2001 Dodge Dakota Buildup - Design Graphic

Anything else that was bolted or screwed to the truck was removed as well. There were a few dings and some damage to the body from the collision so all of these were taken care of with body filler, sanded smooth and primed.

Since we wanted the finished truck to look as good as possible, the stock silver was color sanded and completely cleaned up. The areas where dents and dings were filled got a fresh coat of stock Dakota Bright Silver paint. We also had the windshield popped out in favor of a new one as the original was badly pitted. Removing this also makes for a better paint job in the end.

PART TWO
Laying out the lines

Now that the hood and rollpan of our Dakota were taken care of, we had Steve Vandemon, custom painter extraordinaire, layout the waistline stripe with his own brand of 3M 1/8-inch tape.
Now that the hood and rollpan of our Dakota were taken care of, we had Steve Vandemon, cus
Moving to the tailgate, Steve taped a centerline for his design and began laying out the graphic. Steve laid out the tailgate on the fly, letting the design just flow and dictate itself onto the truck.
Moving to the tailgate, Steve taped a centerline for his design and began laying out the g
After a few times of pulling up the tape and redoing some lines he ended up with a design that looks killer.
After a few times of pulling up the tape and redoing some lines he ended up with a design

Once the graphic was done, Steve taped paper over the truck to make a pattern for the other side. Using a lumber crayon Steve rubbed over his design to transfer it to the paper.
Once the graphic was done, Steve taped paper over the truck to make a pattern for the othe
Notice he also marked the tailgate edges and pull handle on the pattern. This will ensure it gets lined up correctly when applying the design to the other side.
Notice he also marked the tailgate edges and pull handle on the pattern. This will ensure
Once the rubbing was done we now had a perfect copy of the graphic to mirror on the other side. Steve also made a rubbing of the scallop he taped on the side of the cab.
Once the rubbing was done we now had a perfect copy of the graphic to mirror on the other

Now the fun part: we get to use the pounce wheel. This tool has a toothy wheel on it that makes small perforations in the paper.
Now the fun part: we get to use the pounce wheel. This tool has a toothy wheel on it that
These small holes are vital to the next step. Steve traced out his entire design with the pounce wheel, making sure to hit every line.
These small holes are vital to the next step. Steve traced out his entire design with the
Once perforated, the design can be flipped over and taped onto the other half of the tailgate. Steve made sure it lined up correctly before patting chalk into the perforated paper.
Once perforated, the design can be flipped over and taped onto the other half of the tailg

Steve's chalk applicator was nothing more than a piece of old T-shirt wrapped around some powdered chalk. Steve patted the chalk over the holes in the paper leaving a perfect chalk outline underneath.
Steve's chalk applicator was nothing more than a piece of old T-shirt wrapped around some
Now that he has a mirror image of the original design, Steve finished laying out the tape on the other side. The design came out amazing, now we can't wait to see how it looks painted.
Now that he has a mirror image of the original design, Steve finished laying out the tape