Time for paint........YIPPEE!

[Young Ed]

FEF's RED looks a tinge orange in the right lighting...

 

HAHAHAHAHA

[Plymouthy Adams]

oh how I remember the Porsche standby color "Guards Red"  that color under a street light was more orange tan red..the prime factor when I selected the red I sprayed my car with years ago...I looked at red cars on dealer lots at night to find that true red look even at night..

[ggdad1951]

HAHAHAHAHA

at least my truck ISN'T ORANGE! 

Edited February 18, 2013 by ggdad1951

[Frank Elder]

Any progress?

[Jeff Balazs]

Here is a couple of shots of the nose section. The more I look at this color the more I like it.

The grill treatment I have gone for has a lot more contrast than the factory went with. I like it and will have a fair amount of the satin black worked into the rest of the trim.

 

Jeff

[52b3b Joe]

That looks NICE! I like the color also. That is going to be one nice "work truck"!!! 

[Young Ed]

It does look nice together. Someone did a great job with the multiple colors on the dodge badge. Who's the helper monkey holding the grill for the photos?

[ggdad1951]

sharp!

[Jeff Balazs]

It does look nice together. Someone did a great job with the multiple colors on the dodge badge. Who's the helper monkey holding the grill for the photos?

Thanks Ed;

That is young Sean my shop help. He has been involved with the project from the beginning. He is not a mechanic but wanted to learn a bit about how they work......and there really isn't a better way to learn than stripping one down and putting it back together like this.

 

Jeff

[Desotodav]

Very nice Jeff, but I strained my eyes to find any of those dents and battle scars that you mentioned that you were leaving in there! Looks perfect to me !!!

 

Desotodav

[Young Ed]

Thanks Ed;

That is young Sean my shop help. He has been involved with the project from the beginning. He is not a mechanic but wanted to learn a bit about how they work......and there really isn't a better way to learn than stripping one down and putting it back together like this.

 

Jeff

 

Awesome Jeff nice to keep the hobby alive.

[HanksB3B]

Very nice Jeff, but I strained my eyes to find any of those dents and battle scars that you mentioned that you were leaving in there! Looks perfect to me !!!

 

Desotodav

Yeah, Looks like he's going the trailer queen route.  It's o.k. Jeff after making fun of my paint job...I'll be glad to make your truck look more like an authentic work truck...I think I still have my steel toe work boots somewhere....

 

Looks Real Nice Jeff,

 

Hank 

[Frank Elder]

That is one heck of a contrast.....very nice.

[pflaming]

Hank may be onto something. Maybe 48Dodger should bring out his sledge hammers at the BBQ and we can all personalize the truck! It's vey nice, Can I use it to clean out my horse stall?

[Jeff Balazs]

Davin;

Hope all is well with you.

Trust me they are there. And plenty of them. I did have the body shop work on the drivers side front fender as it was just too ugly. The remainder will all be present and accounted for. There is a pretty good sized series of dents in the grill opening just above and to the right of the center emblem. it shows but depends a lot on the angle you are looking from.

 

This color is a strategic selection. It needed to look age appropriate........ be cool in the summer........and not show every flaw. So far I am very pleased with the results. The bed parts and rear fenders should be back to me in a week. There are plenty of little dings back there.....we will see how well this color hides them. The cab is close to perfect so there shouldn't be any surprises there when it is painted. One of the doors has a crease that will show......but I am hoping it will be fairly subtle.

 

Since I am going to use this as my daily driver and work truck I really couldn't see spending a fortune on the paint. It is just going to get more scars as time goes on. Besides hauling lumber and finished product it will get called upon for trips to the desert with the old dirt bikes and hopefully some good camping & fishing trips. Worrying about a fancy paint job is the last thing I need. I want to be able to take it down a dirt road and enjoy the journey. I will take functional over fancy any day. The bottom line is it will be clean and relatively easy to maintain.

 

Jeff

[HanksB3B]

I think it'll turn out nicer than you think and I'm betting you'll be more careful than you think too.  Can't wait to see the whole truck!

 

Hank 

[Jeff Balazs]

Hi Hank;

You are probably right. When I got the first load of parts back from the painter I jokingly told him it looked too nice.

Hopefully I can get it all put back together without doing too much damage. There are a few areas ......like putting all the components back into the doors...... that seems like it will be hard not to do some damage to the finish. At least it will all be clean and fairly pleasant to work on compared to the filthy mess it was when I got it.

