Gary Lewis

Rob - I'm sorry, but I do not think they want our business. I called on Wednesday and was promised a response that day. Instead we are now two days later and we still don't know. Further, they weren't sure they could give us a code to use when ordering so we could get the discount. Instead, they might require one bulk order, and that is not going to work. No one wants to give anyone else their credit card info, and if it was all shipped to one place the re-shipping would be as much as the savings. I'm going to send this statement to them via email today to see if it shakes them loose. But if not I'm no longer interested.

Rob - I've always had kick panels there. I'm just now installing the vents. So if you could look at yours to see if I'm missing something in there I'd appreciate it. But it isn't critical - I can wait a day or two.

Ding, ding, ding!!! We have a winner! Scott for the score! (And Gary is ) But, is it normal to see things behind the slide? I'm sure someone will say "You won't see the stuff back there w/o the flash of the camera." But, note that the courtesy light is unplugged, just so we can see the vent and not just the light, and it is perfectly situated to pour light in there. Am I missing something? And, for those who doubt:

By the way, I love your country. When we lived in London we spent a bank holiday there, which turned out to be the Queen's birthday so it was BUSY! But we did get to enjoy many things there, including seeing the cheese markets, the canals, and the tulips. Loved it!

You are now on the map, EJ.

I paid over $100 for the box and brackets several years ago. And I'm sure the price has gone up since then. Be SURE to get the brackets and the fasteners. There are several pieces. You can see all that is involved here: Documentation/Underhood/Tool Box.

Nice truck! Awful pics. You'd think for something he wants to sell for that kind of money he could get some decent pics.

It looks good to me, Bill! And I'll bet with the sanding and buffing you'll be really happy with it. Well done!

Scott - I'm REALLY glad I asked the question about the vents. I'm sure you are right 'cause the vent I tried to put in there had no notch on the corner where it is needed. THANK YOU! George - The SEM stuff is excellent. I've used it before and it works well. Jonathan/Ford F834 has said that his SEM-painted dash is holding up well where his grandkids get in and put their feet on it. But, it takes prep, as outlined above. I know that I'm not as educated in things like paint and plastics as the folks that came up with the process that they recommend, so I follow the process to the letter. And I've had excellent results.

Welcome, WJ! Sure glad you joined! Jim is right, if you go to our map you'll see that Andre is in Amsterdam. You can click on his "pin" on the map and it'll bring up a link you can use to email him via the forum. I know he's had a lot of things for his Bronco shipped there, so should be able to help you. He's headed to Spain for the winter soon, but you might be able to catch him if you email now. And he just posted pics of his Bronco this morning in the picture gallery, including this one:

That's a cool pic, Andre! And you having worked there explains why you've been so quick to get things sorted.

Jim - By lining the whole back wall with sound deadening and then insulating foam I've painted myself into a corner re how to mount the storage unit. I really have no easy way to use Velcro or anything like that to mount it unless I tear out at least a strip of the insulation. And I'm not sure that would work well as it would probably leave a messy, uneven surface. It appears that the part of the cab where there's a second piece of metal in addition to the single layer of the back wall is just slightly higher than where the top of the storage unit is likely to hit. So I may be able to fashion some sort of tab from that which will hold the unit against the back wall. But I'll have to wait until I get the unit and set it in there to find out. But I don't plan to paint it. Preparing it to take the paint would be a huge pain, and I think it will look better in its natural gray than blue. Besides, by then I hope to be D.O.N.E. with painting interior panels.

Yes, well done! But, lets go back a bit. I missed the previous post, and in it you said "with the engine running". Yippee! Then this cool wiring design where you can plug in either set of gauges just by using your jumper scheme. I really like that! You are going to be driving this thing soon! And, by the way, I think I'm the guy that commented on how many wires were hanging down.

Do you know if the panels had the studs? I'm wondering if they changed over to the grommets in '82 but if maybe the panels still had the studs. Or if some of the panels did. And, like Scott, I didn't know the pad was still used in '82. Interesting.

Free! I like that. And the other stuff was icing on the cake. Well done!

Maybe so! The one I tried doesn't have that notch.

Yep. that door panel is the same color as everything else. The issue is probably the fluorescent lighting in my paint/powder coating booth. But I held one of the kick panels next to the door and they are the same color. Speaking of the kick panels, I pulled the block-off plate on the passenger's side and was going to put the vent in today, but I can't get it in. The bolt that holds the dash to the A-pillar appears to be in the way. When I pull the dash pad off I'm hoping I'll be able to see things a bit better, but I'm wondering if anyone else had problems?

Yes, Jason, that's good progress! Scott - That's a good score! How did you find it?

George - I think you are a few days behind. It isn't "going to use" as I've already painted several panels. I'm using SEM Color Coat™, which they say "is a specialty flexible coating formulated to restore or change the color of most vinyl surfaces, flexible and rigid plastics, carpet and velour. Color Coat is not a dye, but a fade resistant flexible and permanent coating." I had it mixed by Vinyl Pro to SEM's formula that matches the factory color, as explained here: Documentation/Specifications/Interior Paint. This isn't paint. Someone used paint on Big Blue's door panels and it is flaking off badly. Color Coat permanently bonds with the surface and lasts very well. But, it isn't as easy as paint. Here's the process I'm using: Sand: If the part is mealy from UV, as the rear corner trim was, I sand it to get the dead plastic off. Apparently I didn't do a good enough job on the rear corner trim and will have to do some more work. Dawn: I scrub the part with Dawn on a gray 3M pad and rinse well. This step isn't part of SEM's recommendations, but it can't hurt. SEM Soap: The next several steps are on SEM's recommended list. They say to use their soap, which has an abrasive in it, and a gray 3M pad to take the sheen off the part. Then clean again with 3835 Plastic & Leather Cleaner. Spray the part with 3836 Sand Free as an adhesion promoter Last, while the Sand Free is still wet, apply a light coat of Color Coat followed by light mist coats with 5 - 10 minutes between them.

Scott - I don't know about that crossmember, but it is a good question. I'm going to guess that they don't, but that is just a guess. Ford didn't put things in that weren't needed, and it wouldn't be needed in a single-tank truck.

My fear is that shipping will be more expensive from me to you than from ebay or elsewhere to you. But, we shall see.

Thanks, Jim! Janey says I won't want to use Big Blue since he's going to look so good. But that's not the case. I just don't like the gross panels that were in Big Blue. I want to go in style. Tomorrow I hope to get the other rear panel sanded and then painted. And the sun visors & their retainers, all of which are currently brown. Then I need to pull the dash pad, glue on the cover, and paint all of it.

I'll sell what I have for 1/2 of what it lists for, plus shipping. Tomorrow I'll see what I have and let you know. And I'll post pics of what I have.

Scott - It was very, very tight getting the trailer in. And when I got it in I couldn't get the arms to reach the frame due to the dual-axle setup. The tires were in the way, wherever I positioned the trailer. Yes, a 4-post would work, but then you always have the track in the way. I like my 2-post. But you need some room ahead of and behind the vehicle so you can roll it forward or backward in order to get the doors open to work on the interior. On the speedo setup, it is neat that there's a solution.

You are now on the map.