1987 Dodge Xplorer Resto Mod

[Lifted1]

after exploring many options to refinish the kitchen backsplash(which is steel sheet metal) my wife cam up with a brilliant idea. We had ordered samples of peel and stick tiles, looked at countless waterproof vinyl stick patterns, etc. then we decided copper looking aluminum sheet would look great but couldnt find it. and i even contemplated gluing pennies to it and then epoxying over it, and then the wife says,....why dont you just paint it with a copper metalic paint?!

duh!.... why didnt i think of that so cheap and easy

ended up finding a rustoleum hammered copper that i liked the color of. didnt want anything to rose copper colored, if that makes sense.

[Lifted1]

funny the circles our minds lead us in.... after racking our brains for what seemed like a month over what type/color kitchen backsplash would match that perfect countertop,.....we ended up where we started. butcher block


i wanted a quartz, off white, engineered stone countertop. we found out they are expensive, heavy, and no one wants to sell a small piece. all the box stores want you to buy a full piece that comes with install. same with IKEA. we gave up on it.

I found a butcher block worktop at Home Depot. it came with 2 giant hinges and is sold as some kind of flip up workstation thingy. it happened to be almost the perfect length and width and was $120 for the kit. This top was also only 1.25" thick which was much less thick than the expensive top in the kitchen countertop section.

This was just what we needed. now how to cut it without screwing it up!!

i use clamps to hold a straight 2x4 or for shorter cuts this 4' level. just measure your distance and add or subtract 1.5" depending on what side you are cutting for the width of your circular saw and its good to go for a straight cut. i cut the end of the butcher block off. The counter top came 20" wide and that was the perfect measurement so i did minimal work on this.

next you just cut the holes where you want them for the sink and stove top. i was going to put the original stainless sink back in but screw it from the bottom under the countertop for a clean look. i've always wanted one of those undercounter mounted sinks so you can just swipe right into the sink. but then i realized..., this leaves all the end grain exposed and even if i sealed it good, it would eventually break down faster by absorbing the water. i talked myself out of it. i dropped the sink back down through and went for doing it once over looks. still looks good and i doubt others will care.

to make the hole just lower the circular saw slowly down through the countertop. i used the clamp straight edge again for this as a guide. then i used a sabre?/jig saw to cut the corners out.. I ended up having to also remove some material on the backside so the washer and wing nut would grip the sink attach studs on bottom as this countertop is quite a bit thicker than the orignial half inch laminated top.

[Lifted1]

here's the countertop test fit. I'm really happy with the sink faucet i found on amazon also. Its the perfect size for this sink/kitchen "scale wise" i think. it also has a loooong pull out sprayer. which is a plus as i think it may even reach out the side double door!

[Lifted1]

above in pic 2, there is a big rectangular hole in the lower front kitchen partition.

this will be my refrigerator/freezer solution. i purchased a 58qt 12v ice chest cooler. its a chinese knockoff of an ARB cooler. i didnt want to afford $1200+ to a 12v fridge/freezer so i'm giving this $350 Alpicool a try. i found it on amazon.

the plan is for the cooler to slide out on heavy duty drawer slides. it will store out of the way in the kitchen unit. it will then slide out into the large double door opening to give easy out of the way access when in use.

[Springviolence]

Do you have any info on the brakes for the 87 dodge xplorer xtra or have a manual on it? I'm out here riding the e brakes