What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

https://www.runnin4tacos.com/collec...ro-raptor-lights-3-kit?variant=32031346294833

 

Added Red Letters on the tailgate, added lights up front in grill, added net in bed, Interior lights all changed to LED, red striped inserts in all drink holders etc, glove box divider and console insert.

Also mirror glazed the truck.

 

How is the net attached to the rail? Are there holes there? I missed that. Have mine on my tiedowns and had some clearance issues with my cover and the tiedowns, this looks like a clean solution. Maybe a close-up photo of that if you have time?

 

Masking is the worst part of the job

 

I used caribiners to slots that were in the bracket that came stock on the truck for the rail system.

 

So, let me preface this by repeating that I don't think there is any concept of "need" involved with this thought.

But, here's my feel of the situation. I'm thinking $20 for zinc coated steel is reasonable. I'd probably rather have black oxide stainless but not sure how the two metals interact (tailgate frame with stainless vs zinc coated). I'm not a metals guy by any stretch, though I could probably do some research and learn enough.

The plastic inserts feel cheap and light and seem like they would be prone to getting mashed and stripping the "threads" if you consider plastic as having any actual "thread". The MH lid is heavier than the stock tailgate skin and it's in a vertical position most of the time so there is a little bit of added stress on the attachment. Over time this may translate to a loosening. Of course I'd have to drive the truck to know an I'm not driving anywhere at all these days so :shrug: on that. But, $20 and some minor drilling seem like an acceptable cost to ensure this MH lid stays put.

I do very much like the look of the OEM black bolts though so I might truly prefer rivet-nuts which would be compatible with them, assuming they are metric?

Basically, I replaced the skin, it looks great, but it feels like the bolts holding it in aren't terribly strong and the skin is much heavier so I'm monitoring it.

 

My understanding is that zinc is “sacrificial”, so it corrodes first. Whether it’s black, gold (zinc chromate), or silver—it’s cheap and easy to put on cheap and strong fasteners. Stainless work hardens pretty easily so on top of being more expensive, it’s also more likely to snap than mild/alloy steel. That’s probably not the main issue with a sheet metal application though...

 

2 of 4 rims arrived today. Time to open them up. I’ll get them mounted and truck finally aligned early next week

thanks @SCSPerformance

 

Love the color

 

That's the one I chose!

I had a tough time getting the old button out. Got it but destroyed the little wire tool that came with the button.

 

RIVET NUTS

 

Important addition arrived today. Vinyl from Amazon. Tough to see because of the glare but it came out just right.

 

Stripes blow with the wind. So the stars will always be towards the front of whatever is holding the flag. In this example the truck going forward will make the stripes fly back.

 

My mistake. I assumed I was looking at the drivers side door. Oops

 

Stars face forward in the direction the flag is advancing. That's the passenger side.

 

When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag's own right, that is, to the observer's left. When displayed in a window, the American flag should be displayed in the same way, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.

So the stars should be facing the front of the truck.

 

↑↑ This ↑↑

 

Thank you all for confirming what I believed to be true. Next time I won’t assume which side of the vehicle I’m looking at.

 

Give us a wide view. That looks promising.

 

Should have used this picture for context. Didn’t mean to cause confusion.