81 F100 flare side custom with 300 six & T18

[FuzzFace2]

I got out to the garage late today, off work for medical procedure, only got a little done.

Pulled the rear bumper brackets off the frame, were only on hand tight. Once off I pulled them apart and got them soaking in Evpa-A-Rust a long with the bolts and got the rear fender braces soaking too.

I have had 1 rear fender waiting for primer and the 2 fuel doors. Did a little more prep on the fender & did the 2 doors.

The spray gun gave me fits before I figured out what was wrong but got primer on the fender & 2 fuel doors and to get the fender out of the way put it back on the bed with 2 nuts holding it.

I do know this fender will need work as after it had primer on it I could see "issues" I am not happy with before painting. I am also sure the rest of the truck will need work to before paint but it is closer to paint.

Dave ----

[Gary Lewis]

I got out to the garage late today, off work for medical procedure, only got a little done.

Pulled the rear bumper brackets off the frame, were only on hand tight. Once off I pulled them apart and got them soaking in Evpa-A-Rust a long with the bolts and got the rear fender braces soaking too.

I have had 1 rear fender waiting for primer and the 2 fuel doors. Did a little more prep on the fender & did the 2 doors.

The spray gun gave me fits before I figured out what was wrong but got primer on the fender & 2 fuel doors and to get the fender out of the way put it back on the bed with 2 nuts holding it.

I do know this fender will need work as after it had primer on it I could see "issues" I am not happy with before painting. I am also sure the rest of the truck will need work to before paint but it is closer to paint.

Dave ----

Dave - Not sure how I missed your previous post. Sorry. Any news on the potential ulcer?

As for today, glad you took it easy. (I was concerned when you said you took the bumper off, but then saw that you said "hand tight".)

Once you get the whole thing in primer I guess you'll step back and look things over to see what needs to be re-worked? Can you easily tell then?

[FuzzFace2]

Dave - Not sure how I missed your previous post. Sorry. Any news on the potential ulcer?

As for today, glad you took it easy. (I was concerned when you said you took the bumper off, but then saw that you said "hand tight".)

Once you get the whole thing in primer I guess you'll step back and look things over to see what needs to be re-worked? Can you easily tell then?

For you I can see it being easy to miss with keeping this site going, updating the great information and then doing work on your projects.

Ulcer, well I cut way back on the hot tea I was drinking. I try to limit them to 6 or under if home all day and 2 or 3 when home after work till bed about 8pm. early get up is 12am late would be 3am.

I only have 1 "high test" the others are Decaf for the days hot tea.

The bumper was off the truck I only had the brackets hand bolted to the truck to get them out of the way.

Once the brackets are de-rusted and painted I can do my "custom touch" to the bumpers.

Still looking for lights to fit in the front bumper. I saw a Lighting today and it had lights that might work just need to see if I can find then and get a size.

Yes now that the truck is in primer I can see where I rushed the body work on the 2 rear fenders so need to work them over some.

I used a different manf. primer on the rear fenders as I could not get what I had been using.

I do like the way this sprays and it stays wet longer so no dry streaks no matter how hard I tried not to get any.

Also the rest of the truck I can see I did not use fine enough sand paper. I will wet sand the truck with 320 or 400 then I may need to re-prim and sand again, not using build up primer.

Dave ----

[Gary Lewis]

Dave - Not sure how I missed your previous post. Sorry. Any news on the potential ulcer?

As for today, glad you took it easy. (I was concerned when you said you took the bumper off, but then saw that you said "hand tight".)

Once you get the whole thing in primer I guess you'll step back and look things over to see what needs to be re-worked? Can you easily tell then?

For you I can see it being easy to miss with keeping this site going, updating the great information and then doing work on your projects.

Ulcer, well I cut way back on the hot tea I was drinking. I try to limit them to 6 or under if home all day and 2 or 3 when home after work till bed about 8pm. early get up is 12am late would be 3am.

I only have 1 "high test" the others are Decaf for the days hot tea.

The bumper was off the truck I only had the brackets hand bolted to the truck to get them out of the way.

Once the brackets are de-rusted and painted I can do my "custom touch" to the bumpers.

Still looking for lights to fit in the front bumper. I saw a Lighting today and it had lights that might work just need to see if I can find then and get a size.

Yes now that the truck is in primer I can see where I rushed the body work on the 2 rear fenders so need to work them over some.

I used a different manf. primer on the rear fenders as I could not get what I had been using.

I do like the way this sprays and it stays wet longer so no dry streaks no matter how hard I tried not to get any.

Also the rest of the truck I can see I did not use fine enough sand paper. I will wet sand the truck with 320 or 400 then I may need to re-prim and sand again, not using build up primer.

Dave ----

Yipes! So, you've "cut back" and will "try to limit them to 6 or under"? So, how many were you having before cutting back?

I try to limit my coffee drinking to ~3-4 cups/day. But, mine are Starbucks Verona, French, or Sumatra and they have a bit of punch.

Anyway, I hope you get things under control. I have Tagamet that I use every once in a while when the stomach says I've had too much.

