85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"

[N2TRUX]

I searched the forum and the Web looking for ideas on how to remove the clear anodizing that the band is coated with from the factory. There are several options available to strip it with chemicals, but I didn't have the materials on hand. I decided to try hand said ding to see what the results were. I started with 320 wet and worked with the grain. It's hard to tell if you have the coating off so I sanded till my water was gray from the aluminum. It's tedious work but I want to see if I can save it.

The left side is sanded and the right side isn't. It was hard to get a pic without a glare.

[aggie91]

I have read that EZ Off oven cleaner (the yellow can) will take off the factory anodizing on the band. From there it can be sanded and polished or cleared for a brushed look. From when I worked at a place that polished Stainless Steel, we used 180 grit to match the brushed look of the factory brushed finish.

Dent repair looks good in the photos, Most people will never know it was done...

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by aggie91

I have read that EZ Off oven cleaner (the yellow can) will take off the factory anodizing on the band. From there it can be sanded and polished or cleared for a brushed look. From when I worked at a place that polished Stainless Steel, we used 180 grit to match the brushed look of the factory brushed finish. Dent repair looks good in the photos, Most people will never know it was done...

Karl I have heard the same and been told the cheap stuff from the Dollar General works even better. Unfortunately I didn't have any handy and decided to use elbow grease instead. I was apprehensive about going to course so I started with a light grit for wet sanding. When I'm confident I have the surface stripped properly I will focus on the grain. I plan to use a semi gloss clear when I'm done.

[aggie91]

Missed your post while I was typing mine...

The area done with the 320 looks good!

[GAc10boy]

Excellent work on the band. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

[N2TRUX]

Friday night I worked late so no progress on the tailgate band. That project is on standby till next week when I'm working by myself. Today I helped Chris do maintenance on his girlfriends Navigator. We rotated tires and cleaned the wheels while they were off. Even with a pop-up canopy it's to dang hot to work in the driveway. We got that done and moved inside.

We really need to get Scarlett on the ground so I can get to the muffler shop. We decided that even though time is limited for meeting our short term goal, we really needed to get the front suspension done. The focus of our attention today was the passenger side.

Since a drop kit had been recently installed those components were fairly clean. The remainder of steering linkage was in good shape, just dirty and greasy. I wanted to inspect the wheel bearings so I blew the rotor assembly apart too.

[N2TRUX]

With everything torn apart, I got comfortable in front of the blasting cabinet while Chris scrubbed the suspension with a wire brush. That was followed by a once over with Scotch Brite then cleaned with brake cleaner.

[N2TRUX]

Chris masked the wheel well as I continued blasting and painting parts. I chose the same VHT cast iron to paint all of the individual parts. We used Krylon on the frame and A arms. It should contrast well and be easy to maintain now. We called it a night to allow everything to cure before reassembly.

[LDO]

Love your use of foil to mask off stuff. It conforms well to shapes and holds without the use/waste of tape. Thought I was the only one! LOL

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by LDO

Love your use of foil to mask off stuff. It conforms well to shapes and holds without the use/waste of tape. Thought I was the only one! LOL

I learned that little trick from my good friend Keith Stephens (N2billet) several years ago. It's very convenient , saves tones of time, and much cheaper than quality masking tape.

[N2TRUX]

We had a very productive day in the shop today. I ran to get parts and Chris started pulling all the masking. While he was preparing the area, I was assembling the hub. I inspected the wheel bearings and saw that they were fairly new. They were Timken brand so I felt no need to replace them. I cleaned all the old grease out and packed them fresh. I pressed in new seals and was ready to reassemble everything.

The truck came with a mix and match drop, but it's all name brand so I'm leaving it. The spindles are CPP, springs are Western Chassis, and shocks are Ground Force. Everything is new so it gets blasted, painted, and reinstalled

I plan to install a tall upper shock mount, but I'm short on fabrication time so I went with what I had. The upper mounting stud was really loose but fortunately it wasn't stripped. I put everything back in place and added a cherry on top.
We did a brake upgrade with a set of Wildwood D52 replacement calipers. They will improve braking and look sweet with the slotted rotors.

[N2TRUX]

Unfortunately the stainless braided lines I order were too short so we couldn't complete the install. I decided to see what I could find locally. I went to my local Orielly's and found a helpful counter guy. We ordered what we need so I can get the brakes going quickly.

