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My Truck

Started by WEBellSystemChristian, April 20, 2016, 08:13:47 AM

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oldguy

Your truck looks great, I hope you get it back soon.
Gary

WEBellSystemChristian

Thanks guys!

Any day now...

The truck is completely done, except...

...the rear trim pieces for the wheel wells aren't fitting right! ::)

It looks like the sheetmetal for the bed was slightly warped when they cut out and welded in the patch panels for the rust. The section behind the rear wheel wells is probably about a half inch higher than it should be, so the trim rings look like they're a half inch lower. It looks like the only fix will be to cut off and sand/polish the section of the ring that sticks out.

Other than that, done!

It's still there, but they're going to take care of the rings before I get it back.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

WesternElectricBen

Looks great. Also, I think it needs the Ford logo on the tailgate.


WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: WesternElectricBen on July 13, 2017, 06:49:51 PM
Looks great. Also, I think it needs the Ford logo on the tailgate.


Thanks Ben!

I still have the original trim panel for the tailgate which will be attached after I finish restoring it. That has a red reflector that has "FORD" in the righthand corner. This was still in the 'block letter' era, just as blue ovals were making their way back onto Ford vehicles.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

HarrySmith

Agreed, looks great! Congratulations.
How about  before/after set of pics?
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

WEBellSystemChristian

Great idea!

When I get it back, I'm going to try taking 'after' pictures from the same angles that I took the 'before' pictures. I didn't take very good pictures when I was there, but I will when it's back.

For now, here's the front: before and after:
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

HarrySmith

Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

WEBellSystemChristian

It's finally here! ;D

When it's sitting in the driveway, everything about it looks so much nicer! My phone's camera doesn't show the red stripe along the side very well, but it really looks great in person!

There are still some emblems and trim pieces that I have to replace, repaint, powdercoat, touch up, etc, before it's completely done.

You can see where they cut off the bottom of the trim ring on the back. It's not obvious, but I'm going to do a little more work to make it look more factory.

;D ;D ;D SO HAPPY!! ;D ;D ;D
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

HarrySmith

Finally! Congrats, looks great!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

WEBellSystemChristian

Sorry about being away from phones for awhile. I'm so busy trying to get my '88 into shape!

The 'XLT Lariat' emblems were in pretty bad shape, and were some of the parts that needed attention that the body shop couldn't restore or find parts for. The 'XLT' section was bright red plastic, and was dual-injected with the surrounding chromed emblem, and 'Lariat' was just indented and filled with flat black paint.

30 years worth of sun, rain, and sand didn't treat them very well--'XLT' cracked, chipped, and bleached itself to pale pink, while the paint 'Lariat' was filled with was chipping and peeling. Worst of all, both original emblems had peeling chrome on the top edge, one worse than the other. I ordered two extra used emblems off eBay, but one had the chrome completely worn off the top. I decided to use the less-peeling emblem from my truck, and the near-perfect emblem from the set off ebay.

I ordered Gloss Red and Satin Black epoxy paints from Klass Kote, which arrived last week. Last night, I filled the 'Lariat' letters in with Satin Black, which was pretty easy. Today, I coated 'XLT' in Bright Red. It's flush with the rest of the plastic, so I had to use the tip of a drill bit to fill them in without letting the liquid overflow onto the chrome.

Phew! It was a lot of work, but it was worth it!
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

HarrySmith

Looks like a lot of work for 2 little emblems. A lot of effort to spend on something probably nobody will notice. But you are right, it is well worth it, it is the little things like this that make the difference between a good looking paint job and a fantastic looking one!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: HarrySmith on July 24, 2017, 07:46:01 PM
Looks like a lot of work for 2 little emblems. A lot of effort to spend on something probably nobody will notice. But you are right, it is well worth it, it is the little things like this that make the difference between a good looking paint job and a fantastic looking one!
A lot of it is me being finicky about how the truck looks: I would cringe if I had to walk past those pink and cracked letters every time I got out of the truck.

I doubt anyone but me would notice the black letters, but I have a feeling that the red ones will stand out. Every other truck on the planet like this has severely faded 'XLT' lettering, sometimes to the point of being unable to read. Along with the bright red pinstripe, manual hub knobs (which I will coat in this stuff), and eventual pinstriped wheel rings (plus tail lights and reflector on the tailgate) the lettering will really look great with all of the other red touches from the factory!
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

WEBellSystemChristian

Here's how they should look when the epoxy is cured! My Dad held it up so I could take the picture.

You can see how nice it looks with the red pinstripes!

There are two 'pegs' that are supposed to be inserted into corresponding holes in the body. Each emblem has one peg broken off, so I will have to 'wing it' when I attach them, to get them level. The other trouble is, the paint is layered pretty thick in the holes, so I will have to sand the peg down so it will fit.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

RotarDad

Christian - Regarding the emblems, I would do the same thing if it were my truck.  With the paint looking that good, you just can't put the old faded emblems back on there without restoring them also.  Besides, once it's all done, you'll have to park away from everyone else to keep that smooth sheetmetal clean!  Then you'll have lots of opportunity to appreciate the details on the long walks back to your truck...... ;)
Paul

HarrySmith

Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on July 24, 2017, 09:26:26 PM
Here's how they should look when the epoxy is cured! My Dad held it up so I could take the picture.

You can see how nice it looks with the red pinstripes!

There are two 'pegs' that are supposed to be inserted into corresponding holes in the body. Each emblem has one peg broken off, so I will have to 'wing it' when I attach them, to get them level. The other trouble is, the paint is layered pretty thick in the holes, so I will have to sand the peg down so it will fit.

The emblems all used to be attached like that, with studs and speed nuts on the back. On the newer vehicles they are attached with double sided tape. You might be better off cutting the stud that is left and using the double sided tape. The other option would be to apply the tape around the stud and use it for alignment.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"