Jballard81's 1994 super cab 4.0 4x4 Restore

[jballard81]

I would pay money to know why the previous owner disconnected the lines from the compressor and just let it sit.... like what good does that do?

Me too my friend. I've made so much progress bringing this truck back to usable service, yet I keep adding 'sins' I find to the repair list.

 

[jballard81]

Just got what I would consider a very good deal on the power train and chassis service manuals for my ranger off fleabay :

I've been looking on and off for a few weeks and almost bit on a similar set for close to $100 the other day.

 

[RobbieD]

Yes, that's a good price for a set. "Watch and wait" is how it's done.

Once you've used it, I'll bet that you consider it as one of the best investments that you've made in the truck.

Congratulations!

 

[sgtsandman]

Just got what I would consider a very good deal on the power train and chassis service manuals for my ranger off fleabay :
View attachment 107969
I've been looking on and off for a few weeks and almost bit on a similar set for close to $100 the other day.

That's a smoking deal! Even $100 is a good deal. Nice score!

 

[jballard81]

These gotta weigh 15 lbs. They're in great shape!

 

[RobbieD]

You're well on the way, of having your very own RPC (Ranger Porn Collection).

Congratulations, and well done!

 

[Terrys87]

Just read thru your thread. You said you had never done anything like this to this magnitude. You are doing great. You are learning a lot and that is rewarding as much as seeing your truck come out the way you envisioned it. That is about the only way of truly getting a carpet cleaned is to pull it and wash it out. I have seen all kinds of funky stuff come out of them, but it gives a fresh smell to the truck.

 

[jballard81]

Just read thru your thread. You said you had never done anything like this to this magnitude. You are doing great. You are learning a lot and that is rewarding as much as seeing your truck come out the way you envisioned it. That is about the only way of truly getting a carpet cleaned is to pull it and wash it out. I have seen all kinds of funky stuff come out of them, but it gives a fresh smell to the truck.

Hey! Thanks for the response! It's definitely helped a lot with the smell. I am learning a ton and owe a lot to the folks here!

Thanks again!

 

[Terrys87]

I see you go to the bone yard fairly often. Bone yard is a great teacher. If you can pull a dash out of a truck and pull a motor out of a truck, just about everything is easy compared to those two task.

When I want to learn on a different car or truck, and I find one that interest me. I will watch some YouTube videos and when in the yard, I disassemble the dash as if it were my own truck. I don't just go ripping it a part. I have two yards in my local area and a couple of times I had to get a part out of the dash. I did it correctly and did not destroy hundreds of dollars' worth of parts for a $5 part. That can go a long way with some yard owners.

 

[jballard81]

I see you go to the bone yard fairly often. Bone yard is a great teacher. If you can pull a dash out of a truck and pull a motor out of a truck, just about everything is easy compared to those two task.

When I want to learn on a different car or truck, and I find one that interest me. I will watch some YouTube videos and when in the yard, I disassemble the dash as if it were my own truck. I don't just go ripping it a part. I have two yards in my local area and a couple of times I had to get a part out of the dash. I did it correctly and did not destroy hundreds of dollars' worth of parts for a $5 part. That can go a long way with some yard owners.

That is a responsible and thoughtful way to work on cars in the boneyard. I try to embody that as well, knowing that there are few who still do. Also, YouTube is an amazing resource! I can't tell you how many times a 10-15 year old shaky phone camera video has saved me hours of anguish trying to figure something out

 

[jballard81]

So I'm trying to decide what the best (smartest lol) approach is to paint correction. I want to start off by saying I've never done it before. But, as always, i'm willing to give it a shot. I would like to get some feedback from @Terrys87 and @Awesom-O after seeing the awesome work they've done on their trucks. Of course i welcome anyone else to chime in with their thoughts as well!

Most of the horizontal surfaces are devoid of clear coat. The roof and hood have two good chunks of paint completely missing:

The side panels have most of their clear coat but still have plenty of dings in them. Since I'm planning on doing the work, i definitely don't expect perfection.

Option1 - Sand down the rest of the truck, smooth out the edges of the missing chunks and lean into a sweet patina as it develops over time. I don't have any tools or knowledge around this, but luckily i have YouTube and ya'll!

Option2 - Still sand down and smooth the truck. But get the right tools and supplies to properly fill in the big missing chunks and maybe clean up and fill more of the smaller dings (bondo?). Then primer, sand, primer again, sand and then paint match as close as possible to the factory color (Cayman Green CC Metallic).

I feel like option1 would be easiest, but after seeing how nice the newly painted trucks on here look, I could see myself liking the end results of option2 more.

