1981 Ford F100 Revival (Parked for 12 years)

[Jonathan]

I also got some work completed on the wheel well guard. The brain box leaked out all over it and I was not looking forward to trying to remove it. Surprisingly the first product I tried worked. It was like a black tar mix of dirt and crude that seemed would not come off easily. But using De-Solv-It and the warm sun I was able to scrape it off with a metal scraper. I would of used a plastic scraper but it was so hard I didn't think it would work as well. Under the brain box was fresher crude that looked more like raw honey.

Now I need to work on sanding down the scratches. Any advice on this is appreciated. Would careful application of heat also work to remove the scratches? The plan is to paint it using SEM bumper spray paint.

[rcarlisle]

Wow, that looks good.  It's not ready to paint?  A little heat might work or just some sanding or red scotchbrite to scuff?

[mat in tn]

actually, I refuse to paint these. I clean as you did and also use brillo pads sometimes. clean clean clean. then I use my heat gun carefully and resurface them. glossy, black results. scratches melt back in. just do this slowly and carefully and it works surprisingly fast. I use a wagner heat gun on the low setting and creep up on it. patience and a gloved holding hand and you should be happy and no paint to chip or scratch off and no wait time for paint to dry before install.

[rcarlisle]

Does the black come back with the heat?  I might try that on mine in place.  Freshen it up in place.

[mat in tn]

overall yes. however any place where the plastic has been stretched a lot it gets a whitish look . not all of that goes away with mild heat. I'm cautious about over doing it as you can melt these.
certainly you can freshen things up in place just be very careful of wires, hoses, and fuel. that last one says "don't do it" !

[Gsmblue]

The heat gun trick works, I have done it a few times, sometimes successful, other times not, the plastic can bubble if you are not careful.

My Land Rover LR3 has lots of plastic trim. The only thing that really works is this stuff:

https://cerakoteceramics.com/products/cerakote-trim-coat-kit

It is a ceramic coating so you need to make sure the plastic is really clean before applying.  but the results are staggering. I treat my LR3 every 12-18 months, it really lasts.

You can find the product on Amazon. A little goes a long way.

[FuzzFace2]

My box also leaked down the liner and dripped on the house garage floor where the truck is parked and it will not come off the floor

I dont remember what I used on the plastic but may have been a putty knife?
Then maybe thinner to wipe what was left off?
I got as much of it as I could as my truck is all together and was not pulling it apart to wash this.
Dave ----

[Jonathan]

It needs more cleaning and sanding to get ready to paint. I just did a quick rough removal of the heavy duty crud. There is still a lot of dirt and scratches.

rcarlisle wrote

Wow, that looks good.  It's not ready to paint?  A little heat might work or just some sanding or red scotchbrite to scuff?

[Jonathan]

Thanks for the tips. I will try that technique in a small test area to experiment. I can see why you emphasize cleaning. If you heat the plastic with dirt on it then it will imbed into the plastic. Here are some pictures of the painting method I used before with SEM bumper paint.

mat in tn wrote

actually, I refuse to paint these. I clean as you did and also use brillo pads sometimes. clean clean clean. then I use my heat gun carefully and resurface them. glossy, black results. scratches melt back in. just do this slowly and carefully and it works surprisingly fast. I use a wagner heat gun on the low setting and creep up on it. patience and a gloved holding hand and you should be happy and no paint to chip or scratch off and no wait time for paint to dry before install.

[Jonathan]

Thanks I will check that out!

Gsmblue wrote

The heat gun trick works, I have done it a few times, sometimes successful, other times not, the plastic can bubble if you are not careful.

My Land Rover LR3 has lots of plastic trim. The only thing that really works is this stuff:

https://cerakoteceramics.com/products/cerakote-trim-coat-kit

It is a ceramic coating so you need to make sure the plastic is really clean before applying.  but the results are staggering. I treat my LR3 every 12-18 months, it really lasts.

You can find the product on Amazon. A little goes a long way.

