Today is the start of the body work for my truck, and it's eventual new paint job. Seems odd not having it fill the drive way. Man I hope they do a good job, I took it to the Chrysler dealer next to me. I spent Friday pulling the Buckstop off it, and the head lights. I also went on and wired in the strobe circuits and it's controller, that went smooth. While it was off, i cut 4-holes in the Buckstop Bumper for some LED's I Frenched in. I'll get some pictures soon, I still have the rear bumper to do when I get the truck back. I wish now that I would have snap a picture of it without all it's stuff. Tomorrow I will have time to go over to the body shop and get a picture of it all sanded down. Yes it is going to be Black again.
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2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Body shop bound
- Thread starter y-knot
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Well today I purchased a Reflexions steel cowl induction hood. It will take a few days to arrive, so the guy's at the body shop will hold off on the paint. They have pretty much striped her of all nameplates, side molding and trim. I am going over later and snap a picture or two. My hood needed to be striped now too the metal, and it also had a few dings, so I replaced it. The hood rely wasn't that expensive after you take off the man hours required to fix the stock hood, they get 50 dollars an hour for body work. That adds up fast, and justifies the cost of the new hood. This paint job is all coming out of my pocket, and I don't have very deep ones. I am trying to stay on budget, and so far it is working out.
they come from factory a bit "dinged" and not always exact fit... they need "adjusting" at the shop to fit correctly
at least mine did and several others that were done at the same time
at least mine did and several others that were done at the same time
Welll you saved some, that isn't bad. I had to pay 400. 00 for the hood and another 155. 00 for freight. O well! I well let you know if it needed any "Adjustment" or not. The gost flames sound interresting, though I can see them on my truck. I have already blown my budget with the paint job, I am in the 5000. 00 bracket now, and it is not over.
Ok, time for an update of the truck. Well good news is it is all painted except for the tailgate and the hood. I saw it today and they were putting the windshield back in. looked good, but truthfully is was covered in body shop dust and I didn't really look at it.
Bad news is my cowl induction hood came in today and it was damaged so I refused it's delivery. now I will have to wait another week or so. It had a 15"x 12" dent right in the front where the seams from the scope come down to the front. **** happens!
The nameplates have all arrived, they look really cool, and I can hardly wait to apply them. Oh, The truck looks so much better with out the body side molding, I was worried how that would turn out. It really changes the look and opens up the side so they don't look so busy. It also makes the truck look bigger, like it needs that.
Bad news is my cowl induction hood came in today and it was damaged so I refused it's delivery. now I will have to wait another week or so. It had a 15"x 12" dent right in the front where the seams from the scope come down to the front. **** happens!
The nameplates have all arrived, they look really cool, and I can hardly wait to apply them. Oh, The truck looks so much better with out the body side molding, I was worried how that would turn out. It really changes the look and opens up the side so they don't look so busy. It also makes the truck look bigger, like it needs that.
Truth is the truck is still in the body shop! The new hood finally came in last Thursday(25), and they had it and the tailgate to paint. I think all the glass is back in and most of the trim, I haven't seen the truck since the 25th, I suspect they will call this week for me to pick-it up?
Once it gets home i have much to do. I pre-wired the truck for the strobe system, just have to mount the headlights, new carbon fiber tail lights and clear corner lights. I am also working on getting the pump for the water/meth injection system mounted in the Buckstop bumper, oh yea I have to re-mount that to.
I still haven't gotten to the Alcoa hotshot wheels, they need to get sealed before use... ... . I'll post when it gets in
Once it gets home i have much to do. I pre-wired the truck for the strobe system, just have to mount the headlights, new carbon fiber tail lights and clear corner lights. I am also working on getting the pump for the water/meth injection system mounted in the Buckstop bumper, oh yea I have to re-mount that to.
I still haven't gotten to the Alcoa hotshot wheels, they need to get sealed before use... ... . I'll post when it gets in
Today was my big day, I got to see the finished truck and bring it home. I am very pleased with the paint job, they did an excelent job. Truth is, it looks better today (04-08-04) then it did the day I took delivery of it (10-14-96). The guys at the Body Shop really enjoyed working on this project, they had the truck for almost 30 days, and I think some didn't want to give it back. They did a great job, and I am greatfull for their efforts. Looks like lunch is on me next friday! The guy that actually did the paint is a nice fellow, He and I have have known each other for some time, and I new he would treat it like his own. They wet sanded it 2 or 3 times and it shows, but what a mess. I spent several hours under the hood cleaning off all the residue, but loved every minuet.
I snaped a few pictures late tonight, I know some wanted to see it. All I have done so far ,is to wash and dry the truck. I can't wax it for 30 days, so these pictures are with out any waxing. I will start on adding some of the new pieces in the next couple of days. My Rock Ring is in and ready, new Euro Tail Lights, Clear corner lights, Dual in-line steering stabilizer from SkyJacker, finish the undercover strobes, and seal/polish the alcoa's. Also I'll add the new '04 style Nameplates after a week.
