Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

For this project everything is done by spray can. It's just too much work to clean up all the equipment for something this small. I always use UPol Acid #8 on bare metal followed by the finish coat. If I'm doing something big like a car, I use spray equipment. Although the last time I did my front bumper, I used spray cans on that too. The Rustoleum Industrial paint puts out a tremendous amount of paint in a big fan pattern and works great, but there is a limited color selection.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Yeah for spraying I bought TEKNA® ProLite Premium Spray Gun for school and I haven't even used it yet. I need to get my compressor squared away like yours. Outside of the pictures earlier in this thread do you have any more info how you set everything up? As of right now i just have a hose going to my flexzilla reel straight from the compressor. Which I know that is a big no no for spraying :lol:

Mike

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

I was browsing Facebook and saw this ad. It reminded me of your machinist son! :metal:

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

I painted my first car at 17 and the truck is my last one nearly 45 years later, so I’ve learned a few things about what to watch out for when painting. First thing is water/moisture is the absolute enemy of a decent paint job. A small compressor running continuously to keep up with a spray gun generates a tremendous amount of heat, which in turn condenses moisture out of the air in the atmosphere. This usually shows up about the time of the last coat, when the spray gun starts spitting water drops into the fresh/nearly finished paint. Long flexible hoses laying on the cold floor add to the same problem, so keeping the hose as short as possible is a big help.

A hard line system will greatly minimize if not eliminate most (if not all) of this problem. 10-12 years ago copper wasn’t all that expensive so I did everything in ½” copper for a little over $100 including all the ball valves. Some recommend ¾” pipe, but I don’t produce enough volume to justify the extra expense. I followed a simple diagram similar to this one:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/compressed-air/

A search of Google Images will turn up dozens of other layouts, many that are far more complex.

Here are a few shots of my hard line air layout:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/912/A881o2.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/673/UALVVy.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/661/KSOZYT.jpg

Every outlet has a riser at the top to trap moisture, an outlet half way down the down pipe, and a ball valve at the bottom to drain any liquid that makes it that far. I installed seven drops around the garage, and two more in the basement for my wife to do air brushing. I included extra inline ball valves at various locations to shut off major sections of the system if they aren’t needed or should require repair.

All horizontal lines are angled downhill back towards the compressor, so any moisture in the lines ends up in the tank which also has a ball valve attached for easy draining. (The ball valve under the compressor can be seen next to the right tire. This is much simpler to access than the radiator style drain that usually is found on compressors). Before painting, I open all drain valves (one at a time) until there is no moisture left in the system. Some diagrams suggest angling the lines away from the compressor instead. I figure either direction will work just as well.

I have a regulator and air filter with a quick connect that plugs into any of the outlets, allowing me to move it around the garage if needed to reach any spot in the garage while keeping the hose to the spray gun short. No picture of that at the moment as my son has it. I also use one of the disposable filters at the inlet to the spray gun to capture any remaining water.

When my 220v stationary compressor toasted itself after 10 years, I went with a smaller unit as I no longer paint cars. But for painting, a bigger compressor is always preferred over a small one.

Any other questions I can help with, let me know.

Thanks for the post on the shirt! I may have to get him one. The shirt says it all!! :lol:

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Wrapped up the parking brake project today. Man is it nice. It’s much easier to use for someone like me with a worn out spine. No more pulling – just a swing and push to the side. And no effort at all to release:

Here it is in the “off” position:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/537/2ky2zk.jpg

And here it is in the “parked” position:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/903/pSVlMX.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/673/qdZfkC.jpg

I still need to get a correct length clevis pin. I had my choice between too long and too short. So I picked the one that would work for now.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Looks good. I forgot to take some pictures of my work one. I saw on someone else's thread that they used a lifted one like what would be in a car and put it between the seats. I believe it was a guy named lakeroadster

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

John (Lakeroadster) is a good friend of mine, but he no longer participates on this forum.

I thought about doing mine the same way he did, but his is the later open frame and I have the 1960 convertible style X frame and couldn't figure an easy way to transition the cables from the trailing arms to the floor of the cab. The method I opted for allows me to switch back and forth from the stock arm to the style I prefer with no modifications, should I ever choose to.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Nice job on the parking brake lever Mark! Hope you guys had a Merry Christmas.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Thanks Phillip. We had a nice time with our oldest daughter coming up from California and spending a week with us. Hope you guys enjoyed Christmas as well. Now to get motivated and find something else to "improve"!