Lights for the front bumper? Have an example?

As for the bodywork, that's not my thing so I can only imagine how difficult that is. VERY from what I understand. But, it'll look perfect when you are done and you'll certainly be justifiably proud.

And, I do sometimes miss things as I seem to be somewhat all over the place. I have so much I'd like to do on the website, so much I want to do to both Dad's truck as well as Big Blue, and then there are my friends on the forum.

[FuzzFace2]

Yipes! So, you've "cut back" and will "try to limit them to 6 or under"? So, how many were you having before cutting back?

I try to limit my coffee drinking to ~3-4 cups/day. But, mine are Starbucks Verona, French, or Sumatra and they have a bit of punch.

Anyway, I hope you get things under control. I have Tagamet that I use every once in a while when the stomach says I've had too much.

Lights for the front bumper? Have an example?

As for the bodywork, that's not my thing so I can only imagine how difficult that is. VERY from what I understand. But, it'll look perfect when you are done and you'll certainly be justifiably proud.

And, I do sometimes miss things as I seem to be somewhat all over the place. I have so much I'd like to do on the website, so much I want to do to both Dad's truck as well as Big Blue, and then there are my friends on the forum.

On weekends if not working on the truck the mug was always full.

Surf the forums drink a cup, surf , drink, etc. it adds up fast.

I got home at 4pm it is now 8:30pm and only had 2 cups, I would of had 4 by this time.

On the bumper the area I want to mount them is about 3" high but can go pretty wide.

I also want the lights to be driving but may go with fog if that is all I can find.

All the small square LED lights are work lights and not what I am after.

I found a set of driving / fog lights on LMC I think will work but need to mock it up to see how it will look.

Should look something like this but in the Bullnose bumper.

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fc/full.aspx?Page=80

It is going to get cold here for a week or so, so body work will be on hold till it warms up some.

Have I told any one I hate body work? That is the biggest reason why I may not do any work till it gets a little warmer.

You are doing a great job on the site and the trucks and as long as you ejoy what you are doing thatisall that counts, so what if you miss a post or 2.

Dave ----

[Frank Wyatt]

On weekends if not working on the truck the mug was always full.

Surf the forums drink a cup, surf , drink, etc. it adds up fast.

I got home at 4pm it is now 8:30pm and only had 2 cups, I would of had 4 by this time.

On the bumper the area I want to mount them is about 3" high but can go pretty wide.

I also want the lights to be driving but may go with fog if that is all I can find.

All the small square LED lights are work lights and not what I am after.

I found a set of driving / fog lights on LMC I think will work but need to mock it up to see how it will look.

Should look something like this but in the Bullnose bumper.

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fc/full.aspx?Page=80

It is going to get cold here for a week or so, so body work will be on hold till it warms up some.

Have I told any one I hate body work? That is the biggest reason why I may not do any work till it gets a little warmer.

You are doing a great job on the site and the trucks and as long as you ejoy what you are doing thatisall that counts, so what if you miss a post or 2.

Dave ----

I think the 5 3/4 x 2" lights would look right at home on my truck at least. Of course, I don't believe my bumper would ever get any though.

[Gary Lewis]

On weekends if not working on the truck the mug was always full.

Surf the forums drink a cup, surf , drink, etc. it adds up fast.

I got home at 4pm it is now 8:30pm and only had 2 cups, I would of had 4 by this time.

On the bumper the area I want to mount them is about 3" high but can go pretty wide.

I also want the lights to be driving but may go with fog if that is all I can find.

All the small square LED lights are work lights and not what I am after.

I found a set of driving / fog lights on LMC I think will work but need to mock it up to see how it will look.

Should look something like this but in the Bullnose bumper.

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fc/full.aspx?Page=80

It is going to get cold here for a week or so, so body work will be on hold till it warms up some.

Have I told any one I hate body work? That is the biggest reason why I may not do any work till it gets a little warmer.

You are doing a great job on the site and the trucks and as long as you ejoy what you are doing thatisall that counts, so what if you miss a post or 2.

Dave ----

Dave - Now I understand what you are thinking of doing. Thanks for the explanation. I'll be curious to see what you come up with.

As for the surf/tea exercise, that is something I like to do, but with coffee. My mornings include catching up on the forum, checking on the stat's on the website for the previous day, looking at facebook, and drinking two cups of Starbucks. Then it is off to the shop where I try to put the energy to work.

But, as you point out, the weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse here as well. Rain, sleet, and snow are to move in tonight during the night and continue tomorrow morn, so we are on the cusp of canceling church services tomorrow. If that happens I'll probably sit here on the porch and drink coffee, watch the weather, and surf a bit longer.

And thanks for the feedback on the site and trucks. I do enjoy what I'm doing, and find that a mix of things is better for me than the same thing day after day. I like to set goals and then work to reach that goal. So I'll set a goal of getting the suspension on Dad's truck and then take a break to work on the website, with a goal there as well.

[FuzzFace2]

Dave - Now I understand what you are thinking of doing. Thanks for the explanation. I'll be curious to see what you come up with.