Hope you like it...
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I snaped a few pictures late tonight, I know some wanted to see it. All I have done so far ,is to wash and dry the truck. I can't wax it for 30 days, so these pictures are with out any waxing. I will start on adding some of the new pieces in the next couple of days. My Rock Ring is in and ready, new Euro Tail Lights, Clear corner lights, Dual in-line steering stabilizer from SkyJacker, finish the undercover strobes, and seal/polish the alcoa's. Also I'll add the new '04 style Nameplates after a week.
Hope you like it...
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y-knot,
I love your truck, loved it since the first day I saw it.
I've also got a 97 3500, but my paint isn't as good as yours, even before you did the new paint job. If I can ask, what did it cost for the paint job? I'm considering it in the future. Lot of white spots showing on my truck from scratches and stuff. What's the worst is that a guy dragged a burnt out bed matress over the sides of my truck when we were going to haul stuff to the metal yard.
Talk about scratches. Also I have spots on the back corner of the cab where there is a light mist of Prairie Gold from overspray when we were painting a couple Minneapolis Moline's. It isn't heavy, but it's noticeable from a couple feet away.
I love your truck, loved it since the first day I saw it.
I've also got a 97 3500, but my paint isn't as good as yours, even before you did the new paint job. If I can ask, what did it cost for the paint job? I'm considering it in the future. Lot of white spots showing on my truck from scratches and stuff. What's the worst is that a guy dragged a burnt out bed matress over the sides of my truck when we were going to haul stuff to the metal yard.
Talk about scratches. Also I have spots on the back corner of the cab where there is a light mist of Prairie Gold from overspray when we were painting a couple Minneapolis Moline's. It isn't heavy, but it's noticeable from a couple feet away.TMASS,
Thanks, I am glade you liked the truck. I don't know if you are the original owner of your '97 or not, but trucks are hard to keep clean. I have had mine since 10-14-96, and it does get babied, but the paint (black) still faded out , mainly on the roof, hood and top of fenders. Combine that with a few "accidents" while carrying things and the paint starts to look worn. My total bill was around $5,000. 00, Labor was about 70% of that. You could do it for much less if you wanted to, I told them from the start my main focus was on the finish, and that takes time. They also removed a lot of parts(glass, lights, bumpers, grills,door handles, ect. ) and that all takes time. First to remove then to re-install. I plan on keeping this truck for many more years, after all that was the whole reason for buying the diesel.
I didn't take any more pictures of the whole truck because it isn't finished. I still have the Buckstop bumper off, head lights, corner lights also. I am waiting for a new headlight wiring harness to come in before I install the bumper, it would be much easier to do with the headlights and bumper off. I did get the Rock Ring and Daul steering stabilizer on today. I also got the Euro tail Lights in and the strobes mounted in them. The last thing I did was drill the rear bumper for some Flush mounted LED lights, two 2-1/4" holes and two 2-5/8" holes, I'LL finish them tomarrow.
Here is the Poison Spyder Custom's Rock Ring for the Dana 60
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And here is the SkyJacker Dual In-Line Steering Stabilizer.
#ad
#ad
Hope you like them
Thanks, I am glade you liked the truck. I don't know if you are the original owner of your '97 or not, but trucks are hard to keep clean. I have had mine since 10-14-96, and it does get babied, but the paint (black) still faded out , mainly on the roof, hood and top of fenders. Combine that with a few "accidents" while carrying things and the paint starts to look worn. My total bill was around $5,000. 00, Labor was about 70% of that. You could do it for much less if you wanted to, I told them from the start my main focus was on the finish, and that takes time. They also removed a lot of parts(glass, lights, bumpers, grills,door handles, ect. ) and that all takes time. First to remove then to re-install. I plan on keeping this truck for many more years, after all that was the whole reason for buying the diesel.
I didn't take any more pictures of the whole truck because it isn't finished. I still have the Buckstop bumper off, head lights, corner lights also. I am waiting for a new headlight wiring harness to come in before I install the bumper, it would be much easier to do with the headlights and bumper off. I did get the Rock Ring and Daul steering stabilizer on today. I also got the Euro tail Lights in and the strobes mounted in them. The last thing I did was drill the rear bumper for some Flush mounted LED lights, two 2-1/4" holes and two 2-5/8" holes, I'LL finish them tomarrow.
Here is the Poison Spyder Custom's Rock Ring for the Dana 60
And here is the SkyJacker Dual In-Line Steering Stabilizer.
Hope you like them
Last edited by a moderator:
I like the pics. The blue looks really good.
I just bought my truck August 1 of last year over in Yankton, SD. A guy from Vermillion, SD had owned it and it was supposedly on lease before that since it was new. He said he bought it around September of 2000 for around $20k+. Don't quote me on that because he also said that he could have sold it for more than he paid for it, 3 years later.
Anyways, it seems to have been well taken care of.
