WHEN WE LEFT YOU LAST, STELLA WAS FINALLY ON THE ROAD AND READY TO SHRED HER NEW NITTO TIRES. The engine is complete and in the break-in process. A few hundred miles of fluid movement and dust shaking revealed a couple simple issues that needed to be addressed. Loosening exhaust bolts and new rattle noises always pop up, but nothing that a day on the lift and some turns of a wrench can’t fix.
Once the break-in period is done, we will swap out the transmission fluid with a Syncromesh liquid and she will be ready to daily drive. During that process we took the opportunity to prep and paint our new metal panels. We wanted the truck to look the part, so along with the rumble from the exhaust, a cowl hood is an absolute necessity.
Removing the rear bumper is a must-do modification as well if you’re going for the true sport truck look. The all-metal roll pan from AVS on the Web fits perfect and can be temporarily bolted in while we wait for our turn in the paint booth. Finally, a new tailgate from LMC Truck will replace the beat-up factory piece. With all the new parts painted and installed, we will coat the bed floor with a DIY bedliner kit. This is going to be an amazing truck when it’s all complete, but for now we have some work to do. Stick around and follow along!
Our first start was a success and Stella finally got to see the sunlight again! The Blueprint Engines 383ci Stroker sounds strong and the Dynomax exhaust rumbles perfectly.
As with any paint project, the prep work is key. We wanted a clean work area, so the garage was cleared out and sawhorses were brought in. Taping off the parts we don’t want painted comes first, followed by prepping the OEM panels with a simple scuff with scotch pads and a wipe down with acetone.
Automotive Touchup made it easy on us by offering a three-stage ready-to-spray paint system that requires no mixing at all. Just stir, pour and spray, giving around 15 minutes per coat and 1 hour per stage. We focused on keeping the hose away from the surface and our hands parallel the panels. We’re not pros or even experienced amateurs, but Automotive Touchup gave us the confidence we needed to pull off a great paint job. We were extremely impressed and pleased with the results.
While Trey finishes some final tuning to the Edlebrock Pro-flo, we started working on the exterior of the truck. A new 2-inch raised cowl hood from Autometal Direct combined with an LMC replacement tailgate and an AVS on the Web roll pan will give the truck the aggressive look it deserves.
All this new metal will need to be painted to match, and to save costs we decided to go with Automotive Touchup color matching paint and their DIY paint products that even include the paint guns!