rattle removed, carpet and headliner.

[xboxrox]

Fabulous work 85Ram50 Looks like factory new & seat belts done nicely too... Great job..!

Moreover (military jargon) so you live in the solar system & used the Sun's heat to "Get-R-Done"


Thanks for sharing the source link; working with guys like you (who share info) was always a pleasure...
George

[85Ram50]

Thank you Xboxrox. It looks a lot better in pics, but maybe that's me.
I painted the whole seat belt. If you go that route they get stiff and do not want to retract easy. They are still sluggish/stiff. When I mounted them I ran them over the top hook to try to work them loose. I expect over time they will get better. I had pulled them all the way out, clamped it with needle nose vise grips and painted them. I had seen a guy on YT do that to clean his which apparently helps to make them regain fluid movement when they start getting sluggish. The 85 belts roll locks when it is out of vertical.

Found another thing I was hoping to not have to do. Yesterday I drove it and noticed water on the inside of the passenger door card. Just one streak near the front. So I think I am going to have to change the door seals.EDIT- rain stopped so I took a look at the seal. there was dirt in the area above the drip line. Cleaned it fingers crossed.

[xboxrox]

I like your enthusiasm, these trucks leak like that, mine does too (sometimes)... Search the forum for the fix, it's not the door seal far as I can remember... The wrecking yards of PicknPull in California usually had a few D50 & MM trucks as a supply of parts (seat belts) I just hope your orbit in the solar system passes by a PicknPull... BTW, your headliner looks better than any I've seen so far; nice work..!

What's this about getting your engine or (?) to run right..?

[85Ram50]

Well the engine has seen better days and I fear I have caused the problems.
First I messed with the Weber the PO had installed and that seems to have been the start of my problems back in 07 or so.. I then paid someone to find the mouse nest and they claimed they had taken the heater out and removed it. I later found out they never did that. IDK what if anything they did. I blew the balancer belt but did not know I had because it kept running. I had no idea about the balancer. Anyway one day several years ago I was driving north to get some lumber and blew the head gasket from over heat. got it towed home and that is when I found out about the balancer and started doing my own work. I also found out the heater valve did not work. So that is how I determined the guy never took the heater out or he did and did not bother to check the thing worked right when he refilled the thing with coolant. I replaced the head with new bolts and started paying closer attention. IDK what my MPG was before but right now its low 200 miles per tank with a 2.0 motor!. I still get trouble starting it and have to pour gas into the carb if I let it sit a few days even since I put in the electric pump. I have a new Weber in it and I have not messed with it at all. I suspect something is wrong with the motor or how I have it set up. I also have replaced the dizzy and coil in the last couple years. I would like to just rebuild it or put in a long block and get a new intake as well. Maybe next year.