Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

back to baby steps?

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

this place looks real good dan! i think im gonna have to try it out this weekend
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Unfortunately yes.

I may get off work early today and if I do the plan is to install the new-to-me fender emblems I posted about earlier this week and some new "V8" emblems I picked up at The Truck Shop. I also bought replacement wiper escutcheons - I think that's what they're called, and I also have a new rear window seal as mine is rock hard and cracked all over. Of course the seat and seat belts are " in the lineup" too!

There are more things I am in process on but I won't list them. It's depressing knowing how I tend to jump around - look, a squirrel! Maybe I have an attention problem!! Lol. But seriously, I am in the process of polishing the lip on my Torq Thrusts, I've got two Lokar shifters I need to meld into one good one, and on and on. DOH!
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Yeah, give it a shot. Maybe coordinate your visit with when a good game is on cause they'll got two flat screens inside and a couple on the covered patio too. Their shakes are crazy food but SO chocolatey I have th make mine with vanilla ice cream or I think I'd go into a diabetic coma! Enjoy.
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Today's activities:

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...psc749b22b.jpg

Out with my old, pecky fender emblems and in with the nice-but-not-perfect ones I bought off CL for $100. The V8 emblems are reproductions and I mounted them based on a Factory Assy. Manual diagram Ogre posted, thanks ,Ogre!

Then I began working on my seat replacement. Factory seat was held in with only two bolts total! I also found out the gas tank hold down straps are not connected in the front at all - DOH!

"New-to-me-seat" - It had some 4" long mounting studs rusted solid under it - what a PITA. Gibbs oil, double nutting & a long box end wrench cured that. I was lucky not to snap them though.

Under the seat I found THIS:
http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps3185cb70.jpg

This whole sliding mechanism unbolts so I'm debating if I should have it sandblasted? I decided to spray it w/ Ospho and leave it overnight to see if I kill the rust. If I do I will spray with Rustoleum's rust arrester and leave it. Opinions?

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Dan, the emblems look good, and I think you scored big on that seat. I would have probably done the same thing you did about the rust. Wire brush it, Ospho it. and paint it. If there's any pits that would be visible you might think about using a texture paint to paint it. Rustoleum has a good selection of rattle can texture paints.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

I like the Rustoleum hammered paints a lot for rattle can paints. The black is my favorite it comes out a dark grey with Just a hint of gold metallic. Take extra time to mix (shake) though as the texture won't come out right if you don't.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Thanks Russ. Nah, none of the seat "guts" will show so I'm not concerned at all about appearance. I just don't like rust chewing on my "baby"!

It has those cool (to me) sheet metal aprons that hide the mounts - especially nice on a truck since we step up into them rather than how a car is low. I've gotta paint those and I'm currently thinking burgundy to match, though chrome or powdercoat chrome is possible. Opinions welcome.
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Oh, missed your post Mark. Yes, I've had real good luck with Rustoleum hammered paints. Especially their brush on type. I've got a big structural steel frame in my garage I painted with their silver using a little $2 foam roller. Came out great in my opinion. I even have some left...hmmm....
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Emblems look real nice.
I used the Rustoleum Hammered black on my frame.
I'm real happy with how it turned out and it's easy to touch up.
Kim

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Kim,
Was that the spray or the brush on?

My experience:
I used their black on my workbench awhile ago. I wanted 2 coats and because the label says you have to apply a 2nd coat within "X" hours or wait like 7 days (!) I screwed up and had to wait the full week - UGH.
It was nice after one coat but with two it is ROCK hard! I'm really pleased with it.

When I finished the 1st coat on the bench I had a roller full of paint and walked over to my truck and rolled the top flange of the frame. No prep, I didn't even blow off the minor dust, nothing. Since then it has sat outdoors exposed to the sun for months and that stuff looks as good as the day I did it. I'm a believer in it. It'll be on my frame for certain.

PS: I once bought some parts off a guy that used multiple coats of their black hammered rattle can stuff on his '46 frame. I asked him who did the powder coating? It looked THAT good.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

I brushed it on and waited the 7 days in between coats just to be safe.
One of my neighbors thought it was powder coated until I told him what it was.
It's been on for a while now and seems to be holding up just fine.
The black dries as a dark grey.
Kim

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Good that you have had the same experience. Makes me more confident mine wasn't unusual so I'll feel confident to use it on the frame. Did you clean your metal well & prime? As I said, I did ZERO prep and its hanging on perfectly.
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Dan, I used rattle-can hammered black on a frame that I was going to use for my 59 over 1 1/2 years ago. It's been sitting exposed in Houston humidity and weather for almost that entire time and is still looking pretty good. The only rust I've noticed is from bolts I stuck back in it that weren't painted. I'll try to get a couple pictures in daylight tomorrow of it. I'm impressed enough with it that I also rattle-canned my current 78 project's frame and a lot of other parts.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Thanks for the info Rick.

One of the attractive things about this in a rattle can and it being textured is we can later easily touch up road rash - which we KNOW we're gonna get!

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

I wire wheeled as much of the rust I could get off and brushed on the paint over rust Rustoleum primer. It went on nice and smooth.
Kim

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Thanks Kim.

