1968 Chevrolet C10 Restoration - Two-Tone Revival!

I waited a good twelve hours between applying the Rust Encapsulator and the Drip-Chek seam sealer. Another twelve hours elapsed while the Drip-Chek cured and then I was ready to shoot some paint.

I waited a good twelve hours between applying the Rust Encapsulator and the Drip-Chek seam sealer. Another twelve hours elapsed while the Drip-Chek cured and then I was ready to shoot some paint.

In the interim, however, I removed the grille and related components and prepped them for paint as well.

I opted to use Eastwood’s Low VOC Bright White single stage Urethane for the top of the cab and the grille, mixed 4:1 with their activator. This will yield a beautiful finish with plenty of protection from UV rays and inclement weather. I use 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner for all kinds of cleaning and degreasing duties ’round the shop. Of course, it’s designed for wiping down surfaces prior to paint or bodywork.

Eastwood equipped me with a set of their Concours HVLP paint guns. The gun on the left is designed for those larger jobs, while the detail gun on the right is great for those smaller jobs such as painting a steering column or small parts.

I also have a variety of nozzle/needle/air cap kits on hand that I switch out depending on what I’m spraying.

With the truck masked off and my work station (if you can call it that!) organized, I started shooting paint.

I laid a light coat, followed by a slightly heavier coat, followed by two heavier coats to provide consistent, even coverage.

You can see the gloss and color of the top in this shot of the rear passenger’s corner.

Putting the grille back together is a fairly straight forward process, though I did learn something that I thought I’d share and that’s the proper way to install the clips that hold the grille opening trim in place.

Note the relationship between the rotation of the flat washer/clip and the spring tabs on either side. Basically, it needs to be installed so that when the nut is tightened, it wants to spin and lock into place as opposed to spinning and popping out of the groove.

The grill has holes for every fastener and it’s tricky to get them all in the correct spot. To solve this problem, I simply laid the trim against the grille, marked each hole, then installed the fasteners in the appropriate spot. This allowed me to install the trim correctly the first time without repeated attempts, which could have scratched the freshly painted grille.

Here’s the freshly rejuvenated front end, with all the bright work from Brothers Trucks including those nice, bright Euro Crystal headlights with bright white halogen bulbs. That unsightly white bumper also got traded in for a nice chrome number, adding some much needed shine to the frontend.

With the top painted to match the grille, the original factory two-tone paint scheme has been reborn.

Not wanting to leave well enough alone, I opted to get rid of the massive step bumper out back to wrap up the bright work upgrades.

After removing the bumper with a small crane, I proceeded to install the new bumper brackets provided from Brothers.

Next, it was simply a matter of lifting the new bumper onto the brackets, leaving the shipping paper in place to protect the chrome for the time being.

And there you have it, all the bling our little truck deserves, at least for the time being. Notice those new lenses? Those are courtesy of Brothers as well, and wrapped up all the lens and marker light upgrades.