 

I am really looking forward to seeing it all painted. It will be a great day when the cab goes back onto the chassis. Once that happens the real fun part starts. As you probably know I have been working towards adding in some really nice original factory options and upgrades. Thanks to Mark (GGDAD) and others I have a drop dead beautiful Model 65 heater with fresh air and defroster options to install. I cant wait to see the restored instruments that Keven did installed. I am going to do a matching clock where the speaker grill is normally. I even managed to find a passenger side visor!!!! There are still a lot of little details to work out but I can definitely picture what it is all going to look like.

 

One of the really fun ideas that we have come up with is what we are referring to as "the Ram Cam". One of Seans friends family owns a sports broadcasting company. The have these small GoCams that they use and upgrade frequently. Once the truck is roadworthy I am planning on buying a used one from them. My son-in-law Drew is an electronics engineer and will design and build a laptop based system to record and broadcast road trips. I think it might be kind of fun to film road trips out to the desert and other neat places. One of the first trips will be Big Sur. I have been thinking about this for a long time.....the scenery and the road are epic. It would make the trip really special to be able to share the experience with others.

 

Jeff

[HanksB3B]

Jeff,

 

You scared me for a minute and after my stupid joke (I thought you had lost your sense of humor and had gotten “all too serious” about your truck). I want to tell you that I totally like your approach and execution of what seems to be the not too distant completion of your truck.  I think you made all the right choices as far as modifications go and overcame some challenges (like the frame) with style. I especially like how you got all the parts together for the heater (you’ll probably need that for the cold mornings on the Big Sur Journey for sure).  You’ve come a long way from picking pieces of the water jacket out of the block... that’s for sure and I’m really looking forward to seeing your truck in person.

 

A job worth doing is a job worth doing well,

 

Hank 

[48Dodger]

When it comes to the paint.....it always seems to bring out the bear in a person. Its the first impression of a vehicle and in most cases the most expensive part. It also seems to cause the most stress because of the possible outcome.  I think anybody whose about to send thier ride to the painters should be given a break.....they're under a bit of stress...lol. 

 

Looks great Jeff......

 

48D

[Jeff Balazs]

Hank;

When I lose my sense of humor....just shoot me. I didn't even see your earlier post.

To be honest I prefer the old forum format...last message first.....for whatever reason (probably just me) some stuff seems to get lost in this format. Old habits too.

 

Yes I have put a lot of time ...... and a fair amount of money into it. By my reckoning there have only been a handful (maybe 5 in over a year) of days since I got it that I didn't work some on it. Sometimes I get something significant accomplished and other days I only get a few minutes. It is going to be fun once the cab is back from the painter. It is a shame it won't be ready for this years BBQ.....but there is a ton of stuff to do and I am not inclined to rush this aspect. It all needs to be done carefully. I am pretty serious about that. I can look past the cosmetics some but the end result has to function properly. And I won't consider it completed until it can handle a trip through Big Sur comfortably.

 

Jeff

[wallytoo]

.....I am the last guy on earth that isn't "wearing an electronic leash".

no, you aren't. none here, either.

paint looks good.

[1952B3b23]

Looks really good Jeff, i like that satin black.

 

-Chris

[B1B Keven]

 I am going to do a matching clock where the speaker grill is normally. 

 

Ah, you should have said something when we were on the phone. I could have put a clock face in the package I shipped. LOL

[HanksB3B]

Looks really good Jeff, i like that satin black.

 

-Chris

Somehow I think brown would be a better offset color. My first time around I chose to go this route..why, ?...I can't honestly say.

 

 

 

 

The reason I think I'd go with brown instead of black is that basically there are only two colors to my truck green and black (interior and trim pieces).  If you are going to (and I think it would look outstanding) do your interior in brown, (I would even love the running boards in brown), the whiskers and even the bumpers in brown (as well as tail light housings) just my thoughts and 2 cent worth.  I'll love it either way and I'm with you on the Big Sur capable thing too. In that respect even though your trucks is in pieces...you're way ahead of me.  As far as re-assembly goes my words "Some jobs are worth taking as long as you can" applies.

 

Hank 

Edited February 25, 2013 by HanksB3B

[Jeff Balazs]

Ah, you should have said something when we were on the phone. I could have put a clock face in the package I shipped. LOL

 

Ah, you should have said something when we were on the phone. I could have put a clock face in the package I shipped. LOL

Keven;

You made me one up when you did the rest of the instruments........... it has been a while though.

Got the package today, thanks....talk to you soon.

Jeff