Ford F-1 Transmission Tunnel & LizardSkin Interior Makeover - Interior Decorating

Several small patches tack welded in place. Why this corner of the cover was missing is anyone's guess, it wasn't to accommodate the current transmission, but since you could see the ground through the hole from inside the truck in had to be filled.

With the corner of the cover filled, a hammer and dolly were used to roll the edges so it would fit against the surrounding floor.

For the major repair in the center of the cover we simply made a sheetmetal patch that lapped over the edges of the hole. We used clecos from the Eastwood Company to hold the patch in place during welding. Like having an extra set of hands, the spring loaded "panel grabbers" are inserted through holes in both pieces and holds them together.

Over the years the factory cage nuts disappeared, so to secure the trans tunnel to the floor we installed threaded inserts in the original holes.

Screwed in place our panel may not win any metalworking awards, but it's easily removable, fits tightly to the floor, and the transmission clears.

LizardSkin comes in two gallon pails it must be sprayed-on and cleans up easily with soap and water.

Before it can be applied LizardSkin must be mixed using variable speed drill and stir paddle bit at low rpm (300 or less) to a smooth consistency, normally for 2-4 min.

LizardSkin shouldn't be mixed too aggressively as the product can actually be damaged by doing so, making it less effective. After mixing pull the paddle out of the pail, if the product drips off slowly, it's ready to apply.

To shoot the LizardSkin we used opted for the Super Pro application kit, which included this spray gun with the proper nozzle, a hose for spraying large areas directly from the pail and a stir paddle to boot.

For best results it's recommended to have 50-70 psi air pressure at the gun, brushing is recommended only for small area touch up. We sprayed several thin coats to get the .040-inch film build recommended.

To cut down on heat absorption we sprayed the roof and the back of the cab while we were at it. When dry, LizardSkin will turn a flat grayish black.

Our F-1 had been fitted with a swinging brake pedal from an '80's Mercury and while it worked fine the rubber pedal pad was constantly coming off. As part of the interior update we opted for a new Midnite series brake pedal pad from Lokar.

While we were at it we installed a Lokar throttle pedal. The arm operating the throttle cable fits through a slot cut in the floor.

The new pad has two tapped holes for the mounting stud. As the rubber pan had already fallen off we simply trimmed the metal pedal, drilled a hole in it and put the new pad in place.

We're not done yet, but we're off to a good start. Next we'll refurbish the dash and install the rest of the interior.

We've seen windshields installed, but never tried it. Next time around we'll be doing it ourselves with new rubber from Sacramento Vintage Ford.