My 1984 F150 2wd Flareside Project "Blue Mule"

Yeah, they're gone.
But there's now Albert Kemperle where Marvel Mystery Oil was across from the lifesavers factory in Portchester.

Levine's by Sergio's moved to Norwalk (right in front of the pistol range) but the massage parlor that was above them is STILL THERE on East Main...  

The guys at Levine's are even willing to help a chipper like me.
Top Notch!

So I was not wrong on GCC being gone.

I thought both Levine's where open at the same time when I was up there just did not know if the NC one had paint supplies so never went there.
Yea the Norwalk store always treated me good.

There is also a paint store close to the Norwalk store. Only been there once Paint Re-Finishers or something unless they went under also.
Dave ----

Great job, Cory!  Well done.  

Love the interior Cory! You're making the base trim look oh so good!

Nice job!

The place on Fairfield is now a coffee/donut shop.  (No Timmy's though!)

I think two things have happened, Dave.

Most body shops now have their own paint mixing -with computerized dosing- from whichever manufacturer they use (DuPont, PPG, Sherwin Williams, whatever)

Online ordering from regional distributors
It costs money for B&M retail locations and the counter staff.
With the world more and more connected, suppliers become fulfillment hubs and make route deliveries every couple of days.

A packer or driver isn't making the wage a talented career counter man needed to support his family.
He doesn't need to know how to tweak paint matches or have the knowledge of all the products and how to troubleshoot issues like poor adhesion or crazing.
(although this is less and less a problem when manufacturers have shops locked into a product line and offer training and certs to bodymen)

Levine's offers spray cans BC/CC, or single stage at reasonable prices.
And they carry Transtar staples like 'Jammin Clear', Universal Black, etc...

If you were still here Kemperle does the same, and seems to have a wider assortment of clips and fasteners.

Ok, enough of the stroll down memory lane.
I'm surprised Cory can't get a match, but I entirely understand that he can't get the line he wants due to environmental regulations.

But WE can't get Tim Horton's, and I find that even more disappointing!  

ArdWrknTrk wrote

I'm surprised Cory can't get a match, but I entirely understand that he can't get the line he wants due to environmental regulations.

But WE can't get Tim Horton's, and I find that even more disappointing!  

Well, it's not that I can't get a better match, it's that right now I don't want to pay what that match would cost. The *correct SEM color is the Dark Harbor Blue 3042, which is not available in Canada. I can order it out of the US, but with the current border shut down, it means I'd have to use a customs broker, and a $15 can of paint would end up costing me a good $50, and right now I'm just not paying that. So, next best thing was to try the available off-the-shelf blues and see how it looked. The two that I tried were both good matches for other year Bullnoses, but 83-84 were specifically the 3042 code. In any case, I'm not unhappy with it. Once the border opens back up I'll get my hands on the correct stuff and see how it matches up. The door cards are not a big deal to remove.

As for Tim Hortons, I am like many Canucks a frequent customer! They made a big push into some of the northern US states years ago. I remember stopping at one in NY about 15 years ago...somewhere along I-90 in NY, I think Canandaigua. They later closed down about 75% of their US stores, so there are probably just a few of them left now. We have Starbucks here now as well, but I don't care for it. When I ask for a coffee, I don't want somebody asking me back what kind of coffee...lol. Just coffee.

Ray Cecil wrote

The truck looks great Cory.

What are you going to build next? Going to sell this one and start all over again?

Thanks Ray!

Well, ideally I'd like to find a truck just like yours. My preference would be for an '84-'86, but it doesn't really matter. I've been looking casually, but not finding much in the price ranges I'm willing to pay.

I have no intention of selling my Bullnose currently, but I have a bad habit of doing just that. Once they're done, I end up getting bored with them. I'm trying to keep this one, and possibly find another one to tinker with to keep my other urges satisfied.

I should have said "locally", or at least "in his Country"

That SEM doesn't have a base in whatever low VOC you are allowed to buy in Canada.

