JHZR2
Staff member
This is my 96 Ram. Incredibly clean, straight body, frame, and underpinnings. A few minor dents on the rear bumper from prior towing, none on the tailgate.
But when I bought it, I knew that the standard Chrysler driftwood metallic clearcoat failure was starting. I also knew that there was some filler used on the driver side that was starting to crack.
All the original black was fine. And I knew my other driftwood truck had the clear issue…. So I knew that it was really just a matter of redoing the two tone stripe all the way around.
So now I want to start to figure this out. I want to leave the original black paint as is. Really leave the entire truck as original as possible, but redo the two tone stripe and replace the vinyl pinstriping with OE replacement that isn’t faded.
So this is what I see:
The truck is an original survivor, a rarity in that it’s a 12v Cummins Diesel 5sp 4x4, two tone. It’s big, the 8’ bed may make it less popular than the 6.5’ bed versions. I kind of get it. It’s long and big. And I love it. Interior is original and like new. No dash cracks, working AC, everything works. So it’s worth fixing the paint and having an almost as new truck for the long run. One that will never fail on the things that newer ones do.
I’m tempted to prod into the failed bondo myself. Try to pick it away, get down to bare metal, then figure it out from there. I can keep the truck out of the elements. I wouldn’t do a final all around paint, but I’d like to see what’s going on there. I have zero body experience, and I’m not sure this is the vehicle I want to learn on, but I’m not opposed to trying either. It’s just nighttime labor and some weekend time (that I don’t have).
Is this a bad idea?
Since the truck had been painted on that side before, is there any concerns or issues with repaint on top of repaint, on top of OE paint on top of galvanized metal?
Anything else I should know?
I almost wonder if this could turn into a “go to maaco with the best quality paint you can buy” type job, since I’ve always heard that they spray more cars than anyone. That’s just thinking out loud, I have a million options.
I just want to fix the bad clear on the one side, and ensure that whatever is happening here underneath is stabilized and handled permanently.
Thanks!
But when I bought it, I knew that the standard Chrysler driftwood metallic clearcoat failure was starting. I also knew that there was some filler used on the driver side that was starting to crack.
All the original black was fine. And I knew my other driftwood truck had the clear issue…. So I knew that it was really just a matter of redoing the two tone stripe all the way around.
So now I want to start to figure this out. I want to leave the original black paint as is. Really leave the entire truck as original as possible, but redo the two tone stripe and replace the vinyl pinstriping with OE replacement that isn’t faded.
So this is what I see:
The truck is an original survivor, a rarity in that it’s a 12v Cummins Diesel 5sp 4x4, two tone. It’s big, the 8’ bed may make it less popular than the 6.5’ bed versions. I kind of get it. It’s long and big. And I love it. Interior is original and like new. No dash cracks, working AC, everything works. So it’s worth fixing the paint and having an almost as new truck for the long run. One that will never fail on the things that newer ones do.
I’m tempted to prod into the failed bondo myself. Try to pick it away, get down to bare metal, then figure it out from there. I can keep the truck out of the elements. I wouldn’t do a final all around paint, but I’d like to see what’s going on there. I have zero body experience, and I’m not sure this is the vehicle I want to learn on, but I’m not opposed to trying either. It’s just nighttime labor and some weekend time (that I don’t have).
Is this a bad idea?
Since the truck had been painted on that side before, is there any concerns or issues with repaint on top of repaint, on top of OE paint on top of galvanized metal?
Anything else I should know?
I almost wonder if this could turn into a “go to maaco with the best quality paint you can buy” type job, since I’ve always heard that they spray more cars than anyone. That’s just thinking out loud, I have a million options.
I just want to fix the bad clear on the one side, and ensure that whatever is happening here underneath is stabilized and handled permanently.
Thanks!
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