'91 Centurion Classic C350 7.3 IDI 4x4 -= aka =- My Name is Lycanical, and I have issues...

[WareWolf MoonWall]

I agree with @M Rose about the Raptor/Rhino liner, I did a color matched Raptor liner job on my 2000 WJ Grand Cherokee. Its awesome and the car is a rebuilt total where there are still millions of them around, not likely to have any real value in my lifetime though..lol I have my 1991 F250 SuperCab that I am the second owner on and have turned over the odometer a bunch of times. I never plan on getting rid of this truck for sentimental reasons (Not to mention not a single computer in it and a five speed anti-theft device) but I never expected to see its value rise so fast. Thought about using a Raptor paint job because I can do it myself, and its super durable. But it also is almost impossible to remove and go back to regular paint, and more importantly just would not do the old iron justice in my opinion. Mine is in fantastic shape except for the paint falling off and light surface rust, we also had several quotes with the lowest being 25k for a standard two tone paint job. I worry about putting anything on top of the existing paint as the primer is the problem (Thank you Ford and early 90's paint) where it just did not bond with the paint. All shops have stated that it has to come down to bare metal and start over. Even my local Macco said they would not even consider doing any of their basic jobs. They said that if i removed all the trim and exterior goodies they would strip it, do any minor ding repair and due a two stage factory matched job for 5k. Think that is going to be the best option, as this will be my lifetime Sunday drive rig. Now it sits in a storage garage waiting for me to get my new shop built so I can tackle the mechanicl rebuild before giving her a pretty new paint job. Still think I am crazy for putting that much into a plain old truck, but they are just so cool, and the sound of the IDI diesel is so unique.

Gah, the two of ya gangin up on me hah! I appreciate ya both, that's why I'm here with my stream of thought :)

 

[WareWolf MoonWall]

7.23.22 - Lock actuators replaced (again) and now all four doors work!

 

[M Rose]

7.23.22 - Lock actuators replaced (again) and now all four doors work!

Sorry to hear that the actuators needed replaced a second time… glad that the door problem is finally fixed… where did you get your actuators from? I’m needing a pair for mine

 

[WareWolf MoonWall]

7.23.22 - Lock actuators replaced (again) and now all four doors work!

Sorry to hear that the actuators needed replaced a second time… glad that the door problem is finally fixed… where did you get your actuators from? I’m needing a pair for mine

Dorman 746-147 Door Lock Actuator

Ordered a set for the front doors to confirm they worked, then ordered the second set and got them in today.

I ordered from Amazon as they were by far the cheapest, but O'Reilly's also carried them in stock at several local shops so not hard to find.

 

[WareWolf MoonWall]

So, what if I just rhino / raptor lined the roof? Maybe the hood?

I am going attached to the idea of an 'oreo' theme since my hard top is back, my soon-to-be softopper is black, wheels and bumpers black, and maybe aftermarket black lights. Probably have some kind of wolfy / mountain vinyl scene down the sides once the body is fixed up.

Of should I just stick with black paint for the Oreo look?

 

[M Rose]

So, what if I just rhino / raptor lined the roof? Maybe the hood?

I am going attached to the idea of an 'oreo' theme since my hard top is back, my soon-to-be softopper is black, wheels and bumpers black, and maybe aftermarket black lights. Probably have some kind of wolfy / mountain vinyl scene down the sides once the body is fixed up.

Of should I just stick with black paint for the Oreo look?

Raptor lining the top is ok, and actually gives the top an almost OEM look (as long as we are talking about the fiberglass portion). As for the rest of the roof of the cab, I would strongly suggest against Raptor lining it. On down to the hood… buy a second hood to Rapotor line. They are cheap (I think I got mine for $25.00 at the salvage yard).

 

[Mekcanix]

I like the wolfy theme, I too am into wolves.
this rig is something else, Sorry you are getting the run around by these shops

 

[WareWolf MoonWall]

Been busy trying to get the body and hard top aligned, and all I can think is there must be a misalignment of the body or a tweak in the frame as it seems like no matter how it's placed, the rear window has issues going up. Also been replacing all the dash lights and troubleshooting the gauge cluster / wiring in that area.

