interior mini-makeover
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Joined: Jul 2011
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From: Sioux Falls Area
rough day
so ... wins and losses ... comes with the territory i suppose.
finally get a chance to work on the heater controls.
Thanks to crsweet78, i've got some kick-a$$ heater control *****, and he sent his control levers for practically nothing. HUGE thanks to Connor for that! So i was really looking forward to getting them installed and back into the truck.
my heater controls were a little dingy looking and a few light scratches, and of course the missing lever. the mechanics i had a handle on, and the cosmetics were easily handled by a good cleaning and a light coat of clear-coat paint to even everything out.
and it would have worked too ... EXCEPT ... my paint was a couple years old and had been frozen ... didn't really occur to me until i put on the first layer of clear .... after which i knew i was SCREWED!
i tried to fix it by using paint thinner to remove it, sand paper to sand it down, and then a scraper to remove it .... SCREWED!
i quit when i started losing the lettering for the fan controls.
so theres a set on ebay ... probalby just have to fork over the buck and get it.
win some lose some.
finally get a chance to work on the heater controls.
Thanks to crsweet78, i've got some kick-a$$ heater control *****, and he sent his control levers for practically nothing. HUGE thanks to Connor for that! So i was really looking forward to getting them installed and back into the truck.
my heater controls were a little dingy looking and a few light scratches, and of course the missing lever. the mechanics i had a handle on, and the cosmetics were easily handled by a good cleaning and a light coat of clear-coat paint to even everything out.
and it would have worked too ... EXCEPT ... my paint was a couple years old and had been frozen ... didn't really occur to me until i put on the first layer of clear .... after which i knew i was SCREWED!
i tried to fix it by using paint thinner to remove it, sand paper to sand it down, and then a scraper to remove it .... SCREWED!
i quit when i started losing the lettering for the fan controls.
so theres a set on ebay ... probalby just have to fork over the buck and get it.
win some lose some.
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Joined: Jul 2011
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From: Sioux Falls Area
no worries. I got a replacment on ebay. sure is easy to spend money if you want to!
figgured i'd better jump on them, especially being an exact match. that is to say, they didn't have the fuel selector and it looked pretty clean. 60 bucks shipped, not too bad i think. looked real nice in the picture, so i guess we'll see when it gets here.
figgured i'd better jump on them, especially being an exact match. that is to say, they didn't have the fuel selector and it looked pretty clean. 60 bucks shipped, not too bad i think. looked real nice in the picture, so i guess we'll see when it gets here.
FTE Chapter Leader
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,321
Likes: 13
From: Cave Spring Georgia
When I was much younger I spent lots of money to replace stuff after I tried to save money on and fix it myself. It would have been cheaper to just buy a new one in the first place....
It is looking good.
One of my control cables is bad too, when I get home I have to get a new one.
It is looking good. One of my control cables is bad too, when I get home I have to get a new one.
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From: Sioux Falls Area
murry christmas to meee ....
they're not perfect, but still better than what i had to begin with. gotta love ebay!
i think i'll leave well enough alone this time, maybe clean the arms up where they are rusted, respray them black, put the ***** on and call it a day.
hope to get them in here tomorrow night .... tonights booked, or i'd do it right when i get home.
they're not perfect, but still better than what i had to begin with. gotta love ebay!
i think i'll leave well enough alone this time, maybe clean the arms up where they are rusted, respray them black, put the ***** on and call it a day.
hope to get them in here tomorrow night .... tonights booked, or i'd do it right when i get home.
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,313
Likes: 12
From: Northeast LA
I'm gonna go 
and say that cube looks about the same size an mine. and I have a magic 8 ball too, sort of, but mine is a sponge bob version. LOL
Now back to on topic, I love the headliner, I plan on covering mine too.
and say that cube looks about the same size an mine. and I have a magic 8 ball too, sort of, but mine is a sponge bob version. LOLNow back to on topic, I love the headliner, I plan on covering mine too.
Rusty Roller
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,423
Likes: 5
From: Santa Cruz Mountains
That looks much better! Congrats! 
Although I know the one that was given to you looked much better before you "fixed it up"....
Sometimes paints just don't react well!
.
Although I know the one that was given to you looked much better before you "fixed it up"....
Sometimes paints just don't react well!.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,067
Likes: 13
From: Kincardine, ON
What primer and paint did you go with when doing the dash?
had a half-day of work today, so i got lots done on the truck ... and some other things around the house as well.
so i wiped everything down again and hit it with some primer. I forgot how much i HATE to mask things off .... i'm sure i could have spent more time and done it better, but no complaints.
then an hour or so later it got a coat or two of black metallic.
then a couple more thin coats in the next hour or so and i got something like this
and this
don't get me wrong, it isn't perfect.... i need to learn to slow down and wipe everything better. i think there is some oil hosing up my paint. sorry it's a little fuzzy ... stupid camera.
i did sand it down and re-spray it after this, but you can still see it a bit.
