[Chaparralman1974]

12/10/2023 - 1/30/2024
Cab body work and preparing for body work on front clip
Well, the major body work on the cab has been completed! I still have to shoot a seal coat for the body filler and then another 2-3 coats of high build primer / surfacer and then block all that down prior to doing a final seal coat and then I can finally paint the cab. I have to say, that seeing the cab in this state is a bit rewarding! This was a major learning experience for me. As I have mentioned in the past, I am no body or paint guy! I ended up have to remove a bunch of filler that I applied due to the fact that I didn’t like it, or I did it wrong. This resulted in using almost an entire can of body filler for just the cab with 90% of that being removed and ending up on the floor. I have made sure that I have no filler thicker than about 3/16”. So, this meant that in some cases, I would strip the filler off, rework the metal, and then reapply the filler again. A ton of waste and rework, but ultimately I am very happy with the results. The rear style lines / body lines behind the cab were a bit of a struggle for me. I redid these about 4 times before I finally broke down and hired a body guy to come over and do it right. Getting the line projected around the cab radius was a lot harder than it looked. No matter how hard I tried, I just could not get the line straight. Rather than continue to waste materials, I figured it was best to just let a professional do it. I am happy and proud that the other 98% of work was completed by yours truly.
I have also begun the initial work on the front clip. I was going to start on the bed next, but after taking it apart, I have realized that there is just no saving it. It will be cheaper and quicker in the long run to just get a repop bed. Instead, I have decided to move on to the front clip. I had all of the parts media blasted by a local powder coater and have begun the process of getting those pieces coated in epoxy primer. The plan at this point will be to finish the primer on the cab, set it back on the frame for now, and then begin the body work on the front clip. After the front clip body work has been finished, I will do final block sanding on everything, seal it, and then it will be on to paint.