I just bought a screaming metal deathtrap

[DuctTapeNinja]

I just bought a project. It's a 2006 Chevy Colorado with the 3.5L engine and an auto trans *cries* - it's really hard to find a decent deal on a Colorado/Canyon with the 5-cylinder engine and a manual trans - and right about 50k miles. It was T-boned on the passenger side and it rolled onto the drivers side. Supposedly the guy I bought it from was having the work done by a friend who decided he couldn't do any more work on it for free and the guy I bought it from didn't have any more money to put into it. (He was completely full of shit on quite a lot of what he said, so I'm not quite sure why he was selling it half done.) So almost all the body work is already done. I'll post updates on where I am with it as I work on it, if anyone's interested. I wont have much for about a week, though, since we're going on vacation for the week on monday.

I've already done a few easy little things. I put a rearview mirror on it, recharged the A/C (and checked for leaks as best I could with a sniffer - I found none. (The guy I bought it from said he drained the A/C system, intending to replace the oriface tube and dryer to make it colder. Again, I don't believe it 1% and am expecting to have to replace a leaky pump/evaporator/etc. But for now it's working.), fixed the loose connection behind the radio that kept it from working the entire ~60 mile drive back from Indiana (I just about lost my mind in the heat with no A/C and no radio), topped off all the fluids (I'll probably flush them properly before I'm done), and sorted through all the hundreds of pieces (interior trim, weatherstripping, etc) that came with it (a good amount is extra or not for this truck). It needs a lot of work, but I got a decent deal on it and the only things I can't do myself are the body work and paint (I could, but I don't really have the experience/skill to do a good job on it) and since I work at a place that does a lot of paint work I can get a good deal on it.

Here's the current to-do list: (in no order)
-Body work (still some damage to the driver's side A-pillar and the roof)
-Paint (obviously)
-Install the windshield (it's just duct taped in right now)
-Install the weatherstripping
-Install all the interior trim pieces that are out of it (I sorted through everything and it's all there, just not installed)
-Replace the driver's side mirror (It's missing)
-Replace the drivers side taillight housing (it's missing)
-Find out why the 4x4 selector buttons don't work and fix them
-Tether the driver's side bottom headlight (One of the clips is broken and it's flopping free in its hole. I'm not sure if I'll rig something up or just replace it)
-Fix the horn (It appears they replaced the airbag in the steering wheel and didn't hook the horn back up.)
-Fix the right rear power window and lock (They replaced the door and didn't bother to hook it all up. It's possible there's not even a power window regulator inside the door)
-Replace the radio (it's a stock unit, and I'm going to put in one that I can hook to my iPod or at least a usb drive with music on it)

 

[Ghost_16]

Interesting pick up(no pun intended). If you don't mind me asking, how much did you get it for?

Aside from the obvious/the basics, what do you plan on doing with it exactly?

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

Interesting pick up(no pun intended). If you don't mind me asking, how much did you get it for?

Aside from the obvious/the basics, what do you plan on doing with it exactly?

$5k, which was the most I would've paid for it. I almost walked away. But for $5k, it drives too nice to walk away. I was really surprised how it drove when I test drove it. It drives like it's brand new. I've been watching the market for about 2 months now, and similar trucks in this area with similar mileage but in good condition usually go for around $12,500. So once it's in good condition I should be able to get $8-10k for it fairly easily. The title's clean and there's no mention of the accident on the carfox. It looks like I'm going to be about $6500 into it by the time it's done, so if I sell it I should be able to make money. But the current plan is to fix it up and use it as my daily driver.

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

I owned an 08 GMC Canyon, got it brand new.... back in 08.
Never will own a piece of shit like that again. GM dropped the ball on those rolling soda cans.


Perhaps just bad luck, but I had my truck in the dealer for such retarded reasons; Bed panels splitting. Tailgate cable mounts snap.

Had to get a new dashboard cause it would rattle like no tomorrow. Had to get the fender flares replaced cause they somehow warped for no fucking reason.

