1996 Silverado "exterior refresher"

[Texsbluethunder]

My 1996 Chevy Silverado has always been taken care of, but with me being busy I've left some things too long. These things include; Front windsheild, Rust spot above windshield, bush guard paint, back rack paint, winch mounting, aluminium polishing, and door window "dew wipes". This thread is about fixing those things and probably more. Please follow along and I appreciate any input and pointers on things to fix or refresh.

Alex

[Texsbluethunder]

Heres how it looks bare



Heres the lil rust spot




I hope to keep updating weekly but I am already behind...

[Texsbluethunder]

Heres what the back rack looks like refreshed and on the truck. I also polished the tool box and bed rails. (ill get some better pictures!). I sandblasted the back rack then cut off the top bar. I then rewelded the middle bar so it was level with the sides. I rebuilt the top bar by using 1 1/2" sq. steel with a 3/16" stretcher to allow the 3rd brake light to be seen. After that I painted it with some gloss black paint. It turned out awesome and the gloss is more of a satin because of the sandblasting roughness. Ill explain the poliching when I get around to doing the rims.


Heres the new window "dew wipes" Id say the old ones were shot. They werent touching the window for the most part and were just holding dirt. They were a bit tough to get off, but even tougher to get on. The drivers side was the hardest but on the passenger side I lubricated it with windex and it was alot easier. I didnt have to remove the mirrors to get the moulding off but instead loosened them as much as possible. BTW (The strips cost around $50cdn each from GM)

Look what I found under the drivers side dew wipe!!! I sanded it and put some POR15 on it.

Hope to have more soon, summers coming quik

[Texsbluethunder]

Finnaly got too taking the rims off and polishing them the other nite.

This is what i used to polish the rims. I started with #2 steel wool and Mothers Mag and Alluminium polish. I then used double "00" wool to clean up those marks. After that I used the mothers Power Ball with the polish. I betmeen I used some old rags to clean off the used polish. I used the chrome polish for the center caps.

Not too shabby if I dont say so myself

[ilmudrunner]

what happened to more pics?? nice truck btw

[Texsbluethunder]

I guess I just needed a kick in the rump to get moving, I honestly didn't think there was any interest. So here they are, been pretty slow goin, started a new job so dont have anytime diring the week, plus it's been a busy summer for weddings and such. slowly but surely getting it done, next on the list is the windshield and rust spot, but I've gotta get the HD servo in the tranny first.


This is the bushguard after rewelding with the winch in. Wasnt sure if it stuck out to far, but since its removable im not gonna worry. This time the receiver was weled in nice and level!



These are just painting shots, you can see the winch mount plate and the receiver tube that slides into it and the bushguard. Making the tube removable allowed me a tighter package to stow away. The hitch is a Hiddenhitch, I like the way they tuck up under the truck, but im not sure if it is as strong as the stock hitch, so I dont think I'll use it.



Finished!, well the bushguard anyways, over all im really happy with it, I just hope the paint doesnt fade like the last stuff I used.

Heres another (clearer) pic of the backrack done, I've got the lights mounted too but no pics yet.

[burban2002]

Wow that came a long way. Looks great.

[ilmudrunner]

yea it's really looking awesome. i really like the brushgaurd/front reciever/removable winch set-up

[F4MOU$]

yeah thats lookin much better man! looks clean as hell!

[Texsbluethunder]

Thanks folks, Hope to have more pics soon. I've got the bushguard lights on and the backrack lights on also. Anyone ever put on the roof clearance lights? Thinking I might put them on if I can find a good original set, I've gotta take the ceiling out anyways, so I can do some good clean wiring and sealing.

[ilmudrunner]

i've never put them on myself. i've been thinking about it but, i hear that they leak very easily. how would you go about sealing the cab off to make its completely leak proof after installing clearance lights?

[Texsbluethunder]

not too sure but im guessing good new gaskets on the bottom of the lights, and silicone or caulking on them too, along with a dab on the screws

[92 sierra slx]

Originally Posted by Texsbluethunder

not too sure but im guessing good new gaskets on the bottom of the lights, and silicone or caulking on them too, along with a dab on the screws

god article on roof light problems and fixes here
http://www.sporttruck.com/techarticl...irs/index.html

[02Desperado]

That's quite a project! But it looks good... never underestimate the power of a micro fiber towel

[02Desperado]

That's quite a project! But it looks good... never underestimate the power of a micro fiber towel

[Texsbluethunder]

Originally Posted by 92 sierra slx

god article on roof light problems and fixes here
http://www.sporttruck.com/techarticl...irs/index.html

Thanx man, that helped, now if I can just find some good lights at the wreckers...

[ilmudrunner]

why go to the wrecker? i don't think they're very expensive new...i've seen a few sets of new ones go for under $50 on ebay. there are some expensive ones, but if you look you can get good deals on new.

[95_C1500]

you can get clear ones from lmc for 50$

[Texsbluethunder]

Good to know guys, thanks.

[Texsbluethunder]

UPDATE: So I forgot to photograph the prep for the paint on the roof, but either way my brother is workin on it tomorrow (he hopes). He's gonna paint the trouble spot, then clearcoat the whole roof, and while he's at it hes gonna paint the bottom of the drivers door where the paint has peeled. If all goes well he'll have it in primer tomorrow. I ordered roof lights and if im lucky they will be in my hands before the paint is on the roof, then I can drill the holes for them and they will get paint. If not they'll go on after the paint has set for a few weeks. I'll work on getting pictures and keep ya'll updated.

Alex