Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Ya know I think 75% of us would say its perfect... I'm with Elliot on the chrome shop being able to fill the voids to make it straight, I think I'd as least show them and get there opinion, of course I know about 20% of what you know... :)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

If nothing else, there's a pretty good spray chrome place in Wichita. Sorry about the hassle.

Alternative Chrome Creations, in Haysville.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Sorry about the hassle! There's a spray chrome place in Wichita.

Alternative Chrome Creations, in Haysville. 316-680-1209

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

My worry is that any additional tweaking they do to get it straight might move it enough it wouldn't line up later on.
I think my best bet may be to get it as good as I can, then make the decision. Right now things are a bit outta control.
Thanks, Chip. I used to have some info on a guy in Harrisonville that did the spray chrome also, but must have lost it. That's what happens when you're afflicted with part-timers disease... only remember stuff part of the time.

This morning I squeezed the center gap together a bit more and was satisfied with the result, so I lopped one end off the bumper and began the trial fitting. Mocked up, the end looked like a little more than 2" would tuck it in around where I wanted. Laid out a cut line on the bumper and removed the section and put everything back together. Then it was time to slice open the fender to get the end piece lined up correctly. I marked where the end of the bumper rested and moved back about 3/4" and marked another line. The forward line was just a guess as to how big a chunk I needed to cut out. Some of this material may get patched back in later on or I may have to make an entirely new filler piece.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

So the opening looks really ugly right now. I ended up cutting more than I planned because there were a couple of places that kept interfering. I'm now faced with a decision. If I raise the end of the bumper to make it more or less line up with the fender line, the end is at more of an angle than I may be able to correct with the hammer and dolly. On the other hand, if I square up the cuts in the bumper, it looks correct except where it meets the fender on the side. There may be some additional pie cuts to the end piece in the future. ;)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

This is an ambitious modification and I am enjoying watching you work. I know you are having some trouble with it but keep going you got this! On the matter of chrome, well you don't necessarily have to chrome the bumper you can paint both the front and rear bumper instead and it would look good especially after the mods to make it conform to body lines.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Hey Vic... I have a real nice 67 small window Cab... pretty much just needs inner/outer rockers and cab corners and a bullet hole in the back of the cab... all real easy fixes... All the cowl area, Drip rails and window areas are perfect... if interested call me...

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Thanks for the offer, Dan, wish I'd known about it sooner. I've replaced all the panels infested with tinworm in the one I have, not to mention all the mods I made to the dash. Your photo should be in a Hemmings Abandoned Autos calendar. ;)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Lol!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I have just read into this thread for the first time. I am also going to be cutting, smoothing and tucking my bumper soon. Hopefully I'll be starting on that next month.

I've already shaved and customized a LOT of other stuff on my project, so I'll be heading into this latest mod with eyes wide open

Sounds like you're starting to get frustrated on the whole bumper thing right now. My suggestion would be to walk away and work on a different part of your truck for a while (because I do the same thing), so you can get some positive mojo going and then go back to the bumper with a clearer head.

Good luck, because I love your idea so far

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Don't mind me Vic... I was brain dead this morning... I saw the stepside when you Brought CRLS home and... Well nevermind... Stupid is as stupid does...

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Thanks for the suggestion, sometimes when you're so immersed in the problem of the day, you forget to step back a bit. I have a little project I've had on the back burner for way too long. My nephew gave me a grinder setup that belonged to his late, great Dad. I've been meaning to finish assembling it so I'd have a green stone for sharpening carbide instead of doing it manually. Think I'll burn a day and do that.

:lol: That's quite alright, Dan. You and Jan have so much on your plate at any given time, it's a wonder you have time to keep up with forum stuff.

Made a few adjustments to the bumper today and some decisions about how to proceed. One last time, I split the center cut in the license plate area and tacked it to let the ends of the bumper come up slightly. I now have a 1/2" gap outboard and 7/16" in the center. I'll be able to make that work so it will never be noticed. I also trimmed and split the corner of the end piece to align it better with the fender. I still have some hammer and dolly work to do. The back edge will follow the edge of the gap I'm creating on the fender. More to come after I take a little break. ;)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Looking good Vic. I like your progress so far.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

It looks like you are working through it pretty well...I like that tucked in look...

What day are you coming down for the Starbird-Devlin show...

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Holy smokes! You are showing no mercy on this bumper mod Vic. When it's finished most would never realize that it's modified, let alone what kind of muscle it took to pull it off. If you can get that done in chrome it'll be crazy-cool. Nice work!

