http://www.suzuki-forums.com/classifieds-sale-trade/52236-89-gmc-sle-rear-bucket-seats.html

 

I'll begin posting my issues and information!

1993 Geo Tracker
2-Door Convertible
Base Model
2WD
5-Speed Manual

looks like you have a project ahead of you, did you check out "project tetanus"?

Get yourself a 110v wire feed welder they are fairly cheap your gonna need it.

heres the link http://www.suzuki-forums.com/suzuki-sidekick-escudo-vitara-geo-tracker/53477-project-tetanus-warning-picture-heavy-thread.html

your doors and rocker panels are just a start.

GREAT BUY! i would have bought it also,
if i was u i would find another that is 4x4 and use this one for parts.

 

Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your new car! Some simple things to start off with:
Get some WD40. Try to brush out the inside of the tracks of the seats as best you can and spray the inside of the tracks with WD40. Try working the seat back and forth - this worked for my car when the seat 'froze'.
You may actually want to lift the carpet not only in the footwells and front but in the rear of the car as well. Carpet hides ugly things, and the padding underneath (especially if you have holes there) gets wet and causes the rust to spread. Some people on the forum have not replaced the carpet at all, but have sprayed the floor with truckbed liner or similar. This way, you always see whatever issues you have with the floor.
I had some holes in the rear pan (I don't weld either) and fixed them (cosmetically) with fiberglass patches, which came out well. You do seem to have rust issues (and probably learning to weld would be a good idea - for you and for me....). What you SHOULD do is get under the car and look at the chassis, especially by the rear suspension and gas tank. This is the place that the chassis is prone to rust, as muck and mud gets stuck there, stays damp, and rusts out the undercarriage. I have already had 2 chassis welds on my car.
Remember that this car is body on frame, meaning that the body is basically cosmetic, and, for the most part, not structural.
Regarding some other rust areas, it would be a good idea for you to take a wire brush or sander, etc., and sand away the rust back to the bare metal, to see exactly what you have there. The rust may only be surface, so that you are able to use something like Eastwood's rust converter or POR-15 or similar. Although the door bottoms look like they could stand a good patching (welding).

For the tailgate handle and lock, since the rear panel is off, you can see the mechanism and rod that opens and unlocks the door. It is possible that this is no longer attached to the door mechanism.
Your best bet for many of your parts would be your local junkyard. All 1991-1994/5 2 door Trackers and Suzuki Sidekick body parts should fit your car.
And although rust certainly is an issue, the first thing I would do would be to replace all fluids (oil, oil filter, tranny, differential), spark plugs, etc.

 

Get yourself a 110v wire feed welder they are fairly cheap your gonna need it.

heres the link http://www.suzuki-forums.com/suzuki-sidekick-escudo-vitara-geo-tracker/53477-project-tetanus-warning-picture-heavy-thread.html

your doors and rocker panels are just a start.

GREAT BUY! i would have bought it also,
if i was u i would find another that is 4x4 and use this one for parts.

I wouldn't mind giving welding a try, but I have absolutely no knowledge how to whatsoever. But I guess that is what the internet is for!





Thank you for the info! I did pull off a small mechanism that I believe is either the handle or lock component, it was pretty rusty. I'm looking to replace both the lock (so I can get a key for it), the handle mechanism itself, and the interior skin for it. And I'm already getting the basics (fluids, spark plugs, etc) on my next (or next next) paycheck.

If I could offer some advise check for rot in the rear wheel wells where the lower seatbelt mounting points are and check to see if the bar that runs in front of the fuel tank is still there. both are very common rot spots.

also where are you located man? I'm southwest Ohio. I have a 96 tracker with a good inner driver rocker. the tailgate is likely just the rod coming off. there are 2 rods. one for the lock the other for the handle. if you reach in toward those 2 screws imagine the lever pointing toward you slightly upward. you need to make sure the door is unlocked then push on that lever. the door should pop right open.

I did look around the fuel tank, and it's a little rusty. Here are some pictures of the underside in the back.

 

If I could offer some advise check for rot in the rear wheel wells where the lower seatbelt mounting points are and check to see if the bar that runs in front of the fuel tank is still there. both are very common rot spots.

also where are you located man? I'm southwest Ohio. I have a 96 tracker with a good inner driver rocker. the tailgate is likely just the rod coming off. there are 2 rods. one for the lock the other for the handle. if you reach in toward those 2 screws imagine the lever pointing toward you slightly upward. you need to make sure the door is unlocked then push on that lever. the door should pop right open.

 

The cross member that normally rusts out by the gas tank is in front of the gas tank and upwards. Take a peek at that - I have already had to replace mine.

 

your talking the a-arm that mounts to top of dif right?

 

Also, I'm looking to buy a sander for the rust, what specifications should I look for? And what kind of sand paper?

