Re: Johns 66
 

Ah ok, that makes sense. The primer is looking good

Re: Johns 66
 

Nice progress John.

Re: Johns 66
 

Looking great John. gonna be a show truck before you know it... LOL

Re: Johns 66
 

Thank Yall...its does help. My learning curve is steep at this point but better than paying someone. If I think about ALL that has to be done it can tend to get overwhelming.

Before I primed the cab I put the weather stripping on and the drivers side door wouldn't shut. After looking at it for awhile I realized the rocker was put on wrong...the flange is too close to the door..Looks like it should be about 3/8 from the door.....Im so glad I paid a professional to fix that for me.....(Sarcasm Dripping) so Im in the process of fixing that.

I did get the dash and remaining part of the cab blocked down to 180. Of course I missed a few places and will have to do some filler to fix the low spots but that's ok...its only a couple. . Ill get it blocked down to 220 then Im thinking about putting another coat of primer on and doing the final block at 320 before adding color.

Ordered parts for my steering column and waiting on them to arrive so I can put it back together...….and lastly I ordered the front disc brake kit with stock spindles.....figured it was easier to do it now than later.

As far as the Show Truck....Its gonna be as nice as I can make it which will leave a lot to be desired in the show truck realm...BUT I think it makes it a lil more special knowing that I did it myself. I will say that I am very grateful for all the help and knowledge that I have received from the board.

Re: Johns 66
 

Completely agree that the board has helped immensely. I am really proud to see you dive in even when your not quite sure what to do or how to do it. Your can do attitude and willingness to learn should be prime examples to everyone on this board. Great job buddy. We are gonna be rollin down the road very soon.

Re: Johns 66
 

Thanks Scott. If the truck were only made out of wood I could make it NICE...LOL

As with anything you learn to do things.....So today I was gonna put some epoxy on the passenger door, steering wheel and a couple of other part plus some places on the cab where I sanded down to the metal, and where I added some filler for the low spots.....SOOOOO I mixed up the epoxy and noticed I had was more hardener that primer...as I stirred it I couldn't figure it out....then realized I had put the 2k primer hardener in the epoxy primer...….wrong hardener in wrong primer....DOH...Texted Andy and we both agreed that I probably shouldn't spray it not knowing how it will do...SOOO I mixed up another batch and got things sprayed, also sprayed the front frame in epoxy...Ill put another coat on it BUT gotta get some more epoxy.

So tomorrow Ill run to the paint store to get some more epoxy and high build plus I am gonna get the dash and interior paint plus the black for the underside of the hood and inner fenders etc.. Im gonna two tone the interior ...dash a lil darker than the rest....kinda like original but Im gonna be using a charcoal gray color and lighter maybe silver color. Paint store recommended using single stage for the interior but I think I will use base/clear and use a satin clear for the interior and for the inner fenders, radiator support etc

Re: Johns 66
 

Mama said there would be days like this...….

Today was an adventure and test of patience and calmness.

I decided to spray the test samples of paint that I got yesterday......of course it is all single stage...and while I was at it I was going to use the Dekups trial system that I got from Eastwood since I was gonna spray 6 samples. 1st sample it leaked so bad that I just threw that crap away....cleaned the gun and sprayed the next sample and so on until I had 4 done. The paint store mixed it all and supposedly all I had to do was spray it....Didn't workout so well, clogged my gun really bad so spent a good hour cleaning it.

So then I decided to spray epoxy on the other side of the passenger door, Im not sure what I done but it did not spray anywhere near how the other 2 gallons sprayed and again clogged my gun...I think I may have put too much hardener but unsure at this point. I had ran out of lacquer thinner so I decided that mineral spirits should do the same, right? WRONG....as soon as I put the mineral sprints in the cup it was like I put concrete hardener in it.....Ruined my cup.....ran out of air injected cleaner so basically quit on trying to do any painting...I was able to get the gun clean.

So I placed an order with Eastwood and bought another cup and more injected cleaner....So will have to wait until the new cup comes in.

THEN I decided that since I couldn't do anymore painting/priming that I would take the front end apart, get it cleaned up and get it ready to prime and paint. Of course nearly 60 years of dirt and grime had to be dealt with.

First thing I noticed when I got everything apart was that the springs were BROKE...on Both sides near the top was broke....1 side looked like it had been snapped, the other side looked like it had deteriorated and broke from weakness. Then I started trying to dig all the dirt and grime off the control arms.