But we just went through this, didn't we?

salans7 wrote

Love the interior Cory! You're making the base trim look oh so good!

Shaun, there is a upside to having a single color base model truck: They're easier and cheaper to restore/refinish! Chris and I were talking about it not too long ago. Finding all of the Lariat/XLT trim and interior pieces is a real chore around here. A truck with no headliner has it's benefits.

The other thing is the trip down memory lane...lol. This was supposed to be a throwback truck, so keeping it simple is part of that. Back in the 80's and 90's there were a lot of these trucks around up here, and young guys like me with no money would buy old plain Jane work trucks, and they'd get sporty rims and tires, a new stereo, and a louder muffler, and that was usually it!

ArdWrknTrk wrote

I should have said "locally", or at least "in his Country"

That SEM doesn't have a base in whatever low VOC you are allowed to buy in Canada.

Ya, due to the new VOC regulations enacted last year, everything is going to water based paints. The SEM rep told me that they can no longer bring in the bulk paints for mixing unless it is the water based version of SEM (SureCoat). So I can buy mixed Sure Coat, but apparently SEM did not offer the 3042 code in the water based version. They said they were not able to transfer the shade (which I assume means there was not enough demand for it, I dunno?).

My truck was painted with the water based paint. They roll the thing into an oven after it is sprayed, and the guy tells me that when it rolls outside, the paint is as hard as it is ever going to be. Unlike the older paints that took some time to cure.

Cory, you ever see a YouTube channel 'Fitzies Fabrications'

He's a Newfie with the same "old timey, back to basics" aesthetic, although more customized.

There's a lot to be said for KISS.

I'm going to say they can't mix that color formula with the SureCoat bases they have.

Same thing with house paints.
There are colors in my old fandeck that can only be made in oil, and you can't get exterior oils any more.
It seems entirely random. Like you can get 4 out of 5 that are on the same leaf (color value, but tints and tones)
"We don't have the base for that"

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Cory, you ever see a YouTube channel 'Fitzies Fabrications'

He's a Newfie with the same "old timey, back to basics" aesthetic, although more customized.

There's a lot to be said for KISS.

No sir, I have not seen that one but I will check it out. I do like simple stuff.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

I'm going to say they can't mix that color formula with the SureCoat bases they have.

Probably true. It is kind of a weird blue. This truck was kept in a barn or a lean to on the barn, so the dash has stayed in really nice condition compared to some. The door panels faded bad along the tops, but I think they all did that with even a minimal amount of sun. I'll try the Dark Harbor Blue once the border opens back up. I'll grab a piece of plastic at the junkyard and run some sample tests and see how close it is before ripping the truck apart again;).

Damn Cory, that really is mint for ANY vehicle it's age!

You definitely found a great specimen to work with.
I hope your next truck has 'bones' at least that good.

https://youtu.be/lfa__Js-OYg

Sac79 wrote

Great job on the interior! I love the steering wheel, some serious envy going on here now...

The steering wheel is something I've been struggling with! I see pics of trucks with various aftermarket Grant wheels installed, and sometimes they look really good, and sometimes they look seriously out of place. I kinda like the wood wheels with the wood grain interior, I think they look pretty cool. I wanted something a little more sporty than the original skinny wheel, but something that still looked like it belonged, ya know? To me it's like the factory tach install. Ford guys will know that a plain truck never did come with a factory tach, but most people that look inside will never know the difference.

Ha! That's pretty good Jim. I hadn't heard of this guy. Pretty cool how anybody can create "content" these days. Some of them I quite like, but some of them should leave the video production to others...lol.

OMG! You should see some of his early stuff.

But I do like his tutorial vids.
While the production values aren't there, I don't care so much about "slick"
The old man knows how to work metal, and he's willing to share.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, and is definitely rough around the edges.
I still like what he's got going on, and know I can learn more than a few tricks from him.