Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

A few days later, it was time to get my hands wet with lots of sanding and buffing. I will wet sand all panels out to 2000 grit, then polish with Mequiars products. Depending on the amount of orange peel, it can go from 1200 to 1500 and then to 2000. On smoother surfaces I start with the 1500. Photo #1 & #2 show one of the doors and fenders all done with the emblems and marker light installed. Takes a lot of time but worth it wouldn’t you say?

After polishing out the back of cab area, I installed the box back on the frame. Now it’s starting to look like something. (photo #3)

Check out those “fly swatter” mirrors! Not many people like these but I think they make the truck look just right! This is just how the general built it. The way these swing way out there make them perfect for a tow truck.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

At this time, I was able to put a lot of the truck back together which is the fun part. Front bumper pads installed, front grill assembly, hood hinges, door mirrors and tail lights.

Special note: this paint color is not very photogenic! In bright sun or if the flash goes off, it makes the paint in the pictures look kind of pink. In reality, everything is a deep orange color like the fender shot above. Oh yeah, about that paint color…

I’m quite convinced that GM was color blind in ’69. They call this paint color red and the interior red as well. In my opinion, this is a darker shade of hugger orange and the interior is maroon! (Unless it’s my eyes that have gone bad and not GM)


So this catches up to about where I am today. I have installed many smaller parts and I am working on the upright, boom and winch. Once those are painted, it’s just a matter of reassembling the rest. The end is very close now…

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Have to say you have done a wonderful job bring this truck back to life that most would have sent to the junk yard and stole parts off of off.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

That is freaking sweet!

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Fantastic job Bob! Hopefully there will be some forward progress on mine soon. Your project continues to give me inspiration!
We should start a wrecker club if only on line for us all to compare notes, pics and leads on parts. If you organize it I'll help any way I can.

~Tony~
:gmc2:

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Wow that thing is sick! i love the color and the unique look it has!

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

She is looking good...

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Thanks guys. It's been fun. Can't wait to go cruising! :lol:

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Bob, as usual GREAT work!!!! I think the first cruise should be to see ole Vic. keep it up. Coop

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Lookin great bob, seeing all the progress makes me wanna just start taking mine apart. How was it rebuilding the box? Mine is going to need alot of new steel in the box unfortunatly. Keep up the good work cant wait to see that wrecker unit back on.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

follow

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

My box needed ALOT too. I found it fun to do but I'm weird like that. :lol:

One of the nice things is most of it is made of 1/8 inch thick sheet steel or thicker so welding it is a dream. You can really lay into it and put down some serious beads with no burn through.

The downside is it's hard to cut so I bought a plasma cutter and the goes right through.

What I did was just cut out and remove a few pieces at a time and weld in the new metal so everything stayed intact. (mentioned earlier in this thread)

It's a job for sure.

I'm working on another update reply for this thread. Basically done, just waiting on the antique plate to arrive now.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

You did a super nice job on your truck Bob.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Bob,
I've enjoyed your thread, it's amazing what you have done!

If you mentioned it, I must have missed it. What product are you using to get such nice results with the vinyl painting?


Also, I don't know if you've found additional details on your wreck-master or not, but I found the following on another forum... I thought you might be interested.

Wreck-Master Decendant can help
11/28/2012 2:06 PM

Greetings all,

My name is Thure E. Wegener, I am the grandson of Edward F. Wegener, owner and founder of Wreck-Master Power Wreckers, Cranbury, New Jersey.

If anyone has any questions regarding the former company, equipment, etc... please feel free to contact me at:

tech2461@gmail.com

I will try to provide answers to your questions as best I can.

Thank you...

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Amazing!! This is the kind of help/information you always wish for when doing projects like many of the members of this site are doing!!

Good of you, dfwright, to provide this input!

don

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

df,

That is great! I gave up a long time ago hoping to find anything out about that company after repeated google searches. I'll have to send that guy an email. Thanks alot!

The vinyl spray I used was SEM brand. So far it's holding up good. I used it on alot of interior parts including the seat and that's still looking good.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Looks great, Bob! Beautiful work!

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Bob, I just found this thread. Fantastic build. Awesome job on the wrecker.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

That is one good looking wrecker! I enjoyed looking thru your build. I have had trouble with the 514 red also. It was the orange-red you speak of until 1971. In 1972 the 514 red looked more like fire engine red. My paint supplier had just sold some 514 red to a guy restoring a 1972 Chevy truck at the time I bought paint for my 71. I finally had to buy paint somewhere else because he kept trying to give me the wrong color. My grand dad recently sent a 1969 GMC 2 ton truck to the scrap yard that was 514 red with a maroon interior like your wrecker.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

It's cool, right? I thought the same thing when I stumbled across that post quite by accident. It also sounds like the grandson is very interested in his grandfather's wrecking business. He may be as fascinated by Bob's restoration as Bob would be to get more info on the wrecker.

