Blue Ribbon 4x4 Build Thread

Coachbuilder tie rod ends arrived and holy beefers. Never realized how big these were.

 

Blue pearl over black going down today. Taped off the flattened area so a tech’s wrench doesn’t scratch (I’m sure they’ll find a way). Sanded, etching primer, flat black, and Nokon blue pearl clear. Fairly close to Blue Ribbon. Gotta cure then I can rub off the hard line.
All of the color is mostly visible in the sun, I realize they’re under the truck. But the more I practice this technique, the better. And I think at the right angle and lighting, these will shine like crazy.

 

Awwww yeah!!!! Going to be killer. Going to pair really well with the UCA's. Nice pop of Blue Ribbon when in the wheel well.

 

Yep! Thanks Robert!

 

Projects incoming….

 

Mirrors sanded to remove old bedliner/texture. Just a small list of the order of operations.

 

After the Bulldog adhesion promoter, I had some leftover scratches and texture, so I tried some Upol sandable filler primer. Never used it before, but it really filled a lot after two coats. We’ll see how well it sands tomorrow morning.
Also, the wife is out of town so that made washing the mirrors easy.

 

The black is down and smooth. We’re ready for the candy Nokon blue. The Blue Ribbon will be last.

 

Blue Ribbon going down

 

This is the paint scheme I finally settled on. All of the black areas have a light coat of the candy blue, and I just went with a slim blue line under the caps for a sleek look (hopefully). I’ll install the caps and clear the whole assembly.

 

Pumping out these pics. Blue Ribbon down, clear coat coming.

 

X2

Looking great, Geno!

 

Thanks fellas!

 

Here they are. Can’t wait to get a little sun on them!!!
The black base really sits nice in the shade. Put a little light on them and the blue pearl pops.

 

Had an off-road run with the boys. Steep climbs and descent.

 

Now that the mirrors are cured, I decided to flow coat them. Sand the clear coat smooth to get rid of the orange peel. I had a few fogged areas from overspray, so they needed to be smoothed, then recleared.
Even built a double turntable so they were easier to paint.

 

Love how you built the double turn table! Awesome stuff as always Geno

 

Thanks Robert! I used these cheapies!
Lswteiz 2Pack 6Inch Square Lazy...

$10 Lswteiz 2Pack 6" Square Lazy Susan Turntable Bearing Plate, 500lbs Capacity Rotating Swivel Base for Serving Trays, Kitchen

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRCXY9C5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

Started work on the hood. Removed the vinyl wrap, knocked down the reverse dent, and sanded to 220g.

Working on two different designs for paint. The design would depent on either leaving the grille surround and hood bulge black, or color matching those parts. One hood design would complement the black grille and hood bulge.
The other design would be mostly blue, complementing the color matched grille surround and hood bulge. I haven’t decided, and it’s driving me nuts.
I made a couple crude examples, we’ll see as we get close to the hood finish.

 

Underside getting prepped. This will be matte black.

 

Got the bondo in the dent, sanded, self etching primer and high build primer. Sanding tomorrow.

 

Dang!!!! Looks soo much better. Can barely tell it had damage. Can't wait to see it in Blue Ribbon.

 

Thanks! Still leaning toward leaving the grille surround and bulge black, which means there’s more black on the hood. But after seeing the picture of my grille and a color matching surround, my mind may be changing.

 

Let's be real here, you're going to do both at some point in time. Look at the multiple iterations of your headlights. At some point, both options will wind up on the truck, and we are here for it!

 

Haha! I’m really hoping to only paint this hood once! I think I got a top choice though.

 

Sealer down.

 

Soooo my 8 gal compressor wasn’t keeping up with the hood. At about 75% finished, I started losing pressure. I grabbed this 20 gal for $150 used, as a new compressor definitely wasn’t in the budget. That puts me at about $400 so far in this “free” hood. But a new tool is an investment, not a purchase. That’s what I tell my wife to her rolling eyes anyway.

 

Thats a score!

Pics of the hood?