Radio crapped out within 3 months of owner ship. Seats were rockhard. the stitching in the steering wheel "leather" came apart, causing me to cut my hand many times just turning the fucking truck. I loved the truck and all, but it was just a giant pile of exterior failure.





Anyways not to shit on your parade. As for your 4x4 button issue, Maybe I can help. In my case, the solder joints broke. I let my co-workers autistic son fix it, since he had some weird class thing about soldering. he also put yellow smiley face stickers on the buttons cause he was just that cool.


But yeah, check the solder joints, or just snag a module from a salvage yard.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

I owned an 08 GMC Canyon, got it brand new.... back in 08.
Never will own a piece of shit like that again. GM dropped the ball on those rolling soda cans.


Perhaps just bad luck, but I had my truck in the dealer for such retarded reasons; Bed panels splitting. Tailgate cable mounts snap.

Had to get a new dashboard cause it would rattle like no tomorrow. Had to get the fender flares replaced cause they somehow warped for no fucking reason.

Radio crapped out within 3 months of owner ship. Seats were rockhard. the stitching in the steering wheel "leather" came apart, causing me to cut my hand many times just turning the fucking truck. I loved the truck and all, but it was just a giant pile of exterior failure.





Anyways not to shit on your parade. As for your 4x4 button issue, Maybe I can help. In my case, the solder joints broke. I let my co-workers autistic son fix it, since he had some weird class thing about soldering. he also put yellow smiley face stickers on the buttons cause he was just that cool.


But yeah, check the solder joints, or just snag a module from a salvage yard.

Must've been built on a friday afternoon. It's interesting seeing how bad some examples of a vehicle can be. I actually almost bought a silverado about a month ago, but walked away after seeing the car fax. It had been lemon lawed 7 separate times. Hopefully this truck doesn't turn out that way.

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

Must've been built on a friday afternoon. It's interesting seeing how bad some examples of a vehicle can be. I actually almost bought a silverado about a month ago, but walked away after seeing the car fax. It had been lemon lawed 7 separate times. Hopefully this truck doesn't turn out that way.

lmao, damn.



P.S, the 05-07 or so 3.5 engines have a cylinder head issue. May want to check into that.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

P.S, the 05-07 or so 3.5 engines have a cylinder head issue. May want to check into that.

Already did, and my vin is one of the affected ones. There was never a proper recall for it, they just said if it fails in the first 7 years or 100k miles it's covered. I'm a year outside of that, but there's no CEL on so I'm ok for now anyway.

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

GM avoiding a recall? shocker.

 

[FATBOY_1]

Went from a junk ranger that you Hated to another junk truck.... Hmm I think you like those sort of trucks now lol.
Hope it works out for you man.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

Went from a junk ranger that you Hated to another junk truck.... Hmm I think you like those sort of trucks now lol.
Hope it works out for you man.

Eh, in theory once I've fixed this truck it shouldn't have things going wrong with it constantly like the Ranger. I've got nothing wrong with a little work, but I hate having constant problems long-term. Granted, I probably shouldn't have bought a crashed truck for that, but if I fix it right it I should be ok.

 

[FATBOY_1]

Went from a junk ranger that you Hated to another junk truck.... Hmm I think you like those sort of trucks now lol.
Hope it works out for you man.

Eh, in theory once I've fixed this truck it shouldn't have things going wrong with it constantly like the Ranger. I've got nothing wrong with a little work, but I hate having constant problems long-term. Granted, I probably shouldn't have bought a crashed truck for that, but if I fix it right it I should be ok.

From everything I've heard, once a vehicle has had that extent of damage. In theory it will never be the same.
There's a reason insurance company's total out these types of vehicles. The structure was probably compromised and is no longer safe at least not the way it used to be.
IMO I'm surprised you payed that much money.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

Went from a junk ranger that you Hated to another junk truck.... Hmm I think you like those sort of trucks now lol.
Hope it works out for you man.

Eh, in theory once I've fixed this truck it shouldn't have things going wrong with it constantly like the Ranger. I've got nothing wrong with a little work, but I hate having constant problems long-term. Granted, I probably shouldn't have bought a crashed truck for that, but if I fix it right it I should be ok.