Hopefully he's still available at that email address.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Bob, you have done an outstanding job here.

Now that I've sucked up, just kidding you are really doing a beautiful job, I have a question.

The twin horns on the roof. Are they electric? Do they work? If so do you have the numbers off the relay and how they wire into the system? I'd like to put mine on my '66 C-30. Thanks either way.

Dave.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

If any of the maroon interior pieces were in good shape, you should go buy them back. That color isn't being repro'd and is fairly rare so they sell really good. (at least on ebay)

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Dave, those were electric and in very bad condition. I didn't even test them, just tossed them onto the scrap pile! :lol:

Since they were just some 70's add on, I welded the hole shut on the roof and "deleted" them. lol

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Thanks,

Dave.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

So in addition to working on those last pieces for the boom, I’ve been putting the truck back together almost daily with all the little do dads. While some things fall into place, others can be a real PITA! Take the door seals for example. I spent about 2 full days on just those!

I spent a lot of time getting the doors and fender aligned perfectly during the body work stage but after installing the new seals, the doors would barely shut. !@#$!

I’m not new to this as I have 2 other Chevy trucks and I know it’s common with these seals but the time it ate up is just a good example of why it’s taking so long to complete this project. How anyone in the body/mechanical field can give an estimate to customers and stay on schedule is beyond me. It just seems like something that should take 10 minutes ends up taking a full day! Ok, venting done.

Now back to the doors. First I tried adjusting the front of the doors outward which certainly helped but then I had to move the fenders out to match and I realized the cowl panel had too much gap between it and the fender tops so I moved all back in. I took the seals out to visually check the gap between door and jam and it looked real good and was even all around.

I got the idea of swapping seals from side to side and that really helped. Is there a left and right? I guess there is. ?? Doing that with a slight adjustment to the striker plate got them to close fully. You have to be firm with them but they do shut. I suspect time will ease this.

So with those in and a pair of shiny stainless steel sill plates completing the job, it’s another item crossed off the list.

Because this is a Custom/30, it originally came with the chrome wing windows. Unfortunately, they were shot and new ones are over $200 a piece! Quite a few years ago while on one of my junkyard ventures, I came across a low mileage panel truck that had beautiful chrome wings in it. I scored those for $8 bucks each (lol) at the pick n pull and put them in my 69 step side. I decided these would be better suited for this project so I raided them from the step side. All I had to do was to switch out the clear glass for the original tinted pieces and install them.

Because this is a 1 ton truck, it came with the roof clearance lights. The original lenses were toast and unfortunately those orange lenses are not available except in NOS form but I wasn’t interested in spending a C note to get them. I learned that step side back up light lenses fit so 5 new ones were installed. The only downside is they are clear but with orange bulbs will work just fine for now. Sometimes you have to improvise. (see pic #1)

For the past few weeks, I’ve been getting the last remaining parts done to complete this project. For some reason, it seems like everything is taking FOREVER! Luckily, the weather has been fantastic which as been a big help.

First up was the upright piece for lack of better words. This piece is important not only for eye appeal but everything attaches to it. This piece was taken to bare metal, then POR 15 applied, an etch prime followed by some smoothing with icing and then a coat of high build primer. Once all done, it was wet-sanded out until nice and smooth! (see pic #2)

The same process for the toolbox and some smaller parts. (see pic #3 & #4)

The parts are in the painting stage in the last pic. Note the home made hanging rack. That engine crane (under the brown tarp) has many uses!

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

So once the upright part had paint, it was time to wet-sand and buff it. Better to do this now rather than on the truck. Once it passed my quality control check it was time to install it. I work alone and prefer it that way so sometimes I have to get creative. To get this thing back on, I used my engine crane just as I did to install the box. This upright piece is VERY heavy but the crane handled it well. I just raised it up and backed the truck under it. The arm didn’t extend far enough so I just got it to sit on top of the wheel wells (well padded so not to damage anything) to start and just slowly walked it forward into place. Some brand new fine thread grade 8 bolts completed this job. (pics #1 & 2)

Now it was time for a bit of fun! I was finally able to install those home made stickers I created way back in the beginning. I also got to install the revolving beacon, chrome flood lamps and brake lights. Looks pretty good, huh? I spent a great deal of time with the wiring for all of these using color coded wires of the correct gauge and carefully installed into flexible plastic loom. I love electrical work so taking the extra time to do it right comes naturally to me. (pic #3)

I’ve been sticking fairly faithful to staying original but just couldn’t resist adding brake lights on the top. This truck didn’t have them but it should have. These are brake and turn signals only, there is no parking bulb in these. They are red on the back and amber on the front. I also re-installed the 3 red marker lights in the middle. This is the original light fixture that I restored and installed back in the original location.

