Black OBS F-250 Goes from Scratchy to Flashy
The older an OBS Ford trucks get, the more TLC it needs. This scratchy F-250 gets it in the form of paint correction and ceramic coating.
It’s been more than 20 years since Ford made the “Old Body Style” aka OBS heavy duty trucks, which ran from 1992 until 1997. The blocky brutes still look good after all this time, but there’s no getting around the fact that even the newest ones have had to endure more than two decades of the elements. That makes cosmetic upkeep that much more important.
The black F-250 XLT in this video from the YouTube channel Empire Auto Spa is a perfect example of that simple truth, even though it may not seem like one at first glance. If you look at it quickly at the beginning of the footage, you may not notice any glaring cosmetic issues. It’s kind of hard to because the lift, suspension, and wheels and tires are so eye-catching.
But when the camera zooms in on the bodywork, it becomes clear just how much of a toll time and weather have taken on the truck. It’s clean, but far from pristine.
There are swirls of fine scratches all over. The chrome trim doesn’t shine like it used to during the Clinton administration.
To bring this ebony rig back its former glory, Empire Auto Spa gives it a complete makeover that consists of paint correction, chrome restoration, and ceramic coating. A tech starts by gently grinding out the surface-level scratches that catch the light in all the wrong ways. It’s not long until you can spot the night-and-day difference between a hazy untreated door and the smooth and glossy corrected front fender next to it.
The tech proceeds to start stripping all of the patina off of the chrome trim on the tailgate applique using both an orbital sander and his own (gloved) hands. That TLC extends to the chrome exhaust finisher and other parts. After buffing the tailgate with a cloth, the tech moves onto applying a ceramic coating that will provide five years of protection to the F-250’s gallons of paint. The plastic trim also gets a much needed refresh.
According to the Empire Auto Spa website, the Sanford, Florida company’s “5 Year Paint Correction & Coat” process takes between 14 and 20 hours of labor. The end results of all of that elbow grease appear to be worth the wait. The OBS F-250 emerges from the service bay with candy paint (if you consider black licorice candy) and mirror-like chrome. This time the truck looks as good up close as it does from a respectful, admiring distance.
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