Project Long-Range Clunker: 1994 Dodge Ram

AFTER

"The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray," or so the saying goes. So, too, was our plan to paint our '94 Dodge Ram, affectionately known as "The Clunker," quickly and easily at home. The plan was quite simple, really: Paint the truck in a three-tone to mimic the factory paint scheme, making use of some paint that we already had from Summit Racing for another project. However, we wanted to make the hood a darker color to reduce eye strain on those long drives, so we decided we'd move the upper belt line to just below the windows.

BEFORE

Since we were doing it ourselves, we decided to throw in some custom touches. We snagged a '72-'93 tailgate from a junkyard with the stamped "Dodge Ram" and mated that with our original '94 tailgate. We also went ahead and grabbed some updated emblems and side molding to update the truck's look.

129 1105 Project Long Range Clunker 1994 Dodge Ram Sanding Surface

Sand, sand, and sand some more. This truck was a ranch truck and then was run into a guardrail, so there were plenty of dents to go around. Every time we thought we had it good enough to paint and had it set up to paint, the temperature would drop and it would snow. Higher humidity and lower temperatures both conspire to make the paint take longer to cure, making recoat times a crap shoot. Instead of rolling the dice, every time we got a snow delay we decided to go over the truck again.

Sand, sand, and sand some more. This truck was a ranch truck and then was run into a guard

What they say about a paint job being 90 percent prep is true. Over the course of a few months and between other projects, we have put a lot of time into the prep. It is even more important to get the metal straight with a darker color than it is with a lighter color, and our plan of a darker blue on the bent hood just made more work in the end.

Ultimately our goal of painting the truck at home was foiled by weather and deadlines. Automotive paint uses reducers and activators that are designed to work within a specific temperature range; we went for the medium range that works fine when the temperature is around 70 degrees. But every weekend we set up to shoot paint, the temperature dropped and it snowed outside. We couldn't use our diesel-fired heaters because of the possibility of paint contamination and overspray ignition. After four delays of game, we got the roof painted, then had to sand it down and re-paint it because the temperature wasn't right and it didn't cure quickly enough.

We learned a lot on this project and throughout the process we went to Reno Auto Body for technical assistance. After the fourth snow (at the end of May), bad paint on the roof, and looming deadlines, the company graciously offered us the use of their paint booth after hours one Sunday. And, yes, it snowed that day, too.

129 1105 Project Long Range Clunker 1994 Dodge Ram Stamped Tailgate

Right around the time that truck tailgates went from stamped logos to double stick tape, things like power windows and automatic transmissions became standard items. Don't get us wrong-we are all for amenities, but we want to be able to order a truck how we want it. So in a throwback to a simpler time, we frenched the stamping from another Dodge into our tailgate.

Right around the time that truck tailgates went from stamped logos to double stick tape, t

Remember that prep is the key, and even if you can't shoot your own paint at home, you can do all your prep and take it somewhere to get the paint shot. At the end of it all, we had a great paint job on the truck, and our neighbors no longer wish that we'd park it one street over. Naturally, as these things go, once we got this project finished the truck decided it wanted more attention and we started to have mechanical problems with it. More on that next time, though. For the time being, here are some of the tips to a trick paint job that you can be proud of.

The catch was that the older tailgate was 43/4 inches wider than the tailgate on our '94. So in addition to cutting the stamped panel out, we needed to narrow it to fit. This tool from Summit Racing goes in your air hammer and makes a nice 1/2-inch stepped section to easily weld the sheetmetal together. After welding, it was much easier to grind smooth than it would have been without the stepper tool.
The catch was that the older tailgate was 43/4 inches wider than the tailgate on our '94.
In addition to its own paint line, Summit Racing now carries HVLP guns, tape, and paper. In short, it's everything you'd need for your paint job at very competitive prices. (Photo: Marie Gaspari-Crawford.)
In addition to its own paint line, Summit Racing now carries HVLP guns, tape, and paper. I
We had the dreaded peeling paint that is fairly common among late-'80s and early-'90s domestic vehicles. The reason for the paint lifting is an incompatibility between the primer and the color; in other words, the primer just doesn't stick to the metal. In our case, it was between the primer and the color. Whatever case you are faced with, if your factory paint is lifting, the only sure way to make sure the paint sticks is to take it down to bare metal wherever the paint is lifting.
We had the dreaded peeling paint that is fairly common among late-'80s and early-'90s dome

We had decent weather for the application of the primer. After that, we weren't so lucky and we ended up with a lot of time to re-think and re-sand the truck. Once the primer was on and we started sanding, we found lots of high and low spots that needed more filler or sanding. (Photo: Marie Gaspari-Crawford.)
We had decent weather for the application of the primer. After that, we weren't so lucky a
After the initial priming, we just used rattle cans to re-prime the spots we had sanded. There was an incompatibility between the different primers which was obvious from some wrinkling we got. That sent us into a tizzy, because we thought we'd have to strip the truck back to bare metal. Fortunately by this time we had enlisted the help of Reno Auto Body. They had this Spies-Hecker sealer that was designed especially to keep any issues with dissimilar paints at bay.
After the initial priming, we just used rattle cans to re-prime the spots we had sanded. T
On a big and tall truck like this, it would have been very difficult to paint the roof at the same time, so we did the roof first. This keeps overspray to a minimum later and also means that we won't have to worry about setting up ladders or climbing in and out of the bed later.
On a big and tall truck like this, it would have been very difficult to paint the roof at