One of the parts that I’ve been dreading and knew would get put off until the very last minute is the boom due to all the ins and outs and hard to reach crevices. This piece had a lot of rust and as you can see, isn’t a very pleasurable piece to work on! It took about a full week to prep it for paint. The part that had paint left had A LOT of paint! It seems someone used a thick high build primer under that last paint job. I removed ALL of it down to bare metal but it was not an easy task due to the complex shape. For most of it, I had to resort to scraping it off with a razor blade locked into a vise-grip pliers as no sanding device really fit in. Whatever it takes I guess! Here it is all done with a couple coats of paint -(pic #4)

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Next job was to dismantle, clean and repaint the winch assembly. (pic #1, 2 & 3)
A day was spent installing the winch, boom and other related parts. The following day I spent winding the cable back onto the winch and installing the last of the boom parts. I let the truck do the work for that job. I started it up, set the manual idle control to raise the rpms and pushed the lever. Success! The winch worked like a charm. Some cinder blocks attached to the back of the cable helped keep it tight so it wound on properly. The truck “rescued” those cinder blocks with ease. LOL.

Once that was all back together, it was time for a shot of the “business end” of this truck. (pic #4 & 5)

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

I was finally at the point where I could photograph it and apply for the insurance. The day after applying online and submitting some photos, the truck was accepted! I just went with 10K of coverage which only costs me $63 dollars per year. What would we do without classic/antique insurance? It’s a blessing for those of us with multiple cars.

So a week ago, I submitted for the antique plate and am waiting to hear back on that. If they accept it, I’ll open my mailbox one day soon to find my new plate! (fingers crossed)

Since that time, I’ve been taking care of the last things on my list like installing the restored tool box that will hold the new hooks/chains, refinished the inner front fender wells and installing them, installing the PTO cable, door glass sweeps, bowtie emblem on hood, checking over all the bolts underneath and making sure everything is working and ready to go for the big day.

Here are some shots of it as it is now. Just one thing missing and that’s the license plate!

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

And just a few more pics:

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Well, it was a very long wait on that license plate! Are you ready for some drama? Here’s a typical day in my life; apply for the license plate at a local notary, 4 days later the post office sends the envelope that they sent to the DMV back to me for postage due! Can you believe it, they forgot to put a stamp on the envelope!

Is that bad enough? Nope. Another week goes by after I send it back out and I get the envelope back from the DMV this time. Turns out the notary didn’t include a form needed so they couldn’t process my application! So… I fill that out and put another stamp on and send it back.

Finally, about 4 days later, I get my plate. Success! I should be happy but sure enough, I get the plate on a day it’s raining and horrible outside. DOH!

So I’ve got the wrecker, the insurance, the plate and now I sit here waiting for some dry weather so I can finally drive this thing. Sometimes you just can’t win!

Road report to come, sometime soon I hope…

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

utterly amazing build, just read through the whole thing.....wow!....

very inspiring to say the least.

JP

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

(speechless)

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Better then new amazing job you did if you dont mind me asking who did you get insurance from?

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Sweet!!!!!!Looks like it roll off of the assembly line,very nice.Keep on Truckin'' :cool: :metal:

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Sure looks nice, what insurance company did you use?

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Absolutly gorgeous but 1 thing missing is a period correct door signs to finish it off. But I love it as is....

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

This truck is awesome.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Thanks guys! :chevy:

I have it insured with Hagerty. This is the fifth one I have on with them now.

So, I got to take it on it's maiden voyage yesterday when the sun broke out. A few small quirks to work out but I put 50 miles on it and didn't have to call a tow truck to get home! :lol: (wouldn't that be the ultimate embarrasment?)

It sure rides like a commercial truck. It has the big truck bounce that reminds me of the large box truck I rented to bring my car lift home. (but cool anyway!) I love the whine going through the gears too!

Runs and drives really good. I did get a few odd looks though. LOL

A few small adjustments to make and maybe I'll go visiting the place I got it and the original owner next week.

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Thanks, I need to get a policy for my truck, I will check with them.

Glad you enjoyed your ride!

Re: 69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration
 

Just meandered over from the '73-'887 side and read through your build.

Incredible truck. I applaud your skill, determination, and dedication to getting it done, and getting it done right.