Looking around for shops to help with the body work at this point, and I'm looking at a few if anyone has any experience / feedback:

• Fix It Garage & Restoration - We like cool cars and cool customers! (business.site)
• Collision, Auto & Glass Repair | Caliber
• Maaco Auto Body Shop & Painting | Collision Repair

Maaco keeps emailing me that they want to fix my truck for $3-4k, including premium paint, rust damage etc... Have not had a chance to get quotes from the others yet.

 

[M Rose]

My experience with Maaco was poor… I did 100% of the body work and primed my Ford F-. I stripped the interior to include the dash, removed all of the glass… and even pulled the engine, transmission, grill and fenders so they could paint everything. I wanted door jams, firewall, fender liners, inside of fenders, and anywhere there had been blue paint as I was changing colors…
They only painted the exterior of the body… no hood, doors, front grill or front valance. (They said because it wasn’t bolted onto the truck and they were all inside the bed.
Next it was supposed to be a base coat with at least 5 coats of clear metallic and 2 coats of clear pearl… there wasn’t any metallic or pearl in the paint hues. When I went to buff the paint my clean white rag came back with color.
2 months later my paint was cracking on the roof, and had blisters in my tailgate.

Now this was 1997 but I still won’t recommend Maaco… A blind monkey can do a better job with a rattle can.

 

[WareWolf MoonWall]

Softopper is installed!

Not thrilled with the bedrail alignment, as I feel it should align the top to the outer edge of the bedrail. Based on some photos and a YouTube I found, this seems normal though.

Other than that, it went on in a couple hours with some help and it looks pretty sharp. I am pretty sure it's already cooler inside having those super dark tinted windows.

As for road noise, I think it's about the same at highway speed. Wife swears it is quieter. Overall, we love it. Just need to figure out what to do with the hard top now.

 

[WareWolf MoonWall]

Still working through things on the truck, though my pace has greatly slowed down due to other life factors.

• I have the coolest thing now, a "smart" rearview mirror which not only works as a normal mirror but has given me a front a rear camera (with lines), hands free calling, navigation and other features through Android Auto.
  • It's using an FM transmitter to get the audio from my phone through the truck stereo so it's a nice clean nearly factory look.
  • I'm able to use Google Maps and SiriusXM radio now, effectively giving me all the high-tech wonder that I have in my 2020 RAM 1500 that I personally care about.
  • A really interesting fact - It works somewhat with the NV-7500 HAM Radio, passing the incoming radio chatter through the vehicle as it would any other audio source. At this time, the app does not display though.
• Fixed the glovebox light. Not a big win, but it was another knudge in the right direction.
  • For lack of a better issue, I think it just had too much dirt against the contacts.
• I'm trying to fix the windshield washer reservoir. I replaced the motor, and everything works as it should, but the seal around the motor (motor is in the bottom of the tank) is not secure enough to prevent leaks. It's kind of like the rubber gasket on the motor is slightly under spec... Any thoughts on this one?

 

[WareWolf MoonWall]

Got a bunch of LED lightbulbs to refresh the exterior lights of the beast. Only able to get the headlights installed as the whole house caught the crud, but wow what a night and day difference in light performance!

 

[WareWolf MoonWall]

Ended up replacing the TECA (transmission electronic control assembly) as it was stuck in a limp mode for a few months. Let me tell ya, getting a shop that was able to properly diagnose that was a pain. While we were at it, we also replaced the alternator with a 3G upgrade. It took me three service shops, a "come to my house" mechanic, and months of calling around to finally get it back on the road.

That all said, I think I've found a great shop in the area to finally help me care for this beast.

Additionally, I've replaced the Windshield which was on the list of things to do. Unfortunately, the installation place claims the frame is warped or something which is preventing them from installing the trim back on (which came off no problem?). Need to figure out what the heck that means as far as work on the truck now.

 

[WareWolf MoonWall]

Replaced the Gauge Cluster with a restored unit, and now everything except the water temp is working so I'll need to check out the sensors on that. I still love driving this beast!!