{"id":5862,"date":"2026-05-12T11:47:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T19:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.billdugan.com\/scout\/?p=5862"},"modified":"2026-05-28T17:15:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T01:15:33","slug":"slow-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.billdugan.com\/scout\/2026\/05\/12\/slow-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"Slow Progress"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I’m currently waiting on a local shop to straighten out the new (to me) steel wheel, so I put the 15″ wheel that came with the truck back on to putter around the neighborhood. While I’m waiting I took care of some small stuff in the driveway.<\/p>\n

All four of the cargo tiedowns are countersunk into the rear floor and mounted securely with a steel plate underneath, which means I have two mounts for seatbelts and two for cargo in the rear of the truck.\u00a0The 800 came to me with four removable seatbelts, so I pulled one of the female seatbelt sides out, soaked it in detergent, and scrubbed the lichen and dirt out of the webbing with a toothbrush. That will make the final pair complete, and I can belt in four people safely.<\/p>\n

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I’ve spent a number of hours with a buffing wheel and cutting compound, trying to bring the original paint back. It’s been hit or miss, because the paint is in such lousy shape across the truck, from clearcoat to bare metal with about five layers in between. I can’t get the paint to polish evenly, which has been very frustrating, and I may just give up on it.<\/p>\n

Last weekend I bought a sheet of 4×8′ lightly textured plastic meant for use in bathrooms to try out as headliner and cut it down to fit over the driver’s seat back to the second bow. Unfortunately it’s not quite the size I need: It’s 50″ between the border lip above the sunvisors to the middle of the second headliner bow and I’ve only got 48″ so the edge doesn’t hide neatly, and the material is too saggy in any case. I’m on the hunt for some kind of fiberboard that would be malleable enough to bend on the sides without breaking, but I haven’t found the right stuff yet.<\/p>\n

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And, I measured and ordered a set of CocoMats for the Travelall. I’m really happy with the ones I bought for the Scout, and I figure any sound abatement\/heat insulation in the cab will help this summer, at least until I can get air conditioning installed. Hopefully they will arrive before our trip to Nats.<\/p>\n

Here’s the Nationals to-do list, if I get the Travelall sorted out:<\/p>\n