Let me introduce Magnus - He didn't do anything wrong


For those that know me really well, they know that two of my favorite things growing up were the Transformers cartoon (and toys) as well as Warhammer 40k, a tabletop miniatures game.

Discussed with G, my son, who just turned 16, what we wanted to name the Dakota. All the vehicles we own have names. 

In order of length of time owned, because we do things based on time in service around here:

  • 1972 Dodge Dart Custom - The Brick
    • My kids loved when I called it the Flying Brick when I first got it and the name stuck.
    • Yes, it's a rolling box, but we love it.
  • 2015 Ram 1500 Express - Warlock
    • Back in the 70's, in the same line of trucks as the Lil' Red Express, the Dodge Warlock was a part of Dodge's "adult toy" line of vehicles. It was initially all black, with gold and chrome accents.
    • I have loved them since I was a kid, and didn't jump on the chance to buy a basket case '77 360 version before we had kids.
    • That name jumped out at me when I saw the truck, so it stuck.
  • 2007 Chevy Silverado Classic - Silverback
    • Bought from a good friend for my son to drive, it ended up becoming my daughters truck.
    • It's been decorated as the Pokemon Edition, which my daughter loves.
    • This was great name, doesn't sound too Pokemonish, but still does.
  • 2021 Dodge Durango R/T - Smoobinator
    • Smooby is urban slang for breasts
    • I like my wife's breasts
    • She's had that nickname for 20 years, so pre-exists the urban slang
    • It sounded like a cool name for her truck
That leads us to the Dakota. I have passed my love for TF and 40k, and the only white truck that ever existed in TF G1 was Ultra Magnus. So we decided on Magnus! And that fits with both of the 'verses we both love. He's a white truck that has never done anything wrong (even though it spent a month and took $1500 in parts to get him in good running order!).

So, yesterday, I spent time on the exterior cosmetics of Magnus. I planned to do a full LED light upgrade on him, replace both head and tail light bezels as the factory ones were either hazed over or cracked/broken.




Front End BEFORE


Front End DURING


Headlight bezels removed, lights and plugs tucked away, and front bumper scuffed for paint. 


As the bumper had some scuffs that went into the metal and the black paint was faded, I picked up some Krylon Rust Tough semi satin spray paint. I scuffed the area with a Scotchbrite pad, taped off the white, and then laid down 3-4 thin coats to give it a solid black appearance. I also sprayed over what I can only guess to be an "in service date" that had been spray painted on the radiator shroud.

Front End AFTER



Aftermarket headlight bezels always fit just a bit different than the factory ones. These lights have a removable front lens, so replacement of lights is not as difficult. Well, except for the headlights. These are Spec-D from an Ebay seller selling both headlights and tail lights as a single set. They are one piece units, so a bit of a pain to install, but once in, look amazing.
When swapping to aftermarket bezels, especially on an older vehicle, pay attention to the light sockets - namely, the age and brittleness of the plastic and the rubber gasket. On this truck, I chose to replace all the sockets on the truck as I was doing the bezels:
I hit up Autozone to get the supplies I needed the day before, and ordered 6 of these:
4 for the front, and 2 for the rear.
Autozone didn't list a socket for the reverse lights, so I ordered 2 more just to steal the rubber gaskets from them. In a pinch, you could get some 1/16 rubber material and cut gaskets for them, but then there is guess work.
I didn't bother to check O'Reilly because the local one doesn't seem to employ folks that want to talk to customers.....at all. I stood there for at least 20 minutes waiting for someone who was too busy on their phone to acknowledge me.....but I digress.

Okay,  Front end LED lights list:

Tail End BEFORE


As you can see, the black areas on the bumper were in poor shape. Mostly paint fade or wear and tear of people climbing on the bumper. The main area of concern is the area around the hitch mount on the step bumper. This thing has a Reese hitch on it, and wiring, but it might have been added after the calamity of overloading the center section of this ball mount. I scrubbed this down with scuff pads, taped it off, and shot it with the same black.

Tail light install was pretty straight forward, but there was a larger gap in the center section, pointing at the tailgate. The manufacturer warns to seal gaps with silicone, so I used Permatex black silicone RTV to basically "build a gasket" for the tail light assemblies.


Tail End AFTER

And here's the finished product! Again, Spec-D tail light bezels ordered in a kit from an Ebay seller. Autobot badge from an Amazon seller, and LED light swap.

LED Light List:
And yes, I know, this is purely cosmetic, but after a long 12 hour day of plinking away at it, the exterior is ALMOST done.

Tomorrow starts the interior teardown/clean, and just waiting on the bed cap/rock shield, mudflaps to show up. After that, it's wait on the wife to approve of trifold tonneau cover purchase, and the exterior is done.

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