Grommets, Fasteners, Screws, Body Bolts, etc.

- Replace ALL grommets w/new, replace all fasteners w/new, replace most screws and body bolts with stainless steel. (I have separate documentation for item numbers on the parts I used, if you need part numbers email me or I will eventually post it to this thread. it's a long spreadsheet for every thing I've ever bought for the VX)



Seals

- Replaced seals on doors and around door frames, around windshield, tailgate, headlight assemblies, under hood. Replaced all seals that I've seen. Very expensive to do this, I ordered from Merlin all new seals.



Carbon Fiber

All Carbon Fiber Dipping was done by
Kentucky Hydrographics
3917 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY 40218
502.265.3258
http://www.kyhydrographics.com/

I love their innovative high-tech process of water-dipping ANY pattern you want on just about any type of surface!! AMAZING COMPANY!! Yes, you can ship items to them to have professionally dipped and then returned to you! I have MANY more carbon fiber pics in my photobucket (look under Phase 10 - Carbon Fiber). The guys at Kentucky Hydrographics do such an amazing job, look at some of the side views... you won't believe your eyes. It looks just like it came from a factory and NO SHORT CUTS!

To see it in action (skip to 1:50 for the cool stuff)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADq96RGRf00








Note: 2 items were a challenge to carbon fiber. The outside mirrors must be completely separated from the bracket (including wiring) in order to be dipped. This meant you have to remove the 3 screws from the underside which are put in there with LocTite. Once removed (was a b*tch, thank you Robbie) the screws were replaced w/stainless. The hardest item were the door handles. Again, the handle must be separated from the "lever" that actually moves. To do this you have to remove the "pin". I put pin in quotes because it's a very odd item. Like most other things I've experienced while restoring this truck is that MOST people have no idea that Isuzu really does have QUALITY craftsmanship throughout the VX and in places where you would never ever notice. This pin is one example. It is much thicker than any current door handle pin on the market and is made of steel (while most today are not, some are not even a type of metal any more and are a type of plastic). After thorough (and I mean thorough) research I found that this was about the thickness (just a little larger than) the largest hvy duty nail that is made. It's 2 gauges larger and of course the length of the pin is the tricky part. To get something this size and of that length you need to go to a Steel Rod Dist. and even then the size is so out of the norm, that I had to special order them. Because it was a special order I had to get 5 rods of 12' each. So now I basically have the rods necessary to make the pins for the door handles in case someone ever wants to take theirs apart for any reason. You will need welding experience or a welder in order to properly disassemble and reassemble the door handles.