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Re: Long Time Coming......
Looking forward to seeing more of your build. Just saying……
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Re: Long Time Coming......
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Thank you for the interest in my project. It has been a couple weeks and I wish I had some progress pictures to share. I'll be back in the shop soon. But..... Life threw a curve ball recently. I had gotten the flu, then dad..... My dad, my hero, my mentor, my best friend took his last breath as I held his hand yesterday. My dad just turned 79 a few weeks ago. He was just one of those guys you loved to know and be around. They say some people are a Glass Half Full or Half Empty. Well my dad was a Glass Overflowing kind of guy. He took everything in life without a complaint and kept his feet moving forward. He started smoking at 13 years old and about ten years ago his lungs started to fail him little by little. He is the guy that taught me everything Hot Rod. How to look at them, picture them, design them. He taught me how to weld, do body work and paint. When I surpassed his skill set he stepped aside and was happy to watch me grow in this trade/hobby. I know for a fact how proud he was of every single thing I did. From industry awards, to Best Paint at the Detroit Autorama and so on, he beamed with pride. I have long thought that while my name gets the mention, somewhere next to mine he should be acknowledged as well. For without him I would not be getting all of these accolades. 10 days ago we were watching the Mecum auction marveling at some of the prices. Sunday I went to see him and clearly there had been a change, he turned a corner of which there was no return. I was told Monday he had roughly 4 weeks. On Thursday the phrase Early Active Dying was uttered to me. With that came the knowledge that he has 2-5 days. On Saturday at 1:56pm with me holding one hand and my daughter his other he took his last breath....... Dad and I in the pits of the CT Dragway when I was real little standing next to his E/MP 66 Chevelle. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/01/22/Scan-2.md.jpg You can clearly see the pride on his face in this picture. This was taken during set up at the 2018 Boston World of Wheels ISCA car show where I debuted this latest build. This was also the very last car show he was able to attend with me. The car won five awards at this show including the Steele Rubber Master Builder Award. He beamed with joy when I got that award. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/01/22/IMG_4423.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/01/22/IMG_1470.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/01/22/IMG_4889.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/01/22/IMG_5693.md.jpg |
Re: Long Time Coming......
Sorry to hear about dad. Sounds like an awesome man.
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Sorry for your loss!! I have to say though, your last photo is awesome
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sorry to hear about your dad. lost my dad a long time ago and the hurt is still there. Just remember the good times.
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sorry to hear about your dad. sounds like you had a great relationship. thats more than a lot of guys can say.
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always hard to say goodbye to a dad but looks like you had a great one and he got a chance to see some of your hard work. I was not as lucky lost my dad when i was 29 missed him see my kids grow up and see all my projects that i know would have enjoyed as he was very handy at doing all kinds of things. My condolences on your loss
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Thank you all for the comments. It has been a tough week but I am getting better each day. Monday I was in a complete fog and just felt numb. Today at least I feel less so. I will never get over the loss, but I also have so many memories to keep me going for the rest of my life. I think the very most difficult thing moving forward is that we did this car/truck/hot rod thing together. And while he has been on oxygen and sick for 7 years he still got immense joy hearing what I was doing and going over all the pictures and so on. Or the stories about what happened when I went to a car show etc. This summer when I do all those things, I won't be able to go to him and share to all....... |
Re: Long Time Coming......
So sorry for your loss, may his sole rest in peace. Looks like you have many wonderful memories.��������
I ran into your build thread while searching for ideas and information for a 1948 3100 project I hope to start soon. Awesome work, Im keeping up with your build. Hope you doing well and I know these are difficult times for you and your family. Prayer for you and your family. |
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I hope you enjoy the build as I move along. I'm making some changes to my plans that I will share later in the week or so. |
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Glenn, so sorry to hear that he passed. I hope you made it through the eulogy, that's tough.