From everything I've heard, once a vehicle has had that extent of damage. In theory it will never be the same.
There's a reason insurance company's total out these types of vehicles. The structure was probably compromised and is no longer safe at least not the way it used to be.
IMO I'm surprised you payed that much money.

It depends on the damage and the repairs. For example, if this truck had the cab entirely replaced by a competent mechanic, there's nothing less safe about the structure of the cab than before the crash. There's no damage to the frame (it's perfectly straight, somehow. I'm assuming whatever hit this thing was fairly tall and it was a very light accident for a rollover.) with the exception of a bracket for the parking brake that is bent from how they hooked it to turn it upright. And, after pricing bare cabs and looking at the extent of the work done by the guy I bought it from, that should've been how it was repaired. But if the repair panels he welded in were welded in properly, nothing should be out of alignment and it shouldn't be any weaker anyway. I have to admit, though, after looking at his work I can say for a fact that he (or his buddy who supposedly worked on it) was a sub-standard mechanic and a sub-standard body man. Which is why I spent a good chunk of today going over everything, looking for loose or missing bolts, unconnected connectors, etc, (And I found a lot more than I'm comfortable with) and I'm planning on digging out some of the bondo and doing some metalwork, and there's a good chance I send the whole thing down the road once it's done.

Believe me, I didn't want to spend $5k on a project truck, but I'm 100% convinced I can turn a decent profit on this thing if I do send it down the road.

 

[FATBOY_1]

Eh, in theory once I've fixed this truck it shouldn't have things going wrong with it constantly like the Ranger. I've got nothing wrong with a little work, but I hate having constant problems long-term. Granted, I probably shouldn't have bought a crashed truck for that, but if I fix it right it I should be ok.

From everything I've heard, once a vehicle has had that extent of damage. In theory it will never be the same.
There's a reason insurance company's total out these types of vehicles. The structure was probably compromised and is no longer safe at least not the way it used to be.
IMO I'm surprised you payed that much money.

It depends on the damage and the repairs. For example, if this truck had the cab entirely replaced by a competent mechanic, there's nothing less safe about the structure of the cab than before the crash. There's no damage to the frame (it's perfectly straight, somehow. I'm assuming whatever hit this thing was fairly tall and it was a very light accident for a rollover.) with the exception of a bracket for the parking brake that is bent from how they hooked it to turn it upright. And, after pricing bare cabs and looking at the extent of the work done by the guy I bought it from, that should've been how it was repaired. But if the repair panels he welded in were welded in properly, nothing should be out of alignment and it shouldn't be any weaker anyway. I have to admit, though, after looking at his work I can say for a fact that he (or his buddy who supposedly worked on it) was a sub-standard mechanic and a sub-standard body man. Which is why I spent a good chunk of today going over everything, looking for loose or missing bolts, unconnected connectors, etc, (And I found a lot more than I'm comfortable with) and I'm planning on digging out some of the bondo and doing some metalwork, and there's a good chance I send the whole thing down the road once it's done.

Believe me, I didn't want to spend $5k on a project truck, but I'm 100% convinced I can turn a decent profit on this thing if I do send it down the road.

Well it sounds like you got it all covered and hopefully can get a good profit on it man.

You still got that crap ranger? You going to get something different?

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

From everything I've heard, once a vehicle has had that extent of damage. In theory it will never be the same.
There's a reason insurance company's total out these types of vehicles. The structure was probably compromised and is no longer safe at least not the way it used to be.
IMO I'm surprised you payed that much money.

It depends on the damage and the repairs. For example, if this truck had the cab entirely replaced by a competent mechanic, there's nothing less safe about the structure of the cab than before the crash. There's no damage to the frame (it's perfectly straight, somehow. I'm assuming whatever hit this thing was fairly tall and it was a very light accident for a rollover.) with the exception of a bracket for the parking brake that is bent from how they hooked it to turn it upright. And, after pricing bare cabs and looking at the extent of the work done by the guy I bought it from, that should've been how it was repaired. But if the repair panels he welded in were welded in properly, nothing should be out of alignment and it shouldn't be any weaker anyway. I have to admit, though, after looking at his work I can say for a fact that he (or his buddy who supposedly worked on it) was a sub-standard mechanic and a sub-standard body man. Which is why I spent a good chunk of today going over everything, looking for loose or missing bolts, unconnected connectors, etc, (And I found a lot more than I'm comfortable with) and I'm planning on digging out some of the bondo and doing some metalwork, and there's a good chance I send the whole thing down the road once it's done.

