Project 'Smokey' - '72 Ranger XLT

[Bullitt74]

More shots of the cab after cut and polish. A really "holy crap, this thing is coming together" moment...






Ken looking on in the background...




Box is getting the 2-tone treatment


A few rusty owies had to be fixed in the box before application of the Raptor Liner


Love the '54 Chev in the background on these pics. An older LT1 Corvette engine to power it if you're wondering


This is my favourite pic from this set

[cdnwillyg]

Wow that's a lot of work done and looking great!
Good call on doing the frame just makes it look right, nice and clean.
Keep it up!

[cdnwillyg]

Steve just noticed on the last pic that the bottom of the box at the back will be the same color as the top/inside..right? I think you should look at doing the back piece the same color as the lower outside of the box or it will look funny once the bumper is on with the tailgate. Your truck do it the way you want., just wanted to make sure you were aware of this.

[Bullitt74]

Okay guys, here's some of the pics you've been waiting for with (almost) the complete body put together and painted. These were taken just before Christmas and today.










Raptor liner applied in this shot


My favourite pic from this set. I love the drip rail trim and original gas cap (I scrounged for months to find an original gas cap BTW). A taste of what it'll look like once it receives it's chrome treatment.










This last one of the tailgate receiving 2-tone treatment was taken today.

...and that's the catch-up on the paint and body. Thanks to Lone Ranger and others for pushing me to keep up with this thread!

[Bullitt74]

Steve just noticed on the last pic that the bottom of the box at the back will be the same color as the top/inside..right? I think you should look at doing the back piece the same color as the lower outside of the box or it will look funny once the bumper is on with the tailgate. Your truck do it the way you want., just wanted to make sure you were aware of this.

Thanks for noticing that - the 2-tone on the back won't be quite right - unfortunately I didn't catch it until recently. I'm not too worried, as the XLT panel and the trim around the taillights will mask much of that. I'm not too fussy on this aspect, and Ken has already gone above and beyond on this project!

[cdnwillyg]

It sure looks great all done. Your Raptor liner, how did you get it to color match the paint? I would like to do that in my bed but didn't think the color could be matched?

[Bullitt74]

It sure looks great all done. Your Raptor liner, how did you get it to color match the paint? I would like to do that in my bed but didn't think the color could be matched?

Hey Willy - I did a fair bit of research on this a while back. My memory is a bit hazy on this, so anyone else reading this feel free to chime in or correct me if needed.

The coloured/tinted (other than black) Line-X product uses a type of basecoat/topcoat, which is fine until it gets scratched, which can't really be matched. Also, the basecoat has a tendency to turn yellow (lighter colors) or fade if the topcoat gets scratched. In addition, the lighter colors in the Line-X product will eventually yellow over time.

The U-Pol Raptor liner has UV protectant. There are threads on the 4x4 forums where guys in Texas have installed this product with no fading or yellowing after 3-5 years (some of these guys paint their entire 4x4 with the product). You probably have shops closer to you that can mix it, but I highly recommend CAPS in Red Deer, as they are experts in color matching - especially if you can bring in a painted piece that they can match up. Just know that the product is textured and matte finish, so the color match won't be perfect...although I think even close looks better to me that flat black on these trucks (particularly with a white/colour combo).

http://www.raptorcoatings.com/us/en/home

The other advantage is that it covers up small imperfections in the box, which have a tendency to accumulate in trucks like ours...

[popeyes71]

Great Progress! Love how you did the bed liner and how it is not your standard black. She looks really nice but wait till you get her out of the shop and out of the florescent lights and into the sun light; she is going to look amazing in natural light! Keep us up to date on the progress!

[Manny]

That thing looks fantastic. Second vote for love tinted raptor liner works out great. Man that thing looks amazing!!! Keep us updated the blue a white is great!

[DuckRyder]

Wow, That is looking good!!!

Can’t wait to see the finished product!

[67mann]

Nice job

[hfdco4]

I wish I was closer to this stage. You have an amazing looking ride there.

[Lone Ranger]

Wow! Steve your truck looks beautiful! It's gonna really pop once all that trim and chrome is on. Can't wait to see it out in the light...to bad the weather isn't cooperating. Keep up the good work!

[crazyhorse]

Mr Bullitt,

Congratulations.
Looking good.

[Bullitt74]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and support! The encouragement will certainly help once I'm at the point where I've put the kids to bed after a long day at work, and only have 1-2 hours to chip away at this project. My goal is to have it ready (driving, tested and tuned) for a huge car show in Three Hills, Alberta for the first weekend in June (in addition to many trips to Home Depot for more backyard projects - this truck will have to do some work too).

I wasn't there, but last year there was a bit of a scare with a tornado that threatened the Three Hills car show events on the Friday night. This gained some international attention when a local resident decided to finish cutting his grass with the tornado looming in the background.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/t ... -1.4145466

Might be able to take delivery as soon as next week (fingers crossed!). It's first stop will be to get some new glass as the first step towards weatherproofing the cab interior. Unfortunately, my daily driver gets priority when the weather is real nasty (like what we've had lately). Hoping for a mild Alberta winter from this point forward with an early spring...