Body work question...
 

I picked up some replacement body parts for the wife's truck today...found a fresh truck from Oklahoma in a salvage yard in Covington, KY. Not a lick of rust on the doors or hood.

The problem is...the parts are red, and I need them to not be red...LOL

I'm fine having the entire truck in primer...painting it is not a priority. I would have no problem keeping it in grey primer, and touching it up as the years go on.

Here's my question...if the paint is good, just dull, can I clean it up and spray primer on and call it good, or do I really need to strip the old paint, then primer.

It will likely be a few years before I paint it back to it's original Ford Blue Regatta Metallic and White...it was a two tone.

The doors are power, and the original are manual...odd for an XLT Lariat package, but that's how it was built. What are the chances that Ford ran the wiring for power doors and just put manual doors on it??

on the wiring.slim to none.as for the paint i would at least strip or sand the clear off of it as it tends to flake off eventually

Don't strip the old paint, scuff it with a grit recommended on the primer can, clean it well, wear a mask and spray it. Leaving paint instead of just primer will offer better rust protection. Primer can be porous, not sealing well.

Have you considered getting rattle cans in the correct color for the doors and hood instead of primer?

I've considered it, but pricing per rattle can is a bit high at $27 per can of the blue. I've considered fi ding a shade of blue Rustoleum, and sponge rolling it...something I've done before with decent results.

As for the old clear coat peeling, that only happens with the blues and grays of this era...the reds are fine.

Remember just primer is porous and will let moisture in and can rust or trap hidden moisture which will bubble your top coat down the road. If you can sand and keep the substrate intact then that’s your ideal solution

Scuff it ! .

Then clean it well before applying the Foo-Foo can paint .

Good quality aerosol paints can be found in a wild array of colors if you but look, skip the Auto Parts Stores....

Primer actively promotes rusting, avoid it at all costs .

NEVER strip to metal unless rust or old Bondo needs to be removed .

If you surf the forums long enough, sometimes someone will find a commercially available (cheap) rattle can that closely matches the stock paint color. (I know of a VW Tornado red thats available by IforgetTheManuf)
-John

The truck was originally a two tone blue...darker on the major, and lighter on the minor. I'm just going to wind up doing the Rustoleum sponge roller paint job, in a white major, and some sort of a blue minor, and call it good. It's an old truck, not a showroom show truck. This paint should last a good long time, according to all the write-ups I've seen, so long as I wet sand at the end, buff, then wax it to protect it, and keep it waxed. I know I won't match the right shades of blue, but what I'm planning will do me well enough.

Inexpen$ive Resprays....
 

? Have you googled "$50 paint job " ? .

It's from the early internet days but still remains the best way to get a cheap yet good looking paint job on your beater .

Also, many RV'ers use commercial grade floor wax on their super huge rigs and converted school buses .

As always, the amount of prep work -you- do is far more important than the co$t of the paint job in the end .

That's the system I'm working from...but it's going to be more along the lines of a $200 job, once I gather the paint, sponge rollers, and other things. Still, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than the $1500 everyone wants around here to spray. My total budget on the truck was $5000 in 2009 money. I'm knocking on that limit's door right now, since I dropped $250 in replacement panels. I've moved that limit up to $5500, and think I can come in at that price, and have set aside an additional $250, just in case.

Part of the fun on this has been working within a budget, and finding options to keep the prices low. I've traded off stuff I had in the basement that were useless to me for things I wanted or needed for the truck...like a Queen Anne style coffee and side tables for a set of steel rims with semi decent tires. Those tires have been replaced, but the steelies are still rolling great...better than the chewed up, dealer applied aftermarket aluminum rims that were far from balanced.

I'm setting up the garage today with drop cloths and horses to keep things easy to work on and the floor tidy. I've got some years of oxidation to try to remove before the first coat of color is applied...as well as layers of wax to get rid of.

I've got a guy in the Cincy area searching his collection of parts for the wiring harness I need to operate the power doors. These door shut on the old truck like a Mercedes' doors do...solid without rattle. I'd rather not take them apart, swap out the guts, and risk putting rattles back on the truck. I'll need to source new door cards, though...mine are blue, and these are red. If they were both manual doors, it wouldn't be an issue, but...

Anyway, time to get woke up enough to get at it.

These are photos of the driver's door, right after pulling the door card, and before cleaning it. You can see the weep slots are still intact and without rust. Even the seams from the door skin have no rust. The only issues so far is a nudge on the skin, that I think I can tap out and smooth over. It took about an hour with the heat gun to remove the vinyl stripes, and a bit of rubbing with scotch brite and some adhesive remover I had left over. It's not going to be a perfect job, so I'm not looking for the most perfect metal...but I would almost have to go back 30 years to the Ford dealer to get doors as good as these. Heck, even the original speakers are in the door...completely unmolested. Not sure if they're going to work for me, but they're there.

Apparently my old photo hosting site is no longer working, so these links will take you to the photos in my Google account

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RZUkLC5jqPDLJy288

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Dq7RLsMSjK6JjgUS9

GREAT Used Doors !
 