I'm willing to put some effort into learning and $ into tools either way.

 

[sgtsandman]

I believe the proper procedure for restoring a smooth finish where the paint has blistered and broken, is to sand an blend those areas with the remaining paint. Of course, you'll want to sand the rest of the paint you want to restore. Once that is done, prime all the bare areas and sand again before painting. Then more sanding and painting until you get the paint where you want it.

Metallic paint can be a real S.O.B. to get blended and matched. I had a heck of a time getting my windshield visor to match the rest of the truck.

All the sanding is wet sanding to keep the dust down and keep the paper or emery cloth from clogging. A lot of wiping down to remove the paint residue is also needed. Water is fine until you get to where you are priming or painting. Then I found rubbing alcohol works well for cleaning the surface and not ruining what paint is already there.

You will also need patience. Lots of it. Once you are done with a coat of primer or paint. Wait a day or two for it to cure before you start sanding again or you could ruin the finish and will have to start all over again.

Basic prep, I use 120 grit to start. Then 320. Then 400. Then 600.

Prime. Then 600. Prime again. 600, then 800.

Paint. 800. Paint. 800.

Once you get to where the paint looks good when you wipe it with alcohol (it will give you an idea what the paint will look like when polished). Then you step down to finer and finer grit (1,000 grit, 1,500 grit, 2,000 grit), stopping at either 3,000 or 5,000 grit. Then buffing with a polishing compound.

This is what I found worked for me. I am in no way a professional painter.

The pros might have better recommendations or better tips.

 

[rumblecloud]

Been following along....great progress.
I've been playing with my 94 for awhile now, repairing little dings and dents, same as you are now doing. The cool thing is as you said:
"Since I'm planning on doing the work, i definitely don't expect perfection."
After a couple of repairs, you'll be surprised at how good you will become. If you don't like it, just do it again ---and again until you get it right.

 

[Awesom-O]

Whatever you do you need to seal that bare metal up and remove the rust. There are rust converters I would hit that with as well after I took a wire wheel to that area. It chemically coverts the rust and leaves a primed painted surface. That looks like a failed repair from the past? Looks like a skim coat of bondo there already? I would probably wire wheel to expose what’s happening and then do what sgtsandman has said. He’s spot on with what he has said. Check out the University of YouTube to see how guys repair stuff like this to have a visual. Also when applying paint, when you finally get to that stage, a technique I use so as not to get any hard lines is to fold paper back onto itself without creasing it. (Like a loop) and you get soft overspray underneath that will buff out with wet sanding. I’m far from a pro and learn as I go. But as Rumblecloud has also said you will be amazed at how better you get with each attempt. Any repair you do will be better than what’s there now. Kick some ass brother! Best of luck and keep asking questions. We are all here to learn, help, and be motivated by each other.

 

[jballard81]

I believe the proper procedure for restoring a smooth finish where the paint has blistered and broken, is to sand an blend those areas with the remaining paint. Of course, you'll want to sand the rest of the paint you want to restore. Once that is done, prime all the bare areas and sand again before painting. Then more sanding and painting until you get the paint where you want it.

Metallic paint can be a real S.O.B. to get blended and matched. I had a heck of a time getting my windshield visor to match the rest of the truck.

All the sanding is wet sanding to keep the dust down and keep the paper or emery cloth from clogging. A lot of wiping down to remove the paint residue is also needed. Water is fine until you get to where you are priming or painting. Then I found rubbing alcohol works well for cleaning the surface and not ruining what paint is already there.

You will also need patience. Lots of it. Once you are done with a coat of primer or paint. Wait a day or two for it to cure before you start sanding again or you could ruin the finish and will have to start all over again.

Basic prep, I use 120 grit to start. Then 320. Then 400. Then 600.

Prime. Then 600. Prime again. 600, then 800.

Paint. 800. Paint. 800.

Once you get to where the paint looks good when you wipe it with alcohol (it will give you an idea what the paint will look like when polished). Then you step down to finer and finer grit (1,000 grit, 1,500 grit, 2,000 grit), stopping at either 3,000 or 5,000 grit. Then buffing with a polishing compound.

This is what I found worked for me. I am in no way a professional painter.

The pros might have better recommendations or better tips.

As soon as I saw the metallic clear coat paint I was a bit hesitant. I think just like you (and a bunch more!) said, practice makes perfect. Maybe I will start with a test panel (maybe some junk sheet metal or something).

I will keep doing research, maybe I can find a similar paint that's easier to apply.

Appreciate it!