Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Hey! Thanks!
Yeah, I'm real excited, if you can't tell. I can't seem to work on it enough, and with the unusually nice weather we have had lately, it makes me anxious!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

So where are you working on this beast ?? I have a few 63 projects in the works so it is great to see another michigander on the board.........

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I live south of Grand Rapids near the airport, but working on the truck at my parent's home, north of G.R. near Cedar Springs, and I work on the lakeshore in Grand haven....Spending more money on gas than the project!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I did some interior cleaning this weekend, I sanded everything inside the cab.
While sanding the dash I noticed that quality control must not have been at its optimum levels at the time of original build. It seems that the dash was never secured to the cab on the right-hand side! The holes were so far off that you couldn't see them. I wedged the porta-power between the dash & floor & got them to line up, but busted spot-welds on the dash along the windshield frame in the process. All is golden now! I sanded every inch of interior, but only primed the dash with the epoxy. I'm gonna get some lighter weight primer for the headliner & rear of the cab.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

the exterior is looking pretty pristine, i can't wait to move-on to other panels.
Next step is to block the exterior of the cab & doors with #320 grit, then it WILL be ready. I should only be about 5-6 hours away(labor time) from having the cab & doors totally prepped for paint!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

A few more pics!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Looking real good !!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Very nice job. Its funny because I just did the same thing on saturday myself. sanded my complete dash to bare metal. I still have to prime mine but I did the headliner and around the back glass a couple weeks ago and primed that. Nice job your doing!!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Ha-Ha! Thanks!
My posts are actually a couple of weeks behind.
I finish-sanded the exterior this past weekend, but slightly off on my estimate for completing paint prep.
Once that the exterior was blocked with 320, I washed it down with wax & grease remover & noticed a good sized wave in the roof that would not pass inspection for me. All on the roof is fixed & re-primed, but another round of block-sanding for this area is in order. Still gotta sand the dash & firewall, but this portion of the truck is sooooo close to paint!
The next step is to start working some of the smaller pieces, so that I can bring them home to finish them as I have an hour or two, as I am doing the build at my parents house (35 minutes away).

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Looks like your parents have a real nice place!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Yeah,
My parents moved here about six years ago because it had a pole-barn twice the size, and a bigger lot than the one at my childhood home. Since then he has doubled the size of the barn, and we are still cramped for space!
This is the major reason that this is my unexpected build project. He told me that he wanted this for himself, but he didn't want to do all of the work just to wind-up leaving it to me! Ha-Ha!
This way he can just pull up a stool and watch me & ask me "how many times are you going to block-sand this thing?"...I just keep telling him "till its straight"

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I decided to repair one of my OEM fenders this weekend.
after close inspection, I noticed that someone had already started their own version of repair by welding the holes up & metal-finishing the surface.
I spotted a few areas where the surface looked to have some issues, and poked them with an awl, and just as suspected the fender was paper thin.
The awl poked right thru!
I then began cutting a hole for closer look at where the fender needed to be patched.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I then sand-blasted the area & primed it with self-etching weld-thru primer,
& used a repair patch-panel as a donor for the repair. I cut & ground the patch for a near perfect-fit, & primed the back side of the patch before welding it in place.
I welded the panel in using a series of random placed tack-welds, being careful not to get the panel too hot, to avoid warping. Ample time also needs to be given for panel cooling between welds. Spot, wait, spot, wait......wait! spot, wait! Sounds like a childrens book!
The process took awhile, but turned out pretty nice.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I then ground down the welds, sanded & cleaned-up the inside of the fender, applied & blocked out the filler. Now it is ready to prime & block...Prime & block, will it ever end?

