Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

After digging out the tubing I needed this morning, I cut up the existing filler tube and its vent, then grafted it all back together to better line up with the tank inlet. Next up is the cover ...still mulling that over some. Meanwhile, I need to measure for and acquire the rubber connecting hoses. Also still have some welding to do on the other bedside where I only have tack welds, but no fabrication is required so it should go fairly quickly. One day soon it will be time to assemble the bed on the chassis for the moment of truth.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Great work Vic! I need to get over and see that long bed now short bedside. I might swing by sometime this week.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

That would be great. I'll be here all week ...anytime works.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Ground strap and vent tube - no prollem! Looks perfect Vic.

"I'll be here all week ...anytime works." You DOG!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Curious, did your filler tube have the rollover check ball in it and were you able to weld the tube without damaging it?

And shoot, i believe my filler tube is 1.5" or 1.75?? gonna remeasure, my tank is 2", so i may comb a few junk yards to see if i can find a 2" tube like the one you have. I know the muffler shop can make an adapter but a 2" tube would be nice.

I found the spot welder shrink tip today, had to make a run up town today instead of hammer high spots. :)

The package was abandoned by the UPS guy on my front door step about 4:30 today, my wife got home about 8:30 and carried it in the house, i'll open when i get home. :)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Muffler shops only go so small- my filler adaptor is the top rail of a chain link fence!

Looks great, Vic. I like the way it all lines up.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

The check valve mechanism is in the gas cap. When I leak checked the tube, I put the cap on and filled it with water. Nothing came out around the cap with the assembly upside down. The vent would only require a rollover check valve if it's open to the atmosphere. This setup carries the vent from the tank all the way back to the top of the fill tube.

I welded out the vent tube and the lower section of the filler tube first. Then when I mated the upper and lower parts, I wrapped a wet towel around the upper portion where the plastic insert is crimped. Since I couldn't remove it, I wanted to be sure the heat transfer didn't melt it. I'd weld about an inch of the gap, then quench the area with the wet rag. Repeated until the entire gap was welded. Voila, no problem. For heavier items that require more amps to weld and have heat sensitive parts nearby, I'll suspend the delicate part in a cup of water, leaving just enough room above the water line to weld. But for this thin material, a wet rag was sufficient. At one time I had some putty like material that was marketed as a heat fence, but the crap wouldn't stick to anything and was only good for making a mess.

This 2" filler tube came off a late 90's to early 2K Blazer or Jimmy.

Chip is right, finding an adaptor might be tricky.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

That just sorta slipped out. ;)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

The fuel filler cover is done (for the most part). Started with a 12" square piece of sheetmetal, marked a diagonal and measured up 2.5" and marked a parallel line. Clamped it in the brake on the offset mark and manually rolled the rest of it around a piece of 3.25"D solid material. Tuned it up a bit with the round stock and a rubber mallet. The rest was just trimming, welding and grinding. Can't see it too well in the photo, but I also made a couple of small dams and welded them on either side of the biggest groove. When the bedside goes on for good, I'll use some pookie around the bottom to seal it up before shooting the bedliner. Meanwhile, I can remove the bedside as needed.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Some more slick work Vic!!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Kind of a light day today. Took a break from the now short, fleet bed and did a little prep work on the hood Brian G. donated to the cause. It had a nasty little divot in the left front corner, so before I scrapped the ragged out hood that came with CRLS, I saved that corner. [Probably the only useful piece of metal on it.] Cut out the smashed area and tacked in the patch. Also welded up the holes for the hood letters as I don't plan to replace them. Next up is making some patches for the rotted areas on the leading edge of the hood and fixing a couple of smaller dings. Then it will be time to graft on the hood bubble. Stay tuned.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

The patch looks good Vic.
I have been meaning to ask about the discoloration in the metal on either side of the body line in the hood, was there fire damage to it?

