Southern01Taco's build

Thanks. Actually they are not there yet, it's still an open hole. I plan on trying to make them tomorrow if I get time. They are not a big rush because I can use the exterior handle to open the door.

My original plan was to get some black sand pearl and spray it with a paint gun then clear coat it but I would've had to do a ton of prep work and body work to get it to a point where it would be worth it for them to match. One door is beat up pretty bad and the other one has a couple dents in it also. I'm going to Alabama next weekend and just wanted them ready for then. Plus they are probably going to get scratched and beat up more so it's easier to just respray them with the bedliner and be done with it.

Oh ok. Yea I would like to see that. I don't think I've ever seen them color matched to the truck.

 

I hear ya on that and it is a pretty nitpicky thing for what they are. As far as the inside handle thing, haha, shows how much I could make out...I thought you had some kind of handle in there already.

As for mine, I wouldn't exactly say color matched. The Rustoleum stuff is a bit more gray and a bit less green than my body color. I bought it when I disassembled my hubs a couple weeks ago to clean them up and lube them to see if I could get them to turn easier. They are pretty dang stiff. Still are, unfortunately, but they are a little better. Anyway, I decided since I had them apart, I'd paint the bodies and the selector dials green. The Rustoleum stuff I got wasn't quite a match, but on the hubs, it didn't really make that much difference.

I would like to find some stuff that was a reasonably close match to my body color though so I could maybe use it to touch stuff up. Guess I need to find the Krylon camo OD Green and see if that's a better match. Or order a can each of the various shades of OD green that Aervoe offers and see which matches best with that.

 

Yea lol the iPhone sucks at taking pictures in low light.

Oh ok I gotcha. If you still have your paint code, you can go to an automotive paint store, give them your code and they can get you your paint in a shake can. It's a little pricey. I got some for my s10, 5 or 6 years ago, and it was around 15 bucks a can, but it was one of the taller cans. It matches remarkably well for coming out of a shake can. With a glossy color, it comes out kind of dull but in your case it might match perfect.

 

Don't know that much about paint codes and all. This is the stuff my truck was shot with...

http://www.tcpglobal.com/Customshop/HRF235.aspx

If I felt confident enough to mix it, I could probably get a quart kit of it and spray it with a Preval sprayer (which I heard they have at Home Depot), but I'm not really sure I could get it right.

Not sure what the paint code is on it. The HRF 235 looks more like a part number.

 

Oh ok. I forgot that you just used HRF paint. You still might be able to go to a paint store and get them to put it in a spray can. If you can get a factory color mixed and put in an aerosol can then I don't see why they couldn't put the HRF colors in a can.

 

Sounds like an idea worth looking into. Thanks. I'll try to get some pics of the wheels tomorrow.

On a different note, what is the deal with our Dakars? I noticed yours are just like mine, positioning the axle so far fwd in the wheel well. I honestly don't see how your flares have survived this long. I've already torn off all the plastic retainers that hold the liner in on mine. I'm kinda thinking I made the wrong choice going with them. A guy I wheeled with at the January meet is running APs (standard, not the expos) and his axle is actually a little aft in the wheel well, but not nearly as off center as ours are. Seems like that might be a better set up, especially if you're going to be running a high clearance bumper like I want to.

 

Apparently they make a little spacer that relocated the spring pin in order to slide the axle back some. I took the bottom bolts out of the flares so they wouldn't cut my tire and I haven't had any trouble. Yea they rub real bad when I'm flexed completely out but it's not bad enough to rip the flare off. I flexed the truck out on our gooseneck yesterday and the rear tire was touching the front of the flare and only a half inch or so away in the rear. So mine isn't as bad as it looks.

 

Hmm. Mine is a bit worse than that. Not bad enough that I'm interested in putting in a spacer, but when I had the hubs apart, I did unhook the sway bar to see how bad it would be. It's going to be pretty bad, but I did notice a significant increase in capability. So I'm considering doing some trimming on my front fenders and if I do that, I might as well do the backs as well. I just have to stop procrastinating and do it. But I guess I have time. I've kind of decided no more wheelin' until I get a new clutch.

 

do you happen to know the dimensions for those pins?

 

Oh ok. Yea I love not having a sway bar. It made a huge difference. Yea once you start cutting, it gets easier and easier lol. Just make sure and cut a little at a time. I've trimmed my front 4 or 5 times and it still rubs some but I think I'm starting to hit the firewall now.

They are 5/16" x 3". You can't really tell in the picture but 3" is a little on the long side. They work fine but you could go 1/4" or maybe even 1/2" shorter. I wanted a shorter pin but I had already cut mine out and the hardware store didn't have anything at the time in between 3" and 1-1/2". I wanted to get a long pin with multiple holes so that I could choose a hole then trim off what I didn't need.

 

Okay, took some pics. The "big" picture kinda sucks. Should have put it in more direct lighting, but oh well...



Front...



Rear...

 

That looks awesome man. I see what you are talking about, how the green on the hubs have a more grey tint to them but it doesn't look bad at all.

 

Thanks. I think the fronts look a lot better than before I painted them. I'm still undecided on the back ones though. It looks okay, but it just seems weird without something sticking out in the middle. That could be just because that's what I'm used to though so I'm going to use my natural laziness to see if it grows on me, lol. If not then Wheeler's has a set of short center caps, only about 2" tall or so that I was thinking would look better than the other ones I had. I could paint those green, maybe with a black ring around the outer edge to get them to sort of match the front and that would probably look pretty good.

I guess it's safe to say you like how it is now a lot better than with the chrome center caps, huh?

 

Oh ok I think the back doesn't look bad at all. If they were a bright color like red or yellow then they would look funny but the flat green is a subtle color so it doesn't stand out as much. The short center caps painted might look pretty good also.

Lol, yea I like it better without the center caps but I'm kind of partial to that look. I ran the big chrome center caps for a while on my rims but ended up leaving them off one day and loved the way it looked. IMO it gives it a more aggressive off-road look without the chrome sticking out there. Plus my caps were starting to get rusty and pitted.

 

Rgr. Honestly, it's probably not something that will bother me unless I'm washing it or checking the tire pressure or something where it's right there in my face, so there's a good chance I'll just leave it as is.

I was thinking though, with the tabs on the end of the axle where it dishes in, it does sort of look like a plus-size version of the selector dials on the front, so it kind of does match in a weird way.

It also looks kinda tractor-like.

 

Big update. I installed 4.88's, an arb locker up front with the small arb compressor, and all new switches.

 

Dayum...that's effin' awesome. Why do you have to keep making me feel so inadequate and ? Can't you at least do one thing to your truck I think is lame for a change?

 

Thanks. Lol, sorry. Next time I'm at autozone, I'll pick up some stick on hood vent or some spinning hubcaps (if you can still get those) lmao.

 

Seriously though, you're like my idol or something. There's something fundamentally wrong with that considering I'm old enough to be your papa, lol.

So how are you liking the 4.88s? How big a difference do they make on the road? Do you have any plans to install a crawl box?

 

Lol, well I appreciate that.

What little that I drove it, they feel good. My speedo is off a pretty good bit so I have to get my UG calibrated. I could really tell the difference in 4th gear. I'll get a better idea this week driving it to work. I don't think I've put but 2 or 3 miles on it and the only reason I drove it was to make sure everything was installed right and wasn't making any funny noises. I would love to put a crawl box and that might be my next upgrade. I've had numerous instances where I wished I had a lower gear, which the 4.88's will help that, but a crawl box would be way better.