Rattlecan Ranger Reclamation

[Lefty]

Damn!

Congratulations but damn!

I'm shocked and impressed.

I'm a little shocked too. We did not expect to sell this. The offer came out of the clear blue.

Maybe none of us should be surprised. Cars and trucks are in demand. Now that the average price of a pickup is approaching $60,000.00, used trucks make a lot of sense. Used light trucks like the Ranger fill a very important niche. They hold a lot of cargo and are easy on gas, a truck just right for working men and women who just want to get the job done and also put some food on the table at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, my friend is looking for another Ranger. He's taking his profits and trading up.

 

[gw33gp]

I just read this entire post and saw some things I would like to comment on. I am not a professional in automotive finishes, but am a chemist in the aerospace industry. Coatings don't crystallize when being sprayed. The spray can flash off too much of the solvent if not sprayed properly and create a sort of dry like wet dust appearance, but it is amorphous. Some polymers can crystallize, but not in applications like spraying.

The two part clear coatings are typically polyurethane. Epoxies usually don't stand up to sunlight very well and will yellow and get chalky over time. Epoxies do make great primers. Acrylics also do well in sunlight but are not as durable as polyurethane.

Dish detergents are very hard on wax finishes, but should not harm the paint. If paint is very oxidized, the detergent could help remove the oxidized surface and could appear to be removing the finish. It is still best to use Automotive wash cleaners when washing a car though, unless you have some very serious cleaning to do and plan to apply a good protective finish after.

Rattle can paint is not as durable as regular automotive paint, but applying a good two part urethane coating over it will greatly improve the durability. It also greatly increase the cost. I think what you did with the Ranger after the fire was amazing. You certainly put a lot of work into it to save it. I am sure insurance companies would have totaled it. It is good to see people that are not afraid of working hard.

I am in no way trying to dis anyone. I just wanted to add some clarity to a good post.

 

[Lefty]

I just read this entire post and saw some things I would like to comment on. I am not a professional in automotive finishes, but am a chemist in the aerospace industry. Coatings don't crystallize when being sprayed. The spray can flash off too much of the solvent if not sprayed properly and create a sort of dry like wet dust appearance, but it is amorphous. Some polymers can crystallize, but not in applications like spraying.

The two part clear coatings are typically polyurethane. Epoxies usually don't stand up to sunlight very well and will yellow and get chalky over time. Epoxies do make great primers. Acrylics also do well in sunlight but are not as durable as polyurethane.

Dish detergents are very hard on wax finishes, but should not harm the paint. If paint is very oxidized, the detergent could help remove the oxidized surface and could appear to be removing the finish. It is still best to use Automotive wash cleaners when washing a car though, unless you have some very serious cleaning to do and plan to apply a good protective finish after.

Rattle can paint is not as durable as regular automotive paint, but applying a good two part urethane coating over it will greatly improve the durability. It also greatly increase the cost. I think what you did with the Ranger after the fire was amazing. You certainly put a lot of work into it to save it. I am sure insurance companies would have totaled it. It is good to see people that are not afraid of working hard.

I am in no way trying to dis anyone. I just wanted to add some clarity to a good post.

Well said. Thank you for the clarity. This "restomod" was meant to be both a down and dirty job and to avoid the smaller nuances and particulars of painting and detailing. I could have done so much more and gone into greater detail.

I've skipped over a lot of information in this narrative. I stuck to the bare bones essentials instead. The results were far from perfect, but rather "good enough."

We wanted to get that truck back on the road as soon as possible, The best thing would have been to have it all done at a body shop.

Spray cans never last as long as epoxies. They are not really show room quality. We didn't even get to put a clear coat on the tail gate before some guy offered to buy.

The other things you said are correct too. But still, if we rattle can paint and do a certain bare bones minimum, we can fix the big "booboos," keep the rust worm at bay, even enhance the overall appearance: on a budget, and in a minimum of time.

 

[Lefty]

Well as it turns out, my friend didn't sell his Ranger after all. The buyer wanted some sort of owner financing deal.

So the garage fire ranger returned to my driveway today. it was due for a wash. Here's a couple gratuitous fotos. Here's one of the tail gate we painted. It looks pretty good except it doesn't quite match as well as we wanted. it hasn't been clear coated yet either. He said the difference is so subtle most would never notice. Maybe he's correct.

He's still pretty happy. This is a 2001. He said it's is a work truck anyway. We will be doing more in the future. i will keep you all posted.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

It looks so good!

 

[Ranger850]

Aye! Welcome back "Black Fire Ranger"

 

[Lefty]

It looks so good!

Once again, this is far from a show room finish. It's a little hard to show all of the imperfections. If I can, I will in future posts.

 

[Lefty]

Aye! Welcome back "Black Fire Ranger"

Black Fire Ranger? I kinda like that!

 

[Ranger850]

It was THAT, or "Rattle Can Ranger"

 

[Lefty]

It was THAT, or "Rattle Can Ranger"

I kinda like that too!

 

[Saddle Tramp]

Once again, this is far from a show room finish. It's a little hard to show all of the imperfections. If I can, I will in future posts.

It looks better than the roof of mine which is peeling paint like a bad sunburn.
I've been spaying it with autozone colormatch spray paint.

 

[Lefty]

I haven't tried Autozone but I had bad luck with Duplicolor. The spray is too fine and too thin to lay it in wet, except in small areas. Since the Rattle Can Ranger is black, it's easier to get a close match. So we used Rustoleum Automotive instead. It delivers a much heftier spray pattern and covers larger areas without dry spots.

If I had to match a color, I would use Rustoleum first, lay it in for good coverage, and make the surface very smooth, then wet sand it down with 1,000 or 2,000 grit. (Maybe even 3,000). Then I would spray with one of those little cans like Duplicolor.

 

[97RangerXLT]

quit teasing us like that!

it does look good though

AJ

 

[Lefty]

quit teasing us like that!

it does look good though

AJ

Thanks, AJ, but it's not really that hard. That's the idea behind this post. You don't have to be a pro or have a spray booth to get good results.

 

[Bronco ii Man]

Look’s awesome dude! Prep work make’s all the difference! A lot of time instead of money!