Body work time

[Gots_a_sol]

Here is what I started with



All the crap stripped off so we can work on the core support/inner fender



sooo close



Little more pulling and tapping



New fender. Even picked up some sponsors, haha.



So onto the lower valence. This is what I had to start with



A quick reminder on how its supposed to look



And what my marginal body work skills accomplished





Next up is fixing the grill I guess. I have another hood sans dent, but I might try and knock the dent out of this one (the other hood is red and has holes drilled for a rams head)

[Gots_a_sol]

Another part of the body work puzzle showed up today

[soggy]

Looking good, keep us updated. I like seeing these old heap being fixed up.

[RumbleFish]

ill be paying attention, as this is on my list and my truck looks similar. where did you get the roll pan?

[Gots_a_sol]

Ebay seller chuck7381. Took about 2 weeks to get it. Finish is nice and smooth and should take minimal trimming to fit correctly (to be expected with any fiberglass body parts)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BRAND-NE ... ccessories

[oilcan64]

any updates?

[Gots_a_sol]

Worked on the roof a bit.



Not nearly as bad as I had thought. I guess the paint was porous enough for water to get down to the metal, then it rusted out over top of the paint.



Threw some rust converter paint to take care of what I couldn't get off. I will have to go back and remove all the seam sealer from the drip rails as it has gotten hard and cracked over time.



And got tags on it and put her to work the other day.

[mbdpp]

Any more done to the truck? This is awesome. I am going to be doing the same to the 93 W250 ECLB I just picked up. Have you ever seen cab sides? the cab on the passenger side has a dint underneath the extended cab window, also the cab corner up to the window is not the best and I want to find a replacement. Do you know where I can look?

Anyways, awesome thread, keep up the great work. What colour are you painting it?

[Gots_a_sol]

Nah, it got cold here and I'm lazy Actually, I did align the doors a little better and yanked on the tops a bit to try and get them to seal a little tighter. I have yet to drive the truck any measurable distance since then, so not sure if it helped or not yet.

I'm not sure where to get replacement body parts. Seems companies like LMC don't care for the 1st gen trucks. I had to pick up a used fender to replace the smashed up one I had and I got a hood from the same guy just in case I can't straighten this one out.

Colors are going to be near what the factory was. These are Duplicolor PaintShop colors.

Deep Blue



Brilliant silver

[mbdpp]

Wow its going to look good!
One place to look for body parts is jimsautoparts.com they seem to have a lot available, just sucks not what I am looking for!

[Gots_a_sol]

playing with photoshop since its free to screw up those paint jobs

Solid blue


Newer style 2 tone


coke bottle


I need to get a new pic to mess with since I've ripped all the moulding off and washed it recently.

[slow_90firebird]

Whatever you do dont paint it with duplicolor!!!!! Please

I noticed you lived way down there in WV so I took the liberty of finding some places that sell the line of paint I use.

Heres the closest ones:

Autobody Suppliers Inc
1803 S Loudoun St
Winchester, VA 22601 17.6mi (540)667-1611

Spikes Supply Co, Inc
1081 E King St
Strasburg, VA 22657 31.3mi (540)465-5128

Pro Finishes Plus Rockville
116 Derwood Circle
Rockville, MD 20850 37.8mi (301)294-9463

Finishmaster Inc #033
8490 Kao Circle
MANASSAS, VA 20110 40.6mi (703)335-5577



Now when you go there you want to ask them to mix you the colors you want in Limco Single stage, and tell them you also need the reducer and hardner and filters and cups and sticks. Ratio should be 8:1:4 and its right on the mixing cups.

You will also find that they sell all the green tape you will need, premium body fillers like rage, and much more.

You should also know that for a total repaint you will want to ask about a 2k primer. I prefer an Epoxy because it is all in one, so you dont need etching primer, primer surfacer, sealer. And epoxy is awesome against rust.

I have sprayed the limco from a gun I got in a kit at harbor freight for $50.

The duplicolor might seem cheaper at first, but even a cheap limco single stage will be more cost effective in the long run.

If you have any other questions ask and Il try to answer. Im not an auto body man either, just found a more professional way to DIY...

[1STGENFARMBOY]

For me, every time i paint an auto or a tractor i work the rust down ( such as your cab roof) with a D/A and
clean it good then shoot with 3M fill-n-sand filler primmer, then wet block down with 600g paper, i have never
had this fail on anythig i have painted wich is somewhere around 32 things in the last 5 yrs,

it works great for working out the small imperfections you miss with your body work, and it will also fill
any surface pitting in the metal.

Dar

[Gots_a_sol]

Another piece of the body work puzzle. Plus I took all the molding and such off. I had some tools in the back of the cab where the jump seat used to be and they started getting rusty. So I got to looking at it and the stupid molding on the cab isn't glued on like the rest and has holes straight into the cab. It is like dodge wanted these trucks to rust out



This stupid bed is a pos. I should have just planned on shortening my long bed. If I didn't drive nearly 5 hours each way to get it, I would have not bought it.

I guess I can offset the cost of the needed patch panels by selling my current bed when I get to that point. Probably be in the spring/summer so I can ride the motorcycle again.

[dazedandconfused]

what's wrong with the shortbed?