One more 2wd 98 coil spring 5.0 swap.

[Jbrown1238]

At this point the doors and fenders have been aligned with the rest of the body as close as possible. The final adjustment of fender/door panel transition can be finished up with a sanding block. During the body prep and paint stages the fender panels and doors will be removed and reinstalled multiple times. To make it easier to return these pieces to the exact same location small alignment holes are drilled through the fender edges and door hinges and removable alignment guide pins are fit into place.

 

[Jbrown1238]

After block sanding the original paint on the driver side and filling a few minor imperfections I got the first round of primer/surfacer on the truck today.



Once the first few coats had set up I started block sanding across the fender/door gap until the high spots started to pop through. Using a cross hatch pattern with a 15 inch file board and 180 grit paper it didn’t take long to get an idea of just how close the transition is and how much work lay ahead.



Once this area was done I moved to the opposite end of the door and used the same method on the door/cab gap. Finally moving across the panel from one end to the other until the high spots popped through.





Working outside with no overhead cover through the day in the hot August Florida sun is a killer!! But I made the best of it and even set up a little shade with my wife’s beach umbrella for the occasional break.

 

[Jbrown1238]

I am still working my way around the cab of the truck trying to get the body arrow straight. In between coats of primer and block sanding I have been knocking out a few smaller items getting ready to join the body and frame in a few weeks. Here are two photos of the body mounts, before and after a good cleaning and touch up.

 

[Kingoverace]

I spent forever going through this thread. Now I just want to see the perfected finished project. About to do my Efi 5.0 swap as well but its for my 98 offroader. But I had to comment and say you've covered every inch so far and I can't wait to see it.

 

[Jbrown1238]

I spent forever going through this thread. Now I just want to see the perfected finished project. About to do my Efi 5.0 swap as well but its for my 98 offroader. But I had to comment and say you've covered every inch so far and I can't wait to see it.

Thank you. I can't wait either. It is hard to believe that I started the thread several years ago. I admit the first year or two not much moved forward very fast. But now things seem to be taken shape and it is easier for me to stay focused. As I type this out I am getting ready to tackle the passenger side door in this crazy afternoon heat. I am still trying to have the cab ready for paint this month. Good luck with your project and keep us all up to date.

 

[Jbrown1238]

The driver side of the truck has been block sanded with 180 grit paper and primed four separate times. It now sits perfectly straight in the 180 grit stage and all the gaps blend seamlessly from one panel to the next. The passenger side is about three days behind but coming along nicely. Once the passenger side has been brought to the same stage as the driver side the rest of the cab will be DA sanded with 320 dry and the sections currently in primer/surfacer will be recovered with two light coats of primer/surfacer to fill the 180 grit scratches. After that point the entire cab will be hand sanded with 400 grit wet and prepared for paint. I am still planning on getting paint on this thing around the first of September if all goes well.

 

[RangerSVT]

Nice work and detail to attention...

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

Nice work and detail to attention...

SVT

Thank you. As much as I want to stay at it I am going to have to take a day off to rest. The heat and the work load is starting to get to me. I will pick it back up on Thursday.

 

[oddball101]

This post represents my subscription. Man.. I am really looking forward to seeing this thing come together. Much like yourself by now I imagine. I lost a few inches off the waste attacking my own project in the heat but the rain has forced me to a snails pace now. I have had less than a handful of days that I have been able to get outside and work on her. One thing I did though that I though was pretty cool, I set up one of those floor fans on my position. Made the work more bearable.

We're rooting for you, keep it up!

 

[Jbrown1238]

This post represents my subscription. Man.. I am really looking forward to seeing this thing come together. Much like yourself by now I imagine. I lost a few inches off the waste attacking my own project in the heat but the rain has forced me to a snails pace now. I have had less than a handful of days that I have been able to get outside and work on her. One thing I did though that I though was pretty cool, I set up one of those floor fans on my position. Made the work more bearable.

We're rooting for you, keep it up!

I hear ya! I just got home from work and today is going to be wash out here because of rain as well. I know you guys have been getting hit pretty hard with more than your share of rain in that area. Hit me with a link to your project if you get a chance. I am always looking for new ideas and like to see what others have going on.

 

[Jbrown1238]

It is pouring rain outside and I am sitting here looking out the window like a little kid. I can’t go outside and play today with my toy truck so I guess I will think out loud and get my thoughts together about the upcoming paint work. Here is a tentative list of how it should play out.

1. After the body work is 100% done I will wrap the cab and engine compartment with plastic sheeting and then spray the underside of the cab with some Dark Shadow Grey basecoat I have left over. This should give a nice contrast between the black frame and the floor pan without driving up the cost of the new color I will need to purchase for the truck.

2. I will need to spray stone guard on both rocker panels and lower fenders to achieve that OEM appearance.

3. The rear window and brake light will need to be removed and the rubber seal around the windshield will need to be trimmed back so paint can be blown into the jamb. A new windshield will be installed at a later date.

4. I will need to power up the door windows so I can place them in the down position before paint. This will need to be done the old fashion way with a car battery and some junk wire.

5. Unless something changes, at the moment I plan to remove the doors and fenders, wrap the cab in plastic sheeting from the firewall back and spray the engine compartment. At the same time I will spray the inside of both doors as they sit upside down on saw horses with the outside sealed in plastic.

6. A few days later I will wrap the engine compartment in plastic sheeting and spray the cab from the firewall back including the empty door jambs as well as the outside of both doors as the sit right side up, wrapped in plastic sheeting on the saw horses. Spreading the work out over two days should allow for a much nicer finished product with less “dry spray” falling on some of the hard to reach areas.

 

[Jbrown1238]

The passenger side has been a real pain in the aXX. Other than a lot of rain, this is what has been slowing me down.



Trying to get the body lines on the passenger side to be perfect has taken more time than expected. The rear of the door and the cab panels line up fairly well but both roll off the edge slightly because of how the metal panels were stamped from the factory. This plays havoc with my “fit and finish”. After blocking and priming the area several times I still have a very slight low spot in two places. Although it doesn’t seem to be bad this is the sort of thing that will create a distorted line in the reflection of the paint. The panels need to be perfectly flush with one another in order to cast a clean reflection in the finished product.



As you can see there is a small gap where the panels come together in this location. I will need to take a step back and add a very small amount of fill in these two spots to get it correct.





The extra time it will take will be worth it once the paint is color sanded and buffed out. The goal is to have the side of the truck look like it was cut from a single piece of billet on a CNC machine!! (Just joking, but you guys get the idea).

Here are two examples.

 

[Jbrown1238]

I promise these are the last photos before the truck is painted. The body work has been completed and the floor pan will be the first section to be painted. Let’s start there with a few before photos. After these two photos were taken the entire section was first washed and then dried with a clean towel. Then the floor was scratched with a scotchbrite pad and lightly dry sanded with 400 grit paper.

 

[Jbrown1238]

Here are a couple photos of the first section painted. The floor pan was sprayed with (3) coats of Shop-line JBP Basecoat (2003 Ford paint code CX, Dark Shadow Grey Metallic). This section will not be top coated with clear. It will be left in a semi gloss/satin finish from the basecoat color.

 

[Jbrown1238]

The engine compartment was prepared much in the same manner. First washed and then dried with a clean towel. Then the area was scratched with a scotchbrite pad and lightly wet sanded with 400 grit paper inside and outside. The entire section will receive a basecoat/clearcoat finish.



The door jambs have all been washed and then dried with a clean towel and wet sanded by hand with 400 grit paper. Everything has been removed including the door strikers and weather stripping.