Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Finished welding and painting my homemade outside mirror brackets. I made my own because I couldn't find any commercially that had the look and angle that I wanted.

I also cut and fit a piece of 5/8" plywood for my seat pedestal. This will serve as a mount for the bucket seats that came with my truck. The original owner had them bolted to the floor pan but it bent from the weight. This will add reinforcement and something to bolt the seats to. It will eventually be covered in carpet.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

This is what hot rodding is all about, for the last 75 years! Nice job on solving problems without ordering something in a box (like I often do)!

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I didn't know the rear floor was wood like a truck bed! That's friggin cool! I swear if I could afford it I would have a collection of "Working cars" and trucks. Things like that panel that was used in some business, so cool. I picture that floor being covered with boxes of milk or meat, or car parts or something, so cool.

I woke up in the middle of the night with the fit of the fenders to the running boards on my mind. The fender looked so funky I just figured I had to get the running boards out of the attic in the garage and fit them to the fenders. I was right, the left fender wasn't even close, I had to work on it quite a bit to get it there.
Check out the running boards, that's lacquer, look how nice that truck was when I tore it apart 25 years ago, crap!

But I got another step further now.

The little piece of aluminum was my measuring tool when I sectioned it. Just a little tip when you are doing something like chopping or sectioning, make something like that and you can't make a mistake with a measuring tape.

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Guarantee they are wood and steel and very uncomfortable to sleep on. Ask me how i know.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Uh oh, did your wife make you sleep outside? :lol:

I may indeed camp in this panel truck when it's done. It will be replacing my 29-year-old Chevy Astro van which was originally purchased for camping and traveling but now is nearing 500,000 miles. Time to give the old workhorse a well-deserved retirement!

Heck Brian, tightening the bolts will pull that gap together, ha ha!
Sometimes I suspect Chevy actually wanted some stress on the sheet metal components when they're bolted together, using tension to prevent vibration.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Nah. Camped out in one for months on a cross country trips back in late 60's. The metal strips radiated the cold right thru sleeping bags and blankets. Had to line the back and sides with cardboard.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Understand the photo I show is AFTER I beat the crap out of it to get it that good! It was not close, the fender was buckled with a bunch of welds and crap that I did 30ish years ago so I had to clean that up a bit and get it back to shape. The other side fit WAY better than this without even touching it.

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Yessir- a late 47 and a 49 AD panel. Good stuff here in the high desert.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

No doubt, they all pretty much rot away around here. Love the color combo on your new truck!

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Uncle’s friend used to buy cheap rust free cars here and drive them to your area to sell and then buy low mile rust mobiles and bring them here for the drivetrain.

As faded as the color is on the outside, it’s bright and shiny inside.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

took the wife, boy, and dog out in the truck for a quick ride. the weather is fantastic and everyone had a good time. its a family truck now.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Nice, I went out as well. Super nice ride. Alternator fail on the last block home. Kicked out of OD and limped in the garage. Still a nice ride.

Removed the alternator and will get another tomorrow.

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Got the left rear fender reinforcement made, then weld thru primer applied so it will be ready tomorrow to weld it in.

It's funny, the photo with the left and right reinforcements I removed from the fenders shows how things weren't real precise back then. The reinforcements were identical, but where it was welded to the fender is a whole different story. You can see the arrows where the bolts to the running board go. The cars of today, holy crap, these pieces would be within a 32nd of an inch or better, darn near perfect about every single time.

Today it's a robot likely putting them on, or at the very least some seriously accurate jigs for them to be mounted.
Back then some man feeding his family welded that thing on, so wild when I remove something like that, I have a connection with those men, no kidding.

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Wheel cover Wednesday. :D I still haven't made up my mind but I think it will be the 54 Belair. And it will be wide whites of course. I would like to have 53 Corvette, but I could put my daughter through college with what they cost! The middle one, 53 Passenger car (second photo) was actually put on a few 53 Corvettes because they didn't have the Corvette ones ready to go.

