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It's tough to answer because I had to learn some things as I went along. This time I had to begin with "confidence builders" like the hood and fenders. I had to learn how to tell when I had done
sufficient prep work and could move on to the next step in the process. Next time, I will do all the body work before doing any primer or paint work. But still, each vehicle is different, and each panel
on a vehicle may require different repairs.
What I would recommend for a beginner:
Use quality materials for filler, sandpaper, masking tape, masking paper, paint and primer.
Get a decently rated spray gun - does not have to be expensive <$200, but read the reviews.
Have somebody you can ask lots of questions. Paying somebody to consult is worth it.
If you remove the doors, DO NOT remove the seam sealer around the hinges. Assuming your doors shut nicely now, these are the witness marks you need to put them back on correctly.
Label all bags of screws, trim, etc better than you would think you need to. It will save you time.
Take lots of photos in disassembly...it cannot hurt!
Use a basecoat/clearcoat process. It may cost more but is much more forgiving than a single stage paint process. Start with a simple respray in the same color- much less work.
Spray cans- etching primer, color and clear, = all applicable where needed. (again, buy quality)
My paint job is not perfect, but not finished yet either, I need to touch up rockers below the doors where the paint is thin, due in part to the bright sunlight conditions I was spraying in(snowblindness) and I need to wetsand and buff the clear for a nicer finish.
Thanks a lot! The body work and paint job looks perfect in the pics, I've learnt a lot with this thread.
Pulled the rear bumper mounts off completely, drove it to work and went for state inspection yesterday. It passed with no trouble.
up next, will be wiring the amps and mounting the bumper so that we’ll be able to mount bikes for the weekend in NH. It’s hard to get out in the garage after a cold, long, dark commute home from the office but I have Friday off and we won’t drive to NH until evening so I’ll have time during the day to finish preparing for the road trip.
Drove in to the office today and along the way, decided to try to get an alignment done today. Town Faire Tire got me in during lunch break and here's the results. The "Before" numbers were my eyeball alignment. Much more caster now which means better highway stability. It drove great back to the office, can't wait for the evening commute and our road trip to NH this weekend. Looking at the rear toe numbers it appears my rear axle is skewed a little, probably due to the leaf spring replacement performed by a previous owner. Oh well, another future project.
Last edited by Melrose 4r; Oct 17, 2018 at 05:25 PM.
Took the day off work to mount up the new rear bumper and begin the road trip.
i had tried the bumper last weekend and decided I could use the original 1986 step bumper mounts with some modification.
so I cut 2.5” out of each one and welded them back together.
this is a crappy job to do alone, fitting the bumper on and off.
i used one of the existing holes in the bumper itself and drilled another hole between the leftmost one in the photo and the end of each mounting bracket.
also wound up mig welding the bumper to the brackets.
These bumpers seem pretty flimsy to me and my end goal was to mount a bike rack with two mountain bikes and hit the road. So I felt it would flex less if I welded it.
After fitting and welding I needed to paint the rusty looking mounts so the plastic drop cloth was a quick and dirty way to mask it.
Here it is Ready for the road.
Now, we’ve travelled up the road and made it to our hotel in NH. it was about 2 hours on the highway total. stop and go until we hit the NH line then highway speeds from there.
as soon as we pulled into the hotel a guy commented on the “Nice truck!”
At one point on the highway I saw a red light flash on the dashboard very quickly. So quickly I didn’t know which it was. Then after thinking about it I pulled on the e-brake a little and that was the one that had lit up. But after idling with the e-brake on while unloading the bags at the hotel front door, I went to park it and I noticed the “charge” light was now on too. I parked it and came inside. This is a long way of saying I hope my alternator is not about to die and leave us stranded here, if I had my shop manual with me i’d Look up dash board indicator circuits to see if the two have something in common like ground.
Nice truck!
The body and paint job look amazing.
First time I see a white soft top.
The bumper looks good. If I install that one, I'll put the license plate in the step, and I'd modify the tail gate, truck flat style, with the big 'TOYOTA' decal, I love the truck tailgate.
Last edited by SomedayJ; Oct 20, 2018 at 07:00 AM.
We made it back from NH without so much as a flicker from the CHARGE light but I promised the truck I’d look into it and have ordered some new alternator brushes for it. In my family’s Toyota history alternator brushes didn’t last beyond 125k miles and this one might have 182k on it, I don’t know for sure if it’s the original alternator or not.
Really glad I got the alignment before this road trip! It’s a bit tiring to drive at 70+ mph in traffic but the alignment sure has helped.
Got the speakers remounted in the doors today and now working on wiring back to the amps. I want it to look very clean. Also thinking about putting a dark blue double pinstripe down the sides of the truck. Still have more detail stuff like windshield trim and wheelwell trim to work on. And also the Toyota 4Runner badges for the B pillars need to be restored. Lots of small indoor projects for the winter!
Nice truck!
The body and paint job look amazing.
First time I see a white soft top.
The bumper looks good. If I install that one, I'll put the license plate in the step, and I'd modify the tail gate, truck flat style, with the big 'TOYOTA' decal, I love the truck tailgate.
that bumper looks a lot sturdier than my chrome one.
i thought the off-white soft top would look strange with the bright white paint but I like the contrast.
I’d really like to see it with a denim blue top, though. Maybe I’ll get some quotes on it.
Truck is looking awesome, your bodywork skills have definitely payed off!
now it just needs some graphics!
Thanks! Still on the fence about graphics.
James Dean hasn't answered my emails so that is helping me decide.
Also, most people I ask say it looks good without. I think the 1986 factory graphics would help raise the value but the counter argument made by a friend is "put them on before you sell it."
So the only decision I've made is to add some blue pin stripes after I wet sand and buff it...whenever I get around to that!
I think these trucks look waayy better with the graphics, 86 being my favorite, but that's just my opinion
They do still look great without, no doubt
Curious how it goes with the james dean graphics. I'm considering getting some big rolls of paper and tracing mine to use as a template when i get around to painting
I think these trucks look waayy better with the graphics, 86 being my favorite, but that's just my opinion
They do still look great without, no doubt
Curious how it goes with the james dean graphics. I'm considering getting some big rolls of paper and tracing mine to use as a template when i get around to painting
I don't think its going anywhere with him. I'm not going to send $300 to a guy that doesn't answer emails.
Tracing your own is the way to go. My friend traced the graphics that were on mine and created a vector file. Then the sign shops can reproduce them, they way i understand it. Perhaps the shop would prefer to do the tracing or maybe they have some other method.
My problem is I can't find a photo of an 86 with blue graphics anywhere. Maybe it was shown in the original sales brochure but I don't know. Maybe blue doesn't exist.
Is there any way you can post or send me that vector file?
My father in law has done a lot of work with a guy that makes vinyl decals for cars, he does very good work, I'd like to get a quote from him. (See the signs on the wall in my avatar pic)
I also have a 2'*4' CNC/laser machine that can probably cut a vinyl decal, but I'd have to sink a lot of time into fiddling
Is there any way you can post or send me that vector file?
My father in law has done a lot of work with a guy that makes vinyl decals for cars, he does very good work, I'd like to get a quote from him. (See the signs on the wall in my avatar pic)
I also have a 2'*4' CNC/laser machine that can probably cut a vinyl decal, but I'd have to sink a lot of time into fiddling
Sure I can send you the files. But remember, mine don't look like your graphics.
PM your email address
Oct 16, 2018 | 08:58 AM