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

No, that's EDP and/or primer leftover from the media blasting. George didn't want to remove all of it for fear of stretching the metal. I'll DA it down to bare metal before epoxy priming. There's also some on the underside as well. They got rid of the worst of it, especially around the substructure. Just left the unsupported areas for me.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

lookin really good

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Ya know, one of these days when i'm retired I'm gonna be able to get about 1/2 as much done as you on any given day! LOL! As usual super job!

I left you a question on my thread. :)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Filler tube and cover - tight! Hood patch - tight! You're a true multi-talented tradesman Vic. Wouldn't matter if it's a truck, airplane, trash compactor or sprinkler system. You'd sort it out and do it right. Again, I really appreciate how well you share it with us here. Love this thread!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Very clean work on the hood patch. You have that down to a science. Keep the pictures coming.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

The patch looks great Vic, I'm amazed at well you got the sheetmetal to contour with the hood.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Wait'll he tells you about using the wavelengths of radiation off of radioactive isotopes to find oil. (Or something like that. He lost me about 30 sec in. I ain't that bright.) This truck stuff is pretty simple!

Work looks tight, Vic!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Be glad he did, that's how the guy downtown killed our first hood. Stretched it and oilcanned it something fierce. Had the guy in GV just blast the edges and supports on the second one, and I hand stripped the top. Worked out well.

Can't wait to see the hood bubble!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Thanks, everyone for the kind words! My wife, Kathy, described my day today as being "very social" which is wifespeak for "You didn't get jack done". Had several long phone conversations with friends and a nice visit when Brian G. dropped by. Did manage to get a couple of rusted out strips on the hood patched, but not much else. Thought I'd post up a couple of shots of the hood bulge I plan to use. It's sitting up too high right now because I need to flatten out the center rib on the hood, both in front and in back so the panel will lay down properly. If I can get properly motivated, it shouldn't take much. Also started cleaning some of the leftover crud off the hood surface and have been finding a few little surface irregularities that will require some hammer and dolly work, but all in all, for a donor hood, I think it will be much better than aftermarket.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

That is going to look awesome once it is blended into the hood!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

WHEW!! All along I thought the "bubble" you've been talking about was that pro-street, ram air, snorkel one!!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

This one...

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

:lol: Nah, that scoop was the first thing to come off the Dreamsicle when I started to redo it. Took two years and several tries but it finally sold at the last swap meet we attended. Guess they're not a high demand item.

I did some serious mulling over whether to transplant the hood feature to this build. In the end, I felt it was more subtle than the cowl induction style hood I used last time, yet a step up from bone stock. It could be one of those love it or hate it things ...guess I'll find out.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I like the two tone colors on your truck. I have a question. What can I do on the backing plate nuts for the lower hinge on the driver side? I only have one bolts holding. I stripped two and I already have my truck painted and both door back on the truck. I can planning on getting a set of speaker kick panels for the inside of the truck. Is it easier to cut a hole in the metal kick panel and weld new nuts where the old ones were. I don't like the idea of removing the door again. But plus to shove I will. It took me 2 hours to adjust the door. How about larger bolts tapped in the old nut. Or weld the hinge. I really don't care for welding the hinge in place. Just looking for a ideas. George from Florida

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I think it's going to be really cool Vic! Very unique and like you said "subtle", which I think is going to go very well with what you've done already.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Hey George.
The tapped holes the hinge bolts thread into should be in a flat plate, they're not welded nuts. The plate is held captive inside the door pillar with a spot welded cage around it to provide additional adjustment. Depending on which holes are stripped, you might be able to access them with the door open. I'd first attempt to tap them the next size up from the outside. Use a taper length (long) drill bit to open the stripped hole and an 8 point socket to thread the tap in with an extension and a ratchet. That has the thinnest profile and would give you the least chance of boogering up your paint. If the fender/door edges are too much in the way, going thru the kick panel is probably your next best option. If you do one hole at a time, you won't lose your adjustment. Good luck! Vic