I finished the gauges while i had some down time waiting for the water tank to fill.
went from this:
to this:
no joke! these were taken from the exact same angle ... the lense REALLY cleaned up!
here's what i used.
just rub by hand with the glazing compound and buff with a soft cloth. I used a cut up bath towel, but microfiber would be better. Then i hit it with some cleaner wax to try and seal it up. Sometimes acrylic can turn yellow over time after you polish it like this ... i guess time will tell. If it does, i'll just do it all over again.
That's it for today. next up is the gauge bezel. but for now it is back together enough where i can use the truck. I got a load of shingles and a garage door to pick up so it will be nice to get it back on the road.
Progress might be a bit slower here for a bit. The wife probably wants some of her stuff done too i'm thinking. and i'm going turkey hunting next weekend, so might not see much for a couple weeks.
i suppose eventually i'll put in a new rubber floor and then over the winter i'd love to get the seat recovered ... but that's big bucks, so i'm not in a huge hurry.
so far, without the visors being done, i'm probably just a tick over $100. not a bad turn around for that kind of cash layout. the visors, i'm afraid, will be about $120 by themselves (ouch).
from this:
to this:
for about $100 .... i'll take it! At least it is good enough for me!
so i wiped everything down again and hit it with some primer. I forgot how much i HATE to mask things off .... i'm sure i could have spent more time and done it better, but no complaints.
then an hour or so later it got a coat or two of black metallic.
then a couple more thin coats in the next hour or so and i got something like this
and this
don't get me wrong, it isn't perfect.... i need to learn to slow down and wipe everything better. i think there is some oil hosing up my paint. sorry it's a little fuzzy ... stupid camera.
i did sand it down and re-spray it after this, but you can still see it a bit.
I finished the gauges while i had some down time waiting for the water tank to fill.
went from this:
to this:
no joke! these were taken from the exact same angle ... the lense REALLY cleaned up!
here's what i used.
just rub by hand with the glazing compound and buff with a soft cloth. I used a cut up bath towel, but microfiber would be better. Then i hit it with some cleaner wax to try and seal it up. Sometimes acrylic can turn yellow over time after you polish it like this ... i guess time will tell. If it does, i'll just do it all over again.
That's it for today. next up is the gauge bezel. but for now it is back together enough where i can use the truck. I got a load of shingles and a garage door to pick up so it will be nice to get it back on the road.
Progress might be a bit slower here for a bit. The wife probably wants some of her stuff done too i'm thinking. and i'm going turkey hunting next weekend, so might not see much for a couple weeks.
i suppose eventually i'll put in a new rubber floor and then over the winter i'd love to get the seat recovered ... but that's big bucks, so i'm not in a huge hurry.
so far, without the visors being done, i'm probably just a tick over $100. not a bad turn around for that kind of cash layout. the visors, i'm afraid, will be about $120 by themselves (ouch).
from this:
to this:
for about $100 .... i'll take it! At least it is good enough for me!
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Joined: Jul 2011
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From: Sioux Falls Area
they were a dupilcolor laquor in the rattle can.
The primer was a scratch filling, or building primer. the black was actually a chevy or honda color (can't remember). It was one of the only metallic blacks they had on the shelf. I had the interior paint code and could have had them make the original color, but for what i was trying to do, i figgured it would cost more than i really wanted to spend.
I can post up paint numbers tonight, if you like.
The primer was a scratch filling, or building primer. the black was actually a chevy or honda color (can't remember). It was one of the only metallic blacks they had on the shelf. I had the interior paint code and could have had them make the original color, but for what i was trying to do, i figgured it would cost more than i really wanted to spend.
I can post up paint numbers tonight, if you like.
Thread Starter
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From: Sioux Falls Area
headliner .... yeah, highly recommended! SUPER easy job. The worst part is getting it held up over your head while you put the trim pieces back on that hold it up. Considering recovering the trim pieces with black vinyal like crsweet78 did on his truck. that looks super nice, and if i can find a thin enough fabric i'll probably go the extra step and do it.
I will say this ... if you're going to change the color and need your visors changed, check out Dennis Carpenter before you go to an upholstery shop. Dennis has black or white for $50 each. I'm going to end up spending more than that to have mine recovered. Lesson learned, i suppose.
but if i was going to change the color of the headliner to black, i'd just buy the black Dennis Carpenter units. If i wanted soemthing else, I'd consider getting the white ones and spraying them to match with the Duplicolor vinyal dye.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,067
Likes: 13
From: Kincardine, ON
Well the first question was answered by stating you used a rattle can and got good results. Don't worry about colour codes, but thank-you for the reply. keep the pics coming please!
they were a dupilcolor laquor in the rattle can.
The primer was a scratch filling, or building primer. the black was actually a chevy or honda color (can't remember). It was one of the only metallic blacks they had on the shelf. I had the interior paint code and could have had them make the original color, but for what i was trying to do, i figgured it would cost more than i really wanted to spend.
I can post up paint numbers tonight, if you like.
The primer was a scratch filling, or building primer. the black was actually a chevy or honda color (can't remember). It was one of the only metallic blacks they had on the shelf. I had the interior paint code and could have had them make the original color, but for what i was trying to do, i figgured it would cost more than i really wanted to spend.
I can post up paint numbers tonight, if you like.
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From: Sioux Falls Area
I've never been afraid of a rattle can, especially the ones with the good fan tips. if it's got a round spray pattern, forget it ... leave it on the shelf, but if it has the nice adjustable fan tip, you can usually get pretty good results.
i will say this stuff is a little thinner than i like, so it requires a little more care than some of the other paints i've used, but thinner coats, good overlap, and being carefull got it done for me.
and before anyone asks
.... it's a Smith&Wesson K22 model 17-3. I was reloading after taking care of the offending can of clearcoat that EFFED up my heater controls. Living in the country has a couple advantages i've come to like
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Joined: Jul 2011
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From: Sioux Falls Area
got the heater controls installed.
sorry, that's as good as i could get. does not do it justice, looks pretty sharp. just impossible to get a good pic in a dark vehicle parked inside a dark shed... i'll try to do better sometime later.
There's something wrong with the bottom cable though, the lever is there, and the cable is hooked up on top, but it is disconnected down at the bottom so it still doesn't work. The damper door moves freely, so i think all i need is a small machine bolt to hook the cable back onto the heater box at the bottom..... a project for another day. doesn't bother me much, i never want air blowing on my feet anyway, so i just flipped the damper over to "defrost" by hand and i'll leave it there until i get it fixed. I suppose with this much time spent on the rest of it, it would be silly to not fix it.
and another product report.
spray grease!!!! i've looked for about 4 years to find this stuff and nobody was selling it. stumbled into this stuff at the farm supply store. Call it like a 140wt gear oil in a spray can, but without the horrible gear oil smell. stick well and stays put.
in this case, my ash tray door made a HORRIBLE screaching sound when you opened it .... now it's as quite as a mouse .... well, as quiet as anything else on the truck, anyway.
no biggie, i was just stoked to see it after looking so long to find it!
sorry, that's as good as i could get. does not do it justice, looks pretty sharp. just impossible to get a good pic in a dark vehicle parked inside a dark shed... i'll try to do better sometime later.
There's something wrong with the bottom cable though, the lever is there, and the cable is hooked up on top, but it is disconnected down at the bottom so it still doesn't work. The damper door moves freely, so i think all i need is a small machine bolt to hook the cable back onto the heater box at the bottom..... a project for another day. doesn't bother me much, i never want air blowing on my feet anyway, so i just flipped the damper over to "defrost" by hand and i'll leave it there until i get it fixed. I suppose with this much time spent on the rest of it, it would be silly to not fix it.
and another product report.
spray grease!!!! i've looked for about 4 years to find this stuff and nobody was selling it. stumbled into this stuff at the farm supply store. Call it like a 140wt gear oil in a spray can, but without the horrible gear oil smell. stick well and stays put.
in this case, my ash tray door made a HORRIBLE screaching sound when you opened it .... now it's as quite as a mouse .... well, as quiet as anything else on the truck, anyway.
no biggie, i was just stoked to see it after looking so long to find it!
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Joined: Jul 2011
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From: Sioux Falls Area
got my visors back yesterday !!!!
They look pretty darn good, i think. Much like everything else in the truck, they are not perfect but FAR better than what i started with.
I'm super happy with the results, but for what I spent, i could have just bought new black visors from Dennis Carpenter. I really wanted the visors to match the headliner, cause i really like the heavy grain this material has ... but for the money, the new ones would have looked good and not had any "flaws" ... but you have to look for the flaws anyway, so like i said i'm super happy!
I gotta get them in the truck to decide of the hangers need to stay white or need to change to black. Right now they look a little out of place with the white metal, but the rest of the steel in the cab is white, so we'll just have to see.
i'm to the point where i need to order some stuff for the interior. The ***** for visors are missing, and i'll probably get new window cranks, door handles, lock *****, headlight and wiper ***** ... maybe a couple others .. we'll see how deep i really want to get.
They look pretty darn good, i think. Much like everything else in the truck, they are not perfect but FAR better than what i started with.
I'm super happy with the results, but for what I spent, i could have just bought new black visors from Dennis Carpenter. I really wanted the visors to match the headliner, cause i really like the heavy grain this material has ... but for the money, the new ones would have looked good and not had any "flaws" ... but you have to look for the flaws anyway, so like i said i'm super happy!
I gotta get them in the truck to decide of the hangers need to stay white or need to change to black. Right now they look a little out of place with the white metal, but the rest of the steel in the cab is white, so we'll just have to see.
i'm to the point where i need to order some stuff for the interior. The ***** for visors are missing, and i'll probably get new window cranks, door handles, lock *****, headlight and wiper ***** ... maybe a couple others .. we'll see how deep i really want to get.