[Jonathan]

My old brain box still works and I want to keep it as a backup. I wonder what replacement brain juice I can put in? It looks like it just prevents the board from corrosion and maybe heat dissipation.

FuzzFace2 wrote

My box also leaked down the liner and dripped on the house garage floor where the truck is parked and it will not come off the floor

I dont remember what I used on the plastic but may have been a putty knife?
Then maybe thinner to wipe what was left off?
I got as much of it as I could as my truck is all together and was not pulling it apart to wash this.
Dave ----

[Jonathan]

On another note. Where are you Gary? I have missed your guidance and encouragement.

[rcarlisle]

I'm honestly surprised you don't have some sort of magic juice for that.  You have some of the most interesting stuff.  It's electronics.  Some sort of non conductive epoxy?  

[rcarlisle]

Start here...?

https://www.panacol-usa.com/adhesive-applications/electronics-pcb-assembly/electronics-potting-compounds

[Jonathan]

I have a hot glue gun but it might take a while to fill it up.

rcarlisle wrote

I'm honestly surprised you don't have some sort of magic juice for that.  You have some of the most interesting stuff.  It's electronics.  Some sort of non conductive epoxy?

[Jonathan]

That's the stuff! Thanks for figuring out what it is called. Now I was able to find it on Amazon. I need to look at the board and see what components to replace to make it last longer and more reliable.

https://amzn.to/3tkoDMU

rcarlisle wrote

Start here...?

https://www.panacol-usa.com/adhesive-applications/electronics-pcb-assembly/electronics-potting-compounds

[Jonathan]

Before I put everything back together in the front drivers side I need to replace the body mounts. I will put the front mount back in first then remove the cab mount. I thought at first the bolt went into the cab but it is actually part of the frame under the cab. This will be fun to try and get a wrench in that small hole to keep the bolt from moving.

[mat in tn]

are you installing new replacement core support mounts? if so, I'm not quite sure of the wrench sizes. But the bolt goes up through the lower bushing, bracket, upper bushing, and large washer. then through the core support itself. the bolt threads into the upper bushing as it has a steel nut/sleeve. When cinching the inner nut and the square hold down plate, use about two feet of extensions and ratchet. you can see two crescent reliefs in the top of the core support right above them 18 mm deep well socket but some I have seen 3/4' too. might have been the rust. idk.

[Jonathan]

I have new mounts ready to go. Thanks for reminding me about the rust. I should probably start soaking the cab mount down to help it break loose. The front mount is already out and I still need to paint the hardware that I removed the rust on. I got a new bolt because the old one was too damaged.

mat in tn wrote

are you installing new replacement core support mounts? if so, I'm not quite sure of the wrench sizes. But the bolt goes up through the lower bushing, bracket, upper bushing, and large washer. then through the core support itself. the bolt threads into the upper bushing as it has a steel nut/sleeve. When cinching the inner nut and the square hold down plate, use about two feet of extensions and ratchet. you can see two crescent reliefs in the top of the core support right above them 18 mm deep well socket but some I have seen 3/4' too. might have been the rust. idk.

[FuzzFace2]

Jonathan wrote

My old brain box still works and I want to keep it as a backup. I wonder what replacement brain juice I can put in? It looks like it just prevents the board from corrosion and maybe heat dissipation.

FuzzFace2 wrote

My box also leaked down the liner and dripped on the house garage floor where the truck is parked and it will not come off the floor

I dont remember what I used on the plastic but may have been a putty knife?
Then maybe thinner to wipe what was left off?
I got as much of it as I could as my truck is all together and was not pulling it apart to wash this.
Dave ----

Mine still worked also and is a back up but I dont keep it in the truck as I dont need it leaking more inside it.
I would not even look into trying to re-potting it.

The reason I replaced it was I thought it was a cause for truck to jerk and the dash turn lights to flash at the same time. It did not fix the issue and have since found the AC compressor kicking on & off really fast, low on charge.
Dave ----