This early spring I had introduced it to mud and kind of regret it. I just bought new Firestone Destination M/T tires and wanted to try them out, so I took the truck out to a snowy/muddy Minimum Maintence Road to see what they could do. I didn't go crazy though, managed to basically get through everything and back in 2Hi. There was one time when I was just going slow and got hung up, but I was more or less trying to get stuck. I don't think the truck had been thru mud before, the way that the underbody looked when I bought it. I think, and I hope, that will be the last time I will go through mud again with it. Never know though. I spent hours on Wednsday under the truck cleaning it up and scraping mud off. It's a lot better than it was, but there's still some dryed on gravel film on the underbody. Should have seen all the stuff that fell down into my shirt, hair, and eyes. Yesterday I spent from about 2:00 to 8:00 washing it and waxing it. I drove over to the car wash about 13 miles away and put it in the manual truck wash. Rinsed it, washed it, rinsed it, sprayed the wax on it, sprayed clear coat protectant on it, then ended with a spot free rinse. Spent $9 for basically the same thing that I did at home, or could do at home, with the pressure washer. Was totally a waste of money. Their was basically a film covering the truck. So I figured I would bring it home and give it a real wax, figure that's what it would probably need. I spent the remaining time with the Turtle Wax 2000 and about 4 old towels manually waxing the whole truck with my hand. Whew that killed some time, and almost all the turtle wax. Then I took the wax to the wheels and did the wheels. Then I sprayed the tires with Black Magic Tire Wet and noticed that the black plastic pieces on/around the truck looked kind of dull and even had a grayish tint. I had gotten some wax on the driver side moulding, so that turned gray. So I thought I would try some of that Tire Wet on the black plastic trim pieces of the truck. I was impressed with what it did to the pieces. I just took a sock, sprayed some on the sock, and wiped it on the application. I tried it on the bumpers to. Really shined up the front bumper that was grey. I thought it did a good job though. So now the truck looks great. What more, for some reason having the truck look great and clean makes you treat the truck better for some reason. I find myself letting the truck idle for 30 seconds or so before I take off, I haven't gone over 30 yet on the gravel road, haven't been over 10 psi of boost, and tried to make smoke come out of the exhaust. 
I'm happy!!!
Here's a pic of my truck:
I just bought my truck August 1 of last year over in Yankton, SD. A guy from Vermillion, SD had owned it and it was supposedly on lease before that since it was new. He said he bought it around September of 2000 for around $20k+. Don't quote me on that because he also said that he could have sold it for more than he paid for it, 3 years later.
Anyways, it seems to have been well taken care of. This early spring I had introduced it to mud and kind of regret it. I just bought new Firestone Destination M/T tires and wanted to try them out, so I took the truck out to a snowy/muddy Minimum Maintence Road to see what they could do. I didn't go crazy though, managed to basically get through everything and back in 2Hi. There was one time when I was just going slow and got hung up, but I was more or less trying to get stuck. I don't think the truck had been thru mud before, the way that the underbody looked when I bought it. I think, and I hope, that will be the last time I will go through mud again with it. Never know though. I spent hours on Wednsday under the truck cleaning it up and scraping mud off. It's a lot better than it was, but there's still some dryed on gravel film on the underbody. Should have seen all the stuff that fell down into my shirt, hair, and eyes. Yesterday I spent from about 2:00 to 8:00 washing it and waxing it. I drove over to the car wash about 13 miles away and put it in the manual truck wash. Rinsed it, washed it, rinsed it, sprayed the wax on it, sprayed clear coat protectant on it, then ended with a spot free rinse. Spent $9 for basically the same thing that I did at home, or could do at home, with the pressure washer. Was totally a waste of money. Their was basically a film covering the truck. So I figured I would bring it home and give it a real wax, figure that's what it would probably need. I spent the remaining time with the Turtle Wax 2000 and about 4 old towels manually waxing the whole truck with my hand. Whew that killed some time, and almost all the turtle wax.
Then I took the wax to the wheels and did the wheels. Then I sprayed the tires with Black Magic Tire Wet and noticed that the black plastic pieces on/around the truck looked kind of dull and even had a grayish tint. I had gotten some wax on the driver side moulding, so that turned gray. So I thought I would try some of that Tire Wet on the black plastic trim pieces of the truck. I was impressed with what it did to the pieces. I just took a sock, sprayed some on the sock, and wiped it on the application. I tried it on the bumpers to. Really shined up the front bumper that was grey. I thought it did a good job though. So now the truck looks great. What more, for some reason having the truck look great and clean makes you treat the truck better for some reason. I find myself letting the truck idle for 30 seconds or so before I take off, I haven't gone over 30 yet on the gravel road, haven't been over 10 psi of boost, and tried to make smoke come out of the exhaust. I'm happy!!!Here's a pic of my truck:
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Renew
Subscribe
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Back Issues
Subscription Status
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What Makes Us Tick?
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