New guy needs opinions

[Boulder Cruiser]

Hello all,
Just purchased a 68 LUBR a couple weeks ago. Very excited about it.
The truck is all stock besides 2.5 duff lift, and converted to 3 on the floor. 95% original paint. The Lt lower quarter, Rt Rocker and inner fenders are the only part of the truck that have cancer. Its very minimal and the truck came with replacement panels. I ordered a Power brake booster, I put 34 10.5 on it and ordered all new upholstery. Ive been going through and baselining it all mechanically.

My end goal for this truck is to have a nice original driver. I spent a couple days polishing out the original paint and it came back to life very well. My biggest question is this...
Will it hurt the value of this truck being very virgin, to replace the quarter/rocker. Obviously at that point it would have non original paint on those panels. Then that begs the question, paint the whole truck at that point?

Personally i would prefer to replace the panels and paint just those panels keeping the rest original. Eventually i will sell this truck, would YOU rather have some cancer and an untouched truck or a clean driver with a couple painted panels.

The repair would be done correctly as i do collision repair for a living.

Also should i paint single stage or two stage?

Thanks!!

 

[hyghlndr]

Post up some good pictures, I am in favor of keeping them original if at all possible.

 

[tatersalad]

Personally I wouldn't want the rust.. oh, and welcome to the site..

 

[sykanr0ng]

If you replace body parts and paint those with a different kind of paint than the original parts are painted with that will age differently then later on the difference will be even more noticeable.

 

[Boulder Cruiser]

Link to a few pics

https://photos.app.goo.gl/evNXeS16rVRHvBRt8

 

[Boulder Cruiser]

If you replace body parts and paint those with a different kind of paint than the original parts are painted with that will age differently then later on the difference will be even more noticeable.

I agree, what i meant was if i repaint the whole truck which i really don't want to do, should i paint single or two stage? If i panel paint will i paint single.

 

[sanndmann3]

I would not paint the entire truck. Its only original paint once...
I'd be tempted to leave it as is, unmolested original. Try and do something to keep it from rusting any further and call it good...

And welcome to the best website on the net!

 

[LUBr LuvR]

Welcome and congrats. Since you plan on eventually selling the truck, I agree with leaving it original and trying to convert/treat the rust. You can always offer the choice to the next owner if they would like you to do the repair/replacement at an additional cost at the time of sale. In the meantime, drive and enjoy your new-to-you rig!

 

[okie4570]

Wow raven black original paint! Make it safe to drive and drive as is!!

 

[Slowleak]

That’s original rust..... I would preserve it! Don’t paint it!

 

[Wyflyer]

That Bronco is clean enough there's no harm in driving it as is.
If you fix the rust and have the skills to match the paint that would be my first choice.
2nd choice would be a well documented complete paint job of the entire rig. Broncos are famous for bad quickie paint jobs which don't last. Or Bondo buggies that hide severe rust. If you do it right and document if for the next owner it will be valuable to them.

I've got a restoration going and I used single stage poly. I don't like modern 2 stage on vintage vehicles. It reminds me of women with too much plastic surgery, it just doesn't look right.
BTW i'm in Brighton..

 

[migs]

Welcome! if selling one day I would think that nice shiny paint with a clean interior and good tires will bring more value. and having the skills to do the work yourself would make it worth while vs having to pay to have it done.
If planning to just drive and enjoy it for a while then don't tear it apart, just fix the issues, match the current paint and blend it in. you can always do the full re paint later on. either way I would take lots of pictures and document the work.

I had mine all apart planning on a full repaint, it was a solid clean truck to begin with but I had to replace one rocker panel due to it being crushed in. It has had one prior exterior paint job done with single stage in it's original new lime color probably in the late 80's or early 90's.
Well, I got as far as doing the tub in base coat clear coat, then last spring rolled around and I needed it back together for the round up, so I just bolted everything back on as is...the whole front clip, doors and tailgate are still that old single stage paint as I acquired it in. luckily the new paint was a pretty close match.
I'm still planning on painting the rest... I think... but for now it's nice not really worrying about scratching it when driving it on or off road.
Oh, and boy am I glad now that I didn't decide to change the color when I sprayed that tub!;D

 

[hyghlndr]

Can you post pictures of the rusty areas, trying to see how bad it is? We have seen some newbies want to do major metal work for a few pinholes or a sheet metal crease.