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Thank you! I wish I could say that I was able to get through his eulogy like a champ. I wish I could..... But when I got to the podium and stood before roughly 100 friends and family I broke. I stood there trying to gather myself and start speaking, but I couldn't even get the first syllable out of my mouth. I stepped back, took some deep breathes and tried again. I just couldn't do it. At that moment my wife of almost 31 years jumped to my aide, grabbed my hand and read my eulogy on my behalf. I feel terrible for not being able to, but every person in the room knew the bond dad and I had and were not at all surprised when all the emotion hit me at once. In any case, now with the services over I will try and move on without his ever looming presence in my life. Having said all of that, I have had time to pause and think about my truck build and what I want to do. I am still moving forward but with some changes to my plan. You see, dad was a shiny paint guy. He hated "patina" builds. While he didn't give me crap about what I was doing, he did keep saying that he thought I needed to do what I am known for, Beautiful body work and paint. So in honor of him I am now going to strip the cab and all sheet metal to bare steel and build up from there until I have it as near perfect as I can make it. The picture below is the truck when I first got it, along with the color it will be when done. My dad has always Loved this custom color I made and kept telling me this is the color he envisioned it to be. So this ones for you dad....... https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/06/5E2C...7B0754D.md.jpg |
Re: Long Time Coming......
good to see you looking forward but still looking back a little aa well.
I'm a shiny paint guy too. if youre a pint and body guy you should do it up right and that color should really pop. |
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"But when I got to the podium and stood before roughly 100 friends and family I broke. I stood there trying to gather myself and start speaking, but I couldn't even get the first syllable out of my mouth. I stepped back, took some deep breathes and tried again. I just couldn't do it."
I'm sure no words were needed. Everyone knew what you felt and wanted to say. It's difficult, but you'll move forward :) |
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I agree with Rickysnickers, everyone knew how you felt about him!
In keeping with the "moving on" theme, that is one beautiful paint color! Looking forward to seeing it on the truck. |
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Thank you again to all have commented on the loss of my dad. It has been a tough few weeks for sure. But life must move on and as I said in a recent post, my plan is to finish this truck the way he wanted me too.
This weekend was the first time in the shop in a month. I have to say it felt good. What I would call a great therapy session! I spent some time doing the final welding on the floor and braces. Once done I sanded it all down and then applied two coats of epoxy. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/13/IMG_5783.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/13/IMG_5785.md.jpg With that cured I then tipped it right side up with the help of my wife. I then used my engine hoist to raise it up and then rolled my newly made cart to bolt the cab onto. I had been using a couple stacked pallets but it wasn't very solid and I didn't trust it. Especially when the time comes to transport it to the booth for paint work. Did I share the making of this cart? I don't remember now... https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/13/IMG_5787.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/13/IMG_5788.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/13/IMG_5792.md.jpg With the cab solidly bolted down I rolled the cart onto my lift and then decided I had just enough time in the day to weld up the hole from the original fuel fill. I used the curved blank from LS Fab. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/13/IMG_5793.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/13/IMG_5794.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/13/IMG_5796.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/13/IMG_5798.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/13/IMG_5799.md.jpg |
Re: Long Time Coming......
Looking good!
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sorry about your dad, you had a great mentor and friend and how lucky he was to have such a caring son. someone better at words than me said grief is like ocean waves, first you are just tossed and swamped and overwhelmed, and when you catch that first breath of air, slowly, it becomes easier to breathe and even float a little while. but waves being what they are can sometimes rise up and overwhelm you, even in a perfect calm, drenching you and drowning you and pushing you around. i dont subscribe to the 12 stages theory, I like the waves theory because the 12 stages relies on acceptance, and some people with deep and lasting relationships may never reach acceptance.
that said, you are knocking out the stuff i normally half ass just to be done, and the color he picked will be perfect! |
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Looking forward to seeing more of your work!
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I had several staff members of the nursing home he was in for the last 14 mon the often tell me how lucky he was to have me and our relationship. I visited him four times a week so they saw me all the time. I always said that I was in fact the lucky one. Maybe in the end it was Both of us...... That color he wanted it to be is something I custom made for another project. It is a One Off color that has only been used one time before and is on the top half of my daughters square body pick up. Quote:
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Re: Long Time Coming......
Todays adventures was the start of the cab corners on both sides. While outwardly they looked good, the inside showed signs of a previous repair using fiberglass matting. I am replacing both the inner and outer corners on both sides.
Here is a before of the passenger side.... https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/19/IMG_5829.md.jpg As you can see the outside didn't look that bad. But I couldn't leave it either. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/19/IMG_5830.md.jpg Once cut I could pull it out some and was able to see the many years of crud that had fallen and was trapped in the corner..... https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/19/IMG_5835.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/19/IMG_5833.md.jpg I drilled out all the spot welds holding the old inner corner in place, then started fitting the new replacement piece. My plan for tomorrow is to weld the inners in place, then brush epoxy over the entire surrounding area. I also need to rehang the doors before final fitting the cab corners before I can weld them in place. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/19/IMG_5836.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/02/19/IMG_5838.md.jpg |
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Been playing with the firewall getting the welding complete. I decided I didn't like the Chevrolet script just sitting alone on the top of the firewall. So I made these pieces to go off each side and create some shape to it. Once filler work is done and primed/painted it will flow much better.
https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/02/IMG_5848.md.jpg |
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fancy pants.
looks great, nice job. |
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i love putting the stamped script in there
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I need to come take welding lessons. Nice work!