Believe me, I didn't want to spend $5k on a project truck, but I'm 100% convinced I can turn a decent profit on this thing if I do send it down the road.

Well it sounds like you got it all covered and hopefully can get a good profit on it man.

You still got that crap ranger? You going to get something different?

The plan for now is to finish this thing off and use it as a daily driver, but yeah if I do decide to sell it I'll be looking for a truck again. The Ranger is my daily driver at least until this thing is done.

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

Not to steal the thread, but this was mine;

Don't cut the bumper valance around the foglights. It was a choice I still regret despite not owning the truck for years now... As for the painted center caps, I was playing around with the idea of installing after market wheels with similar design and color. Cheaper to play with $20 paint vs $900 wheels.

It had a 2" lift hence why it sits higher. I used bed liner for the (2nd set) fender flares

Spoiler

Prior to sale, I placed the center caps inside a little box labeled "Projects of shame".

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

Nice. I might powdercoat my rims black eventually. I'll have to get tires before too long (good amount of tread left, but they're starting to dry rot) and I can get the rims powdercoated for free when we powdercoat something black at work, since the powder is so cheap and our oven's large enough to where throwing a set of rims in with just about anything wouldn't be a problem. But we'll see. I'll have to photoshop it up once I've got the truck's paint done to get a good idea of what it'll look like.

I'm still debating putting the stock fender flares back on. I kind of like the look of these trucks without the flares, but since this one's a crew cab, I think I'll need to have them on to reduce the whole 'bloated' look. Then when you add in that the tard who did the bodywork before I bought it filled in the design crease on the driver's side rear fender with bondo and I'm not sure I'll be able to carve it back out right, I'm considering slapping on a set of the Z71 flares, since they come to the crease and might kind of hide it a little. I've already decided I'm not putting the 'beltline' plastic trim on the doors back on, and I'm removing what's left of it.

Anyway, here's where I'm at right now. I left it with a body shop (I kno, I kno, I'm cheating here a little) on monday so they can glue in the windshield and fix this:

Since I'm not really equipped to make that fit like it should, and it would be nice to have the windshield and driver's door fit right. I drove by yesterday and they haven't started working on it yet, which is quite frustrating since they've now had it longer than I have (if you exclude the week of vacation ). But they said I should have it back some time next week. I didn't get much done last weekend after getting back from Wisconsin, but here's the list with a few things I did crossed off.

Here's the current to-do list: (in no order)
-Body work
-Paint (obviously)
-Install the windshield (it's just duct taped in right now)
-Install the weatherstripping
-Install all the interior trim pieces that are out of it (I sorted through everything and it's all there, just not installed)
-Replace the driver's side mirror (It's missing)
-Replace the drivers side taillight housing (it's missing)
-Find out why the 4x4 selector buttons don't work and fix them
. -Update: it's not in the button panel itself, but I ran out of time to trace it back at all
-Tether Replace the driver's side bottom headlight (One of the clips is broken and it's flopping free in its hole. I'm not sure if I'll rig something up or just replace it)
-Fix the horn (It appears they replaced the airbag in the steering wheel and didn't hook the horn back up.)
. -Update: Somehow I originally missed that the horn itself is actually missing. I bought a replacement but didn't have it in time to install it before I dropped the truck off.
-Fix the right rear power window and lock (They replaced the door and didn't bother to hook it all up. It's possible there's not even a power window regulator inside the door)
-Replace the radio (it's a stock unit, and I'm going to put in one that I can hook to my iPod or at least a usb drive with music on it)

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

I\m all for DIY minor repairs to the body, but if I ever had to repair body work around major areas like windshield or back glass, I'd have a shop do it. I'm suffering from water leaks in my car as it is, so I would ever want to tackle such an issue myself again.