If complete repaint up to you on single or two stage, since you have the skills two stage bc/cc is probably best.

 

[Boulder Cruiser]

Can you post pictures of the rusty areas, trying to see how bad it is? We have seen some newbies want to do major metal work for a few pinholes or a sheet metal crease.

If complete repaint up to you on single or two stage, since you have the skills two stage bc/cc is probably best.

I’ll take a couple today. The left quarter, i can propably put my fist through it but is maintained to the very lower corner under the marker light. The rocker is is Swiss cheese for a about 8 inches on just the face. I will likely section the panels in as they are not very large or structural this will also keep all the factory welds in place. Did ford undercoat these trucks? There is a substantial amount of really thick undercoat that appears very old, covering wheel wells and undercarriage. It’s starting to all flake off so I will have to do something about that as well.

Thanks everyone! I’m still very torn as to what to do. I think part of the problem it is that I want to fix the truck I think it would be a very fun project, but I agree with the “it’s only original once” and I don’t want to affect its monetary value. I have a restored 77 Fj40 (I’m a big Toyota guy) and I see some of the things they did and think to myself I could have done it way better. But tearing into that doesn’t make much sense.

 

[blubuckaroo]

Original "patina" paint is a fad. Some of us don't like it at all. Most like shiny cars.
Just don't bedline the the interrior!

I just looked at your photos.
That paint looks great.
It's black. You should be able to repair the rust and match it pretty well.

 

[Lawndart]

Me - I care more about mechanical. I would do that first and drive.
I wouldn't worry too much if you decide to replace a rocker panel or fixing that area on the left quarter panel. The rocker is a stand alone panel and a good body guy can conceal newer paint using panel lines, manufactured aging, etc.

 

[Boulder Cruiser]

Pics added to link.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/evNXeS16rVRHvBRt8

 

[jedblake]

Nice rig! Once mechanically sound I'd put some money into it to repair and repaint. As stated earlier black should be pretty easy to match for a body shop.
That type of damage would drive me crazy, especially being on the driver side. Just my opinion.

 

[rjrobin2002]

That does not look like original paint to me, but is a very nice Bronco. I notice lots of orange peel that the original paints do not have. Plus the rust bubbles seem like original paint with some rust was painted over. But I have been wrong before.

I would replace those rockets by the way. AMD the good news is the replacements are black.

 

[DirtDonk]

Considering how rusty the corner is, it's shocking how good the floors are!
What about the other areas of notable rust in so many Broncos, such as the door and tailgate bottoms, kick panels and rear corners of the engine compartment?

Is it the light, or is there some red under that black on the driver's side rear wheel opening?
And what's that other color on the license plate holder? Green or Blue? Or again, is that the light?

Have you decoded the warranty plate on the glovebox door?

Back to your question, unless you have some rare model there that there just are too few of to touch, I say fix the rust. Yes, a Black Bronco is not common, so there is that. But nobody, and I mean NOBODY pays extra for rust these days. Maybe in the near future I suppose, as it's already crazy what people think is worthwhile. But for now, new paint gets more money than old paint unless it's practically pristine original. Which yours is not, with that amount of rust.

So while I hate to give bad advice and people are really going for original to the point they ignore rust-through and pay more for it (as far as I know they don't) my advice is to fix the body, fix the mechanicals, and have fun with it.
Are you going to keep it so original you keep the manual steering, drum brakes, and not replace things like worn out steering linkage or other things that might make it less safe/fun to drive? Or will you update all that stuff too if it needs it?

It's already lost it's original suspension and exhaust, so it's not like it's a time capsule any longer as it sits. What does it look like under the hood? Still got all it's stock stuff there? Six-cylinder, or V8?

So the Black color still makes it more desirable to some, but the rust would probably chase away someone looking to pay top dollar.
If you're curious about the little details, order at least the basic Marti Report (www.martiauto.com) and enjoy learning more about it's origins.
But also definitely post up your codes from the warranty plate on the glovebox. Lots of members here can decode most of them for you.

Paul