This 3M soft edge foam masking tape helps to eliminate the hard edge that would come from using regular masking tape. A hard edge is one that you can feel after the paint job is done. We used it for the door jambs and between the hood and the fenders. Also note how we back-taped the doors. The green tape is a bit more expensive than the blue tape, but the guys at Reno Auto assured us that it's worth it. It sticks better than the blue tape, and they tell us even after a few days in the sun it will come off just like it would the day it was applied.
This 3M soft edge foam masking tape helps to eliminate the hard edge that would come from
After you have all the sanding done, you should put on gloves and wipe the surface down. We blew the truck off first, and then wiped it down with these alcohol wipes. From this time until the paint is done, use gloves because any oil from your skin that gets on the surface will cause problems between layers of paint.
After you have all the sanding done, you should put on gloves and wipe the surface down. W
We painted the tailgate separately from the truck and masked it off to give it an old-school three-tone paint job. We first painted the white, then let it dry for a couple hours, masked it off, wiped it down with alcohol wipes, and laid down the blue. After the blue flashed (went from wet-looking to dry-looking), we pulled the three-tone masking off and clearcoated the whole thing.
We painted the tailgate separately from the truck and masked it off to give it an old-scho

If you do get some overspray, a quick wipe with some reducer will get rid of it. As long as the paint has flashed and you don't hold it on there, you won't damage anything.
If you do get some overspray, a quick wipe with some reducer will get rid of it. As long a
Always go past the end of the panel when you are painting. If you stop at the end of the panel, you will build up too much paint and end up with runs. It is better to have the excess paint on the paper rather than the truck.
Always go past the end of the panel when you are painting. If you stop at the end of the p
We let the truck sit for a full day before reassembling it. We were able to un-bend the front bumper, but the plastic trim was a total loss, so we went to LMC truck for upper (p/n 55-1820) and lower (p/n 55-1830) replacement panels.
We let the truck sit for a full day before reassembling it. We were able to un-bend the fr

Aside from being dirty, there was nothing wrong with our stock chrome parts so we used Master Formula Metal Gloss on it to bring back a like-new shine. Front and rear bumpers, mirrors, wheels, and even the chrome plastic caps came back to a like-new condition.
Aside from being dirty, there was nothing wrong with our stock chrome parts so we used Mas
To us, new paint without putting the emblems back on is a half-finished job. We used '06 Ram 1500 (p/n 56-8723) and Laramie (p/n 56-8727) emblems since our 1/2-ton truck has the Laramie package. The shopping-cart molding is the style from a '98-'02 truck (p/n 56-8404). All trim came from LMC truck, but the Ram and Laramie emblems were actual Mopar parts (just less expensive from LMC than from the dealer).
To us, new paint without putting the emblems back on is a half-finished job. We used '06 R
There aren't many good hand-painter/pinstripers around anymore, but we knew we were going to need some striping to make the truck look right. As it turns out, our masking job left quite a bit to be desired, and our blue was off between the tailgate and the bed as well as where it wrapped around the back of the cab. We have seen Solo's work in the past and have always been impressed. Not only did the company hide our masking mistakes, but they really made the paint job look professional and set off the custom tailgate, too.
There aren't many good hand-painter/pinstripers around anymore, but we knew we were going

Before we got into it and discovered the factory headlights were shot, we bought a cheap Chinese-made grille shell from a no-name company. It didn't even come close to fitting, so we turned back to LMC truck for this billet grille (p/n 56-8213 and 55-9820) and Dodge Ram emblem (p/n 56-8205). The headlights mount with three tabs and we had only one tab left between our two headlights. We have long been fans of the sharp horizontal cutoff of projector headlights as found in higher-end cars and really like the increased visibility in bad weather that they offer. These Euro-style headlights from LMC (p/n 56-6936) offer a separate high- and projector low-beam. We find that we rarely use high beams anymore, thanks to the added performance of the low beam.
Before we got into it and discovered the factory headlights were shot, we bought a cheap C
Not only were the headlights trashed, so were the taillights. One side had been hit and cracked and the other side was barely held on by a stripped-out screw hole. While this truck will be driven all over the country, it will also spend a lot of time in Southern California. If you have never had the privilege of driving here, don't. People get behind the wheel and immediately forget that they are supposed to be driving-not texting, making phone calls, or what have you. These LED taillights (p/n 56-6968) and third brake light (p/n 56-6975) will give the distracted person behind us extra time to react and hopefully avoid a rear end accident.
Not only were the headlights trashed, so were the taillights. One side had been hit and cr
If the added brightness of the LED tails and brakelight wasn't enough, we also added this three-color LED brake/turn/reverse light bar (p/n 55-9482). It was a tight fit on our second-generation Ram. We didn't want it on the tailgate, and above the spare-tire crank would not have worked because the tailgate would block it. So we mounted it right above the stock license plate mount and have just enough space to still lower the spare tire.
If the added brightness of the LED tails and brakelight wasn't enough, we also added this

Most LED conversions require swapping in a newer flasher module that is rated for LEDs. Not so with this install. Thanks to the module on the back of each light, the stock hazards and turn signals work just like they always did.
Most LED conversions require swapping in a newer flasher module that is rated for LEDs. No

SOURCES
Summit Racing 800-230-3030 http://www.summitracing.com	LMC Truck 15450 W. 108th Street Lenexa KS 66219 800-562-8782 www.lmctruck.com
SOLO 775-856-4000	Reno Auto Body Reno NV 775-322-4590