My "little" project

I thought I posted a few pics once? Its been a slow and steady project. On to the bed now. Interior is done, cab is done. Mechanicals are done. I'm building a daily driver, just don't like new vehicles  :)

I like it!  And I especially like the color combo.  What year is it?

Another beauty, Pete.  You really have an eye for color and style.

Nice! I had a 1984 Ranger back in the late 1980's. It was a regular cab long bed with 4cyl/4spd.

Like the colors Pete!

Thanks guys. It's an '83, first year. It's a 4 spd 2.3. Was a survivor of sorts, no rust to speak of, no accidents. Tons of small dings, but no real hits. Still had original paint, no repaint. But it was rough to look at. Interior was the same, all original, but rough. The blue is 1965 Tropical Turquoise, only year Ford used that exact color. Lots of other "close colors" through the years. The white is Wimbledon.

Very nice!

Wow! Gorgeous colour combo.. Nice work!!

Great color.

As said nice color combo.
Cant wait to see the bed on it.

How wide is the stripe 1/4"?
Looking to maybe do the same when I paint mine just don't know how wide I want to go yet.
Dave ----

The two stripes are 1/8" each. Use 3m Fineline tape. You cover part of what you painted first, with tape. That creates one stripe. Then space it one tapes width and apply another tape. Pull up the spacing tape and then when you spray, that area will get the new color. Once painting is done, pull up all tape and you have two small stripes. Complicated to explain, easy to do.

PetesPonies wrote

The two stripes are 1/8" each. Use 3m Fineline tape. You cover part of what you painted first, with tape. That creates one stripe. Then space it one tapes width and apply another tape. Pull up the spacing tape and then when you spray, that area will get the new color. Once painting is done, pull up all tape and you have two small stripes. Complicated to explain, easy to do.

Thanks, I have used the tape before on the back panel of my AMC Gremlin but I had the size for it off a 2nd car. I just could not tell how wide your stripes were from the pictures.

Back in the day when the pin stripes were painted we used that tape unless you were really really good to do it by hand. Had a road race car done by hand with the lettering, guy was un believably good.
Now days you can buy the Cal-Custom pin stripe tape.

I don't know if I will do a stripe like you did, do more than 1 line of each color (red with white center down the sides), keep the same size line if I go more than 1 line each or no line and use pin stripe tape between the 2 colors? I was thinking this in a gold leaf but still thinking on this.

Because mine is a flare side how do I "finish" them on the back wall of the cab?
Pin stripe tape is easy, then lines like yours, more than 1 line and different sizes gets crazy.
Thanks again
Dave ----

If the tape line is below the level of the bed, then you can end it like I did. I ended mine that way because it basically is how Ford would have done it. I have planned just doing it across the back even though you don't see it. But when I removed the bed, this is how Ford had painted it. They used tape for stripes, but it ended around the corner. Not even as far as I did. But you couldn't see it.If a line is above the bed, then obviously it needs to complete the backside of the cab. You could mix and match stripe sizes with different size tape. Just use a tape the size you want and let it be the spacer that you pull up to paint. I'm going to be doing a Harley tank soon and will use a single stripe in between the orange pearl tank and a black racing stripe on top. I think I will do a single silver stripe as a separator.

The way you have it on the back of the cab is the way Ford did it on the flare sides also.
Cory (Rembrant) gave me some measurements off the 4x4 truck he just parted out because I could not get it off my truck, painted many times then flat black.

My truck will be painted like this one in the same colors as that is how it came from the factory.

What I was talking / thinking of was the pin stripe(s). Do I just end it at the base color like I think you did on the rear or do I try and run the pin stripe(s) down to tie into the lower pin stripe?

But now that I talk it out and where it would be, behind the bed, why go thru the trouble of joining them just end them at the base color on the rear of the cab.

I have to put the white down first or it can turn pink if put over the red so when I tape off for the stripe I will see how just 1 line or more at the top & bottom paint color lines looks.

Thanks it helped to talk it out
Dave ----

I'm pretty sure Ford  ended the tape stripe at the top. And then had another at the bottom that ended as well. I can't see then making that a continuous piece behind the bed.
As for painting it, many ways it can be done.The white will cover the red and the red will cover the white. So either will work. I'm pretty sure Ford sprayed the red on top. So you can paint the sides white, then tape off for the white area, and paint the red. You don't have to be super careful when spraying the white. Just make sure you spray enough. make it larger. then tape the exact size you want and cover with paper for the red.

Amazing work Pete!

I am quite envious of those that can do body work and paint. My cousin who has been helping me with Ferdinand has a similar color scheme on his mid-60's C10. I am a big fan.

Looking forward to more pics. Keep up the great work!

Thanks. I'm working on the bed now. I'l post pics as the bed gets painted.
 

Ferdinand wrote

I am quite envious of those that can do body work and paint.

Me too! I'm going to start practicing with the stuff this summer. I need some really dumbed down instructions on where to start.

I wanted to buy that How to DVD kit in the back of the LMC catalogs, but it would cost me something $250, and I can buy autobody supplies with that...lol.

PS: Looking good Pete! Keep us posted on the progress.

Pete, you want to put the red over the white other wise if white over red it can turn pink so I was told when I first started doing body work back in the 70's. Now it could have been the type of paint we used back then, no hardeners? Also know to make sure to paint far enough so you have enough paint at the tape line.

I did a 73 Datsun 510 that had body lines down the center. Car was red and I did yellow in the center and then orange on either side. The yellow was put on first, taped off then the orange, taped off and the red. I had a pin striper hand stripe black between the colors and the name of the shop I had at the time on the car.

For you guys that have not done body work before we are here to help any way we can and no I will not come and help! I hate body work, don't mind the metal or painting part just sanding the filler part.


 Pete, it is hard to tell the size of that truck from the pictures as it looks like a full size with some of the body lines I see.
Cant wait to see it done in full color.
Dave ----

First of all, there no turning pink. Whoever told you that has no idea about painting. I've been painting for 44 years now. I taught Auto for over 20 years as well. You need to be careful where you get info and what to believe. That is just idiotic.
 However, I suggested to paint the white first, not worrying about any taping or exactly where the white ended.. Then come back and tape the white off and spray the red.That is the most logical way. But if the truck was white with a red center, exactly opposite as the one posted, I then would paint the red first. And , then come back with the white last.And . . there would be no pink . .wow.

PetesPonies wrote

First of all, there no turning pink. Whoever told you that has no idea about painting. I've been painting for 44 years now. I taught Auto for over 20 years as well. You need to be careful where you get info and what to believe. That is just idiotic.
 However, I suggested to paint the white first, not worrying about any taping or exactly where the white ended.. Then come back and tape the white off and spray the red.That is the most logical way. But if the truck was white with a red center, exactly opposite as the one posted, I then would paint the red first. And , then come back with the white last.And . . there would be no pink . .wow.

It was from my dad who been doing body work back in the late 40's, again the paint was a whole lot different back then.
You ever do a 1 coat hot enamel paint job with no reducer then a 50/50 cut mist for the second and last coat? As it cools and dries if flows out like glass without sanding & buffing.
Cant do that with todays paint as it is the wrong type of enamel paint and the heat speeds up hardener if it is added.
Back then it took so much longer for paint to cure, like a hot paint job, that it could bleed colors and why I said that.

Because I don't do this every day when I go into get paint supplies I sometimes get strange looks and have to explain to the young person what I am looking for.
I only have 1 more project to paint and that will be it for body work& painting for me.
Dave ----