Hard to believe those came from Ohio ! .

Looking very good there .

finding rust free stuff in the midwest is like finding gold!

The truck came from Oklahoma to Covington, KY. They are as rust free as I'm ever going to find on this side of the Mississippi, and north of the Ohio. It was a heck of a lucky find.

Rusty Parts
 

No kidding ! .

I'm an ex Farm boy and I learned in the early 1960's that those BIG old field trucks that never went to the salted roads in town, would use the same doors & hoods a pickups , usually there would be holes from big West Coaster mirrirs but those are weldable, the rust in the pinch welds at the bottom of the doors is a real nut buster .

I won't post photos yet, but after two good coats, it's looking really nice. I had to fill in chips I missed after I did the first coat...so much got sanded down, glazed over, and primered again. So technically, I've got the second coat on it. I've noticed a few dents I didn't see before due to the dull paint, and with the semi-gloss, they don't show too much...but they're there. And, since the inner panel is in the way, I can't get behind it to tap them out. So, the dents will remain for now.

When I have the hood done, I'll post pictures of it. It will be a week or so, due to the extra curing time I'm giving it due to temperatures. I think that this is the way to go...inexpensive paint, not too labor intensive, and a semi-gloss, near matte, finish.

The old girl is going to look great when finished.

Well...I never was able to get the rolled paint to look right, so I changed over to a flat white spray topped by a couple coats of satin clear. I've got the hood and driver's door done, and will be prepping the passenger door tomorrow...I still need to remove the power guts, since I never was able to locate a good harness for the doors.

All I'm looking for is a decent 20 foot appearance.

I did find out that I need to locate a body man that can handle the driver's rocker panel and cab corner for me. Passenger rocker is good, and I can handle the passenger cab corner...but don't have the inclination to do the driver's side.

Anyone have a rough estimate on how much a rocker and cab corner cut and weld job might run?

I just found a very useful website for painting supplies:

https://repaintsupply.com/

I just shot a bunch of SEM black trim paint - and loved the result. In searching for an outlet to buy more I found that website.

They are very responsive to email, and looks like they shipped my order from Nebraska.

Just wanted to post an update - good luck with the remainder of your project.

-Tony

Good info...thanks

Got a price on some body work...instead of the rocker, it's a small patch at the bottom of th A-pillar and can corners. Weld, plastic, and epoxy primer for a total of $1100...with me doing the paint. Bed inner wheel wells need replaced, as well as outer patch panels...quoted $900 for that. Thinking about just doing total sides and inner walls for $900, with my spot welding and painting.

Either option sounds good...

Asked my brother in law the current local rates to do your metal work. He quoted about 1K and does a lot of them.

I did not post because of regional differances plus it depends on who you know as well. It surprised me your estimates turned up very similar.

When you are finished painting.I would take a rocker panel spray type canister. Mix some grease and oil. Heat it up in hot water and spray in all the places you can get into. Especially the frame as well. It really extends the metals life in areas where rust is common. Just never apply anything that sets up hard as it actually creates more rust.

That is what Mercedes did at the factory for years and is the bane of these cars in the rustbelt.

Ran down to KY yesterday to pick the donor truck again...came back with the fenders this time. I'll get these cleaned up, one dent hammered out, and painted. The next nice weekend we have, I'll remove the hood, old fenders, and cowl panel...the cowl panel needs cleaned and painted, so does the piece under the grill.

While everything is off, I'm going to torch and try to straighten out the bumper a bit, as it has the standard pucker right at the mounting brackets. Someone posted on a FB group I'm a member of a photo of the pucker, asking "Why does every Ford truck have this pucker?" It made me laugh, because every older F series truck I've seen has it, as well as the bent rear bumper. At any rate, a come-along, some heat, and a few well placed whacks with a hammer across a 4X4 should bring it back to a smaller pucker.

It's going to take a few days, but I'll get all the removable parts put back on over the next nice weekend. From there, I'll remove the visor, sand on the roof a bit, get it painted and cleared, then reassemble the visor to the roof.

All that will be left to do at that point is to wait for the bed to be removed and paint the back of the cab and get the rust dealt with on the lower A pillar and cab corners.

I'm not wanting a show truck...just a 10-20 footer. Anything more would require I hire out for a paint job...and I just can't bring myself to spend that kind of money on an old truck, unless it is for mechanical work.

Once I get the body done, I'll start thinking about the 351W block I have on a skid in the garage. It's fresh from the machine shop, bored .030" over and deck slightly milled, just missing heads and intake. I'll keep it with factory EFI, so a junkyard hunt will be in the near future for parts, as well as some ordering from the local parts house for water pump, A/C bits, and alternator. I already have an O/D pulley set sitting in a box. This motor will be a direct bolt in for the 302...using the same computer and harness.

That engine will be next winter's project for sure. I've got to get the garage cleaned up , move the R107 from storage into the garage, and get it back on the road. It's been sitting for more years than I care to admit, and I'd like to get it back on the road, going to cruise ins, gather interest in it, and likely sell it to the highest reasonable offer. With my back and leg issues, getting down into a low slung car is beyond what I care to do anymore. Besides...I could use that money to finally locate and ship the Bronco of my dreams...a 1987-1991 Bricknose Bronco! You don't see many of them around here that isn't covered in rust holes, so I'll have to source it from out west. I'll likely have the 302 from the F250 rebuilt to put into the Bronco.