That's when I noticed the lower control arm was cracked. It started near the bushing and moved upward....so now I gotta find a lower control arm.....so kinda got things cleaned up and decided to put all the small parts that I had primed away....well as luck would have it, I dropped the part of the steering column that the shift lever attaches too and the shift indicator is on....and yep it cracked.....so now I gotta get a new /used one of these....Then decided I had enough for the day and let it sit.

Re: Johns 66
 

Wow, looks like you got drop springs without having to do any work. That sucks man

Re: Johns 66
 

Yep...I guess that is why they put the spring spacers in.....as you can see in the pic. Good thing is that I had already bought new springs all the way around. I may have a lead on the lower control arm...supposed to go look at it next week.

Re: Johns 66
 

I missed the spacers at first. The truck will probably ride much better with the new springs

Re: Johns 66
 

Sorry John that just sucks. I hope you get it worked out soon.

I've been having some problems on my truck but after reading your last post I realize how small my problems are. LOL

Re: Johns 66
 

No worries my friend..May is a new month and we will go forward.

Jeremey( 62 Short Step) had the steering column parts I needed and treated me right...he sent them today and I should get them by Friday.

I was able to find lower and upper arms and springs from a local guy who changed out his suspension....Its from a 63 but should bolt right up....actually I came out better since the upper and lower arms have already been built and painted..Im also gonna get the new springs as well. This will give me 2 sets of front springs. Once I get it all installed Ill put the springs on the board for someone who needs them.

In all honesty I think all this is a good thing. now that I have had time to look back on it I realized that everything I have taken apart needed to be taken apart and fixed...broke springs are dangerous, broken lower A arms probably real dangerous.

I was told by Winston ( Pimpston) that anytime I felt I was rushing that I needed to step back from it for a day or so...I was certainly rushing trying to get things done so this little delay is a good thing.

One lil side note is that this may all be a great little things as I may have a lead on a good surprise,,,just gotta go look at it...….To Be Determined!!!!!

Re: Johns 66
 

That is such good advice from Winston. I went on vacation for 10 days and came back and felt like I was behind on the truck...but behind on what time table? I had to step back and take a break and say...it gets done when it gets done!

Hmmm a surprise? Your surprises are so good...can't wait to see.

Re: Johns 66
 

That's great that you found the parts! The uppers and lowers are the same 63-66, but the 63s won't have predrilled holes for the factory sway bar. I had to drill holes in mine, but it was easy with the suspension still bolted in the truck

Re: Johns 66
 

I have actually been in a vehicle that the lower A arm broke on... Thankfully we where only going less then 5 mph moving fire wood on the farm... could have been deadly if it was on the highway!
Was the family 1979 Dodge van that we had just stopped driving on the road only months before because the speedometer stopped working...!

Re: Johns 66
 

Yeah...still waiting to go look at it this weekend.....maybe it is what its supposed to be and not a waste of time. Fingers crossed.

Yep you are right Christian.....I picked them up yesterday and noticed they didn't have the holes in them but that will be an easy fix since everything is apart right now.

Yeah....these old trucks aren't much on safety features nut then again I wont be driving too crazy either.....

Not much progress this week, been waiting on my new spray cup and a few other parts that I need...should all be here tomorrow.

Picked up the lower control arms yesterday....gonna need a little cosmetic work on them, guess when he took them off he wasn't too careful. The bushing had been changed and I know they are good. Will change the ball joints to go with my new disc brake set up since I am using the 73/87 ball joint set up.

Got my brake kit in from CPP and it looks like a pretty rugged kit, checked and made sure everything was there so that's a good thing...I know its not original but its more for safety anyways. So I have new front disc brakes, new springs all the way around, new cab mounts, new control arm bushings so my ride should be best as I can get it without going to a coil over set up.....and along with new shocks it ought to ride like a brand new 66 Chevy Truck and that's just fine with me.

Today I also received the steering column parts that I dropped and broke/bent from 62 short step ( Jeremy)...this was exactly what I needed. They appears to have the original paint on them and like most fawn stuff it faded out to look like a silver color....and to be honest I really like this color for my interior...now if I can get close to it Ill be good.

Re: Johns 66
 

Great progress John!

Re: Johns 66
 

Make sure when you drill the holes that you drill them in the right spot. Will make it a whole lot easier when you put the bar back on the truck. Adding the 1-1/4" bar out of a squarebody C20 or 30 made the truck corner so much better than without one

I was pleasantly surprised how well my truck rides even with original coils all around. Did the disc brake swap for safety and changed the shocks. Rides just about as good, maybe a little better than my Dakota.