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Being too cold to work outside or in the garage for the last few days, seemed like the perfect time to revisit the bumper bullets?! So I dragged them in the house to my work station to see if I could sort out if they could be saved.

In the original installation they were too high and didn’t look right to me:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/912/DfHEU6.jpg

Just before giving up and removing them, I lowered both to this position:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/537/xvGU1t.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/631/OP73Qz.jpg

It just seemed no matter what I did, I could not get the driver’s side to match the passenger side. The left bullet pointed downhill although everything seemed to measure out perfectly. Obviously “everything” didn’t measure out perfectly or they would have matched, but I was too close to the problem and couldn’t see it.

After only a few minutes with fresh eyes the issue became obvious. I didn’t measure the height of the back, from the top of the bullet to the bottom of the bumper guard, and it was off by ¼” compared to the passenger side. Drilling a new mounting hole to realign the bullet provided the solution. Now all the dimensions match – bottom to top of the back, bottom of the bullet the both the break in the lower guard, and all the way to the bottom of the face. When viewed dead level from either side the tips of both bullets line up.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/909/vVDZZQ.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/537/Ia80Yg.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/911/EIFqzj.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/540/LBfTD3.jpg

Now I only have hours of finishing work ahead doing some JB Weld filling, followed by Rage body filler, and sanding all the new nicks and dings added since they were removed and banged around the garage - before applying new paint.

I’m thankful I didn’t toss them out at the max frustration level!

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Glad you got it sorted out Mark.

I look at all the "damage" you have to repair now, but it makes me smile, as sometimes the stuff I turn on the lathe goes into the firewood pile, and Nicola asks me why.... And it is only me that can see why it is wrong, and possibly not salvageable.

I am often envious of the guys in the USA for the amount of resource you have access to, but must say, right now it is raining on the glass skylight in my office, and it sounds good, but at least we are still in the positive Celcius scale, probably around 4'C outside.
So at least I can layer up at night and go to the garage.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Sure glad you were able to remedy the issue with the Dagmars… :metal:
In my opinion your truck looks great with them and with the grille bar they need to be there...:mm:

Last week saw our lowest temp at 7F and the high that day was 25F… Not a fan of the cold these days...:waah:

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

I’m the same way on failed projects. If they aren’t going to be completed to my satisfaction I’ll just toss them out. No point in putting additional labor into something that isn’t going to please me when finished.

First thing this morning I fired up the propane heater in the garage, and it’s already heated up from 40 to 56 F. So I’ll be out there getting some work in on the bullets later. When we lived in Idaho, our home was a log cabin with a tin roof. I must admit I loved the sound of rain on the metal roof. Downstairs was well insulated and nice and quiet due to the thickness of the log walls, but sleeping upstairs was like being outside in the rain from a noise standpoint. And I loved it!

Thanks for the encouragement Don. I agree, the front end looks disappointing without the bullets now that I’ve seen how good it can look. With the floating bar and the bullets lowered it has somewhat of an Oldsmobile look to it from my viewpoint. I’m not much for cold weather either, makes me lazy. I tend to sit at the computer rather than get up and accomplish something when it’s near freezing or below.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

An hour or so with a variety of sanders and hand finishing, the JB Weld work was finished off. After a good cleaning I created a fillet out of Evercoat Rage, blending the bullet and guard into one piece:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/905/XRzWh9.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/910/xFReVS.jpg

This is why I use so much JB Weld, as it makes the joint permanent and the filler is cosmetic only. I’ll get this sanded in another hour or so, and then give both guards a generous coating of UPol 2K primer. Once that is all blocked out, they’ll be ready for the finish coat of white paint.

These could be back on the truck by tomorrow if my ambition holds out.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Very Nice!!! :mm:

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

i was hoping you would put them back on

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Nice job Mark. Glad to see you tackling this again as well. I think they'll compliment your truck nicely once again, but even a little better this time around. Looking forward to seeing the finished product installed.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Finally got everything blocked out and ready for paint, which was applied tonight. A bit too cold and had a couple of specks spit from the spray can, but overall they look great. They actually look like one piece forgings now, like stock bullet/guards.

