EDIT: I apparently hit the send button at the same time you sent me that the pin stripe was gray. My opinion remains the same, but every place I said, black, change it to the same color, gray. And to be specific, keep the silver/aluminum, the same as I stated. the color difference is enough to offset.
Also, it sounds like a lot of work, but it’s easier on the back, and it’s only a few minutes each day after the paint dries. You can usually do two or three things in one day.
A few more thoughts:
Is that a 92 truck? I googled Ford two-tone, 92 ranger images. To me, to just have the two-tone on the bottom like that I thought was unusual, but apparently it’s something they did in different colors with different two-tone pinstripes above it.
Question. The truck looks pretty nice. Are you planning on re-painting it? Or are you just going to keep it the way it is? Is it a work truck, or are you trying to make it super nice? Nothing wrong with a nice work truck.
Assuming it’s a work truck, but you still want it nice, without spending a lot of money, here are some thoughts
On the cross wheels, I would paint the outside ring Silver/Aluminum, from the edge of the tire all the way inside. I would paint the Cross white to start. I would paint the little surrounds around the trapezoid holes red. Then I would outline the red trapezoids with a thin, black painted stripe, semi gloss black. I’d paint the raised center hub around the center cap silver. I might put a black center pinstripe on that hump as well, but first I’d see how it looks. Chrome trim rings. And I would use the black center caps, and highlight the 4 Wheel Dr., actuator, red, and the outer edge red, and then I would mimic that on the back axle hubs. Something like this:
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In my drawing, I have the wheel silver, but I would only paint the outside ring silver, and I would leave the cross white.
I would sand the wheel flares to get rid of any loose clearcoat or such. I joke about an 80 grit finish, but if you paint them with Rustoleum, it is so thick it takes into the grooves, and you won’t see the scratches from the sandpaper. I would put a fresh coat of red on those wheel flares.
Then, as stated before, I would put a fresh coat of semi gloss black on the rack. And then I would put a red pinstripe either down the center of the two horizontal sections, at least down the center of the lower one,
The reason I mention the two-tone is because I’m having a hard time visualizing how you would put a pin stripe down the side, or on the rain gutter, or anywhere that would look good. And then I had this thought.
You can buy 3M reflective pinstripe in different colors, including white. I would put a white reflective pinstripe in the groove along the body by the door handle from front to back. I would also put a whita reflective pinstripe on the outer edge of the black stripe on the bottom. Then I would cover the red pinstripe on the bottom with a reflective red pinstripe. It would look almost the same during the daytime, but it would really pop at night.
Finally, I might put a red pin stripe down the side of the truck at the level of the rearview mirror to run just over the explorer emblem on the back. Maybe red and white.
BTW, I would make the white pinstripe down the body line below the door handle a wide stripe like 1/2”
The 3M reflective pinstripe will crack if you try to bend it around corners and such. I would use a quarter inch or less, and maybe heated up with the heat gun a little bit wherever you’re going to go around the corner or curve. If it cracks, I just overlap it and then use a razor blade for anything that might be sticking out so it’s all the same with.
Finally, on painting these little details, it doesn’t have to be perfect. It has to be 10 footer quality. All of mine were done with artist brushes, and believe me, I’m no artist, with a rag damp with mineral spirits in the other hand.
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When you’re done, unlike me, you might actually want to wash it once in a while…
EDIT EDIT: and if you don’t like it, you can just paint over it after a couple days. If you don’t like it immediately, as you do it, you can wipe it off with mineral spirits.
And final thing to clarify, I’m talking about all quarts of “brush on” paint, no rattle cans. Rattle cans are for making posters. The brush on stuff wears like iron.