I’ve been hunting for the perfect vintage looking tie down hooks for Roxanne. Finding what was I thought I wanted proved a tall task. I recalled a pointy vintage hook but the best I could come up with was a hand forged wrought iron hook. After ordering them from Garrett Wade I decided against them; I found the pointy ones! They were hiding in the awkward product pdf’s over at Vintage Power Wagons. Steve came to my rescue and those suckers are on their way.

More exciting still, I finally settled on an interior kit and from Vic’s Dodge Garage. Vic is doing original style; CNC cut panels covered as in the old days. While I’m very nervous about sag going forward, I did like that I could mix and match colors. Going with grey headliner with brown panels. I saw somebody else had done this and thought it looked nice.

His cost is misleading. While $425.00 sounds like a deal, when you factor in his shipping it get nuts. Good thing I’m rich. Check out the shipping estimate quotes from Vic’s in Oregon to me in Fort Collins, Colorado.

I’ve been leary of doing ABS, while I would appreciate the no sag factor, I just don’t think I’d like having a plastic interior. I think I’ll get better sound insulation with the old school vinyl wrapped boards. Yes, I’ve added sticky backed foam/aluminum sound deadener sheets up the wazoo. Finger’s crossed!

FWIW – Vic is a chatty guy who was incredibly helpful on the phone over a wide range of topics. And did I mention Vic’s website has color photos?

I’ve seen this topic discussed on various message boards, facebook groups and forums. The trouble is nobody really knows or can show you what you need to know to get the job done. I’m not sure I’m the guy to solve that riddle but what the heck.

The Shop Manual is woefully inadequate. Oddly I often see Dodge B series truck owners beat others over the head with “Did you buy the shop manual?!”. Well, I bought the shop manual, read the pages related to removing the drivers and passengers door window glass and still couldn’t figure it out all the  way, until Alec Benjamin Heier stopped by the home shop and showed me hands on what worked for him. His solution was drop dead simple and we had the glass out in under thirty seconds.

Steps Taken

New hubcaps could have been purchased for about fifty bucks each, but being a cheapskate at the time, I opted to slueth out hubcaps via the internet; ebay, facebook groups and the P15-D24 forum. I ended up with two pretty good candidates and fours that were on the sketchy side.

Removing the thick coat of rust from the backside took some elbow grease. I let ’em soak in vinegar for a few days then scrubbed them with steel wool and green meanines (Scotch Pads). The front sides I cleaned up with rubbing compound then applied a degreaser before I started the masking and painting.

Even with the experience of the Pilothouse Truck forum members such as @ggdad1951, I don’t think we’ll ever know re original color. I thought one of my front wheels still had a good sample of orig color under the hubcap but on closer inspection I can see it was repainted, and where it has chipped off it is showing a very faded buff color – almost light gray. I’d be happy with @Merle Coggins, Mark’s or @David A.‘s color. That notwithstanding, forging ahead was the only solution. A trip to Harbor Freight in nearby Greeley I picked up all the necessary equipment and most of the supplies, sans paint, I’d need to paint the wheel on my own (Fort Collins wouldn’t sell me the big compressor – they only had the floor model in stock).

A trip to Finish Masters in Fort Collins, armed with paint codes and a photograph supplied by forum member David A. I managed to get everything I would need to paint the wheel in my new paint booth, aka “garage”. I had already had the tires unmounted and the wheel sand blasted by a specialty shop twenty miles nearby in Loveland Colorado – They looked fantastic. Bright metallic silver. Who knew that was hiding under there.

OMG I Suck at Painting

Or the paint Store ripped me off! I was suspicious when I poured the recommended epoxy primer into the mixing cup then added the catalyst as directed by the paint Store and it was RUNNY – like water color. Am I missing something here or do I need professional help. Turns out I actually suck at painting. When stirred and mixed correctly the paint goes on pretty nice. Of course I had to wait until I sanded out all the drips, sags and runs to find that out. Epoxy primer is a bitch to sand, just so you know.