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

That's hard, all are very cool in there own way.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I'm a big fan of hubcaps, partly because they're obsolete on today's modern cars. After all your hard work and discipline it's nice to reward yourself with a little dreaming about the future.

What fun - I'm jealous!

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I had limited time today, but managed to mount my mirrors on their new homemade brackets just to see how they fit, then install all 12 seat-mounting T-nuts in the pedestal. I learned that a step drill makes clean holes in wood without splintering!

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Had a little photo shoot with my truck.
:gmc2::gmc2:

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You must be freaking out those BMW drivers! Very cool!

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

That’s a cool looking truck, even looks lowered a bit in one photo.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Cool photos!

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Still waiting to cross paths out here in the Burque evilokc.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I'd go with the red corvette ones if you're going to paint truck red. Otherwise the blue bowtie logo looks great.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

The one with the red center medallion isn't a Corvette, it's a 54 Belair. But yes, I think I am going to go with them.

I have also thought of putting knock off pieces like a 54 Corvette had.

http://corvettestory.com/images/corv...DSC_3812_a.jpg

I would have to cast them myself out of aluminum but I have thought about that too and having medallions made like the emblems on the first Corvette made in 53 were. They made them, it was ready to go off to the first Motorama show when they found out that they couldn't have the American flag on it because you can't use the American flag in any business logo. If I were to spend the money to have something made, this would be it, that would be so damn cool!

https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...by+Harley+Earl


Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Its a beautiful time of year to been cruising.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Getting the truck cleaned up a little for the big reveal at our club gathering tomorrow night...

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Mark, have a great time showing off the ride...Jim

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That sucker is so sweet, perfect height, all the details, just sweet.

I got the reinforcement welded into the left rear fender, holes for running board drilled, done, another part ready for stripping and primer.

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Here's one for you! LOLOL

Brian

https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...b3&oe=5C5253BE

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

The sixth finger makes it even creepier! I didn't know those were available when I had my '65 Fairlane...

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Completely resolved my no charging issue. Figure's it would be my fault. Missed hooking up a wire under the dash. Also finished my exhaust wrap and sealer. That stuff smokes up a garage if your not carefull.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I planning on a five minute (you know at least 15 but I can dream right?) trip out to the garage to weld a crack that was on the passenger fender. And of course I found a bunch more stuff that needed work. One of the things I ended up doing was not something I was even planning on doing. I have always disliked how the wheel well on these trucks isn't smooth round, they have that flat area where the inner brace bolts to the fender at the edge. You can see the left fender has a squared area, so tonight on the right fender I worked the metal and rounded it. Soooo, the right fender metal work is all done awaiting to be stripped of paint. I just saw that the photo of the left fender is out of focus, sorry.

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Nice, interesting how they have a flat spot on the fender. I never paid any attention to that detail.

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I drove the truck 25 miles in rush hour traffic to a little shindig last night. Other than a couple short shakedown cruises, this was the first time the truck has been publicly displayed. People seemed genuinely interested in the '58 and a promotor for Minnesota's longest running annual indoor car show asked me to enter it in their show. All in all it was a really fun night.



Driving home in the dark reminded me, I still have to aim the headlights ...

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Very cool! Heck yeah it deserves being in a show it looks awesome!

I had a VERY interesting request of my Rambler yesterday. On my way home I had some youngsters in a BMW ask me if I would rent it to them for a music video! I thought about it for a millisecond......no.

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I can see it now, one guitar player on the hood, one on the trunk and the lead singer on the roof with a big ol' mic stand...

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The first thing I thought of it would be some CRAP hiphop or rap BULLCRAP and there is no way I would allow Marge to be in that!

Brian

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I'm amazed how fast you got that truck together and on the road!

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I finish-installed my plywood seat base today. I got this cool nutsert tool - can't believe I got along without one for all these years! It's a no-brainer to put threads in blind holes in sheet metal. So after installing the nutserts I laid down some foam tape to add cushioning and prevent rattles, then screwed the plywood down to the original seat base. Now it can support my bucket seats instead of sagging and bending.

Here's my practice nutsert installation:

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I was very motivated to get it done...