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Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
 
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Looking great! Really well done!
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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In reply to this post by AmericanSavage
Nice and clean artist’s job!
Jeff / 1984 F350 Crew Cab 4x4/5.8L w351 4V/ T18/ D50 4.10 front/ 8' bed.
Restored 2019-2022. Nicknamed «Big Brother 1984», due to its soooo-looong shape & nod to George Orwell's 1984 famous novel. |
Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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Finished the cab pillar, the glove box and vents, plus the metal molding on upper P side cab. Gonna need to order more paint and flexible primer. Shot SOME texture on the pillar—the mealy plastic peeled off in parts to make it smooth, so tried to blend.
May need another coat of napa red after it fully flashes. Looks streaky at the moment, tho could be the lighting. Cross molding between the pillars, on bottom, you can just see some pinholes in paint—will touch that up. Not sure what caused it but it is metal not plastic so maybe…. Also, found some great felt to use for the vents that they used OEM. Hit me up if you want a link. Up next P side door molding, and starting to prep P side cab dash for paint in situ. That means dash coming off this week, and I have to start seriously thinking about a fabbed grill.   
1980 Ford XLT F350
400 Engine (rebuilt to 406) Holley 2300 500 CFM manual Choke Carb Under Restore (1st time) |
Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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Looking great! Yes, it may be the lighting, but then the lighting in the truck won't be very good, so maybe it won't show?
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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In reply to this post by Gary Lewis
Got the oringinal stereo/air panel dash off today and compared tothe one that was in the truck when bought—I cannot believe it, but the previous owners painted black over the rosewood. That means it is ruined, because there is no way to peel the black off and take the rosewood with it. I cannot use it anyway because they chopped it up for a modern radio. But painting over the rosewood…why please tell me why??
 OK, so the original rosewood replacement, yep, has a broken tab. This is more problematic than the pillar tab repair because it is a clean break. So, fabbed up the mesh and elongated it in the back, melted it juuuust a bit for bit, then melted extra plastic into it, then resin with some strands of fiberglass. Also, gotta repair some of that rosewood with a marker and stain. I will shoot the black satin again to bring back the black, then silver! Then the satin gloss. Pics!   
1980 Ford XLT F350
400 Engine (rebuilt to 406) Holley 2300 500 CFM manual Choke Carb Under Restore (1st time) |
Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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If anyone can do it, you can.
But it must be some kind of special sin to paint over Rosewood. 
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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In reply to this post by AmericanSavage
OK, got the mid dash pretty much done today. Tab turned out great. What you see is after it is sanded, and painted. ALMOST looks original.
Onto the D side cab pillar, and molding around back window. More paint on the way, so should be able to finish all that this week. I have some 1/8” ABS plastic coming—time to get creative on a dash grille, and not sure I can create anything that will hold and work, but gonna try. So Dash and headliner off this week I think. Got the minor holes in dash where someone screwed in likely a CB mic, filled and sanded. Pic on that later in the week. Saving the dash cluster for last as I move painting from P to D.  
1980 Ford XLT F350
400 Engine (rebuilt to 406) Holley 2300 500 CFM manual Choke Carb Under Restore (1st time) |
Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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I need to blend the rosewood more. The thing about whatever they have on it, it that it peels and unsticks--the gloss they had on it also lifts. Makes for a crappy pic in the last one there...but at arm's length, it looks great. May play around with it more to see if I can get it to lay down more. I think the black satin and gloss laid down neatly (I taped off the rosewood for the black sections). The rosewood still looks a little rough to me.
1980 Ford XLT F350
400 Engine (rebuilt to 406) Holley 2300 500 CFM manual Choke Carb Under Restore (1st time) |
Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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This post was updated on .
In reply to this post by AmericanSavage
I just could not stand the way the last pic looked, so I got at the center console today. First I knocked everything down in that center part with #0000 steel wool. LIGHTLY.
Then 2 coats of SEM satin gloss. I think it turned out better—the issue is, I think, the oil in the stain…no play nice with paint/gloss. More tomorrow—prepping the d side and back window molding for paint. Also got the center steering wheel out for prep and restore. Cheers everyone—dog days of summer are here! 
1980 Ford XLT F350
400 Engine (rebuilt to 406) Holley 2300 500 CFM manual Choke Carb Under Restore (1st time) |
Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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Just curious what is causing it. Good luck!
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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This post was updated on .
In reply to this post by AmericanSavage
Gonna break up the next few posts—first: the mid dash—finally got it as right as it is going to get—one thing Jonathan mentioned that I did NOT do was use a paper towel and the stain absent the pigment—once I applied all the problems went away. Considering where I began, this is a huge improvement. Learn from your mistakes!
But to back up: I #0000 the dash area that was smudging and got it to temper a bit. Then, I applied the stain liquid very carefully with a paper towel and let sit for over a day. This was the result. Blotchy stain is gone for the most part, and there is a rather nice sheen to it. 
1980 Ford XLT F350
400 Engine (rebuilt to 406) Holley 2300 500 CFM manual Choke Carb Under Restore (1st time) |
Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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This post was updated on .
Today’s fabrication brought to you by a 1984 F150 that just arrived at the local pick—I was all over it.
At any rate, this put a halt in some things, and I scavenged. The part I was looking for was E0TB-1004459-A—Called an Instrument Panel Steering Collar Opening Flange in the MPC. The one on my truck had broken tabs, and someone drilled a screw through the face of it to hold it in place—it should have two screws below the dash plus those open tabs. Apparently these tabs break EASY. Every truck I have ever looked at had cracks, tabs missing, etc. Anyway found one today I could make a template—and that is the second pic. Will get to this tomorrow. 1) new donor truck in the graveyard. 2) tab fab  
1980 Ford XLT F350
400 Engine (rebuilt to 406) Holley 2300 500 CFM manual Choke Carb Under Restore (1st time) |
Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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D side Cab pillar repair: As with the p side, it had a hole from degraded plastic in the seat belt area. I use the tried and true fiberglass and resin. First 2 pics are of that, and also some flexible bondo where there was a bit of a gash in the plastic. Covered and sanded.
Last pic the lighting plays tricks especially when you are using SEM texture. I will say this, if you are not perfect in the application of the texture, you will see “streaks” in certain lighting—whereas straight on it looks fine. So the lighting here picks up the pattern in a way. SEM texture is great, but man does it take practice. I ended up re applying and reshooting—after some sanding to knock it down. It is only in the dimly lit corner you can see the light play with this a bit. Also, that is Bubba—our unexpected rescue. He is a lovable big lug.   
1980 Ford XLT F350
400 Engine (rebuilt to 406) Holley 2300 500 CFM manual Choke Carb Under Restore (1st time) |
Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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Looking good! But is that polyester or epoxy resin? What sticks the best on this stuff? You've probably said but I've forgotten.
Bubba looks content. But as I was scrolling down your post and saw what looked like a dog under plastic right below the corner hutch and I was worried! However, a little more scrolling and there was Bubba, chillin'. 
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Re: Diary of a Restore (Thread)
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I use epoxy resin for many reasons. The biggest is that it is used on surfboards. It is UV resistant, and repels water. Polyester does NOT do either. The Epoxy also is harder. So far expect for one spot there is slightly pulled away, it has done well by me in any environment—plastic, foam, metal.
1980 Ford XLT F350
400 Engine (rebuilt to 406) Holley 2300 500 CFM manual Choke Carb Under Restore (1st time) |