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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
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If I buy the Car & Truck Shop kits and opt to use them as a sort of Bill of Materials, I'll go to Bolt King and buy (hopefully) just the polished button head stainless bolts I need. I don't really have the time to wait for TrucksUSA to ship them to me- but thanks for the link. Their site doesn't indicate how long shipment takes and the chassis/cab will be mated Monday. Thanks everyone for your advice/help. You guys are such a resource! |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Sunday April 23, 2017
Good News: The front fenders have been sprayed with bedliner/undercoating. Came out very nice: http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...pswtlyil1j.jpg http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...psi7dtglbr.jpg http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...psu8ldfcvp.jpg Bad news: Shipping the chassis to the bodyshop has to slip another week. No room in the shop til next "Friday or Saturday". Oh well. |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Looking great Dan!
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Thanks!
I've gotta pick up all those bolts kits this week, head to my local specialty bolt supplier for the polished button head inner/outer fender & latch panel replacements, and order the door weatherstrip from Steele Rubber - I keep reading theirs is THE best fitting. Note: Just posted a separate thread about Steele Rubber if anyone has experience, thanks! Trying to chill out about getting done fast and focus on getting it done "right" - or at least right for me. |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Looks real nice.
Kim |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
i had great luck with steel rubber Dan very nice people to deal with.
Ray |
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Thanks Ray
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Chassis to body shop has slipped again to Monday, 5/1. Oh well. Front fenders were being color sanded and final polished today. He said compound gets thrown all over if he does it after the fenders are mounted to the cab. He rear of cab was already done. I'm pleased because no one will ever see it. http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...pscac6pbco.jpg http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...psgve3eycx.jpg Picked up cab bolts, front sheet metal and door hinge bolts. Ordered Steel Rubber's "smaller" door seals. Spoke to their rep and he said, "...99% of guys are happier with the smaller seals so they don't have to slam their doors over and over." So I ordered those. |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
The paint is perfect! Thanks for the tip on the small door seals.
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
I love the picture of your dash! Yes, I'm still lurking around watching! You're doing great!!
dne' Quote:
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
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Hope all is well. Anything new with your truck or contemplating any changes? My truck is draining my checking account fast but I'm having a blast doing it exactly my own way. Take care, please don't be a stranger. Best, Dan |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Hi Dan!! I'll give you a sneak preview of what I've been doing for the past almost 3 years, then I'll post a thread on a short summary of the adventure later this evening.
Quickly, as for my 59 Apache, it's in storage; I get it out now and then for car shows. I'll be back on board not too far from now cause I have to do something to the firewall, but that's another story which I'll be back on here in the not so distant future! "My truck is draining my checking account fast but I'm having a blast doing it exactly my own way. Take care, please don't be a stranger. Best, Dan[/QUOTE]" I just put this one picture as I don't want to take away from you fabulous build! And believe me, I know what you mean about the cost of our toys!:lol: So here is a little tease:hm: I've put 70 miles on it; I have more work to do ,but at least it's running! dne' ;) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psuwfa6wyl.jpg |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Man, I love TR6's and I especially love British racing green. Can't wait to read/see more about it!
PS: Post as many pics as you want! |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Looking good Dan. If you haven't found your bolts yet, check out Totally Stainless. http://shop.totallystainless.com They have packages for our trucks and you can get just their front fender kit. I bought their full kit and it's been really good.
Appreciate the info on the door seals. |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Thanks for the link Jim. I DID buy the bolts from The Car and Truck Shop, but I'm not totally happy with them because they're mostly not stainless and I want them to be, at least where they'll be visible so I can polish them.