I have no doubt that a quality epoxy primer & automotive grade paint would be much better but for those of us on tight budgets this seems like an excellent compromise way to go.
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Hi Dan - this doesn't look great, but I didn't clean it up either. A lot of that discoloration is dust, but you can see that there is very little surface rust coming back after all this time (1.5 years) exposed to the elements. The rusty chassis it's sitting on shows what you'd be looking for :lol:

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

I used the Hammer paint on my last dragster chassis. That stuff is tough. I'm going to do the frame and the firewall on my 51 chev pickup with it. Been keeping track of this build, amazing fab work.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Hi Danny Boy, I see you've got BLING ! BLING ! LOL

Now go get MORE ! LOL :)

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Who? Me?:lol:

NO "fab" work on this thread, yet. A LOT of "cleaning up" but thanks for watching the thread.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Dan, I've used Rustoleum products on a lot of old trucks and always had good results with it. I don't consider it a compromise.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Well, I'm only saying "compromise" in that a true automotive grade epoxy primer "bites" into raw metal better and a catalyzed top coat is more durable.

I'll have NO worries or feel like I did something "cheaply" if I use brushed-on Rustoleum red oxide & hammered finish. It'll be plenty thick, hard & durable and best of all is its easily doable in my garage with little masking. Plus it's easily touched up later.
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

where can i get this rustolem hammered paint. im about to blast my frame and need to paint it.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Home Depot. Probably Lowes too
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Despite resolving to do some work I did NOTHING and in fact probably slowed down my progress because my girlfriend and I traded in our Lance camper and bought a 5th wheel trailer this weekend:crazy:

It's a monster. 2013 Brookstone Ruby. 35'-8".
No, it's not going on my '55 lol.
But now I've gotta spend to buy a fifth wheel hitch and a couple Honda generators - DOH!That's money that won't be going toward the '55 now.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

going backwards now. but enjoying life :D
there's a reason my truk took 8 yrs to build
life gets in the way

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

WOW! Nice. Camping ain't what it used to be, LOL.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

LOL WOW thats really roughing it!. Enjoy it Dan.

My in laws are "Snow Birds". Spend the summer in Kansas and the winter in Arizona in a 5th wheel camper. They have been doing that for the last 12 years and love it.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Thanks guys. I'm not quite old enough to be a snow bird - and I live in California anyway, ha ha.

My GF is retiring later this year and her son & daughter-in-law are trying to have a baby so this will function as a sort of granny flat at their home a couple hundred miles away. I'll retire in about 4 years and THEN we'll use it for a couple extended trips we have in mind.

Now, back to cool old trucks!

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

So you went from Camping to Glamping , thats a whole new world for sure.

Now back to the pickup and more BLING !

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

"Glamping" - Yeah, I just heard that term recently.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

So, long story short (yeah, riiight!!!) after getting a quote of almost $1900 (EEK!) for a Husky 16K fifth wheel hitch installed on my '08 Chevy 3500 dually I decided I'd shop for a used hitch and see what I could find.

SUCCESS! I found a Reese Signature Series 18K hitch that came out of a truck identical to my dually, right down to the color for $960 all parts included - that's a $2000+ hitch.

I went at it this morning in 103*, high humidity and stayed at it for 4-5 hours. It kicked my ass, lol. I'll spare you some of the details though they involve buying $90 of tools, breaking a bolt, hot metal falling in my armpit (tank top) and face from a hole saw, yada, yada.

I threw in the towel and took it to a local hitch shop. They'll do it for $400 and p1ss on it, I need it done by Friday and I no longer have to try jacking up the bed, removing/cutting the heat shield, etc.

"My name is Dan and I am a wussy, fair weather mechanic!"

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Dan, here's a simple task you could do to make it your own, Put a chrome shift knob on the release arm of the hitch. ........ More Bling ! :)

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Ha ha, yeah that'd be something.

I actually went to The Truck Shop week before last and tried to buy the chrome bench seat handle they list in their catalog for the Task Force trucks. They didn't have them...so somebody is buying them!

The hitch I bought for the trailer is in great shape mechanically but the powder coating IS a bit faded...what's the fix? RUSTOLEUM! Yup, gonna give it a light sanding and just paint over it. I even ordered replacement Reese stickers to make it look kinda sorta new.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Use adhesion promoter after sanding and paint within 10 min with Rustoleum,
Works great on powder coat.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

I don't even know what "adhesion promoter" is!

You're not talking about that liquid sandpaper stuff, are you? Where do you buy this stuff? Brand names?
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Auto parts store rattle can. Duplicolor and Rustolrum I think they have it.
I use the Duplicolor. Got mine from Winchester Auto Supply up here.
No it is for priming plastic's and is clear so you have to pay attention that you don't miss any spot while spraying on. Must put on paint within 10 min. It doesn't have to be dry to paint
over with finish paint.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

I should have got to you earlier!! Do you have a ball in the bed of your truck (goose neck)? I bought a king pin to goose neck adapter for $300 and it stays on the camper. Already had the ball in the truck for stock trailer and my flat beds.
B&W makes a nice "roll over" (hide away) ball so that you can get rid of the ball in a matter of seconds, and since the adapter stays on the camper, I don't have to pull that heavy a$$ fifth wheel off the truck when I want to haul something!
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Thanks JR. Good info and I've read several good recommendations on the B&W Companion hitch but...too late. I wanted to save some cash and bought a lightly used Reese 18K Signature Series hitch. I'll pick up the truck with it on later today.

Thanks for the info on the adhesion promoter. I'll be doing that spraying this afternoon. I'm assuming I do have to/should sand the powder coating?
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