Project Rocker Replacement- PICS

[Jay87LX]

I got it all welded, grinded, putty and primed today. I then went out and bought the rest of the paint for this rocker and the whole exterior. The first time I opened it I thought it wasn't the right color, Looking at it in the can it appears that there is no green in it.
Once it is thinned out and sprayed correctly you can see the green


This is how I left it tonight. I will roll it out tomorrow, finish masking the back, check all my masking, wipe it down, then prime paint and clear.

 

[Mediamonkey11]

Dang! Looking awesome

 

[Jay87LX]

Yesterday I sprayed 3 coats of primer and let it dry overnight. Today I came in and wetsanded the truck using 600 and 800 grit.

 

[Jay87LX]

Wiped it all down, made sure it was dry and layed down my first color coat.

 

[Jay87LX]

Then 3 coats of clear. There definately is ornage peel so tomorrow I will wetsand it and buff and see what happens

 

[jjbusa]

nice looking good as new if not better

 

[Jay87LX]

Raining today and in order to wetsand it I would like to keep the hose running a bit to stay lubricated, I am not working out in the rain. I did try and wetsand a few section and buff them out...
Upper roof...

 

[Jay87LX]

So today was raing alot less, I was able to test a few spots and decided with so much orange peel I was going to have to start with 600 then to 800 then to 1000 grit paper all while wet then buff and polish. This is a huge vehicle to have to do all that sanding but it is what it is.



Started out by buffing the tailgate to see how it will look

 

[71Rcode]

Looks great, man! I really like how you documented the rocker replacement and showed the importance of cutting in the door sills, inner door edges, etc. That attention to detail will make the truck really pop. I sprayed clear on a '68 mustang once (my first BC/CC job) and the clear sags were so severe I had to sand down the entire car and shoot base/clear over it again. The second time, the clear came out looking like sandpaper. Had to start with 400 grit! Crazy. Wet sanded down OK. That first coat of clear is always tense.

Most guys don't understand the time/cost involved with BC/CC paint jobs. If you don't mind sharing how much $$ you have in materials (primer, base, clear, hardeners, reducers, paper), and the time you have in just the paint prep and finish, that would be eye opening. Last time I bought PPG materials (a year ago?) I nearly broke the bank. Heck, 3m wet paper can break the bank!

What brand of materials did you use? Curious on your thoughts. I'm always looking to go cheaper on materials .

And one last question. Your factory wheels look fantastic! What did you use to restore them? Or are they NOS? Mine need a bit of help...

 

[Jay87LX]

Looks great, man! I really like how you documented the rocker replacement and showed the importance of cutting in the door sills, inner door edges, etc. That attention to detail will make the truck really pop. I sprayed clear on a '68 mustang once (my first BC/CC job) and the clear sags were so severe I had to sand down the entire car and shoot base/clear over it again. The second time, the clear came out looking like sandpaper. Had to start with 400 grit! Crazy. Wet sanded down OK. That first coat of clear is always tense.

Most guys don't understand the time/cost involved with BC/CC paint jobs. If you don't mind sharing how much $$ you have in materials (primer, base, clear, hardeners, reducers, paper), and the time you have in just the paint prep and finish, that would be eye opening. Last time I bought PPG materials (a year ago?) I nearly broke the bank. Heck, 3m wet paper can break the bank!

What brand of materials did you use? Curious on your thoughts. I'm always looking to go cheaper on materials .

And one last question. Your factory wheels look fantastic! What did you use to restore them? Or are they NOS? Mine need a bit of help...

Thank You.
When I am all done i am going to tally up all my materials and estimate how much time I have into it just to give people and idea of what is involved so they can decide if they want to do it themselves or have a shop do it I know I am past $600 right now.
Lets face it, If your truck needs rockers like mine did it is not a beauty queen so I think they are good vehicles to get you feet wet on

 

[Jay87LX]

When I came in today I looked at the few spots that I buffed yesterday and after buffing cars as well as wetsanding for 26 years I knew I could get it a little better. So I started all over again at 600, then 800 the 1000 then 1500, all by hand and took my time.

All wetsanded again


I started to buff the passengers side with 3M rubbing compound and a wool pad, then I will follow with Meg's M105 and 205 on a foam pad.


I have all the door handles, mirrors as well as the brake lights installed already, I am contemplating trying that spray that tints them.
I should be able to get it all buffed and polished tomorrow and some of the trim on- I know for the wheel arches they hold on with a few screws and plastic clips that go through holes in the fender and rear quarter, because I have an XLT and it didn't come with the trim I am going to have to make some sort of template to know where to drill the holes. I know the trim that goes on the bottoms of the doors are held on with double sided tape so I bought a roll at HD and have it all ready to go.
Being that I have an extra set of doors means I have an extra set of glass, my plan in to take 2 front windows and tint them. I think when you can lay the glass down on a bench or table it is easier and I have watched afew Youtube vids so I am going to give it a try. I will keep the untinted glass for when I need an inspection sticker or if I get a ticket I will change it out.
I was also in VIP auto parts last night and was loooking at the Vent Shade window trim- They have the 4 peices for $55 so I will get them.

 

[71Rcode]

Looks just great, Jay! I really like the close up of the metal flake. The clear looks really deep.

Did you see my earlier question about your wheels? Did you refinish them? If so, is that BC/CC? Need to do something with mine ...

 

[Jay87LX]

Sorry, I missed the question about the wheels- I think they look better from far away- They have their blemishes when you look close up
I will be getting new wheels soon

 

[71Rcode]

I've refinished the wheels on my wife's MBenz with BC/CC and while they look great, the tire stores destroy them. Would really like to shoot a single stage "something" on my expedition wheels to make them pop.

Any recommendations?

Again, the paintwork looks killer, man. I can totally appreciate what you've done. Especially that ROOF.

 

[Jay87LX]

Today I buffed it out again, first time with 3M Rubbing compound on a wool pad, then Meg's M105 with a med foam pad, then Meg's M205 with a fine foam pad. I got it to look the best I think it can with cards I am dealt with so to speak. Then I got to mounting all the Eddie Bauer trim. The parts along the bottom of the doors are held on with double sided tape while the wheel arches are held on with clips that go into holes that are drilled in the fender and quarter around each arch. I put all the clips into the trim piece and then dabbed a bit of grease on the tip of the clip held it up to the truck and where the tips made spots on the truck with the grease is where I drilled. All in all it came out well. The arches are also held in with screws that go up vertaically into the lip of the body.







You can see in the pics behind the rear wheel and along the door where the edge horizontally I went through the paint with my sanding- the orange peel was bad- I think I will tape it off and do a very light mist coat and follow it up with a bit of clear and sand and buff to blend it the best I can.

 

[Jay87LX]

Got all the trim on, washed it truck, did the windows and took off some overspray the made it's way under the tape and paper, dressed the tires and here it is


There are a few small odds and end I am going to do like put a new grill in that will be painted the same as body color, not black. A small 3" body lift or at least coil spacers and torsion bar twist and slightly larger wheel/tire combo, again, all on a budget.
Someone asked me how much I have into it and I wanted to wait until it was all done and I gather all my reciepts I will add it up.

 

[Mediamonkey11]

dood!