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I like your approach on sheetmetal Vic. Your never afraid to start chopping away and it always looks awesome when your done.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I think it is looking great, you have welding skills so there is nothing that happens that cannot be fixed ;)

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Thanks, Duane, yours is looking kickass! Love the firewall.
Thanks, Dan. By now, you've probably figured out we didn't make the show. We'll try to get down there to a cruise in this spring when Papa J is 100%. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person.
:lol: Hey John, we're shooting for subtle even though Chip thinks it needs naca ducts and a speed sensitive spoiler. I'll probably take his advice on the chrome, though. I looked at the FB page for Advanced Chrome Concepts and they do some pretty amazing stuff over almost anything.
Thanks, Scott... and you've seen this thing in its underwear with all the warts too.
That's what I keep telling myself. Weld and grind, weld and grind...

Speaking of which, I'm back on the bumper after a few days doing "other stuff". The grinder deal is mostly done. It needs slots in the base to be able to tighten the belt and I need to make some adjustable tool supports as it came without any. Good side project for another day when I need a break from CRLS.

Below are some photos that show the direction I'm headed. The gaping hole will eventually be filled in with sheet metal. I'll use some of the metal that came out of the opening as a patch. A little hammer and dolly work should make it fit up reasonably well. The bumper will hide 90% of it anyway. The gap around the edge of the bumper will be about 3/16" - 1/4" depending on what looks best. I started to dolly the bumper edge to match the contour of the filler piece that's cleco'd to the fender and promptly snapped all my spot welds. I think when I welded it back together it wasn't exactly like I had it before, but it's close enough. Made a little wedge piece to fill in the pie cut and tacked it in place. More later...

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Your hand forming and vision is astounding...

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

The effort required to let a C10 carelessly decay over the decades is a million times less than what is required to reverse the deterioration.

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Thanks, guys, most of my misery is self inflicted. Starts with, "Here, hold my beer and watch this." ;)

Few more progress shots below. The hole is slowly closing, but the hard part still lies ahead. I'll need to trim some off the bumper where it curves around the end to make the sheetmetal patches look less severe. What I've noticed as I stare endlessly at the bumper corner from various angles is that the factory contour seems to droop, sag or look bulbous over the lower half. (See red arrows.) From straight on, it's not noticeable, but is from almost any other viewpoint. Close examination of the truck I'm using as a pattern reveals the same issue on it. I'm leaning toward making several vertical slices around the lower half of the corner and drawing the slices back and up to excise the fat. Or then again, maybe it's just me.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Vic, just when I think you've quit cutting things up , look what you've done!!!!
It's going to look awesome man, keep at it. I really enjoy reading and watching your build on here.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Looks good! I stumbled across this pic in my axalta calendar. You can get one at the paint stores.
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Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I hadn't really noticed it until you pointed it out. But now that you say it.... :lol: I have a feeling you're going to be opening a major can of worms if you go that route. Or, maybe you've already opened it, but now you're realizing just how big that can is. You're doing great, keep it up!

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Thanks, Jason. Hope your big block and new tranny are still operating smoothly.
Thanks, Chip, this is the exact same truck I'm using as a guide. There are several differences between what they did and my approach, though.
1. They raised the bumper up about an inch and the ledge they built comes straight off the grille shell below the bottom molding. (red arrow)
2. They cut about an inch more off the side of the bumper end than I did. (green arrow)
3. They extended the bumper out a bit farther than I did and built out the fender to meet it which results in a tapered body line versus the parallel line that's stock. (yellow arrows)

Their mods look great in the overall context of the build which was highly customized, but I was dealing with a stock setup and didn't want to modify the frame horns to lift the bumper up. So plan B was to rob as much of the idea as I could without the extensive relocations. This means I have a different problem to solve, which is how to make the transition below the corner of the headlight roll back under and follow the edge of the bumper at the same time. That's my next hurdle.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Nope, haven't made that commitment yet, Duane. Still deciding whether it's worth the effort. I've probably said it before, but years ago when I was fretting about some detail on a project car, an east TX chassis builder buddy told me, "Nobody looks at your sh!t more closely than you do." Sometimes I have to remind myself of that. ;)

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More piecework yesterday and today sandwiched between errands and phone calls. The guy doing the ceramic on my exhaust won't return phone calls, so I guess I need to go over there one day this week to see what the heck is going on. Hopefully it will be done and I won't waste a trip.

The hole is steadily closing up. I need to do some trimming and remake the short upper curved piece out of wider material so I don't have to scab extra metal on it. In order to fit the bumper up and make more measurements, I had to put some of the clecos in from the backside... regular barrel of laughs trying to locate 1/8" holes while flying blind.

