Making It My Own

I started to build the truck in my head. I really liked how Gas Monkey Garage lowered the truck on “Fast ‘N Loud,” just enough, not too much. I had decided that I was also going to do that to my truck someday. I loved everything they did to that truck. I wouldn’t have chosen the color they did, but it worked. The clean lines and de-cluttered look really appeals to me. It seems sacrilegious to take off the chrome, but that is exactly what I plan on doing. I will be leaving the chrome bumpers and the grille, but that’s it. Rich has tossed around the idea of making a billet grille. I really like this idea; I have always loved billet grilles.

While watching “Overhaulin,” I saw a color paint that I had to have. It was on an episode where the crew was “Overhaulin” a 1967 Chevy Camaro. The color is “Huntington Blue Pearl” by Chip Foose and BASF Paints. When looking for the color codes, I couldn’t find anything. So, I called a local automotive paint shop and told them what I wanted. They were very helpful, and let me down easy. This paint was not going to work for the application I wanted. What I was told is that this paint is a special type that has to have a special system in order to spray it – which Rich does not have. Plus, the cost of the paint was out of my miniscule price range. I have searched high and low and have found a similar color. The color is a Ford color; it’s called “Blue Jeans Metallic”. If you see a newer F-150 driving around with a dark blue paint, that’s the color.

The seat in the truck right now seems to be in good shape, but I haven’t taken off the cover that is on it – so if there is damage to the seat, I wouldn’t know just yet. Ideally I’d like to replace the bench seat with a more modern seat. I really like the F-150 bucket seats. The driver’s seat is a bucket and the passenger’s seat has a jump seat in the middle that also folds down into an arm rest. If it wasn’t for the kids, I’d just put in two buckets, however, there will be times that I’d want to take both my boys with me so three seat belts are a must.

Lighting is fairly important to me. I like the brighter LED lights for all marker lights and brake lights. Along with the exterior illumination, I also want LED lights in the cab. The stock instrument panel is partially functional. The gas gauge and oil pressure gauge are working but that is it. I have also toyed around with making my own instrument panel, I’m not sure how difficult it would be to fabricate – but it is something I am considering. I really love how the HID (High Intensity Discharge) look. They are brighter than any incandescent, halogen or LED headlights on the market today. Initially to “turn on” they require 20amps until they are warm. Once the lights are on, they only require a constant 5amps. This is 10amps less than halogen lights. Halogen lights require a constant power of 15 amps. The HID lights are a fairly straight forward installation.

Over the years, I have had an increased appreciation for sound, electronics really, but sound is very near and dear to my heart. I have always had a need for more sound. Technology has made leaps and bounds with different sound applications. The quality of the sound has surpassed what was once the norm. I don’t have any plans on doing anything crazy with the sound in the truck. It has one in dash speaker right now, which is incredibly insufficient. I would like to add two speakers in the door panels. I have found in classic cars there isn’t much insulation so the sound reverberates throughout the cab. Classic cars are also notorious for suppressing the bass. To solve the bass problem, I intend to add a small eight or ten inch subwoofer under the bench seat. It is unclear if it will be possible or not to add two more small speakers in the corners of the cab.

As for the current powertrain, the truck has a Ford 392 big block that doesn’t seem to be holding compression. Rich calls the engine a “boat anchor.” Because of it being a “boat anchor” and because there is obvious damage to the block, it needs to be replaced. It is running right now, but obviously not very reliably. I hope to find a new, or rebuilt 289 to drop into it. The transmission is also faulty. It’s leaking like the engine. It’s a manual three speed with a granny gear. I am planning on putting a three speed automatic in its place.

Throughout this blog I intend to delve into each project with great detail. I have explored the possibility to also add Vlogs (video blogs) to the body of the blog. I think this will help with the understanding of the intricacies of refurbishing and customizing a classic car or truck. Keep checking back for more projects!