I'd go white Z71 flares myself. These trucks look freakin' weird without them(unless it's the base model).

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

I\m all for DIY minor repairs to the body, but if I ever had to repair body work around major areas like windshield or back glass, I'd have a shop do it. I'm suffering from water leaks in my car as it is, so I would ever want to tackle such an issue myself again.


I'd go white Z71 flares myself. These trucks look freakin' weird without them(unless it's the base model).

My thoughts exactly on that pillar repair.

As for the flares, here's basically what I'm choosing between (for those who don't know/can't be assed to google). Mine came originally with flares like the 2nd one has, and I've got a set of 4 decent ones, but they're a bit goofy looking imo. I'm still looking into getting a set of the larger flares. They also made them in a glossy body-color finish, but I think I like the textured dark grey/black finish better and the painted ones appear to be harder to find anyway.

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

Those are the three choices you're stuck with. There's only one after market choice but they're actually identical to the Z71 flares(friend of mine ordered them. Never seen him so pissed off before lol) so waste of money.


The small flares look alright for the base-suspension models. If possible I'd look into the canyons. Unlike chevy, GMC versions have their flares painted.

 

[FATBOY_1]

The big flares look way better man. The little ones look goofy.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

Those are the three choices you're stuck with. There's only one after market choice but they're actually identical to the Z71 flares(friend of mine ordered them. Never seen him so pissed off before lol) so waste of money.

The Bushwhackers? They're overpriced for being (as far as I can tell from pics - I haven't seen them irl) identical to the Z71's, but I did price a set so I have another option if I can't find real Z71's for a reasonable price.

The small flares look alright for the base-suspension models. If possible I'd look into the canyons. Unlike chevy, GMC versions have their flares painted.

Some of the Chevy's had painted Z71 flares, but I actually prefer the unpainted versions.

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

Some of the Chevy's had painted Z71 flares, but I actually prefer the unpainted versions.

I do too, hence why I painted mine with that bed liner in a can crap. But yeah th ebushwhacker flares are practically the same;

The bolted-on look that's the bushwacker style? Not used for the colorados. They're really the same, if anything they stick out MAYBE half an inch more than factory. so yeah, don't buy em.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

Alright, a set of the Z71 style flares popped up for a decent price today (I've been pricing flares for about a week now and these were the cheapest set by a good amount), so I went ahead and ordered them. Fortunately/unfortunately they are the paint-to-match finish, but depending on what they actually look like on the truck I might paint them body color. Otherwise I'll just spray some textured flat black bedliner or otherwise on them to simulate the other style.

I actually am considering a 2-tone finish on the truck, and if I do that I'll most likely paint the flares to match the fenders.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

I actually am considering a 2-tone finish on the truck, and if I do that I'll most likely paint the flares to match the fenders.

Just a quick 10 minute 'shop to show what I'm currently thinking of, if I went for a 2-tone finish with and without a contrasting separator between the colors (Imo a contrasting separator really accents two tone finishes. To me they look weird without something like that.). If I did this, I'm not sure exactly what colors I'd go for top and bottom and what color the separator would be. If I had to decide right now, I'd probably go for black on bottom, white (or silver, hard to pick) and red in between. But nothing else on the truck is red, so it might look weird. Maybe a medium gray for the top and white for the separator. Just thinking aloud (in text?) really.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

I actually am considering a 2-tone finish on the truck, and if I do that I'll most likely paint the flares to match the fenders.

Just a quick 10 minute 'shop to show what I'm currently thinking of, if I went for a 2-tone finish with and without a contrasting separator between the colors (Imo a contrasting separator really accents two tone finishes. To me they look weird without something like that.). If I did this, I'm not sure exactly what colors I'd go for top and bottom and what color the separator would be. If I had to decide right now, I'd probably go for black on bottom, white (or silver, hard to pick) and red in between. But nothing else on the truck is red, so it might look weird. Maybe a medium gray for the top and white for the separator. Just thinking aloud (in text?) really.