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Thanks, John. We've had company and only got a little done on the hood. All the dings have been worked out, welding and grinding on the front is done and I've stripped the driver side half of the hood down to bare metal. Tomorrow I'll do the other half and make the cuts to fit the hood riser. Will post some pics then. Been kinda hectic.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Thanks Vic. I think I will try the step up bolt first. Then if that fails I will go thru the kick panel. Thanks for the information. I will do one bolt at a time. good advice.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

One other thing you might try is to rethread an existing stripped hole with a M10x1.5 tap. It's just enough larger than the 3/8-24 to cut new threads. That might allow you to use a metric bolt if you don't overtighten it. You could use Loctite and just snug it up lightly. If there isn't enough thread depth and the bolt feels too loose, all you've lost is the cost of the bolt (assuming you have or can borrow the tap). You can always go up to the next SAE size if this didn't solve the problem.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

That's good thinking!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

More progress on the hood today. Removed the front and rear sections of the center rib that interfered with the hood riser. Made patches and welded them in, then ground the welds. Most of this will be covered by the riser panel, but it still needed to be fairly flat. Used a couple poly carbide discs, one vertical and one horizontal, to strip the rest of the old paint and surface rust off the top. Will have to flip the hood over and repeat on the underside, but before I do, I'll use Gem Rustkiller and a Scotchbrite pad to etch out the remaining rust in the pores. As of now, the dents have been ID's and worked out so I just need a good day to lay down some epoxy primer. According to the weatherman, that may be at least a week away ...ugh! That's it for tonight, I'm covered in filth and ready for an industrial washdown.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I imagined the whole process completely different, for some reason I envisioned you were going to butt weld it into the hood so it is seamless, not just overlay it. There I go making more work for you haha!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Don't believe I could manage a process like that. In fact, I plan to use 3M panel adhesive to attach the riser because the large, low crown areas would warp beyond my ability to fix if I tried to weld them. Even at that, I'll need all the structural support possible to make this work. To that end, after I get the underside cleaned up, I'll use expanding foam in all the gaps between the skin and the substructure to reduce the flex. I may also need to cut some curved wood supports to distribute the load when gluing the riser down. We'll see how it all fits up when the time comes.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I'm sure you know, but you can get a kit from Classic that has the foam for the skin to supports. Works pretty good. I actually cut up the really stiff shipping foam from the new doors and slipped that in when when I was blocking.

I was wondering if that scoop was 'glass or metal, I couldn't tell in the pics. I like the shape of it.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

This particular hood has really inconsistent gaps between the skin and the supports. Not sure how much deformation you might get where the gaps are tight and whether it would be loose elsewhere. The aftermarket hood I bought for Silver had expanded foam in all the gaps. Looked like crap until I trimmed it with an Xacto knife, but was fine after that. Seemed to hold pretty good. Not sure if it was some kind of industrial product, but hopefully, the foam you get from the hardware store will suffice. May have to do a test panel before committing.

The scoop panel is metal but I have no idea what it came off of. It was tacked and bondo'ed to the hood that was on CRLS when I bought it, so I cleaned around the edges and cut the welded spots to remove it. Then threw it in the pile of stuff that went to the blasters. Wasn't sure I'd use it, but I'm all in now.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Hey, please don't use the great stuff stuff from the hardware store. It draws and retains water and causes our old friend rust, and it'll collapse under pressure (I.e. blocking). Call Auto Color and Equipment and tell them what's up. They have much better stuff special fer that kinda thang. 254-5630 ask for Joe.

I dig the scoop.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Thanks, Chip. I'll give them a call for sure! Don't need ANY of the problems you mentioned.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

WOW, for a future daily driver it's going to look like a show car, awesome build!!

I have been working on my first rebuild/refurbish (1979 SB Chevy) and it's nothing like what you have done. I still have a lot to learn and to do to finish and get it street ready.

Your post has inspired me to do a ground up build on my next one. Thanks for all the great info, look forward to your progress!!!

Fellow Texan
Dave