It's been a while since my last update on this thread. Chromewheels by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:20 PM Chromewheels001 by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:20 PM Here are some photos of the new set of all chrome wheels I picked up at the Portland Swapmeet. 3speedod by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:20 PM Also I purchased a Top Loader which is actually a 3 speed w/ overdrive. Once I put this pretty paint on my Ranch and got chrome wheels I realized that my aluminum trim was looking pretty bad. I tried to polish it, but found that I was not able to polish anything. I soon learned that my aluminum was anodized. So once I learned how to remove anodizing I proceeded to de-anodize all my aluminum trim. Dianodized-01 by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:17 PM First I tried oven cleaner. But anyplace there was an air bubble the cleaner did not remove the anodizing. So dipping the a mix of Caustic Soda (3 table spoons / gallon of COLD water. WEAR HEAVY RUBBER GLOVES, AND EYE PROTECTION. This stuff is no joke!!! ) Dianodized-03 by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:17 PM Once the solution starts going, very fine bubbles will begin to roll off the metal. Dianodized-04 by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:17 PM It took about 1/2 hour for my headlight bezel and taillight buckets. My grill took about 2 hours in all. Once pulled from the solution the aluminum looked dull. Dianodized-05 by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:17 PM A good way to discover if you have actually removed the anodizing is to take some very fine wet sand paper. Rub it in an place that wont be obvious. If you rub and rub and nothing happens, then the anodizing is STILL on your metal. However, if you rub and soon get dark black sanding you'll know you are sanding aluminum. Dianodized-07 by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:17 PM Each of my de-anodized parts I wet sanded with very fine grit paper. Then I polished. I polished the aluminum with a cotton pad on my bench grinder. I used Mag wheel cleaner. I found that putting it on wet and buffing it off while it was wet, produced the best results. So I would only put on a dab, polish and then repeat. It is a long process, but I got some near mirror finish results. Dianodized-06 by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:17 PM I also had to repaint all the back on my grill and in my taillight buckets. I used John Deere Blitz Black. That paint kicks A$$. Final update, I painted my cars Talisman on the fenders and tailgate. I designed this Tiki dude many years ago, and my car has always been known as Tiki. The reason it is known as Tiki, is because I've always known it as The Cursed Tiki. So the following images were taken while I hand painted my tiki's on my Ranch. Tiki-002 by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:20 PM Tiki-001 by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:20 PM Tiki-004 by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:20 PM Tiki-003 by The_DropOut posted Apr 28, 2015 at 7:20 PM Soon I'll be pinstriping my scallops. Wide white tires are on their way. Once I get my wheels I'll take the Ranch out for a drive and get some quality photos of my car with some interesting back drops. Thanks for looking!
Hey cats, its been almost exactly a year since my mast post on this thread. Here are some updated pics of the Ranch. 2016-3-001 by The_DropOut posted Mar 16, 2016 at 8:51 PM 2016-3-002 by The_DropOut posted Mar 16, 2016 at 8:51 PM 2016-3-003 by The_DropOut posted Mar 16, 2016 at 8:51 PM 2016-3-004 by The_DropOut posted Mar 16, 2016 at 8:51 PM 2016-3-005 by The_DropOut posted Mar 16, 2016 at 8:51 PM 2016-3-006 by The_DropOut posted Mar 16, 2016 at 8:51 PM 2016-3-007 by The_DropOut posted Mar 16, 2016 at 8:51 PM
I know this tread is a couple of years old now. Is there a gallery somewhere with all the photos of this build? Alot of the images are no longer linked, or 3rd party Photobucket blocked.
The Jalopy Journal
