yeah my wife my drive this thing a couple times a year plus I will drive it to the farm 50+ hwy miles from time to time, not to mention possibly pulling the boat or hauling gravel etc etc etc. I think im going to stay away from the retreads for the time being. Maybe if/when i do the lift and upgrade to 33's or 35's ill look into seeing if retreads are available.

Anyone know anything about nexen tires? Like i said before they seem to have a decent tread pattern and a great price point.

 

Just an update. After getting off to a much slower start than anticipated(bought another 4x4 and been fooling with it) I finally got the ol pickup moved today, had a buddy put it on his rollback. I really couldnt believe it but with 150,000 miles and after sitting for years, all i did was hook up a battery and she fired right up. No rough idle or anything, just purred like a kitty. I didnt drive it yet because its still sitting on flats but other than fluid changes i dont think im going to have any motor work at all (yet, haha). Anyway im going to start working on the paint and interior sometime soon. Will post pics when she looses the pink.

 

That's awesome! Usually everything that can possibly be a problem breaks... Good luck

 

Right now im at a kind of stand still on the project. I've recently flushed the rad and winterized, flushed tran, changed oil, put in a battery, had a broken bolt in the timing belt cover so got that out and replaced, ordered a windshield, now im deciding on tires because im looking into getting these real aggressive retreads that we have on some of our farm trucks. IF that doesnt work out, i found some real nice AT's for less than $120 a tire.

 

even though the engine is smooth and seems ok, im thinking about running some seafoam through it. What do ya;ll thank of that? I'v heard people talk about how it has worked "wonders" for them and as long as this thing set i wonder if it would be good for it.

On the other hand if it aint broke dont fix it?

 

Thank you! The reason I picked using a roller was to avoid runs, and because I heard that if you put it on thin enough with a really dense roller, it basically self-levels. I found that it was pretty much true. I still used spray cans for stuff like the back of the cab and around the lettering on the tailgate though. As a general rule, the more sanding the better, and the more coats the better. That being said, I was pretty lazy with the sanding, and got a finish quality that would flatter an orange, but insult an apple.

Seafoam . . . in my opinion, it works, but it isn't magic. The main thing I like it for is creating a smokescreen. That and flushing your oil.

As a sidenote, my retreads have gone 80mph, pulled a 4x4 dakota and various other cars on trailers, have had the truck completely squatted with topsoil, and still ride as good as my previous brand new tires. That being said, that is only my experience and does not reflect the greater workings of the universe. Just because I've put 8,000 miles on them so far doesn't make them infallible. Like any tire, they could fail at any time, and their tendency to fail is elevated compared to a new tire. As of now, I would say that I would buy them again, but the bottom line is that you shouldn't do anything you aren't comfortable with and that you don't think you can trust.

 

Right now im trying to gather as much info as i can on painting and the different "shade tree" techniques to paint and body work. I guess im basically just trying to decide which route and methods i feel most comfortable with and how i can get the best results. I started another thread on paint so if you (or anyone else) has any tips or tricks i'd love to hear them.

As far as Seafoam I just keep seeing/reading about it on different websites and I think my truck may be a good candidate for some using it. It sat without as much as being turned over for almost 5 years so I think im going to run a can or 3 through it sometime in the near future.

The cheapest set of decent AT or MT's i could find were around $120 a tire so for a vehicle that i dont plan on driving much a whole lot, i really didnt want to put 500 in tires. The recaps im hopeful to get last and last on our farm trucks and have a pattern similar to the old military pattern. I was originally planning on this being my primary 4x4 but recently got another project that will better fit my needs so the dodge will be the extra extra vehicle now.

 

btw decided to do the brakes.

Changed the pads and cleaned up the calipers real good. The rotors were covered in surface rust so i decided to go ahead and change them out instead of having some kind of problems down the road.

 

Gathering ideas about the paint but im still not sure what im going to do with the interior.

To say the dash is cracked would be an understatement from hell, it looks like someone chopped into the top of it with an axe.

The seat seems to have good "spring" but is really weathered and just doesnt feel clean. I'd really like to put in a newer model bench out of a 2nd or 3rd gen. I wonder how much fabrication would be necessary? If a swap isnt easily done, i guess ill just go with the nicest cover i can find.

Not sure what im going to do with the carpet either, what im really thinking about is cleaning the floor pan really well then primering it, laying down "homemade dynamat" i've been toying with, then cutting a rubber bed mat down to replace the carpeting.

Ive also thought about using rubberbacked indoor/outdoor carpet, but i dont want it to look like IN/OD carpet.

 

Stockinteriors.com has formed carpet or formed rubberized flooring that will fit your truck. They also have headliner material, door panel carpet inserts, and dash pads.

shearcomfort.com has nice seat covers that work good if your underlying seat isnt all torn up.