Lol wow, I just realized I was so hasty in that edit that I forgot to remove the mirror and side windows from the layer that I lightened to simulate silver/grey paint. That really looks goofy.

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

Never thought red was a good color for two tones personally, so I can't help you there.
I suppose if you're not an anti American scum bag; Red top, white divider, blue second tone.

Throw some american flag decals spanning across the windshield, rear window, and maybe add stars to the mirrors.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

I stopped by the body shop after work today to see where they're at on the A-pillar/doorframe repair, and they still haven't started and told me they are currently scheduled to start work on it next week monday. Seeing how many cars were crammed in their yard, I'm sure they're really fucking busy, but god damnit all this waiting when there's still so much to be done blows floppy donkey dick.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

I'm pricing cabs again, and I'm pretty sure that even with my full time job I could've gotten a bare cab, torn the truck down, swapped the cabs, and rebuilt the damned thing in the 3 weeks the body shop's taking, and spent around the same money.

If I wasn't already on the hook for the price of the parts they ordered to fix it, I think I'd be telling them to fuck themselves, taking the truck home, and just doing a cab swap. I should've done that from the start anyway.

 

[FATBOY_1]

That sucks out loud man.
Hope they start working on it soon.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

I'm bored with nothing to do, so I just spent about 20 mins messing around in GIMP and I think I know what it's going to look like when it's done now. I took this:

and made it so much better:

I'm coming around on the painted flares, and I'm really liking a medium-dark grey top with a black bottom and a white separator. I played around with painting the wheels, and didn't like what I was seeing, so they'll stay the stock aluminum color unless I see something to change my mind. I didn't like the unpainted flares with the 2-tone finish either. I might go for a slight ~2" drop to match the stance of the ZQ8 model trucks, but we'll see on that. I've never been a fan of 'low', but I think the combination I'm looking at would work well a little closer to the ground. I'll have to try 'shopping it when I get a chance.

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

Those little stripes do make a difference.

Can't you just have another body shop do the repairs? I'm sure the current shop would be more than happy to get your truck the fuck outta their lot.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

Those little stripes do make a difference.

Can't you just have another body shop do the repairs? I'm sure the current shop would be more than happy to get your truck the fuck outta their lot.

At this point, it'll be faster to stick with the shop it's at. If they haven't started working on it yet on Tuesday or so, though, I'll have to take it home just on principle.

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

Those little stripes do make a difference.

Can't you just have another body shop do the repairs? I'm sure the current shop would be more than happy to get your truck the fuck outta their lot.

At this point, it'll be faster to stick with the shop it's at. If they haven't started working on it yet on Tuesday or so, though, I'll have to take it home just on principle.

True.



I like to buy fixer uppers myself as well, but this would piss me off to no end lmao.
I had a fixer upper in a shop for like a week once, I got so fed up I ended up telling them to fix more shit since I couldn't get my hands on it.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

Those little stripes do make a difference.

Can't you just have another body shop do the repairs? I'm sure the current shop would be more than happy to get your truck the fuck outta their lot.

At this point, it'll be faster to stick with the shop it's at. If they haven't started working on it yet on Tuesday or so, though, I'll have to take it home just on principle.

True.



I like to buy fixer uppers myself as well, but this would piss me off to no end lmao.
I had a fixer upper in a shop for like a week once, I got so fed up I ended up telling them to fix more shit since I couldn't get my hands on it.

Other than actually spraying the paint (I'm planning on doing the rest of the actual bodywork, but one of our painters will be spraying for me) there's only 1 more thing that I'm not planning on doing myself on this thing. There's an airbag light on, and I don't have a good enough scanner to find out what part of the airbag system the guy I bought it from didn't fix, so I'm gonna have a shop scan the airbag computer for me. I'll fix whatever's setting that off myself though.


I do have new news, though. I got a package in the mail today.

OH WAIT, WHAT'S THAT?! OH GOD NO

Well fuck........





Two of the four have crush damage from the dickbeaters at UPS.

