....The UTE!! formally known as the 510 UTE!! has a new name!!!! [Insert fanfare here].....
We’ll get to that later, for now I suggest it’s time to top up the Orange juice in your glass, get comfortable and enjoy this song from Lee Kernaghan on the topic of the humble yet famous UTE!! This is another picture heavy post, thank you Kinja for this indulgence.
An appropriate backing track for your ears. Contrary to its lyrical content it features a lot of Japanese UTES!! Ironic but entertaining none the less.
Ok, I’m done with this UTE!!, for now. The lead picture is the 510 UTE!! in its current/final/pre-patina form. WOOHOO! you say? You’re not the only one let me tell you. I’ll spare you the details but for reasons the original dark blue paint job was stripped, re-done, stripped and then re-done in the last day or day and a half, depending on your perspective of time. A brief pictorial record of its latest journey below. Some pictures with captions below, most with none.
Stripping commenced.
Acetone eats paint for breakfast.
Ready for its second attempted paint job.
I have not used primer this time, let’s face it, the paint won’t have time to fall off anyway at the rate at which I’m re-doing it. Sigh.
Here the join at the cab rear to the body has a crack in it, again I didn’t see this until later.
Just to prove I’m not OCD the flaws that caused the third paint job are visible in this picture.
Stripped again and prepared for the current paint. This time around I learned from previous mistakes and only applied ‘spray’ putty on the areas requiring it. This eliminates a lot of unnecessary sanding and lost details.
Instead of spraying it on the cast directly I sprayed some into the can lid and applied it by brush, much better results that way. It’s like mini-bondo.
Fun fact: The local name for Bondo is Bog, just thought I’d mention that.
Ok, ready to paint.
Arghh!! PAINT PAINT PAINT! I’m sick of the stuff as much as you are sick of reading about it I’m sure. This is it from me on paint, promise. For this week...
Below are some pictures of it as it is now and will be for some time, fingers crossed. Some pictures are fuzzy, I think, I blame the hydrocarbons.
Ok, it’s better but not perfect and it’s never going to be, I accept that. I’ll point out the things I’m not happy with of course but will fix it, or just keep repainting this thing for the rest of my life....
There was a small run in the door gap on this side. I messed with it and probably shouldn’t have. I plan on detailing the gaps anyway so it’s not a big concern.
The pictures really do show up things that aren’t visible with my lo-res eyeballs. Looking at it next to a cast with factory paint it holds up well so I’m ok with it.
The End. Oh hang on, we are not quite done yet.
Thanks for checking it out and to those who have been following along with this custom. Also a big thanks to those who put forward suggestions of possible names, all were great but as only one UTE!! exists only one name can prevail. The original plan of choosing a name didn’t work out and a decision has been made using an alternative, highly secretive formula based on many factors that are little understood by most, mainly myself. So as the drummer has RSI by now, the winner is....in the tag in case you missed it. Congratulations ‘Thunderbolt-Made With Bits of Real Panther’ for your suggested name. Well done. No prizes, just congratulations!! You can dance if you want to.