buffalob

Damn this looks great...I am so jealous.....

Earl I know the paint is done and the bed is on gimme pics of the whole truck already .............

Yep I did, and got hung up on the fact that he was working on fitting it into a 97+ dash. and that it did not apply to my old style dash install. ..had I been paying attention I would have realized that all I need to worry about is moving the climate control panel down. As long as that is doable what I propose should be easier than what backdraft did. Though it should be said that he makes most upgrades "look" easy. His work is great and it always winds up looking factory. His is a build thread I have learned alot from and go back to reference frequently

OCD...gee ya think??! Well it takes one to know one Earl, and I'm guilty as hell. (ya know, funny thing, when my wife says that about me, she makes it sound like a bad thing) Keep doing that voodoo that you do...cuz from here it is @#$%in spectacular brother.

Damn Earl you do clean work If I was not already jonesin for a garage...I most certanly am now. Amazing clean builds... both your works in process. I are humbled....

Big brown santa brought a gift fro the elves of e-bay yesterday. I had never seen one of these "wood" graned dash trim pieces that looks as good as this one did (glad the pics did it justice) All the ones I have run accross in the junkyards have been cracked, broken, missing mount tabs, and generally looked like a chintzy wood toned hunk of plastic. This is obviuosly plastic but it don't look bad. I think it will be a pretty good match for the zebrano Momo wheel and shift knobs (got a mate to my shft knob to adapt over for the transfer case) already in the truck. Has anyone ever moved the climate control switch panel down (sacrificing the vent in the lower position now) to make room for a double din head unit in the dash?. I do not have AC and no intention of ever adding it. any thoughts???

....yeah but it was worth sayin twice......

I could not agree with you more... Go with one or the other and leave it the @#$% alone after that.................

The product name is SEM vinyl and leather paint/dye I got it on e-bay in rattlecans. I do not recall ever seeing it at any of the chain auto parts stores (but was not looking for it there at the time). I was able to find it in the chrysler "Agate" color I was after. I have read that a similar product is available also from duplicolor. I have used duplicolor primer etc (and it is available at O'Rielly auto parts) and it is good stuff. I also used some other stuff when I did my son's honda panels a few years back by rustoleum specific for vinyl....and it looked like $#!&. I cannot reccomend the duplicolor vinyl paint as I have not tried it. The product by SEM is outstanding though not cheap. I highly reccomend paying close attention to the prep ( as you should on any paint application). Also it really seems to go on and cover best if you apply multiple (light) coats. It seems to be ok for the coats to get heavier as you lay them up, and the time I used between coats was only about 15 to 20 minutes. I ALWAYS run HOT water over the rattle cans in a bowl in the kitchen sink after shaking to warm the paint in the can. This atomizes the paint far better especially when the outside weather is under 70 degrees. The instructions on the can say that it can be a bit fragile for the 1st 24 hours....but can't give you insight there as I am stashing all my panels inside while waiting for the truck to come home. Here is a link to the SEM website www.semproducts.com Good product even I did not @#$% it up......

recieved a few early pics of bucky at the painters. these would be mid December? (they better be mid December and not this last weekend!!!). these were obviously shot on his phone.

check my build page "the building of bucky" to check my AEV wheels of choice. Your seats look awesome. yeah if you had bought three hoods I would be trying to talk you out of one of them...........

Earl keep the updates comming on this one please. Mine is in the paint shop (has been since before Thanksgiving) your color is so close... I am fantasizing that mine is in the same shape and will be comming home soon. Is the induction hood the one made by and no longer available from reflexion? btw my family pulled up stakes and left Maryland in 1972 we re-located to Colorado. I was 15 at the time. We lived in On the beltway around DC. Lanham, Laurel and Upper Marlboro respectivly. My old man worked at Goddard Space Flight Center at the time. I often miss the countryside back there, especially in the fall. did lots of hiking (boy scouts) back then..... I really enjoy seeing your trucks.

Read through the magazine article...thanks for the link. Do you have anymore detail or photos of the frame "beefing" that was done to the "frame rails" or the long arm set up you are running. The camper shell etc is very impressive. It's a real drag you could not score the custom trailer too....sorry to sound like a busted record, but ...any pics of that trailer?

Are you the artist that built the trailer? It is awesome. I know I saw a build thread for this trailer on here last year some time but admittedly have not looked for it since. I bought it from a guy in southern California named Robert.

I was a surprized as anyone when I got the console out of the box a week or so ago and found the blower motor in it and the rear vents. I have miss placed the paperwork but am certain the e-bay listing was for 96 and earlier cherokee NOS (obviously not the case). The blower is the guts of the support for the back of the console but will have to be removed to gain back any storage in the console to speak of. So the whole rear of the assembly will need some re-inforcement to take its place. (glad I still have the one I scored out of the junkyard I may need to re-use some of the rear of it and/or graft pieces of it onto the new one. I kept it to practice cutting on it for clearance for the advanced adapters transfer case shifter....still not sure what I want to do there yet. I had ordered this console off e-bay last year about this time and stashed it with the black interior I scored off troy for the red 87'

These are the tires we put on Nathans XJ. I have been very impressed with these and the Procomp Extreme Muds on bucky. His are 31's mine are 33's. For a good aggressive offroad tire in almost any weather, they are by far the quietest on the highway I have ever had. Two thumbs up (mine and Nate's). Your truck is awsome and the quality of your work and build has been a great inspiration.

words do not do this rig justice...never seen anything quite like it. is there a link to the article in JP?

The color match on the door panels compared to the dash and center consoles I shot yesterday is great. Again the door panels were the light grey and the dash and center console were the dark grey. They are all now agate and I am really looking forward to getting them mounted.

I gave very serious thought to taking the door panels apart and replacing the old (call it what you want but it is glorified cardboard in my book) hardboard and re-attaching the vinyl overlay. But thought I would dye them and mount them first to see if all that work was really warranted. They look good but I will have to wait and see how the look on the doors.

The color on this build is so close to the one going on Bucky I am shocked. Man Earl...you have got three damn nice trucks. cudos to you sir. Buffalo b

Want more pictures!!!! I too am running Pintler wheels (though they are in Argent...the darker gunmetal color they offer..yours look to be thier silver). What size tires are you running and how much lift? I have never seen an "overland" topper" can you give more details and ...pics. Love the truck love the color. Do you have a build thread on it here?...don't know how I would have missed it.