1972 Ford F100 - Gasser Style

We used a mixture of Tide and hot water in the first stages to dissolve the dirt into mud, making it easy to flush out with a garden hose.

The next and last step involving a good flush was the use of KBS Coatings' Aqua Klean. It is essential to wear gloves and eye protection while using Aqua Klean.

We thought we were so smart and safe by using an air hacksaw instead of a die grinder with an abrasive wheel with sparks that could ignite fumes from the gas tank...

...until we walked around to the other side of the truck in bare feet and discovered a live extension cord was lying in a pool of water.

Before the stock seat goes back in, it will be reupholstered in Parchment-colored vinyl.

One of the most important steps to restoring or customizing any vehicle ever made of steel is to ensure that rust will not reappear after the project has been completed. That said, we used KBS Coatings' Rust Blast to leave a zinc phosphate coating that can be left up to 30 days before the next steps have to be done.

After completing KBS Coatings' three-step oxygen-blocking process, the next step is to spray in Lizard Skin. We chose to use Lizard Skin for several reasons. Lizard Skin in its liquid state is water soluble, which means after you're done spraying it onto the desired area, all you need to clean up the spray equipment is soap and water. The Super Pro spray gun pictured is a special unit designed by Lizard Skin especially for applying their products and is available with a cup or a special adapter that draws Lizard Skin directly from the pail. Maybe our first reason should have been product performance. Since there will be nothing else used for floor covering in the '72 except Lizard Skin, it was essential we specified a heat-proofing system with superior qualities. Right off the bat, Lizard Skin's resistance to direct exposure to up to 500 degrees of heat can reduce solar and engine heat transfer by 25-30 degrees, but what cinched the deal was Lizard Skin's ability to soak up 10-12 decibels or more of noise.

Only an idiot would take a picture of himself pouring gasoline from a gas tank into a 5-gallon jerry can...OK, so I'm an idiot.

Buying a new Miller Spectrum 375 Xtreme plasma cutter was something I should have done as soon as I entered the Build-Off. It's not too late, though we'll show in the next issue how we used it to fabricate rust repair patches.