Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Made the door panel board today, passenger side, out of 1/8" ABS. Boring.

Special thanks to "The Lucky Needle" on YouTube for his 5-part video on "Making Custom Door Panels". He has a pretty cool method of using clear plastic to transfer the required shape of the panel to the board.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DulSVg0WRkc

EDIT: I did notice that, to see the entire door panel build on this YouTube channel, there is a fee of $39.95. Nothing wrong with that, but be prepared if you want to see the actual upholstery part.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Cool, I want to see that.

I got out there for my five minutes and put some paint on my heater. Not so much because I wanted to but I REALLY need to get more comfortable with the paint gun again so I can clear my brothers dash.

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I picked up a set of HID headlights from a Jeep wrangler to replace my 7" seal beams. So last night I decided to install them. They went in easy with only a little trimming to the bucket. Then I took it for a test drive. Man are they bright!! Really makes a big difference in night driving.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Nice score on the HIDs!

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

We have too much stuff. So I have got my 82 wrecker up and running. And have been dragging out the 73 and newer square cab trucks and taking them apart. I have found Facebook Marketplace id a good venue to advertise and actually sell parts. I sold a rust free 86 cab to a guy in Missouri. Im in the process of stripping a 84 GMC that has a rust free 100% solid cab. I need to unhook the speedo cable and 4 cab to frame bolts and its ready to remove from the frame. Ive already sold some front crossmembers & suspension. and sold some rear ends. but we have plenty left. The 83 C20 has been earning its keep winchig stuff out of tight spots and dragging it within reach of my electric and air .

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Got the heater cleared tonight, I am feeling much better about clearing my brothers dash. It's so wild, I have sprayed thousands of gallons of paint. I did it for a living for goodness sakes, sprayed in body shops all over California and even other states doing demos and stuff. But they put the gun down for a few decades and WHAM I am as uncomfortable as hell. Just spraying this heater fired me up, it looks great, I am ready to do the dash now.

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Welcome to my world! Every time I pick up the gun it's like I don't know which end is up until the paint hits the floor. Then things just start to come back to me, like in a dream...

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Do you have any pictures of the lights?

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

sorry - no pictures. I haven't figured how to post them on this site. if you pm me your phone # I could send them to you.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Speaking of "paint hitting the floor". OMG I poured the black paint into the gun to shoot the dash and the needle wasn't going far enough in because of a little paint left from a previous use of the gun and the the paint was just pouring out of the nozzle onto the garage floor unable to stop it! Oh yeah, that was great!

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I found purchasing large blue tarps from the dollar store work really well and its cheap insurance. I've saved my garage floor many times with a tarp. There also easy to roll over with my floor creeper as well. Just a tip I thought I would share.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I finished my window channel installation that got interrupted last week. Did the passenger side rollers, channels, sweeps, fuzzies and inside trim. Hard to see in the pics, but it looks nice and the windows work smoothly and quietly.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Right on! I can't wait, I can't wait!

Got me some '55 Chevy rims and white walls to make my truck a roller..... now all I need is a frame back from the powdercoaters.

What kills me is I had to drive a half hour from my house to get these and the powdercoater is right near where I was who has my frame!

And then I found on Craigslist a couple of other exact tires for sale cheap right past where I drove coming home across the bay too!

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Made progress on the tear down of the truck. Focused on the bed today, so made a cart, lifting frame, then hoisted the bed off.

Cart:
Attachment 1892179

Detached!
Attachment 1892180

On the cart for a while.
Attachment 1892183

Also, inspected the frame from all angles, seems straight, no wrinkles or major cancer that I can see so far. Will know more after I attack it with several wire brushes.

Attachment 1892182

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I'd advise getting new rear coils, ha ha!

I've always liked those truck bar rear ends - ultimate in simplicity.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Oh yeah, new set of front and rear springs already in the garage ready to go. I did notice that the right trailing arm seems to be separating at the seam. Didn't notice that until the bed was off.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Daamn Kcmarkd, that is a nice truck!

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Thanks Brian!

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Well, my brother dash is gone, I can go back to focusing on my truck!

I can't believe it, I finally have a Motorama Token that was my dad's! He was a Olds and Buick Salesman in the fifties all the way up to 1979 and I couldn't believe that he never mentioned ever going to a Motorama being we live across the bay from SF. Today my brother brought over a bunch of stuff of his like tie tacks and WWII stuff and among it was this token! OMG! I have bought all the tokens they had over the years along with flyers and post cards and all kinds of Motorama stuff, I dig everything Motorama. I just can't believe it, I now have a token my dad very likely got at a Motorama when he was a salesman!
Here is a little story about the Motorama, this particular show was in LA. They had four across the nation every year. They were car show, broadway play, rock concert all mixed into one. Amazing, shows, wish I could have experienced one. https://www.hemmings.com/…/gms-motor...to-los-angel…/


https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2012/0...-angeles-1956/

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

That's super cool Brian. I think I'd find a way to frame and display that piece of history.

Today I cut a patch to fill my original gas tank filler neck hole. I would liked to have used the original tank location but the tank and straps were missing when I got the truck, plus the rear 4-link intrudes on the space.

BTW: My truck is painted with DP90 epoxy primer; is there any way to blend fresh paint in after I finish this repair?

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

You look like you are on the right track but I thought I would post some photos of mine in case anything may spark an idea for you. I have to assume that Suburban hole is similar, just flatter.

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

This was the first thing I did on my truck when I got back to working on it after about 20 years!

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I welded it with my old Sears torch. :D I love getting that thing in my hands!

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

My panel truck opening is more elliptical, plus it's double layer wall there's no way to hammer it out from inside like with a pickup. I am leaving the lip on the edge of the hole, thinking it will add strength to minimize warping.

Any suggestions for blending in DP90 over the repair when I'm done? Never tried blending epoxy before.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Yep! Just keep it slow, spend hours welding it letting it cool naturally between every few small welds. DO NOT cool it!

Brian