They’ll stay under the heat lamps tonight and get reinstalled tomorrow:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/673/SJmhQY.jpg

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

just read through from the start,excellent work. I like how you're stayed with the same truck and evolved over the years

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Thanks uber cool! There is something to be said for keeping the same ride for a long time. It gives you a chance to detail all the little items that rarely get high enough on the priority list to receive attention.

Here’s the end result of the bumper guard project:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/661/3mnehc.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/909/mD6JjQ.jpg

I took more photos but not many came out very well, trying to show off bullet alignment against snow in the background!

They are dead level, the tips are both 19 ¼” from the ground, they both point directly forward (about 5-7 degrees inward) and are the same distance from the grille bar on the backside. Other than I will inevitably be smashing my knees on them, I’m thrilled they came out so nice. I considered bigger bullets like from a 55-59 GMC, 55 Buick, or various Packard’s, but they’re too big to blend well with the smaller 4 headlight system.

I think I'm ready to move on to something else again.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Good to see the Dagmars up front...:mm:

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Thanks Don, I’m glad they’re back in place. It’s a funny illusion, from a distance they look rather small and thin. From up close it becomes more obvious how shapely they are and how far they protrude in front of the bumper! Cosmetically I think they really add a sense of style, although clobbering knees with them isn’t so much fun!

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/633/rMAJfM.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/905/KOHyZc.jpg

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Hell yeah man! Good job and they look awesome! You should feel very proud of yourself

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

I also took your advice and started a build thread if you're interested. Link is in my signature.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

I'm liking the grill and bumper in white. Also think I prefer the quad headlights, might do that on my as it has no face at the mo:lol:

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

I always preferred the GMC grille in these trucks years before I owned one. I just liked the sculptured look compared to the Chevy stampings. I'm also a fan of the white front end. I happen to like the way it looks, and I can't afford to chrome everything!

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

That's the ticket right there those dagmars are sexy.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

nice Mark... i like how you can see something on your truck thats not exactly as you would wish and then you figure how to make it better. that's some very fine tuning man, perfectly blended, vision and execution.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

I have been enjoying your build thread and wonder if I can pick your brain on that accelerator pedal installation?
I dont have the 71-72 flavor but a very similiar '79 C10 setup I am looking to install in my '65 GMC. I am struggling with placement and concern the pedal wont give my Q-jet full WOT movement. All my engine compartment hardware is from the same '79 so no worries there. it is inside the cab where I am concerned. Does your pedal at rest basically hang without touching the floor? and then as you depress the pedal it will eventually bottom out on the angled floorplan/ firewall at approximately the same time as WOT?
thanks!

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Thanks for the comments James and Clem!

Yes my gas pedal hangs free above the floor, and touches the floor at WOT. It’s reasonably easy to adjust the travel. If the carb won’t reach wide open throttle, add a spacer under the pivot mount of the gas pedal and this will increase the travel at the pedal. If you have tons of padding on the floor under the gas pedal pivot and the carb reaches WOT before the pedal hits the floor, cut away some of the padding under the pivot and this will reduce the travel at the pedal. Just keep making small adjustments until you’re happy with the travel on both sides of the firewall.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Hey mark I sent you a pm

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

The freshly renovated bumper bullets look great Mark!

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Got it and responded. Sorry I can’t help out on this particular issue.

Thanks Phillip. Glad to hear the outlook has improved with your Dad. I do check in on your thread routinely even if I don’t always comment. We’re still keeping your family in our thoughts.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Thank you sir. Hopefully I'll be able to post some classic truck progress of my own in the near future. Been tinkering with my Tahoe lately. Gonna try to get my grille project wrapped up soon. I'll be sure to let you know, so you can check out the mid-50s GMC emblem installed.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Sounds great Phillip!

I find myself once again winding down on truck projects. I’m still thinking about how to fabricate a lightweight headliner, either diamond tufted or diamond stitched but haven’t settled on an attachment method yet. My younger son has volunteered to make diamond stitched sun visors, but if I go with a diamond headliner I’ll probably leave the visors plain.

Historically when I’m done with real hot rod projects, I switch to model cars as my primary hobby. I was lamenting to my wife I currently have no inspiration to jump back into modeling, so she suggested why don’t I start repainting the kitchen. Rather than being bummed out, I thought it was a pretty good idea. I always prefer working on “real” things before modeling, unless I just don’t have any real stuff to do. And the kitchen repaint is going to take weeks (at least) to accomplish.