As for the surf/tea exercise, that is something I like to do, but with coffee. My mornings include catching up on the forum, checking on the stat's on the website for the previous day, looking at facebook, and drinking two cups of Starbucks. Then it is off to the shop where I try to put the energy to work.

But, as you point out, the weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse here as well. Rain, sleet, and snow are to move in tonight during the night and continue tomorrow morn, so we are on the cusp of canceling church services tomorrow. If that happens I'll probably sit here on the porch and drink coffee, watch the weather, and surf a bit longer.

And thanks for the feedback on the site and trucks. I do enjoy what I'm doing, and find that a mix of things is better for me than the same thing day after day. I like to set goals and then work to reach that goal. So I'll set a goal of getting the suspension on Dad's truck and then take a break to work on the website, with a goal there as well.

On the lights I did not want them above or below the bumper as they tend to stick out like a sore thumb.

I also like the custom touch it adds being in the bumper, like the duel tanks on the flare side I have added.

The round lights in the bumper I did not think would look right with the square head lights. Besides I don't have a way to cut a round hole in the bumper with out buying a large hole saw. Square I can drill out the corners and use a cut off wheel on my 4.5 grinder or a saw.

I will mount the bumper and using tape or something the size of the LMC lights see how it will look.

If I like it I will get the lights then cut the holes and figure what I need to do to mount them and finish the opening.

I will keep everyone posted.

Dave ----

[Gary Lewis]

On the lights I did not want them above or below the bumper as they tend to stick out like a sore thumb.

I also like the custom touch it adds being in the bumper, like the duel tanks on the flare side I have added.

The round lights in the bumper I did not think would look right with the square head lights. Besides I don't have a way to cut a round hole in the bumper with out buying a large hole saw. Square I can drill out the corners and use a cut off wheel on my 4.5 grinder or a saw.

I will mount the bumper and using tape or something the size of the LMC lights see how it will look.

If I like it I will get the lights then cut the holes and figure what I need to do to mount them and finish the opening.

I will keep everyone posted.

Dave ----

I agree that rectangular lights match the style of the headlights and turn signals. And, I like the idea of lights integrated into the bumpers. So much wasted space there that could be used.

I'm still considering integrating lights and tow hooks into the Warn front bumper on Big Blue. But, I'm watching on Facebook a couple of guys show their efforts to reinforce a stock bumper and add a winch behind it.

As for drilling and cutting the bumper, you'll have to go slowly in order to ensure you don't turn the chrome blue. That can usually be polished out, but not always, and that would be a shame.

[FuzzFace2]

I agree that rectangular lights match the style of the headlights and turn signals. And, I like the idea of lights integrated into the bumpers. So much wasted space there that could be used.

I'm still considering integrating lights and tow hooks into the Warn front bumper on Big Blue. But, I'm watching on Facebook a couple of guys show their efforts to reinforce a stock bumper and add a winch behind it.

As for drilling and cutting the bumper, you'll have to go slowly in order to ensure you don't turn the chrome blue. That can usually be polished out, but not always, and that would be a shame.

Little more work done on the truck today.

I pulled the rear bumper brackets, bolts & fender braces from the Evap-A-Rust. Had to do a little more clean up of the brackets then a few coats of black paint.

Between coats and drying I cleaned the bolts up on the bench grinder wire wheel.

Paint drying I moved to running boards. I have 2 sets and went with the best and just happened to be the ones off the project truck.

I cleaned them, sanded them to get to good base as they had a few coats of paint and then flat black the whole truck was done in.

I sprayed them with acid to kill what little rust they had and are now sitting till I get primer on them.

Rear bumper brackets dry I put them together and loosely mounted to the truck. I then mounted the bumper made sure all looked good and tighten all the bolts.

I had to do this to make sure the brackets are straight on the truck so I can pull the rear bumper for my custom touch.

Here it is now what ever I do to it I can't hurt it!

I then moved on to the front bumper. I had to mount it so I could mock up how it will look with the lights I want to mount in it.

Once mounted and the "mocked" lights on it I had to dig out a grille and head light doors to get the full effect.

The green rectangle is the size (5-3/4" x 2") of the light that is a fog & driving light, I want a driving light.

This is where I was thinking they would go and would be easy to mount there as it is the flat part of the bumper.

But it just did not give me warm fuzzies so I moved the "mocked" light. I did not measure I just placed it there.

I like the out board spot better. In the LMC catalog it looks like they are mounted between where I have them but they are for the late 70's trucks.

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fc/full.aspx?Page=80 where the frame is in farther then our 80's truck.

It will take more work to mount them to the out side as that part of the bumper is angled back and the light would need to point straight.

I guess the next step on the front bumper is to get the lights if the banker will let me.

As for turning the chrome blue I am not worried on the front or rear bumpers as my custom touch has welding involved.

I would need to weld the light brackets to the back side and if I go with the out board set up I would need to fill the gap as the light needs to point straight.

This is the kind of work I enjoy doing, just look at the firewall, metal floor and duel tanks on a flare side

Dave ----