Project 'Smokey' - '72 Ranger XLT

[Bullitt74]

Roof work:

Roof first got a layer of B-Quiet sound deadener:


Next, insulation cut to size, then sprayed with 3M Trim Adhesive...wait for it to get a bit tacky then stick in place. I was amazed...it defied gravity and just stuck in place.


Final after some aluminum tape to cinch up the seams:

[Bullitt74]

Refreshed the parking brake mechanism:

[Fordkid68]

Awesome work!! I just read through your entire thread and I am very impressed!! That is such a beautiful truck! I really like the choice of wheels, I always liked those. keep up the good work, and keep pluggin away!

[Bullitt74]

Awesome work!! I just read through your entire thread and I am very impressed!! That is such a beautiful truck! I really like the choice of wheels, I always liked those. keep up the good work, and keep pluggin away!

Thank you Adam!

[Bullitt74]

Now for some not so fun work...cleaning up and restoring the heater box. After this work, it really wasn’t so bad and one just needs to dive in.

Removed the blower motor, air box and drilled out the rivets holding the steel backing plate to the fibreglass box:


There are some screws here as well. Gently separate and take lots of pictures of how this all goes back together...


The flappers (?) that control the airflow have foam glued on. Mineral spirits or wash and wipe will dissolve the foam and the glue. I wire brushed the metal pieces and clear coated them. Maybe one day I’ll invest in a sandblasting cabinet...



The fibreglass box got a coat of SEM plastic / vinyl dye satin black after some sanding and minor repairs:



Blower motor got semi-gloss black:



Will the post assembly photos later today.

[Fordkid68]

Cool! I really like how the fiberglass dye looks.

[Bullitt74]

Heater box reassembly:

I used 3M Spray Trim Adhesive to glue the foam on the flappers. A good solid hardcover book to apply pressure, and parchment paper to ensure the glue doesn’t stick to the pages.







In putting the box back together, I was unable to source the rivets, so used SS #8 1/2” panhead screws instead (you won’t see them) with nylon locking nuts on the back. It looks quite nice once back together.





I cut and polished the airbox, as it had a gross yellowish sheen on it that wouldn’t clean off. I also detailed the lettering in white. I replaced the gasket as best I could. All replacement parts came from Dennis Carpenter.

[Bullitt74]

Some new shiny stuff to install:







Cleaned up the silver trim on this courtesy panel:

[jimmy828]

great job ! The little things count too

[Fordkid68]

Wow, you're really cruisin right along! It'll be done before you know it!

[67mann]

As much as I love my "RestoMod"..... I love seeing people paying attention to detail on these old trucks too Great Job bringing it back to life

[Bullitt74]

Thanks for the kind words guys! I do love the details...

Some of my obsession for details goes back to building model cars as a kid...here’s some Testors orange paint:


A shiny new piece (the old shift indicator broke)


Done!


New cluster with LEDs:








A push to the end now - maybe less than 100 jobs left!

[Fordkid68]

Cool! Those LEDs really look good!!
I always liked building model kits too! recently I found a company that makes quite a few Bumpside models. I got one of them and it seems to be really good molding quality, I'm going to model it after my truck.
Here is a link to their website.
https://www.moebiusmodels.com/index.html
Here is the kit I got.

IMG_1531.JPG

[Bullitt74]

Cool! Those LEDs really look good!!
I always liked building model kits too! recently I found a company that makes quite a few Bumpside models. I got one of them and it seems to be really good molding quality, I'm going to model it after my truck.
Here is a link to their website.
https://www.moebiusmodels.com/index.html
Here is the kit I got.

Great minds think alike!!

[Bullitt74]

Cleaning and painting a few things...





Nicest tire iron ever...


Clear coat for the hard lines in the cab after knocking the rust off...