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I had the insides of my fenders sandblasted & got them primed this past weekend. I primed the side that faces the road with the same epoxy primer that I used on the bottom of my cab. It dries kinda shiny, and is some really durable stuff that is not too workable, but tuff! On outside I'm using Dupont Corlar epoxy primer.
Both have great corrosion resistance.
I have already started to block-sand them, but have no finished photos yet.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I finally got my frt fenders block-sanded this past weekend along with the dashboard.
I was happy with the results, so I started working on the grill support panel.
It seems that this could be the crappiest panel known to man.
I will post some additional pics as soon as I can!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Can you post a pic or two of the areas you just patched, after the block and sanding please?
I am guessing you are using a self leveling filler primer like Slick Sand?

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Sure, I meant to take some photos of that area as it turned out flawless.
I am using Dupont Corlar epoxy primer (part of the Imron family) on the viewable side of everything.
It is a super-stable, high-build primer. You need a gun with atleast a 1.4 tip to spray it. It takes awhile to dry & sands like cement, but the rep says (his opinion) it wont bite-in to the body filler over time. He sells it mostly to high-dollar restoration shops.

I blocked the front fenders for a 2nd time this week. I am getting closer to color! Just 3 more big things to work on, the hood, box, & tailgate....Probably will take the rest of the summer.:waah:

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

How's this McMurphy?
I've been blockin the smaller panels at home to save on gas & driving time, but went to my parents tonight to exchange some finished parts for not so finished parts!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

And a few more pics.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Wow man....
Only on the underside can you see where it had been patched! That is awesome work!
I want to go with repop fenders on mine, but I may take a second look at them now that I see how well yours turned out.
Very motivational!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I didn't try to finish the underside at all, just ground the weld off & primed it!
The primer that I am using on the underside dries kinda shiny, and is real thick...I took the photo with the intention of displaying the weld the best that I could. I'll probably just scotchbrite it & paint the underside.
And don't forget, I got a couple hours of block-sanding into these.
I'm pretty proud, but why shouldn't I be?...Isn't this why we are doing these builds?
I was just going to buy fenders too, until I saw all of the work that you were doing on your build!!!.....Inspiration/motivation!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Progress is lookin' good, keep it up!!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I set out to work on my grill support panel this weekend, and after countless hours of hammer & dolly work on the beads & other areas, I was wondering if time would have been better served if I would have just filled them in.
But I thought to myself, if I paint this thing in a pearl or high metallic I want these areas to pop in the sunlight, so I decided to make them correct.
Because of poor die conditions, the bead depth varied greatly, making it look very inconsistent (I am a die-maker, I know these things). So I took a piece of 1/8" x 1 x 3 flat-stock & using it in the 3" direction, I beat-down the "V" of the bead, while continuously moving across the panel, making the bead a constant depth.
Afterwards I took a chain-saw blade sharpening file and ran down the "V" of the bead to cut a radius at the bottom.
The results were fantastic!
Probably hard to see in the photos, and they are not in correct order, but I am pretty geeked on how it turned out!
Let me know what you think!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I'd say that grill panel turned out great....as well as your fenders!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Thanks a bunch for the comments, I really appreciate it!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Any chance you could have someone take pics of you demonstrating how you did that?
I had to patch a couple areas of my grill along that edge and I, like you, want that to pop!
and yours certainly does !!!

Nicely done!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I can try!
When I'm doing this stuff, I never really think to get the camera out.... Partially because I don't know if what I'm doing will work, & when it does I wish that I had!
It may be a couple days before I'm there to take pics.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Im telling you right now that I feel fairly confident that my truck will be straight & clean like that "Goolsby Customs" truck...I'm even thinking about the same colors.
I know that I have the right people & facilities in-line to paint it, I just need to perform on the prep work...95% prep, 5% painting skills....In my opinion...Bad prep, always a bad paint-job.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

These are for you McMurphy!...And anyone else that cares to look!

