Stepside Tailgate Paint

[mtnbiker727]

Having a cousin of mine do the restoration work on my truck... at some point I'll post everything he's doing...

I got the white letterset from LMC, and am wondering what you guys think about painting the white stripe around the letters? I've seen a LOT of photos with only the letters painted, but occasionally I see the stripe painted too.

It might help me decide if someone could tell me what these trucks had on the tailgates from the factory.

Thanks!

 

[bucket]

I don't think the stripe was ever painted from the factory, unless it was a special edition like a Sport, and then those were multi-shade stripes. From what I remember anyway, I might just be talking out of my ass, lol.

 

[Gmule]

Here is a picture of a Sport that shows the tailgate and how it was painted

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http://brochures.slosh.com/index.shtml?1977chevy

iirc the Custom Deluxe and Scottsdale trim packages have white painted letters and the Silverado had the chrome trim plate on the tailgate.

When I paint mine I am going to paint the letters white first mask them off and then paint the body color.

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[mtnbiker727]

Thanks for this! I found some pictures too. I was told that my truck had the white stripe scheme similar to the ones in these pictures (mine is solid orange now), but I don't think it was the actual "sport" edition, because it has the scottsdale badges on it. I talked to a body shop guy about getting the striping put on, he guessed it would cost $5,000 to do the whole truck with the stripes. Since I'm not made of money, it'll stay solid orange!

The second picture has a white roof, but my truck never had a white roof. It's amazing how many variations of these there are.

The guy I have doing my truck said it would be a lot easier for him and be a nicer job if I bought the decal for the letters. He said he'll put it on top of the clearcoat, so if the lettering comes apart we can just peel it off and get a new set. It cost $10.00, so I figured if it lasts about 5 years it'll be worth it.

I think I'll probably go with just the letters for now... make the truck look more subtle, but still brightly showing the brand.

You must be registered for see images

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Here is a picture of a Sport that shows the tailgate and how it was painted


http://brochures.slosh.com/index.shtml?1977chevy

iirc the Custom Deluxe and Scottsdale trim packages have white painted letters and the Silverado had the chrome trim plate on the tailgate.

When I paint mine I am going to paint the letters white first mask them off and then paint the body color.

 

[bucket]

Thanks for this! I found some pictures too. I was told that my truck had the white stripe scheme similar to the ones in these pictures (mine is solid orange now), but I don't think it was the actual "sport" edition, because it has the scottsdale badges on it. I talked to a body shop guy about getting the striping put on, he guessed it would cost $5,000 to do the whole truck with the stripes. Since I'm not made of money, it'll stay solid orange!

The second picture has a white roof, but my truck never had a white roof. It's amazing how many variations of these there are.

The guy I have doing my truck said it would be a lot easier for him and be a nicer job if I bought the decal for the letters. He said he'll put it on top of the clearcoat, so if the lettering comes apart we can just peel it off and get a new set. It cost $10.00, so I figured if it lasts about 5 years it'll be worth it.

I think I'll probably go with just the letters for now... make the truck look more subtle, but still brightly showing the brand.

You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images

It says there that the '76 Sport was based on the Scottsdale trim. You might have a rare truck.

 

[mtnbiker727]

It says there that the '76 Sport was based on the Scottsdale trim. You might have a rare truck.

Previous owner said it had aggressive tires when it was new... which I thought kind of funny since it's 2WD... But maybe the truck pictured in the advertisement is actually my truck.

I wonder if I can get an old picture out of him from before he had it repainted.

Do really think it's a rare truck? I can't find much about the Sport package.

Now you've got me dreaming, and I don't think I can afford to do the restoration like it should be done.

 

[bucket]

Does the truck still have the RPO sheet in the glove box?

And it's funny looking through the old brochures. You see 2wd's with knobby tires and 4x4's white lettered street tires or even white striped grandpa tires.

 

[Gmule]

I think the orange color scheme looks sharp.

 

[mtnbiker727]

Does the truck still have the RPO sheet in the glove box?

I'm not sure what an RPO is. There are a couple documents from when it was purchased at the dealership. The truck is getting worked on, otherwise I'd pull them out and look at them.

 

[bucket]

Hopefully it's still there, it's a sticker in the glove box. It will say Service Parts Identification at the top of it and have a list of the option codes, with a brief description of each. What documents do you have?

 

[mtnbiker727]

Hopefully it's still there, it's a sticker in the glove box. It will say Service Parts Identification at the top of it and have a list of the option codes, with a brief description of each. What documents do you have?

Yeah, that sticker is there, I remember briefly looking at it. There's also a trifold which has the original paint codes, for the orange and white. And there's something else from the dealership, and the owners manual too.