Re: Johns 66
 

Thanks Brother

Thanks Christian...Ill make sure I do that.

Not a lot done today..... I had to help my brother in law Randy get the pool ready for summer...but we got it all cleaned out...so my sister will be happy now...and I like making sure she is happy.

But I did get a little bit done...I got the upper A arms taken apart.....the rivets were a pain but I was able to get them out.....took the upper shaft out and the rubber bumpers out so Ill be able to get them cleaned up this week and get them painted black. Also got all the bolts that attach the cradle and A arms cleaned up and did a thread chaser on all the nits and bolts...Should make the install a lot easier.....I used a bench grinder with a wire wheel on it to get them cleaner up.

On a side not I am thinking about sending all the bolts and getting the cadmium plated...Winston has a place where he lives that does that kind of thing....I did a little research and found put most assembly bolts we plated and not painted originally so this may be a great option for me....just not sure how it will handle the elements.

Also if they can do it I can get the hood hingers and door strikers cadmium plated as well.....Just a thought.

Re: Johns 66
 

Well my surprised turned out to be more than I am willing to take on with my limited skills. There is actually 2 trucks here...One is a 1949 and the other is a 1951, all info is according to the owner...Both are 5 window. The 49 was placed on a modern frame.

As you can imagine both have extensive rust....cab corners, doors, floor boards etc....They are almost 2 a point of no return.....

From best I could tell is that both beds will have to be replaced...and the rust on the cab is heavy..not minor surface rust....but anyways I did take a pic.

Re: Johns 66
 

That's too bad...I love the 5 windows...almost bought one years before I bought my 65, but just wasn't the right time. I always look for them though.

Re: Johns 66
 

Those are neat. Too bad they've been neglected for so long

Re: Johns 66
 

Yeah Im sure someone could fix them but it would be a lot of work...definitely need some mad welding skills.


Not really any pics to post but worked on ole girl today......Cleaned the upper A arms and shafts...what a pain that was...53 yrs of grease and dirt and paint and dirt and grease and dirt and paint...lol you get the idea....but I got them clean and started on the cradle....gotta figure out how to get the inside of it clean

I did get the inner fenders blocked down best I could...not really concerned since there are so many bends and curves on it....Im gonna try to get them painted black this week before the rain comes, along with the other suspension parts.
Paint the upper A arms shafts...I found some paint Cast Color....didn't look too bad.
Then spent a few hours on the bench grinder with a wire wheel cleaning bolts, nuts, washers and lock washers....ran a thread chaser through all the nuts and bolts....smooth operation now..... so besides one bolt that I have to buy that had to be cut off, all the front suspension bolts are clean and ready to go

Re: Johns 66
 

Today I also received the steering column parts that I dropped and broke/bent from 62 short step ( Jeremy)...this was exactly what I needed. They appears to have the original paint on them and like most fawn stuff it faded out to look like a silver color....and to be honest I really like this color for my interior...now if I can get close to it Ill be good.[/QUOTE]


Glad I had what you needed! The progress is looking good!

Re: Johns 66
 

Glad I had what you needed! The progress is looking good![/QUOTE]

Thanks Jeremy...Appreciate it a lot.

Well been a few days since I posted on my thread.

Weather has been kindy icky so no painting has been done so I sanded.....and sanded and then when I got done with that I sanded some more...…..I THINK I have the front fenders ready for a coat of primer tehn will block down to 220.

I also have one of the rear fender wells sanded down and like the front ready for high build primer.

Have the inner fenders ready for the semi-gloss black. I did not fix all the spot welds etc on the inner fenders.

On a positive front I found someone who is about 10 miles from me that sand blasts...So I took all the front suspension parts...cradle, A arms etc, plus a few other parts like bumper braces etc to him so he can blast them.....I also found out that he would have blasted the whole truck for 650.00...lesson learned......He has a friend who powder coats so I am getting a price on Monday to have all of it powder coated semi gloss black. He also has a big enough heater that the rear end and trailing arms can be coated once I get the rear taken apart. Based on the rough estimate I got today.....it seems that I can get all the suspension parts to include the rear end powder coated for about 400.00. Its a little more expensive than painting it but by the time I epoxy, then paint it all I think I will be money ahead.....just depends on the real estimate I get on Monday...so we will see

Re: Johns 66
 

The powder coating will be great...I think it will be better in paint. You are getting them...turning it into a show truck for sure! :)

Re: Johns 66
 

I think the PC is more durable for sure....As far as show truck...lol my skills aren't show truck quality.....but I try...all I can say is it will be as nice as I can make it.