Now keep in mind, I did this work to the bare panel, not after priming it.
1st I used the edge of a piece of flat-stock to get the bottom of the bead to a consistent depth by tapping the edge with a hammer while moving across the length of the panel. This process may take several passes as you are not interested in distorting the rest of the panel, just the depth of the "vee".
Careful observations need to be given to the effects that are being obtained...You will get a feel for how hard you need to hit it.
Next I took a round chainsaw sharpening file to the bead bottom to remove any high spots that were left.
And finally, I used a square file to sharpen the bottom corner of the bead.
Both sides of the "vee" need to be addressed separately to maintain a straight line for the groove that you are cutting.
Using the files will be difficult at first, as they will want to cut-in on any high spots, but as the surface gets flatter the files will simply glide across, as there is nothing left to cut!
And there you have it!...IMO

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I didn't get much accomplished this week, on account of my fuel-pump giving out about 2 miles into my 45 mile ride home from work Tuesday, but I guess you can't ask for much more than 275,000 miles from a Chevy Astro fuel-pump!
Luckily, I have a nice BMW 540i that I can step-down to when things like this happen!
And, I ended up getting 3+ hrs of alone time waiting for a tow-truck!...What a deal!
I decided to monkey around with my radiator-support filler panels today, & beat them straight to match my grill support, when I noticed that the beads in them were pretty sad looking, so I made a custom dolly set-up to enhance the look of them too.
I am soooooo sorry that I didn't take any before photos of these, but if you look at your own, I'm sure that you will notice the improvements made.

I also got the inside of my grill-support primed during this time...Hopefully I can make better progress tomorrow!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Pics of the grill-support.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

You're making some nice progress. I like your attention to detailing some of the factory lines :thumbs:

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Another cool thread that I somehow overlooked.
Great metal work!
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

very nice work!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I didn't get alot accomplished this weekend, but since the cab & doors are pretty-much ready for paint, I decided to get them out of the way so that I could start on the box.
We took it in the "storage quarters" and set it on the frame...for the first time!
It seems that I have a small interference with the flange on the firewall.
I will fix it before it goes to paint.
You can see my dad with the attachment that he made for the cherry-picker for lifting the cab onto the frame,
It looks way to high sitting on the frame...Time to order the airbags.
Been kinda waiting for this moment to get some measurements.
Does anyone know what bags are the best for these trucks?

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I'm gonna build a cart to support the box, but it is moved into the work area for It's serious work-over!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I missed your photos when your 4th page added.
Thanks for the How-To pics on your body line work! That will help a lot! I did some work to mine and what you showed me here will help me clean that up some.
Thanks!

I really like your custom dolly too, there are some times that I really wish I had the ability to make a dolly for the task I am doing.

I am grooving on your detail work, please feel free to post step by step pics of what you are doing/how you do it!
If you dont want to post them here, man my thread is wide open to ya!!
:lol:

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I haven't been able to work much on the truck for a bit, as life keeps getting in the way.
I got a cart fabbed-up for my box, & got the box mostly disassembled....Now I get the joy of some sand-blasting, & alot of sanding before any primer will be sprayed!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I got a chance to work on the box this past weekend, and while looking the box over I noticed that the rollpan that the PO had welded-in looked a little odd in a few places. upon some closer inspection, and attempting to put the tailgate into place, it was discovered that not only did the taigate not fit correctly, it didn't fit at all.
So, I then proceeded to cut the rollpan off with an abrasive wheel, so that I would be able to square-up the box sides with the box floor, resulting eventually with a tailgate that would fit....and fit properly.
Once that the rollpan was off, I used a porta-power, and a come-along to persuede the boxsides to regain squareness once again.
Now that the opening was square I started to fit the rollpan back into place. I tack-welded some pieces of angle iron onto the top edge of the tailgate, so that it would hang in place while I fitted the rollpan. This is when I noticed that if I were to weld it back into position where it previousley was fitted, the tailgate would collide with the rollpan upon opening the tailgate...It was definately positioned tooooo high. Also the rear box crossmember & the licence plate opening had some major intereference which was adding to the poor fit, so I am glad that I had cut it all off!
As you can see, it is all welded back into place, and the fit looks great.
I also made some little filler pieces for the bottom corners, and welded them in too, as I didn't like the way that it fit or looked. It looks good now though. I will slick it this weekend, along with plenty of other spots, and hopefully get some primer on it!