1978 non - rust pile

[jaybee]

That era of Ford pickups looked fantastic in two tone paint. Adding another color over the white could make a really sharp unit...new owner's choice of color, right?

[kb426]

O&S got after it early this morning thinking I would get many things finished. I installed the tailgate and lights in short order. I wasn't happy with the front fenders so I sanded them for a re-spray.  I got the worst case of fisheyes I've ever seen. I don't know what happened. Tomorrow, I'll sand again and see if I can find out what went wrong. There was no indication of water beading up when I wet sanded them or anything. ? I've been fighting the fuel gauge sender. I've had it out several times. I've checked the circuits and the operation of the sender and didn't find anything wrong. This morning I ran a different ground with the same results. With the unit laying on top of the tank, I find that it's working backwards. After thinking about it, I remove the sender, flip it around, make some stand offs and bolt it back on. After numerous attempts to get it to repeat, I gave up. I'll order another unit to replace it. Probably a different brand. I put the bed on just because I think it will be safer there. It won't take much to raise the bed and swap out the sender when it arrives. Shipping has been sporadic enough that it might take 2 weeks for a new one to arrive.

[chimp koose]

Man you get things done !   I agree that a 2 tone would liven it up a bit but it is a good solid truck as is right now.

[idrivejunk]

Plain has merit but perhaps a little red somewhere...

Work horses get rode hard and put away wet while providing noble service. White trucks matter. They just serve their purpose.

Look'n good, Bill.

[kb426]

End of the day at O&S. After hours of sanding, the fenders are white again. Not perfect but not bad. My guess is the 3rd stage of the 3M system says polish, not buffing compound. It may have been responsible for all the grief. Just a guess. I've never had anything like this happen before. Usually fisheyes are in an isolated area from contamination, not the whole panel. This leaves the ashtray and rear bumper to be painted. The bumper has some ugly to be addressed. Nothing without damage on this project.

[kb426]

O&S has had enough exercise for the day. Some trash fell on the fresh paint on the fenders yesterday so they received a quick cut and buff. I used a sledge hammer to take a bend out of the rear bumper and removed a few small dents. Then it got blasted. I ran the truck in and installed the fenders. The inner fenders need installed still. The front bumper is poor. I'm thinking about blasting it and painting it the same as the rear bumper. I painted the shoulder belt retractor covers the other day. I installed them this morning.

[idrivejunk]

That looks neat as a pin inside now. I always liked the look of those trucks with five slots.  

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Very brite paint...    what colour name was the white Ford used for decades?  Wimbledon white ?  Kinda an off white color

[kb426]

Tony, that is pure white, same as I used on the 51.
In order to see if the wheels I have could be a possibility, I bolted on the adapters that were leftover from the 72 and put on some Mustang wheels. 17 on the front and 18 on the rear. This answered the 1st question of whether I could use the wheels from the 32 or not. The answer is no. The width of the adapter with a standard offset wheel is to close to the fender lip. The Mustang wheels are positive offset. It did answer the question about 17's though. I like the way the larger wheel fills the wheel well. I installed the front inner fenders, painted the headlight doors and installed a cowl to hood seal this morning. It was time for a short drive in the country.

[kb426]

O&S got the headliner in. I didn't have enough material left to do a one piece. I glued the 2 together with a bonding strip on the rear that is 2" wide. The seam is on the left side. I thought the driver wouldn't be looking up very often so as not to notice it. The pic shows it clearly but outside it's not real noticeable. The list is getting shorter.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Needs a turbo.

[chimp koose]

Mustang parts    (This is the point where Bob used to chime in and we would tag team razz you) I miss his humor

[kb426]

O&S had a long day that wasn't that productive. I put the front bumper in the vat to see how much it would clean up. Not that much. I took the buffer to it and it's a 20 footer now. I have hours in the rear bumper and it's not primered, yet. I had to cut 2 of the brace bolts out and hammer and dolly where they were mounted in the bumper face. This is with a sledge and a piece of 2" square solid stock for a dolly. All I can say is it's better than when I started.

[kb426]

Light day for updates. The ash tray is painted. The rear bumper has been primered. My plan is to paint it tomorrow.

[kb426]

O&S is done painting. The last part has been completed.