 

get a 1" scraper and a 4"angle grinder from harbor freight then put a 60 grit flap wheel on the angle grinder.

if you are local I can dump some parts on your door step

 

Good luck with your project. You have some work ahead of you. Good news is that body parts for this vehicle are not expensive. This is VERY important! Like BEX said crawl under the vehicle and look at the front of the fuel tank. There should be a metal cross member (looks like a metal tube/pipe) going from the driver's side frame rail to the passenger's side frame rail. This cross member has two brackets that connect it to the fuel tank, which is what holds the fuel tank to the vehicle. This cross member could be almost completely gone so look good for the metal brackets (the fuel filter (looks like a can about 1/3 the size of a soda can) is mounted to the passenger side bracket. This is a big safety issue as loosing your fuel tank at speed could result in lots of bad things.

 

Oh, and how is the top supposed to come off? Mine is a little.. uhh, rigged in I guess you would say, heh. So, I don't think mine can come off normally. But, what is the completely process for a regular working top?

 

How to remove the top

Inside the vehicle...

1. under the sun visors are latches. You push in the red buttons and pull the latch to unlock it. The latches work like a tool box latch so you pull it back then unhook the top.
2. Push the front of the top up to fold it back then unsnap the 5 or 6 buttons... I forget the exact number... then pull the top back toward you so you can pull the fabric off the front frame.
3. Right by the dome light unsnap the 2 buttons on either side
4. on the rear upper bow undo the Velcro

Outside the vehicle

1. Undo the 2 straps on both sides of the roof. They are located right in the top middle of the door.
2. Remove the rear side windows by unzipping them from the top and pulling diagonally down and toward the front of the vehicle.
3. remove the rear window by unzipping it
4. Undo the snaps on the rear bow
5. fold the top back starting at the front. It would be easier with 2 people but can be done alone.

NOTE: you do not have to completely remove the top. You can leave the top attached to the rear bows and fold it down with the bows.

 

angle grinder looks like this

flap wheel like this

and gasket scraper

 

Good luck, Jacob!

The only advice I can give you is that if eBay isn't already your good friend, MAKE it your good friend. You'll be amazed at what you can find for these old vehicles--and incredibly irritated at what you can't.

Just a short time ago, I saw incredible deals on entire doors, with working windows. After a quick look just now, here's one going for 35 bucks, plus 35 shipping:

GEO Tracker Sidekick 2 Dr. R Door Complete | eBay

Slight irregularity to it, and based on the logo, I'm not 100% sure if the guy is right about the compatible model years, but it's an example of what you can find out there.

There are also tons of NEW parts still manufactured and available, like the soft-top, window regulators, pre-cut carpeting, and basically all engine parts.

Do you have to go for inspections/emission tests in your state, and was the truck currently registered? Check to see if your catalytic converter is still there, or whether it was chopped away (like mine).

And for curiosity, does it have air conditioning--and does it work?

You have a lot to do ahead of you, and aside from the rust, trying to get that top in working order may turn out to be a bi*ch. If you have all of the rail parts, you're cool--but there's trim at the rear of the vehicle where the side windows latch onto at the bottom, and if that's chipped off, you're gonna have to do a Rube Goldberg on it. Mine is a disaster, and I'll be doing this repair within a week or two, so maybe that will help you for reference. New tops are about $159.

Finally, I hope you can garage this thing while you're working on it. Winter's around the corner!

 

I'm great friends with eBay and Amazon already, heh. When I bought this it was registered in Ohio, along with the title. I live in West Virginia, and it requires a registration and inspection, but I'm not sure about a few things passing on it. I do have air conditioning, but it doesn't work. The heat works great though!

 

No air conditioning! Welcome to the club!

I'll have to send you a diagram of our secret handshake!

 

I believe that you would be using an orbital sander for both procedures - it would only be the grit of the sandpaper that you use for either procedure that would change. There is some great videos on you tube regarding home body repair - Bondo put out a 5 part series (and you don't have to use their product). Also some great welding videos as well.

 

Personally I would be using a grinder on the cancer repair.... and an orbital would be OK for the body sanding, unless you know how to use a belt sander.... Philip

 

I don't think that any kind of rust-removal is a neophyte project.

You have to know what to look for and know how to do it.

 

removing it is the easy part..... it's rebuilding what you removed that is the trick.

 

x2!! It's easy to sand/cut it out. Rebuilding is a PIA, especially if you don't weld!

 

Update! I successfully fixed my stereo. I replaced the fuse and put electrical tape on a broken wire, and boom! Like brand new. It's not the stock stereo either, I think it was bought from Wal-Mart or some auto store (nothing fancy).

One thing down, six hundred more to go!

 

That's good to hear, man. Gotta start somewhere =].

 

Jesus Christ.


is that duct tape?

 

Lol, it was a random piece I forgot to pull off that was taping down a tarp I put over the top.