When we moved in over 10 years ago, all the kitchen cabinets, drawers, and doors were dark brown with yellow countertops. It was pure 1970’s and looked small and dingy. Although not our first choice, we thought the yellow countertops might be salvaged if we changed all the brown to white. Everything was scrubbed down with TSP and brush painted with white latex interior paint. This turned out to be a big mistake as the finish paint was incompatible over the stain and never fully dried, like model car tires painted with white enamel. So to correct the problem “everything” has to be stripped of the latex paint and primed with something like KILZ primer.

Unfortunately, between the drawers and door faces there are 49 face panels needing to be stripped and repainted, in addition to the cabinet framing. It’s taken several days to determine the best processes to strip the first 6 drawer fronts:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/540/Ll2YS4.jpg

A combination of a heat gun/putty knife on the fronts, and soft stripper disc in the drill on the edges seems to produce the best and fastest results. The next step is to apply primer, sand it down, and spray the new white finish coat. Wanting to perform these steps in the garage to minimize the stink in the house, identified the next stumbling block – it’s too cold to paint in the garage for several months and the heat lamps over the clean bench won’t accommodate something the size of a drawer.

So I looked around the garage with an eye for a larger heating/drying area for paint work. I settled on the inboard ends of the garage door tracks, which are nearly in the center of the garage floor. I looked through my junk stuff and came up with a pair of swinging arms from an old yard tent and some vintage seat belt brackets that easily formed retractable arms for an extra pair of heat lamps.

Here’s a close up look at the connection to the garage door track:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/911/CnWHBz.jpg

The circled area on the right in this photo is the joint shown in the above photo:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/661/AQVuxL.jpg

From a distance, this is what the new heating station looks like in the up or “parked” position (about 4-5” above my head at the lowest point):

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/537/L1mpWi.jpg

And here they are in the down/turned on position. A nice benefit of the cheap Walmart lamp housings being they each have an on/off switch, so I don’t have to climb a ladder to turn them on/off. I just plugged a power strip into the garage door outlet in the ceiling:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/901/7AUzX0.jpg

I can easily adjust the height by positioning the material correctly under the lamps. In addition to providing flexibility for painting kitchen cabinets, this will also make it possible to paint things like my mint condition bare metal grille hanging in the basement. I’ll just extend a bar across the two down tubes, and hang two more lamps to cover the additional length of the grille.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Just love the way your head works Mark.

I get the lights.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Very nice set-up on the lights...:mm:

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Thats pretty cool bro! Rock on :metal:

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

Having not yet found nirvana level satisfaction with my steering wheel selection, I’ve recently achieved at least a better level of understanding. I’ve finally found the perfect wheel, at least now I know what I want.

Going back a while, I had a 1950 Oldsmobile wheel (and parking brake) in my 1954 Chevy in the 1970’s:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/901/Ep0e2B.jpg

I loved that wheel with the deep blue center and gold “Saturn/Earth” emblem in the center. It came out of a mint condition Olds 98 that just arrived in a local wrecking yard. I also relieved it of the chrome door strikers and lock knobs as well. A few months ago I was perusing a steering wheel restoration site and noticed a similar Olds wheel that had been recast in transparent blue:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/909/9zW01N.jpg

I didn’t notice at the time it had been reduced from 18.5” to 16”, and the horn ring was also moved inboard. A couple of days ago I was watching My Classic Car on YouTube (season 19, episode 4) and saw the transparent wheel in one of the giant roadsters they were featuring. At least I thought it was the same wheel at first:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/911/M7ZLYf.jpg

Further inspection showed it to be an original full size version in a lighter color, and with silver trim under the dome. At this point in time I no longer want an Oldsmobile wheel, but I sure like that transparent rim. After I win the lottery I want to marry that rim to a new Mooneyes wheel as I’ve never seen this done. But since these custom wheels cost somewhere from $1,000 - $1,500, I’ll be settling on a standard blue metalflake wheel once I can save up an extra $100 to waste on something else I don’t need!

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/903/72ye6V.jpg

An interesting footnote for some - the Olds 98 emergency brake handle in 1950 was the same exact piece used in the 55-57 T-Birds. It was the first time I ever saw a part that originated on a GM car used in a Ford.

Re: Markeb01 Build Thread
 

I like the way you think on the wheel…;)

Interesting bit of knowledge on the e-brake handle...:mm: