Got the switch panel made up (just waiting on a couple parts) and I'm starting to work out how to mate a special wiring harness into the EZ wiring harness when i do my re-wire at the end of this week

 

Got started on the wiring today. Didnt get nearly as much done as i wanted to but im hoping to have it operational by tomorrow afternoon. A lot of the fun stuff will probably wait a couple days

 

Right now I'm getting the brakes and steering all functional so I can get it on a trailer to take it to the glass and muffler shops, then it will be concentrating on the wiring.

 

Need to get caught up on maintenance. Training for 2 weeks in VA, and there's apparently an auto-shop on base for the enlisted to use in their down time... so I packed the truck full of tools just in case.

The Bilsteins I put on a couple years ago are already useless. (Then again, they took a beating on the 5 freeway out in CA for a couple years... so i guess they've put in their time.) Need to find something more sophisticated this time around.

Haven't had any down time at home for even the little stuff - work's soaked up all my free time. Found a new job doing CAD and running the water jet table for a local fab shop in Fl. (Yes, they're as much fun as they look like on TV) Have access to the entire shop off-hours so, it's just a matter of time before I start in on truck parts.

 

In-dash radio/DVD/bluetooth (and) back up camera installed.

You can't really see it in the pictures but the JVC KW-AV70BT in-dash unit is too big for the opening and the removable faceplate/touchscreen sticks out about 3/4 inch. I discarded the bezel for the unit since it was too large for the stock opening in the dash (not the inside lips - the exterior opening in the dash).

The unit is cool because it's touch screen and has some neat features but I'm not sure I would recommend it because of the size issue.

Pictures attached.


Picture showing backup camera:


Picture of backup camera embedded in back bumper above hitch:


Picture of backup camera for perspective (to show how small the thing is):


Pictures of the bed floor restoration to follow in a later post.

 

Good to hear from you Rob

 

Restoring the rusted bed floor.

Keep in mind it's floor plate so geting between the raised plate was a consideration.

Step 1 (no pre-work pictures): Used a wire brush attached to a drill to remove as much rust as possible. Decided the wire brush wasn't aggressive enough so I went to a flap wheel on my grinder. Burned through four wheels, but got the majority of what I needed to. Then went at the lower level stuff with a wire brush by hand. I could only tackle a bit at a time so this process took about two weeks. It's still not perfect but I was only trying to get rid of that which could be removed with the above.

Step 2: Applied Eastwood's "Rust Converter" product which claims to turn rust into a paintable surface. The product goes on white, seemed to turn a hazed blue in short order, and finally dried black after a day. I'm waiting for day three to apply the Duplicolor spray/roll on bed liner product. I'm using the Duplicolor product only as a top coat, due to its low cost, and thinking (based on other posts) that it likely will not hold up. I found when I did the wheel wells that it holds up better when you apply several very thin coats. Applying too much at a time resulted in a bubble that simply wipes off when you touch it at a later time.

A QUICK WORD ABOUT LINEX (LINE-X) which was my original preference. First off, I was told during my second trip to the North Hollywood Line-X dealer by Jennifer (who claimed that she previously worked for LineX corporate) that Line-X is only warranted on new vehicles that have a clean original coat of paint. I was also originally told by Line-X North Hollywood when I stopped by the first time that he would do the floor of my truck for $275 if I prepped the bed floor and $350 if he did the prep (my bed floor is 50" by 108"). He specifically told me that he would sand the floor, use the POR-15 product to first treat the rust and then coat the floor with their product. After prepping the floor, I went back to see if the prep was sufficient for the $275 price, or if they wanted me to do more work. At that time, they advised me that they could only do the work for $375, and that they would not do the work as previously quoted. I did not previously get an estimate, but took the guy at his word. For those that know me, the $25 incremental cost is an insignificant cost in the scheme of what I have already spent. But this business did not honor their original quote and I have chosen not to do business with him. I further caution any of you thinking about doing business with Line-X North Hollywood to rethink your choice or proceed with caution.

Pictures attached (don't know why but you'll have to turn your head sideways for pictures 1, 2 & 4):









I need to seal the Rust Converter with something (paint or otherwise) so the Duplicolor Bed Liner is a crapshoot. I haven't heard good things but I'm going to give it a try.

If the Duplicolor product fails, I will likely purchase a thin sheet (20G) of new floorplate in the coming months and weld that over the Duplicolor bed liner product.

I'll post pictures after I apply the Bed Liner and let you know how it goes.

 

Coming along nicely!

Any problems with previous rust-out of the existing flooring?

Who makes the camera? Standard NTSC video?

And thanks for the head's up on Line-X NoHo.

Pop

 

Don't know - Ebay link is as follows: New Waterproof E305 Car Back Up Rear View Day/Night Camera NTSC 628X582 Pixel | eBay

Selling point for me was that they said it's waterproof. The next time I launch the boat, I'll be testing the waterproof claim.

 

Gee, at that price ($15), even if it's not waterproof, it's not like you'll be out a lot if it fails.

Pop

 

Yes - there is a small quarter sized area that rusted through. I will either accept that area as the pedigree of an older truck, or will weld some sheet metal from the bottom of the truck to cover the hole.

I'm hopeful that the Eastwood Rust Converter product does what it advertises and will stop the additional rust from spreading upwards. Of course, it may continue rusting in a downward direction (it actually doesn't seem too bad looking from the street upwards), but I can only do so much to rescue this floor.

Hence the comment that it may ultimately get new floor plate.

 

Exactly.

I noticed the new picture/icon by your user name. I hope the pooch is OK.

Oh never mind - I just noticed today's date.

 

The camera says it is NTSC compatible. If it wasnt you would know when you plugged it in to the head unit. The display would be very elongated vertically.

But even though it is NTSC compatible, it produces a signal in a PAL size; 628X582. Typical Chinese.

 

Adding a oil bypass one my F350 today.

 

Weird. Bilsteins have always been much better than any other stock type replacement shock to me. Hopefully their quality isn't going down hill.



Oh and djed - that back up camera setup looks cool. Thinking about trying for something like that in the crewcab!