With that behind us we moved to the drivers side. This side was a bit dirtier due to a leaking power steering box. Chris tore it down and started cleaning, while I assumed my position at the blasting cabinet.

[N2TRUX]

We got everything stripped, cleaned, prepped and painted. I will work on reassembly this week. We feel good about what we accomplished but noted there's still a lot that needs to be done.

[GAc10boy]

Excellent, efficient work. I've been taking a lot of notes on your refresh of this truck.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by GAc10boy

Excellent, efficient work. I've been taking a lot of notes on your refresh of this truck.

Thanks. We are doing our best to plan our limited shop time to be as effective as possible. Having a experienced helper really makes it go so much faster.

[mcbassin]

Looks great Ken!

[Gus350]

Looks Killer just read all of this thread and the other one. Now I need to take a nap hahaha glad to be following along.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Looks great Ken!

Thanks you sir.

Originally Posted by Gus350

Looks Killer just read all of this thread and the other one. Now I need to take a nap hahaha glad to be following along.

I hope you found it informative and interesting to follow.

I picked up the brake lines I ordered today. I got home at a decent hour and just had to see if they were going to fit. The fittings are correct, but the length is too short. Tomorrow I will call Wildwood to see what I need to bring all this together.

Since I was already in the shop, I figured I would just unmask the painted parts. Well if your going to unmask them you may as well hold them up to see how they look. Before I knew it I was hanging parts in place.

Once again I packed the bearings and hub with fresh high temperature grease. Installed new seals, and slide the assembly over the CPP spindle. I snugged them down and topped it off with new dust caps.

Someone asked about the spacers in my Instagram post. They were there when I bought it and I'm not sure why. I will speculate it is for clearance on the Coys wheels as the dust caps were beat flat. I hope to eliminate them if possible.

Hopefully I can resolve my brake lines issues soon and call this segment done

[PEDROSKI]

Great read.

[Low Elco]

Looks good! I had to run spacers on my '87 with 8" truck rallys. First time using McGaughy's spindles, first time I needed to use spacers with the rallies. Cpp cleared fine. Next owner says he's going to drop to a 7 in the front. Work looks good!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by PEDROSKI

Great read.

Thanks you sir.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Looks good! I had to run spacers on my '87 with 8" truck rallys. First time using McGaughy's spindles, first time I needed to use spacers with the rallies. Cpp cleared fine. Next owner says he's going to drop to a 7 in the front. Work looks good!

I haven't taken the time to measure or look up the backspace on the Coys wheels since I'm still on the fence about running them. I will take a closers look when I put them back on.

I talked to Wilwood to determine why Summit had sent me the wrong line kit. It turns out Summit has the wrong info in their database. I called Summit and explained what Wilwood had told me. The response was amazing. Not only did they accept that the info was correct, they sent the correct kit out with a 20% discount and free shipping. They also sent a call tag to pick up the other kit.

That my friends is true customer service.

[N2TRUX]

Since I can't finish the brakes until I get the new line kit I focused on moving toward getting the bed back on this weekend. Chris and I noted that the tail light harness was a bit hacked up. It appears at some point a trailer plug had been installed then removed. There were several bare spots and random unnecessary connectors that needed attention.

I started the process by cleaning all the wires, and removing old adhesive. I sorted and straightened the wires then wrapped them at 4" intervals with electric tape to keep the wires in place.

Next I cut all the bare sections out and soldered them together. I covered each solder joint with waterproof shrink tube to prevent corrosion. I also shortened a few wires to gain better flow.

[N2TRUX]

In anticipation of this project I had ordered some split mesh loom from Keep it Clean wiring . Unfortunately I only got half of my order. As luck would have it, one size that didn't ship was one that was needed.

I used this split mesh loom on my 84 Sierra and really liked the results. We learned that best results are achieved by cutting with side cutters rather than scissors and burning the ends. Once it's installed and stretched smooth, I cover the end with electrical tape. I heat the tape to melt the glue and give it a more permanent seal.

Here's the "almost" finished loom.

[moneyeater]

Subscribed! Late but not to late! ;-)

[N2TRUX]

I got the correct Wilwood disc brakes stainless line from Summit Racing today. I managed to get one side mocked up before taking a break to watching the Olympics.
The only thing that gave me trouble are the U clips for the bulk head fittings. It's going to take a second set of hands to hold the fittings while fighting the clips in place.