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Last week I finally finished all the interior window garnish moldings and the panel I made for below the dash. So I got them in the booth and painted them this color I custom mixed to match the leather seat. It was then cleared in a eggshell finish clear.
https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/20/IMG_5926.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/20/IMG_5930.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/20/IMG_5927.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/20/IMG_5929.md.jpg Then on Saturday I was out in the shop and cut out the rust in the lower kick panels and then trimmed the patch panels to fit and tacked them in place. Driver side wasn't too bad.... https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/20/IMG_5939.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/20/IMG_5943.md.jpg And the passenger side. A little more rust over here..... https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/20/IMG_5934.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/20/IMG_5936.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/20/IMG_5937.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/20/IMG_5938.md.jpg |
Re: Long Time Coming......
That truck is getting a lot of love. The rust did not look that bad in the earlier photos.
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In the end It really isn't that bad compared to many. Cab corners is so very typical. The floors only had one spot of rot, and the lower kick panels. I've seen some people have to cut their truck into fragments and start over. |
Re: Long Time Coming......
Well, the time has come to finally be able to share this with you all. I mentioned it several months ago, but here it is in full color!!!
Back in December Ron Ceridono from Classic Truck Performance called me out of the blue. I don't know him at all, but I did recognize his name. Some of my build pics ran across his desk from a mutual friend and he decided he liked what he saw enough to run an article. After going back and forth by email and a few phone calls he sent me the text of the article he wrote. This was right around Christmas time. Well in tonights mail is the magazine with the article in it. I am beyond thrilled. I'm so happy to have been able to share this with my dad and have him read the article before I lost him in January. I'm a little sad he doesn't get to see this and hold this in his hands. But deep down I know he is proud and is seeing it. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/23/IMG_5964.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/23/IMG_5965.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/23/IMG_5966.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/23/IMG_5967.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/23/IMG_5968.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/23/IMG_5969.md.jpg |
Re: Long Time Coming......
That’s awesome! Congratulations.
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right on congrats good work didn't go unnoticed
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Very cool. Now your great build is documented in print as well as the web.
Marc |
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Very Nice!! It's always fun to have your work recognized. Steve
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Outstanding!!!!
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Thank you all, and thanks for following along with my project. |
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I'm just about finished with the welder, but I did have to complete the kick panel patches and get them fully welded in place today. While doing that I needed to make a curved filler piece for the passenger side area. I bent a piece of metal in my trusty Harbour Freight sheet metal break and then used my cheap HF Shrinker/Stretcher to make the piece match the curve.
https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/25/IMG_5971.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/25/IMG_5972.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/25/IMG_5976.md.jpg Once that was done I got the last of the welds done and cleaned them up a bit. Only thing left is the cab corners, but I need to hang the doors again before I fit the pieces. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/25/IMG_5975.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/03/25/IMG_5977.md.jpg |
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That is some good Shrinking going on.:metal:
Nice metal work. |
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I still need to fit and weld in the cab corners. Before I do I needed to hang the doors so I know the cab corners will fit right. With the doors hung and fitted as best I could, I could now see the gaps and how far off they were. And this was after an hour of getting the door to fit as good as possible. And for anyone wondering, I won't finalize the gaps until I get the cab back on the chassis and bolted down solid. I'm hopeful nothing will change because I was really careful when I made this cart to have it square and flat as could be.
As you can see the door edge at the rear is basically touching. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/04/01/IMG_5992.md.jpg And yet not too bad on the top of the window frame at the rear. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/04/01/IMG_5993.md.jpg This was the front edge with just a little bit of grinding. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/04/01/IMG_5994.md.jpg This will need to be built up some... It is too wide for me. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/04/01/IMG_5995.md.jpg And finally the rear area between the door and cab after grinding and getting it to be 3/16" It will still need a little work, but overall much much better. https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/04/01/IMG_6008.md.jpg https://j.hmjimg.com/2023/04/01/IMG_6009.md.jpg |
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