Lot's O things I've worked on to prep for the meet (Part 1)

[Pebcak]

1. Dash Rebuild Link to Photos
  - Decided that I didn’t have time for resurfacing the dash myself like I intended.
  - I got it all stripped down and did the plastic welding and filled all the big cracks and holes.
  - Ordered the Dash Cap off of eBay for about $160.  Luckily I got the LAST ONE!!!
  - You can see the pictures of the comparisons between the dash and the cap.
  - All of the edges didn’t fit perfect and the CB Speaker Grill didn’t match the original setup.
  - I remembered to predrill the holes up near the windshield part of the dash cap.
  - I glued it with the tube they gave me.  Ended up having to use my own glue to finish.  I think I went a little overboard on the adhesive..
  - Clamped it all together and it was still separating.  So I took it to the shed and stacked whatever I could find on top and let it site overnight.
  - Got my SEM Adhesion Promoter and SEM Canyon Red colors out and followed the directions.
  - Applied one whole can in about 3 coats on the dash and the black is still showing through.
  - Went to apply the second can and during my test spray on the cardboard I find out that it’s WHITE!!!!!
  - Called NPD and told them about the can and they couldn’t apologize enough and dropped another in the mail to me.  (Can arrived today 9/7)
  - I’ll be finishing the dash and installing this weekend.

2. Amp and Sub Installation Link to Photos
  - I ordered the Amp/Sub combo off of Amazon about 2 months ago and it’s been sitting around in the boxes
  - Got everything out and thankfully since I have the Boss Bluetooth Amp in the Dash from the previous installation and this amp is a Boss it was just a “Plug and Pray” type of installation
  - Ran all the wires and hooked up to the Kicker Sub and Violia!!!
  - It sounds much much better!!!  Not Thumping like two sneakers in a dryer but now I have some lower frequencies.

3. Windshield Shelf Link to Photos
  - I can’t remember if I mentioned this before or not.  Last time at my Pick N Pulls I found this custom shelf in a stripped beauty.
  - It had some type of Velour glued to it that I couldn’t get off.
  - I tried to grind, sand, scrape, sand blast and chemically remove the stuff off and nothing would work.
  - Took it to a local powder coating place here and they had a sand blaster strong enough to take it all off.
  - It ended up being cheaper to get the black gloss powder coat done then the sandblasting so I told them to go ahead.
  - I’m so glad they did because it turned out great!
  - I glued in some no skid shelf rubber to the top for when I put items up there
  - Added some red led lighting to turn on when I open the doors and it looks really good now
  - Only issue is that I need to do one of two things:  1. Lower my rear view mirror 2. Or take it off completely.

I have a few more things I'm finishing and/or working on this weekend. I'll update with another post then.

I'm open for questions, comments or concerns as always!!

[Gary Lewis]

Wow!  Lotsa work!  But looking good.  I like the pics.  And that G/flex adhesive isn't gonna let go like some I've used.  That's good stuff.

Can't wait to see the truck.  

[Pebcak]

Thank you!  

It's going to be nice to get the "Punch List" done.  The Meet is what's pushing me to get it all done and stop procrastinating.

[Dyn Blin]

A hearty Bravo Zulu to you!

In the Iron Butt motorcycle rides, some well-intentioned advice is to encourage one to avoid major modifications prior to an event.  I'm glad I'm not the only one to ignore that advice and instead, push all the work into a very dense few days.

That dash cover is an interesting option.  I've started to drill channels into my cracking foam in prep for a plastic-weld and filler repair.  I think I like you're approach better.  That shelf is a great find, too, very useful and looks much sturdier than the options offered on LMC and Amazon.

Again, great work- and the photo share is appreciated to give myself some new direction.

[NotEnoughTrucks]

That windshield shelf is intriguing. Do you have any pics of it installed? Looks like it may mount to the sun visors?

[Ford F834]

The “shelf” looks identical to the one I found and installed in my ‘81. I used 3M spray adhesive to glue on some black faux leather that I bought in the fabric section at Walmart for $5. The brackets mounted to the visor holes and the visors mount to the shelf. In my case there was no need to do anything to the rear view mirror, but I am 5’ 11” and a taller person might have a different experience. Also I mounted captain chairs on a 40/20/40 seat track and they sit just a tad lower than the stock bench. My wife is 5’ tall and really appreciates visors that come down low enough to keep the sun out of her eyes. These Fords tend to be made with tall men in mind...

[Pebcak]

I got it all installed and updated the Album's in the all of the links.  It all fits perfect.

[Gary Lewis]

It all looks good, Don!    Can't wait to see it.