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

haha, sorry to hear that man.
Well, if I was you I would buy a small can of bondo and try to fix that crack myself. Good time to practice with it.



Then again perhaps I'm just lazy from all the times I had to return/exchange broken items thanks to poor warehouse management or retarded ups workers...

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

haha, sorry to hear that man.
Well, if I was you I would buy a small can of bondo and try to fix that crack myself. Good time to practice with it.



Then again perhaps I'm just lazy from all the times I had to return/exchange broken items thanks to poor warehouse management or retarded ups workers...

Bondo isn't really right for repairing plastic, it's too brittle. I think I'd use fiberglass from the back if I repaired them, though that's not really the right thing either. Iirc they make something similar to fiberglass but specifically formulated for bodywork plastic, but I've never used it. Either way, I contacted the seller to see if he's willing to send me replacements. It's a store, not an individual, so there's a good chance they can get me them. It's lucky the broken ones are the front ones. The fronts are easier to find and cheaper, so I'd be willing to accept a partial refund to cover a set of fronts from another seller. It's not like I'm in a rush here, with waiting on the body shop.

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

haha, sorry to hear that man.
Well, if I was you I would buy a small can of bondo and try to fix that crack myself. Good time to practice with it.



Then again perhaps I'm just lazy from all the times I had to return/exchange broken items thanks to poor warehouse management or retarded ups workers...

Bondo isn't really right for repairing plastic, it's too brittle. I think I'd use fiberglass from the back if I repaired them, though that's not really the right thing either. Iirc they make something similar to fiberglass but specifically formulated for bodywork plastic, but I've never used it. Either way, I contacted the seller to see if he's willing to send me replacements. It's a store, not an individual, so there's a good chance they can get me them. It's lucky the broken ones are the front ones. The fronts are easier to find and cheaper, so I'd be willing to accept a partial refund to cover a set of fronts from another seller. It's not like I'm in a rush here, with waiting on the body shop.

Err, sorry that's what I meant(I have a bondo project planned).

I believe the stuff you're talking about is "tiger hair". Not sure if that's the name of the company or the name of the product itself; It's bondo with either half or more Fiberglass. But yeah, if you can get free replacements then may as well go that route.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

haha, sorry to hear that man.
Well, if I was you I would buy a small can of bondo and try to fix that crack myself. Good time to practice with it.



Then again perhaps I'm just lazy from all the times I had to return/exchange broken items thanks to poor warehouse management or retarded ups workers...

Bondo isn't really right for repairing plastic, it's too brittle. I think I'd use fiberglass from the back if I repaired them, though that's not really the right thing either. Iirc they make something similar to fiberglass but specifically formulated for bodywork plastic, but I've never used it. Either way, I contacted the seller to see if he's willing to send me replacements. It's a store, not an individual, so there's a good chance they can get me them. It's lucky the broken ones are the front ones. The fronts are easier to find and cheaper, so I'd be willing to accept a partial refund to cover a set of fronts from another seller. It's not like I'm in a rush here, with waiting on the body shop.

Err, sorry that's what I meant(I have a bondo project planned).

I believe the stuff you're talking about is "tiger hair". Not sure if that's the name of the company or the name of the product itself; It's bondo with either half or more Fiberglass. But yeah, if you can get free replacements then may as well go that route.

I thought Tiger Hair was just a more resilient form of regular bondo, with the same target usage just less susceptible to cracking. I could be wrong about that, though. The stuff I'm talking about is a 2-part resin and a reinforcing mesh for the backside or something like that. Actually, come to think of it, I've only seen the stuff used once, and that was in a TV show. The shows I've watched are never working on cars with plastic, and if they have a broken piece of plastic they always just replace it. And at work we only work on fiberglass and steel.

But yeah I'd rather get free replacements if I can so I have the option of using them unpainted.

 

[FATBOY_1]

@DuctTapeNinja How's the truck coming at that shop? Have you seen them start working on it yet?

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

[URL='http://www.ign.com/boards/members/ducttapeninja.1523346/']@DuctTapeNinja[/URL] How's the truck coming at that shop? Have you seen them start working on it yet?