EDIT: Finally went and looked at the link more closely. Wow, $500 for some of those kits. Yikers. |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Friday, April 28, 2017
My seat back frame needed minor repair - the nut for the pivot bolt had come off some time and the sheet metal was repaired and a replacement nut welded in. The frames are being sandblasted & powder coated gloss black this week. Gloss so the small amount of seat frame that shows will look better than if it were semi gloss. I found a local upholstery shop that does very nice work and seems to be reasonably priced. I visited to get some idea of time it will take to complete, discuss some design and color ideas, etc. Here are the ideas I have come up with so far: Below is the sculpted design I'm going with except it'll have fewer vertical stitch lines. Maybe 3 or 4 instead of 6. It's a little too busy in the picture. http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...psjowqgfx3.jpg I'll use a color more like this 2nd picture though. I like how the door panel lets the raised rib of body color show. I've considered chroming the door panel just show this rib would be chrome but not sure it's worth it. I don't care for the bottom having so many vertical stitch lines and I'm not sure how I'll revise it. Somehow I'll figure out a lower door panel design that "goes with" the sculpted seat stitch pattern, and echo it in the headliner panel too. http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...psawznkaen.jpg And finally, I'm considering some kind of door pockets to add storage space to the truck. The step area on Task Force trucks is wasted area anyway but I don't want these door pockets to be a catchall for crap. I'll figure out something; maybe a simple lid or flap? http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...psknifhrme.jpg |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
OMG, that first seat is FINE! but they're all fine! I would really like door covers like those, another thing on the To do list when I get back to the 59;) Anyway, which ever you choose will be great!
dne' |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Very nice options for sure!
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JJ, My guy proposes removing the springs and using all foam like your seat in order to sculpt the contours like the first seat above. I don't think any of these colors is QUITE what I'm looking for but they're all around it. I'll find it eventually. |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Just an update to my "Log" - After three consecutive false starts it APPEARS my chassis will be flat bedded to the paint shop Saturday morning. But I won't be surprised if he calls last minute (like last Saturday) to delay again. I went to his shop today and he "confirmed" he has made space. We reviewed the bolt kits I've taken and I need 30 polished stainless button head bolts to replace the factory black flange bolts. These are for the inner-outer fender connection & latch panel. But I counted only 22 when I looked at the other '55-'56 in Mike's shop. 6 each side, 8 on the latch panel and 2 to mount the latch itself. No idea what the other 8 are for? My Boyd's Smoothies arrived from Northern Cal today. Whoever had them screwed them up just enough to ruin their resale value - and he didn't know the value of what he had anyway - but they'll repair and polish up perfect. Al Reed Polishing in Placentia, CA did my old 911 Fuchs wheels which were much worse and he made them look brand new. These should be easier. |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Heavy drizzle @ home, steady rain at the other end but my chassis was flat bedded to the paint shop this morning. I followed and wiped the entire chassis dry/clean. Cab won't be mounted til probably Friday. He was final polishing an older 500SL metallic teal beauty to be delivered this week. Found half the 5/16x18 Coarse buttonhead bolts I need for assembly in the engine compartment at my local OSH. They had chrome ones - which look fantastic - but man oh man they're pricey. $42 for them and that's only half what I need. -Dan |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
You are going for perfection...you gotta have the nice bolts. Me... I working out of my free metric bolts I got buckets of from the salvage yard.
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
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Yeah, I suppose I want my truck "perfect" - to me - it won't be perfect for anyone else's vision of these trucks. If you want to spend as little as possible, I get that. My budget made me do that my entire life. Now, I'm about to retire and this is my gift to me for working since I was 16, going to college, grad school while working full time, raising two kids, putting them through college, etc. When it's done and I look at it, I want to be very pleased with what I see - whether it pleases anyone else or not. |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Thanks Jim,
I'm sure I'll get, "...it' too low, why'd you do that? You ruined it!" "...why doesn't it lay frame, it's too high!" Billet rims? LS engine? "It's not traditional!" "Resale red? I'd have NEVER painted it that color" If I'm nice that day I'll say, "It's what I like" If I'm not feeling diplomatic that day I'll stick out my hand and say, "When you write the checks you get to decide what it looks like!" |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Sunday, April 6, 2017
Ok, so a small update. Picked up my bench set frames after sandblast/gloss black powder coat. Mine had no broken springs only one dent (which I didn't notice til too late). http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...pszdid2gin.jpg I had to have the seat back pivot nuts replaced. One was gone and some odd ball bolt & nut had been used in their place. That caused the sheet metal hole to get big and worn out of round - looked like hell. The metal was repaired and new nuts welded in. I just ordered thread chasers from Amazon so I can clean the threads. http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps9jx6wcic.jpg It's kinda bothering me to think of removing all the springs but that's what I have to do to get the contoured seat upholstery shown in Pic #1 in post 1937 above. Like I said, there's not a single broken spring! But if it can be done without them coming out, I'll do that. I like sitting high anyway. But if I can remove them without breaking them. I'll list them for sale so someone else can use them. http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps4fnzl2lq.jpg |
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Looks real nice.
