As a test, the engine bay was sanded smooth again and prepped for round two of paint. A different spray gun was used, as was a different grade of clear.
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Success! The color is correct, the clear is shiny and has some depth. But that means sanding the entire car for respraying. At this point, our son talked to the professional painters at his work and they offered to spray the car. But that means getting the body from home to work, about a 45 minute drive with no traffic. That is not feasible on the rotisserie. Time to reinstall the suspension to make this a rolling chassis.
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While I was finishing up the sanding to 400 grit, the Father-Son team tackled custom bending brake and fuel lines along the cured bedliner.
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A nifty tubing bender tool was used for both lines. The small brake line was easy to bend.
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One completed line in place.
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Time for the larger fuel line. It isn't as easy to bend.
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Both lines in place at the engine bay.
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The new fuel take had extra vents welded to the "top" side and a drain welded into the "bottom". The Ranchero tank is a Falcon tank, but flipped over, so the factory vent and drain were in the wrong locations. We used forced air and Windex to check for leaks at the welds. No leaks!
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The new drain plug bung in the gas tank. We happpened to have an air fitting the correct size to plug the hole with for now.
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Recall that customized Explorer rear axle and differential? Time to install it for good into the car. A new, heavy cast cover was installed on the differential.
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The steering, sway bar, and coil over springs ready to install on the front frame.
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One coil over in place, with the Mustang suspension, spindle, and disc brakes.
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Two new calipers with new brakes lines ready for installation.
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The steering box and shaft are in place.
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The completed driver's side front suspension and brakes.
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The steering and suspension is all done.
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The shock tower covers were bolted in next, complete with stainless steel hardware.
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The stainless bolt head really pop against that yellow.
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Time to install the custom Explorer rear end.
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The gas tank, retaining straps, and fill neck hose wait their turn for installation.
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Installing a gas tank is generally a two person job. The Father-Son team has this one well in hand.
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All the suspension was reinstalled before I finished sanding the bed or even rolled in the feather fill on the back of the cab. This allowed me to sit in the bed to sand the feather fill on the back of the cab.
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While they worked on the suspension, I pushed hard to finish the bed. There was exposed bare metal, so it needed a seal coat before leaving the relative low humidity of the garage.
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Spraying the seal coat was not fun. We are glad the professional gets to take over for the color and clear on the bed and cab wall.
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Almost all of the dents, dings, and scratches are gone.
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The back of the cab. It would not have looked this good without the feather fill.
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Same for the tailgate inner panel.
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Meanwhile, the bolt on parts like the fenders, doors, hood, and tailgate were taken a piece at a time to our son's work and turned over to the professionals. Minor touches to the seal coat were done, but otherwise the body work met his meticulous standards. Whew! The parts were put into the fancy down draft booth and prepped for spraying.
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Our son helped with spraying the base coats.
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All the parts are in yellow. Time for the clear.
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The professional, Rene, sprayed the clear.
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Ever heard of a parts tree? This works for all those small parts that need to be body color.
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