They cut it apart and told me they can't move forward any further on it until next monday now. Obviously they knew they were fucking me, and decided to make sure I couldn't just take it home and say fuck'em. They have a good reputation, but they'd have to do one fucking hell of a job and still cut the price they quoted me in half to get a good review from me.

On the positive side, the replacements for the broken fender flares should be here tomorrow according to the tracking info. Knowing UPS, though, there's about a 90% chance the replacements will arrive broken as well.

 

[FATBOY_1]

Well at least they started right? Lol
Are the replacements free of charge? I'm sure they just charge the courier anyway.
That's why they have insurance.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

Well at least they started right? Lol
Are the replacements free of charge? I'm sure they just charge the courier anyway.
That's why they have insurance.

Eh, at this point I think I would've been happier taking it home and either doing the work myself or taking it to another body shop than being told 'hahaha, we dun fucked you good and there's nothing you can do about it'.

Yeah the replacements were free.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

On the positive side, the replacements for the broken fender flares should be here tomorrow according to the tracking info. Knowing UPS, though, there's about a 90% chance the replacements will arrive broken as well.

The box arrived as crushed as the first, but somehow the contents were undamaged. So, in another month or two when I finally get my truck back (if I ever get it back #chopshop ), I'll be ready.

 

[KhajiitSavage]

I was thinking... You know those bed rail caps? Remove them. Those don't hold up to any abuse, and they'll mainly good for keeping salt and water trapped. And with the poor paint(this likely be fixed by bodyshop) quality these trucks have... you'll have rusty bed rails in a hurry.

I thought about buying them myself but decided to just let my bed covers' rail system act as a protector(which did a good job actually).

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

I was thinking... You know those bed rail caps? Remove them. Those don't hold up to any abuse, and they'll mainly good for keeping salt and water trapped. And with the poor paint(this likely be fixed by bodyshop) quality these trucks have... you'll have rusty bed rails in a hurry.

I thought about buying them myself but decided to just let my bed covers' rail system act as a protector(which did a good job actually).

I actually was planning on doing exactly that, though I wasn't planning on getting a tonneau cover just yet. I was planning on having one before winter though. I don't want to put those crappy bed rail protectors back on after fresh paint.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

Well, it appears the truck will be back in my hands by Friday most likely. I'm not holding my breath, but it appears that they are actually working on it now and everything.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

test

Edit: Ok cool, the thread still exists. It wasn't showing up on the board.

 

[Chevalier_Schiff]

test

Edit: Ok cool, the thread still exists. It wasn't showing up on the board.

Any updates?

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

test

Edit: Ok cool, the thread still exists. It wasn't showing up on the board.

Any updates?

I actually got on here to post up that I picked it up after work today. They took 2 days shy of a month (I dropped it off 7-28-14 and picked it up today, 8-26-14) to do 3 days worth of work, but it's finally back in my hands and I can work on it again. It's dark now, but I'll grab some pics for you guys tomorrow.

 

[DuctTapeNinja]

Alright guys, here's some pics from before I started working on it after work today. This is as it rolled back into the driveway.

And here's the repair the bodyshop was doing:

They were cutting out and replacing the doorframe from about the area of the red arrows (including where the door hinges bolt up) on the left to the green arrows midway through the rear doorframe on the right. They also put it on their rack and measured to make sure the entire left side of the cab is precisely where it's supposed to be after the repair. Supposedly it really wasn't far off before they started, it was just wrinkled a little bit over the drivers door.

And I don't think I ever posted pics of the interior, so here's a little bit.

The door panel in the back in the next pic is an extra that the guy I bought the truck from gave me.

And this next picture is of the radio, which has a problem I had never seen before. The radio actually works 100% except the display doesn't show anything. So you play with the buttons and it behaves exactly as it should, except you have no idea what channel you're on until the talking head/DJ says it. It's not the original radio, since these trucks used a different style radio. But I was planning on replacing it even if it had worked perfectly. I've got a fancy aftermarket one for it with bluetoof and a front usb port and everything. But that will probably wait until it's painted.

More coming, I just have to upload it and type out a post.