Still thinking on how to handle the area where the fender overhangs the curved piece. Kathy seems to think Bondo would work great, plus it would speed things along. ;)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

That is working out nicely...

I would think about running the "vertical lip all the way down that way the curve of the bumper is easier to work in the front piece and the side piece...

Just a thought...

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Nice work Vic! That looks slick!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Thanks, Dan, I did extend the vertical sheetmetal on the front of the fender down to the curved piece. Not sure if this is what you meant, but it filled the gap about as well as could be expected. ;)
Thanks, Scott, now I need to tack everything up real good and move on to the other side.

I switched out wire in the MIG machine today to silicon bronze. Whole new learning curve. If you slow the wire speed down, it balls up on the end and if you speed it up, it welds great but spatters like crazy. The anti-spatter spray I use doesn't seem to work all that well with the SB. May have to lay my leather leggings adjacent to the weld area to help alleviate the problem.

The powder coater called today and said my stuff was ready so Dad, the dog and I went over to get it. Looks like pearlescent aluminum paint right now. They cure it in the oven at 750 degrees, so we'll see what it looks like when the engine fires up and it gets some real heat on it.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

That exhaust is killer...

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Look like they did a real nice job on the exhaust!

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I did some reading on silicon bronze MIG welding wire. What was the benefit to using it here?

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Well, my personal observation about it is that it has a lower melting point which translates into less shrinkage in the weld area. It's softer than steel, which makes it easier to grind so you remove less of the adjacent material. On thin sheetmetal, that can make a big difference.

The downsides are that it can be finicky and ugly to weld. With the TIG, it doesn't like to bridge gaps very much. Both sides of the gap have to be wet before the weld puddle will form correctly. I noticed with the MIG (after just a few test welds to determine wire speed and amperage) it leaves a lot of smut and spatter. I'm using pure argon which is recommended, but some say a mix of helium and argon also works if the material is thicker. Too much wire speed is probably the issue with the spatter, but if you slow it down, you don't get a smooth puddle. Looks a lot like a cold solder joint.

At this point, I can't honestly weigh in on the cost/benefit of using it. I like it for applications where strength is less a consideration than cosmetics. Not much I hate worse than trying to be as careful as possible, only to have whoop-de-do's in the panel when everything cools off. MIG with EZ grind wire is not far behind, though.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Thanks for the detailed explanation! The positives sound great because grinding a newly welded sheet metal seam is a pain, and like you mentioned, less heat is better on thin metal when burn though is a possibility. You list a number of drawbacks which are important. For my own work I will probably stick with regular wire and C25 gas, but I'm glad to have learned about the existence of this other wire.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I'm diggin' it! I'm a big flag-waver for EZ-grind. (See Vic rolling his eyes.... look, there he goes...;)) It's soo much easier and more workable on sheet stuff. Vic did the guy in KCK do your Coating? Eric was gonna use him, but it was more than he wanted to spend. Keep it up, this is coming out neat!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Looks like you've finally figured out a solid game plan for your bumper now. I'm taking the easy route with mine instead. I'm just bringing mine in closer to the grill (shortening the support brackets) and tucking the ends by taking a cut out of both sides

keep up the good work :metal:

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I'd also say that the EZ grind is more predictable about how it lays down than the SB when using the MIG. I now have 2 lbs. of the .035 SB wire which I can also use with the TIG for ticky tacks and better filler control than the 1/16" rods I typically use. So the experiment won't be a total loss.
I ain't throwing away the EZ grind just yet. :lol: You're correct that I used the guy in KCK on Kaw Drive. I got a quote from Jet Hot before I went to him and he actually came in $200 under them. If you factor in the additional cost of shipping, it was way better. When I picked the parts up yesterday, though, his wife said they were on the hunt for a new building and would be closing up the current location very soon. Phone will be the same so they can update callers with the new address when they find a place.
I believe I'm on the downhill run now. If I hadn't seen that other truck with the frenched in look, I'd have done exactly what you plan to do. I did the same thing with the front and rear bumpers on my 57 Ford and they looked great. Much more straightforward mod. Good luck!

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Took the plunge today and tacked all the fender pieces together. Looks good enough to finally move to the driver side. I'll do some more hammer and dolly work and weld out the seams once I have the fender off the truck. Right now the core support and inner fenderwell are interfering with my access to the back of the altered area. Once the welding is finished, I'll set all the gaps and smooth everything out with plastic filler.

I keep forgetting to call the folks at Alternative Chrome Creations to see what they recommend for prepping the pieces. Given how long it's taking me to do this "minor mod" I'm sure I've got plenty of time. ;)