Picked this ol 1958 Bear Grizzly for a experimental Hot Rodding. She is a plain Jane, but not to be fooled she still has a lot of life. It is definitely in need of some new upholstery paint and trim ;) JF

She is solid no rust;) just light dings, dull faded and scratched paint. The leather seats are dried out and torn and missing some trim ;) JF

This is the only trim left on her. So she gonna get some new stronger tip overlays. A little flash maybe. JF

So its time to strip her down to bare wood and glass. All of her stress cracks will get welded shut with 420 loctite. Then scraped flush to the glass.

I'm looking forward to this!

I'm hoping to keep it interesting. While the loctite 420 is drying in the stress cracks. I'm gonna glue up some new overlays. Something a little stronger then the old paper phenolic or what ever the originals were.. Jf

Yea, this is gonna be functional and sporty. JF

I can see it now. JF

All the wood and glass will get sanded with 220grit until all the clear is 90% off. Then I'll switch to 320grit. After stripping and smoothing and raising small dents with water. "I wish it was this easy on cars and trucks". I will apply 7 thinned way down coats of Big Jim's Buffalo gloss epoxy to fill the wood grain and 4 coats on the glass to level it out too. Applied with a gray foam brush. Between each coat an hour I put my mixed epoxy in a couple ziplock bags to put in the freezer. This will make the mixture last a looking time. This will make for a good solid smooth base. JF

After five days or so. I'll do my first sanding of the epoxy with 320 and then 400. It may take a couple more coats to get it smooth as glass. While it's drying, that gives me time to check out some new upholstery option. I made a copy of the original sideplate from 2-3oz vegetable taned cow hide and dyed it black. I wanna keep some of the old look, besides it was very functional too. JF

" A little flash maybe",, nice tips, sharp,,keep us posted. Tried for a long find a decent '58 (my birth year), Are you going to shave down the shelf a little?

That tip is gorgeous!

Jeff....you been in the body shop too long!

A new feather rest may be in order here. Jf

Cut,thin and stick to 2 sided automotive molding tape,3m or Norton I like. JF

Trim excess tape off. So now it'll be black bear hair or a race ready red and black feather rest. Mmm choices :) JF

Jeff... I used to do a lot of old car restorations....mostly Mopars... but I never took a plain vanilla hardtop with a column shift and turned it into a Hemi R/T!

I'm gonna try the new leather out before she heads to the paint shop for final sand and a new finish. Oh yes she'll get a 22 Strand Bcyx string red and black, yea :) JF

Oh she's a sleeper SB, Plain Jane. She still shoots a 538grain arrow at 167fps a 476grain at 176fps. Smoking ;) JF

After shooting her for a week or so and a couple passes down the quarter mile. Shes ready for the paint shop to get a little new look. JF

After some thoughts on colors, I'm sticking with 30 shades if Gray ;) JF

I mixed a gray to blend over the filled stress lines which looked terrible (black lines,yuck) then I made a twig stencil on thin plastic sheet. I used a bright white, black and a drop of yellow. Gray base first over the stress lines. Then black twigs. Add some white and more twigs. More white to the mix. Keep addind white and painting twigs until I'm back to white. My boss had an air brush for me to use. Lots of control. JF

With all the base coat sprayed, I waited a couple hours before I put some new ( from Alan Harford Bear dry transfer decals)

I had to ask our painter to help out with the clear. He knows the mixture to get a satin sheen. Actually he just pulled it up in his mixing computer. The paint and clear is Dupont, clear is what he calls snap clear. It kicks faster when using flattening agent. And is flexible. We use it on bodyside moldings and bumpers when they are not glossy.JF

She got 2 wet coats of snap clear, to much and it will get milky.JF

Bear should have made this an option :) JF

All dry a ready to put the trim and upholstery back on. JF,

Nope SB, I didn't get any paint on the wood or overlays. I'm a professional lol ;) nice and smooth and clean. JF

That bow came out looking cool ! I like it

That is awesome, great job. I got a couple old early 50's grizzly statics....hmmmm got me thinkin'. John

This little Hot Rod can keep up with the high dollar bows any time any place. Great ol Bow period. JF

Forty yard shot, first one after I put her back together. JF

Down boys down. Where ever they come from. Here is its maden 40yrd shot today. JF

Grays,maple with some curl, Red and black I like it. Thank-you thank-you very much ;) JF

Beautiful job. Thanks for the pictures.

Sweet!!!

Damn fine Jeff. ... I actually saw a later, what we think Is a greenstripe takedown with an almost identical factory camo job! Well... At least done pretty much with the same colors. The only Bear I ever saw with that factory camo pattern! ...I gotta ask..... That thing got a Hemi in it? ;) I'll get in my Duster and leave now.....

Jeff, Just WOW! Thanks. Lance.

Plain Jane looks like a super model with a little make up on! Really like how you dressed up those stress cracked limbs Jeff. Beautiful job.

Can you show leather grip details please?

That Grizzly came out awesome, nice unique bow you have there ! Really liked the tip overlays, camo paint and custom feather rest.

Very nice work!

Jeff, That is the finest refinish job on an old bear I have ever seen! Thanks for sharing. TLM

VERY nice. Who knew what was just asleep under the old finish?

-Bones

.......EXCELLENT......>>>------->!!!!

That is AWESOME, great to see new life into those bows!

Thanks for taking the time to show us your expertise... It has resulted in a truly beautiful bow...

I am off to search if you have done anymore...

Cheers Alex

I knew it! I knew it! Elvis is alive.... Great job on the bow too...

You did a fantastic job on the bow. Now that you have the procedure down why not give that white Chevy in one of your picks the same treatment?

Nicccce!!!

wow that came out perfect

Very very cool!!! The 1958's are also fine performing bows! Great work

That camo job is great, and the tips and leather look good too! They are worth keeping in service!

Fun thread to follow, Thanks for posting.

Wow you did a sweet job there bud. I really like it.

Im glad you guys enjoyed seeing the old Grizzlys transformation. At first I thought I might have crossed the line ;) putting a little paint on top of a properly repaired ol Bow. Naw I new you guys would like it. Now on to the next (ruff and ready relic). Thanks for the encouragement, much appreciated. JF

That camo pattern looks sweet. Well done.

That looks great. Good job!

Love that camo pattern. Great Job

Jeff ya did an awesome job! I like the matching red accents the best I think

Great job, and a sterling example of restoring a vintage bow into something that you came up with as opposed to restoring it back to original specs and appearance.Hot rod, indeed!

Very Nice...

That IS NICE Jeff !!!

Great job on it.

Beautiful paint job!

Sweet bow!

Bodymanbowyer can you post pictures of the grip? Did you lace it or wrap it? If wrapped is it skivved? The grip really sets the camo off.

Here ya go 4nolz. Skived and glued. I'm not liking it. To me its too soft.The black lamb skin is nice just not for me. I'm gonna redo it in 2-3oz vegetable taned and dye it black more like original but black. JF

I've had a few request as to what I used for a stencil. I just kept alternating it up and down and rotating. Each color needs to dry before the next color. Automotive base coat drys fairly quick. You can cut any pattern you like. JF

Hi JF,

Very nice work indeed...

Have you ever done a magnesium riser? If so, can you make some recommendations on what to use?

I would like to get my first b-mag riser, but it is in terrible paint condition.

I have access to a sandblaster and to chemicals like acetone, acids, etc...

I guess I would have to spray paint it?

Cheers Alex

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