Kim |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Seat frame looks great!
Hope your upholstery guy is quicker than mine! :uhmk: |
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Keep up the good work Dan!! |
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I've never used this guy before but Mike speaks highly of him. I've seen some of his work and was impressed. For now the seat frames will hang in my garage rafters. I don't dare take the seat before the whole truck is available or I might not get all materials from the same bolt - can't have that! Thanks Red, How're things down under? What's new with your truck? |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
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Where doing fine down here in Melbourne thanks for asking Dan.
As for the Gmc still get driven weekly and doesn't let me down however reading your thread makes me want to redo the bench seat properly this time instead of just a re-trim. Here's a current pic of it in my shed, cheers George. |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
The GMC's are such great icons of the 50's. Many years ago I bought a '57 Chevy truck at the Pomona Swap meet (big here. Bigger back then!) that turned out to be pretty rusty. The next meet was 6 weeks later and I had to pass on one the same color as yours that was an absolute peach. It killed me I'd spent my money on such a poor one and couldn't buy the Jimmy. Hope you enjoy the heck out of yours. I still wish I had one.
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Thanks Dan and yes all us Aussies know about Pomona, for us its the mecca of swap meets!
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Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
More chrome button head bolts today delivered to body shop. Man, those things are spendy! Saw Marcos had painted a bunch of misc. small parts: Door hinges, ashtray/heater control delete plate, hinge access panel covers.
The other night I picked up a set of Lang thread chasers from Amazon. No idea if they're a decent quality set but kinda doubt it; they were fairly cheap. Never owned thread chasers before but don't want to round-off the Allen head opening in these pricey bolts. Some of the holes were powder coated over so hopefuly this helps. |
Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
Thursday, May 18th, 2017
"I've got good news and I've got bad news". First the good: The cab is back on the chassis. YAHOOOOO!!! That only took a month longer than promised. http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...pspkysbsit.jpg The bad news? Even though the engine was installed with the cab on the frame, it is now super close to the passenger side valve cover. So close Marcos had a microfiber towel between the valve cover and the firewall when I saw it. It wasn't pinched so tight I couldn't pull the towel out so there is SOME room. But it's genuinely tight. He also had to slightly bend the trans filler tube. Not enough to kink it but just enough so it wouldn't rub the firewall. I've asked Mike to meet with Marcos and decide what; if anything, needs to be done? When I stopped by the shop one of his guys said, "...just beat in the the firewall a little". Uh... OH HELL NO! I didn't come this far to hack it now. There'll be no beating of my newly perfect firewall. So we'll see just how much an issue this is. The engine will move slightly with torque left/right but should never move forward/back and the head doesnt get hot enough to bubble paint but I still don't like the idea of there being 3/8" to 1/2" clearance vs. almost none on the other side. http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...psifqs9kbl.jpg Last: The cab mounting bolt kit I bought from The Car & Truck Shop doesn't SEEM to have the right parts. I confess i don't remember exactly where all the rubber, washers and short reinforcement tube-thingies were. Does anyone have clear photos of how it's supposed to look from the interior and from below? I DID buy a Factory Assembly Manual and gave it to Marcos. He's studying it but the pictures aren't all that clear. All help appreciated - Dan |
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