Paint Update

I would like to thank all of the concerned blog watchers for their interest in this project. I have received emails wanting to know the reason why there have been no new updates to the blog. This is the latest status of the repaint for all of you concerned blog watchers.

Yesterday I spoke with Mike R. at his Maaco shop in Albany, NY. Mike wanted to install a new windshield before final painting to make sure the body work on the A-pillars did not change the windshield opening.

The windshield that was delivered by Harmon AutoGlass was mislabeled and a replacement took two weeks to be delivered. When they attempted to install the correct windshield it was discovered that the bodywork done to the left A-pillar caused the new windshield to be a bit too tight. The windshield went in with difficulty and the rubber gasket in the lower left corner was distorted.

The windshield was removed and taken back to the Harmon shop where the lower left corner was ground down a bit to make it less tight. It did not get back to the Maaco shop until the week of December 8.

The windshield was installed with no problem and removed. The truck was then given a second coat of base color, a coat of tinted clear and the final coat of clearcoat.

Last week upstate NY and New England endured a pretty serious ice storm that caused power outages throughout the region and Mike's three shops were without power for five days. Even though we live sixty miles north of Albany in a colder area, we were OK. We have a Guardian standby generator that runs on LP gas just in case we have a power failure. We didn't need it....this time!

The work that remains is to paint the small pieces such as the glove box door, instrument bezel, door access panels, ashtray and grill. The body has to be wet-sanded and buffed. The set of wheels that Fred C. of Rhode Island supplied for the project have to be sandblasted and painted with black epoxy paint.

This is the beginning of the busy season for body shops in the region because of snow and ice-related accidents. My truck has always been a fill-in project for the shop and has never been a priority for neither Mike nor myself. With that in mind, I don't expect to see the truck again until January or possibly later.

Now you know.

In the meantime, I invite you to check out some photos of my cute grandsons.

Email me: Ron B.

Hubcaps

I decided a long time ago that I didn't want to put alloy wheels on the truck. You may have a different opinion but I don't like the look of alloy wheels on older vehicles.

It is not a matter of cost. Having the stock wheels refinished along with the cost of hubcaps or wheelcovers in great condition is actually more expensive then even new alloy wheels! Am I crazy or what?

So, with that in mind....I have a great deal for some lucky guy.... or gal!

About a year ago I was the winner of an eBay auction for 4 NOS (New Old Stock) FORD Hubcaps to fit 13" wheels. That was the good news. The bad news was that I own a pickup with 14" wheels!

I do not have a use for them and it is time to make room on my shelves. I do not intend to make any money on these hubcaps. I would simply like to get back some of what I paid for them.

These hubcaps will fit 13" wheels that were used on Ford vehicles, Falcons, Fairlanes, Econolines etcetera in the 1960's.

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

The eBay seller stated these hubcaps were NOS. They were not. Pretty close in quality to NOS but not perfect.

These hubcaps were obviously installed at one time probably for a very short period of time. It is possible that they were used on a display truck in a showroom. But I doubt that they have seen any road usage at all. They are too clean. They were probably removed and put on a shelf and forgotten about for a long time.


As I previously stated, they are not perfect. There is some very light scuffing and a small amount of very light scratches and a couple very small dents that can easily be pushed out. I would recommend that they be repaired by someone who can do "paintless body repair," Dent Doctor for instance.

I paid $175 for the hubcaps and I would like to get $150 for them. PayPal is OK. For that price you will get USPS Priority Mail shipping with delivery confirmation. If you don't like them, send them back for a refund minus the shipping costs. How's that for a deal?

By the way, if you know of anyone who has 4 hubcaps of the same style in great conditon that will fit 14' wheels let me know. I have a few dozen in my possession but none look as good as these.


You can see larger versions of the photos by clicking here

If you are interested in purchasing these hubcaps please contact me

ENJOY THE RIDE !