I wanted to get these rims because I already have those tires but don't know what size to get

http://media.motortopia.com/files/11...9/P6110045.jpg

 

Looks good, I have to repaint my hooks again, I also might paint the frame there too,

 

Painting the frames seems like a good idea. What parts of the frame do you actually paint? Or is it just everything in the underbody? That makes me worry that if I have to get a nut or bolt off it may be painted on

 

I painted the frame that you can see under the truck, nothing else, Although I'm going to paint every rusty thing on my truck next summer.

 

Well its time to dive into my second project and show everyone how i did it.

In this project I'm going to repaint the bumper.

I began by removing the front grill in order to get better access to the entire bumper

The grill is only attached by pressure clips however it is helpful to have a screwdriver to pop them off. Also, you need to pop each turn indicator off by pull it out until you here a pop.

Once you have it off you have to remove the turn indicator lights from the sockets in order to fully remove it.

Next i removed the lower plastic bumper guard. This was a bit more challenging and requires you to remove 4 christmas tree clips which you will have to replace later

There are about 10 clips you have to push up while you remove it

Here is an example of the christmas tree clips, the easiest way to remove them is to use a flat bladed screwdriver and put it in the middle of the piece and hit it once or twice with a hammer


Now that you have removed both pieces that obstruct the sanding and painting of the bumper you can start sanding. I would suggest 220 grit sand paper to remove the nicks and 80 grit to scuff up the surface.

If you have a good coat of paint it is not necessary to sand all the way through it just enough to rough it up


So, today i decided (with the advice of some others =p) to remove the front bumper to paint it, instead of just taping everything up, so heres how i did it and finished off the paint job
First you have to remove all six bolts holding the bumper on

after you have all six bolts removed you have to pull each side of the bumper out slightly in order to get it around the bracket (DO NOT drill the rivets of the fender flair on the bumper i did that and it was stupid)


So now that you have the bumper off find a good place to set it where you have access to all sides of (i used two stands as you can see)


Then began to sand, if you have lots of chips i would strongly suggest a power sander in order to sand through all the layers and feather them out so you can't feel them.


Next tape off the plastic fender pieces on either side of the bumper so you don't get paint on them


Important! Before you paint i would strongly suggest putting on some latex gloves and wiping the entire metal part of the bumper down with rubbing alcohol in order to remove all oils and greases

Then find a good place to set the bumper while you are painting (i used to jack stands to support it and they worked great).


Finally your ready to paint, i would do to coats for best coverage, i would suggest not to do more than 3 or you will be more susceptible to chipping
1st coat

2nd coat


Leave it dry for a few hours then your are ready to put it back on!! Put the bolts back in and you are good to go.

(by the way my bumper was not very clean when i put it back on =p thats why it doesn't look very even)


I hope this helps at least one person out, overall i think it is really worth it to repaint your bumper especially with some sort of truck liner, it looks awesome.

 

Sweet job so far, are you going to repaint behind the grill while you've got it of?

 

Sisk, sounds like you love Bed liner.hehe
Has anyone done their whole truck with the stuff?

 

why not just pull the bumper? 4 more bolts and its off

 

I do love the stuff lol. Bedliner is great. It can be used on pretty much anything.
And to answer your question, yes people have done their entire truck. I'm not sure if anyone on the forum has (thats still active anyway) but people have definitely done one. I've seen a few trucks around town with it done. I'm actually debating on whether or not to do it to my truck. The good thing is it's extremely strong. If you get in an accident with a bed lined truck chances are you won't see much damage.

And I second this thought...why don't you just pull the bumper off. It will be easier to paint and you'll get a better result.

 

I think I I'll just pull the bumper off I had no idea it was that easy. Thanks for the idea =p I'm going to start painting it today, I'll take pics and post them