Re: Johns 66
 

Some days you just feel like this

Re: Johns 66
 

Yup! That's how I feel too sometimes

Re: Johns 66
 

Lil Update....Been priming and sanding....Got the rear fender wells, front fenders, grille support, passenger door and inner fenders sanded down to 320. Sanded down to the epoxy in a couple of places so will put another coat of 2k high build on these parts and then sand with 400 and then 600....Then at 600 I am hoping that these will be ready for color.

After I get these down to 600 then I will start on the interior of the cab so I can get it and the firewall painted.

Then the big stuff....hood, and bed.

The really good part about this is I think I have learned how to block sand...Time will tell when the color goes on.

Re: Johns 66
 

You're looking rough John! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Re: Johns 66
 

Did some more sanding today then decided to put some black on the inner fenders and some other parts to see how I was doing.....I guess you can say I was testing.

They turned out pretty good....I did get some light dust on them but since I don't have a paint booth Im pretty pleased with the result. A quick little scuff with some 1000, 1500 will take what I saw out no problem.

I did not fix all the original spot welds which you can see in the pictures but once everything is in the engine bay I doubt they will be glaring out at you....least I hope so.

Re: Johns 66
 

Looking good!

Re: Johns 66
 

Try grounding your parts to a ground rod or a copper water line to repel the dust if you’re trying to stay original you want to see the spot welds looks good

Re: Johns 66
 

Thanks Christian...Slowly but surely.....going to look at interior paint this morning.

Thanks for the info...never had heard that before...I will definitely try it since I am doing this at my brother in laws shop.

Im going original-ish….some upgrades are for safety and other for conveniences and a few just because I like it.

Disc brakes for safety, 700R4 Tranny for more pleasant and economical driving and a C60 grille just because I think its cool.

Gonna paint the interior in the theme of the original but more of a silvery color two toned like original...mine had faded over the years and looked more silver than the original goldish color....but gonna keep the exterior 521 white.
Thanks for stopping by and I do appreciate all the painting tips you have given me.....stay tuned...Im sure Ill have many more questions.

Re: Johns 66
 

Paint update.....Went to the paint store today and got the interior/firewall paint. After many hours of searching and searching I came up with this …….Its called Santeen Silver off a 1961 Corvette...….I went with a darker shade for the dash which I think will look pretty good...least I hope it does. Paint store put flattener in the clear so it will be protected and not have a high gloss which is kinda like original.

Re: Johns 66
 

Was reading through your build thread while sitting at the airport where you were talking about air conditioning Corvette Jim reproduces the 64 through 66 A /C vent I make and sell and adapter manifold that let you run aftermarket AC with the original dash vent I have some pictures on my homepage you might find it more practical than trying to put together the older AC system and a lot better performance

Re: Johns 66
 

I will check it out for sure..I appreciate the information.

Re: Johns 66
 

A lil update...Decided to put some color on today and painted the steering column parts, glove box door and instrument bezel.

As they say you don't know what you don't know until you know.

Light silver on light gray primer is a pain....

Left my phone at home so no pics tonight but will get some.

Painted the base and it was fairly straight forward....it was a learning process on how to spray it since it puts really light coats on it but I got everything coated like I wanted.....and then let it dry while I cleaned my gun...I immediately notices way to many sanding scratches in the instrument bezel so I didn't clear it...Sanded it back down and re-primed it.

Then came the clear. I had everything hanging and the glove box door upside down. I didn't realized that clear is more like water than paint....needless to say I got RUNS and many of them. So now I get to learn how to sand out runs....At least it was small parts and only a few of them....definitely not like spraying primer...lol

Anyways a lesson learned.

On another note I finally decided on wheels.....Talked with a guy today who deals in wheels and gonna go with 20x10s on the rear with 275/45/20 and 20x 8.5 with245/50/20 on the front....They are Riddler Chrome 695 wheels.
These are on a truck that was lowered 3 front 5 rear
1690.00 mounted balanced and lug nuts

Re: Johns 66
 

I like those wheels! Can't wait to see some of that color!

Sorry for the poor pic quality and that I forgot to post this when I first took the pic a couple weeks ago, but i finally got a chance to go by that c10 that had a red stripe. Also, I saw a different one several weeks ago that was on a trailer going east on I20