It's been the dream I've had since the late 1990's to own a Bricknosed Bronco. Life just hasn't blessed me yet with the ability to have one.

I plan on doing just that...I don't want to go through this again in 20-30 years.

Here's hoping we'll get photos ! .

Ask, and ye shall receive...

I'm working on the replacement fenders right now, so there are no photos of them on the truck.

Rustoleum seems to be working quite well...but I'm no longer rolling it on due to issues I had in getting the consistency right. I'm spraying with Rustoleum Flat White, not wet sanding, spraying at least 6 coats, in all directions, then finishing with a satin clear top coat, again without wet sanding and using at least 6 coats. The finish is slightly pebbled, which is fine for what I'm looking for. I didn't want to go black due to how much dust and crap flat and satin black shows. White seems to hide it, as well as minor imperfections and my lack of skill and patience.

I destroyed my 20 year old random orbital sander yesterday after many years of faithful use...so I'm headed to HF in the morning to find a replacement. If my air tank was large enough and the motor could handle it, I'd get a pneumatic sander...but the 2.8 amp model they have on their site seems to be close enough to what I had.

One thing to note...those that remember the pictures of what the truck looked like when I bought it 10 years ago likely remember it having dealer installed American Racing Wheels to replace the 16.5" rims with 16"...Ford was into screwing around with rim sizes then. Anyway, I got rid of them when it was proven that two of them had damage beyond my repair, and were warped a bit. Well, the guy in KY, who is a Ford truck man, stocking only Ford trucks and parts on his yard, has a set of the same rims, which are wider than the steel rims I'm using now. They need refinished, and I already know that cost...and will be selling the rims to me for $100. These are aluminum 8 lug wheels with 5 directional swooshes. He wasn't aware that they were a dealer installed item, and assumed they were installed by one of the past owners of a parts truck that came through. He's had them for the last 12 years, sitting in the loft of one of his buildings. He's pressure washing them for me, and I'll pick them up in a few weeks when I head back down to Northern KY.

Most of the parts I have needed over the years for the body are coming from the same truck in KY...the one that came from Oklahoma. His pricing is fantastic, and his knowledge, other than dealer applied parts, is pretty impressive.

The bed on my truck...you can see it's sides are shot. The box is in great shape, with no rust. I'm seriously debating on just buying replacement whole bedsides at $410 each, and inner wheel wells for $65 each, cutting the sides off and spot welding them in place on my own. I'll clamp it in place, and rose weld in each hole to attach it...which is what the body guy I saw recently said that they do when the do the whole sides. I have a welder, and the price of paying someone else to patch versus my doing the sides myself are about the same. I just need to get a couple strong friends over, give them lots of beer, and have them remove the bed from the frame.

Old Pickup Trucks
 

Buy the bed ! .

It'll be square and as long as you look closely before buying should be an easier way to go .

Beds tend to get hammered as well as rusty and tweaked .

I'm very lucky in that my shop truck (1969 Chevy C/10) was a ranch foreman's rig in Texas so the bed is *perfect* , not a ding anywhere and shiny original paint in spite of the cab being rusted beyond repair .

? Do you off road your truck ? .

Right there with ya. $50 paint jobs on trucks are always appropriate!

We have completely winged it with paint jobs, and had them come out fine for 20 footers. Still looks bettern than faded and scratched 30yr old factory paint.

Check around for a southern or box from any source. If not too expensive it may be the way to go. Around here most the boxes for replacement come up from the south. No rust. Current price unknown though.

Today begins the front end tear down. I'm looking at at least 4 days of removing panels, cleaning and detailing, painting the cowl, re-assembly, and adjustment before it's done.

Progress...

Bed will come off in a few weeks so I can clean and paint the rear frame, repair cab corner, and paint the cab. It's looking much better than before

I picked up the rims earlier in the month, sanded the machined face smooth, removing the corrosion of salt and neglect, then polished them up. I didn't work on the black areas, as I plan on having the blasted over the Winter so I can re-paint the black.

I also picked up a set of Falken WildPeak M/T in 33X11.5 last week, putting serious meats on all four corners. The truck rides smoother and handles better than with the pizza cutters, but those are my winter tires on steel rims, and these are my summer tires.

Fuel mileage sucks with these, but they weren't put on to save gas...

I had to put the truck body on hold so I could help my younger brother with a home project, but will continue on it soon. The cab will be coming off next, so I can work on the cab and frame, getting it cleaned up and painted to match the rest. When all is done, it will likely be sprayed complete to cover a few of my early holidays...just need to find a clean enough place to do it, and not in my small garage.

Light Alloy Wheels
 

Wow ~ those rims look great , hard to believe they're the same ones in pic. # 2 ~ you obviously worked very hard on them .

vwnate1, of course, you are not kidding