Re: Previous owner '68
 

Finally spent some time on the bed floor. I've had every excuse in the world not to finish the floor but I've run out of good ones! Still not where I want it so the battle rages. I'm not shooting for perfection but want it as good as I can get it without having to hire a mudslinger. Tedious work.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

wow I'm glad I went the easy way and jumped on the "patina is cool" bandwagon. I do not envy trying to body work a bed floor like that, however, it is going to look so good when it's done. And all the better that you will have that trick steel floor step side.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

I have seriously been thinking about a patina paint job. But there's a certain line I can't cross and excessive rust is one of them.

Not so sure how trick it is! I know there's at least one 64-66 Chevy stepside with a steel floor from a obs truck in it.

Hopefully I can get it straight enough for paint, if not, bedliner!

Re: Previous owner '68
 

What sanding block are you using for the bed floor?

Re: Previous owner '68
 

16" long straight-line (Hutchens Hustler) on the rib tops and a smaller one I shaped by hand for the areas between. The 16" is air powered but the smaller between ribs one is all arm powered. I wish I had a smaller jiggler but the 16" one is all I have.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

Got excited and sprayed primer way too early. It made the fact that the floor needs much more work than I thought painfully obvious. So tomorrow, more block sanding, probably more bondo, and probably some banging on high spots. Absolutely the last bed floor I will ever do! Except for maybe the jimmy when I get back to it...

Re: Previous owner '68
 

Looks good from here on my phone…
Are you going to paint it or bed liner it?

Re: Previous owner '68
 

It's not too bad, just not ready for paint. I am going to paint it. If it looks like crap painted then I will bedliner it!

Re: Previous owner '68
 

I agree it doesn't look to bad from the pic. At least with the primer you can see where it needs the most attention.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

There's a guy on You tube, Carter Auto Restyling, man, he's a metal work'n fool. His work is crazy good. He teaches as he works. I've learned a lot for his channel.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

I'll have to check him out. Always interested in new ways to get things done.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

Been a while since an update.. Any progress?

Re: Previous owner '68
 

x2:devil:

Re: Previous owner '68
 

Well, not much. Spent a couple weeks in Florida and got back a few days ago. Tilled up the garden and cleaned the gutters (also put in gutter guards).

I have the bed floor in decent shape but am going over it to get all the pinholes. I haven't been posting pics of it because they all look the same!

Re: Previous owner '68
 

Id say you got your gutters cleaned right on time... The amount of rain we have been getting has been crazy..

Re: Previous owner '68
 

I should have done it 3 months ago, but you are right about the rain, looks like more to come.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

Not much on this lately as other things have occupied my time! More to come soon.

In the meantime, here's a shameless plug for my new thread https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...04#post9321504

Re: Previous owner '68
 

I was also surprised to hear about the Wu-Tang Clan. I'm not familiar, so I'll have to give them a listen. Great work on those sun visors. I'm a huge fan of fixing what you have, rather than buying reproduction. No criticism on those who do. I can put up with repairs if I have the good old originals. Did you take new thread and stitch your way through all that with a needle? It turned out well. That bed floor work looks tough. The thing is that when you get all of the big bumps and dents out of it, the medium sized ones get bigger. And when you get the medium ones out, then the small ones get bigger.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

Wu Tang is not for everybody! I used nylon upholstery thread and hand stitched them with a needle so I could use the existing holes in the welting. You are right about the bed floor. The better it gets the more I think "Well, I've taken it this far, I may as well make it as good as I can". I would regret it if I stopped before it was truly ready to paint.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

It's been so hot here I haven't been working much on the truck but it finally cooled down yesterday so, one more sand and prime...

Re: Previous owner '68
 

Then a first spray out. Not perfect on the bodywork or the spray out but it will make a good start. I wet sanded it and will try to hit it once more with a slower reducer, had some dry spray at first.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

And I finally got the never-ending steering wheel rework to a point that I'm saying is done!

It was more like work than a hobby... Need to find a Chevy horn button that will fit, I'm looking for an El Camino one but haven't found one yet.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

all looking good ...same here with the heat

Re: Previous owner '68
 

Has been very hot this year, I like spring and fall! No painting today, hopefully next week.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

This was a previous Government owned (Army) truck. The Air Force trucks were painted Strata Blue.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

The bed pan and steering wheel are looking great!

Re: Previous owner '68
 

RaggedJim, the 1965 El Camino wheel is what I went with. Funny you and I picked the almost the same colors...except I used Old English White.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

I was wondering when you was going to post an update... Looks like we got some weather in the 80's around here for the next few days... You better hit it hard while you can lol

Re: Previous owner '68
 

Thanks guys. The temp may be cooler but the rain is a drag. This past weekend my house was hit by lightning and it tripped 6 breakers, knocked out my hvac and router. Finally back to normal today!

How does that center cap fit the horn ring? Mine is 2.5" in diameter including chrome part. The center emblem is 1.8" diameter.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

I've not had much luck finding a horn button, the El Camino horn button was different from the Pontiac button so I popped out the Pontiac horn button.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

My wife had some 2 part epoxy resin she uses to make earrings and other womanly stuff so I thought I'd try to make my own horn emblem. She also had some air dry dough, not sure what it is but it sounds promising...

I apologize for the cheap asss\ croc knock-offs I'm wearing. My son gave them to me and I wanted to hate them but they are convenient and comfortable except for the fact that they will try to kill you from time to time.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

I wanted a nice chevrolet emblem or something to go behind the emblem but I know my artistic efforts are amateurish at best. So I looked through my my old truck magazines and found this which I like but have to ask, is it to gaudy or does it work in a weird sort of way???

You can give me all of the advice you want, but I'll probably end up doing it the way I want anyway.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

No:devil:

Re: Previous owner '68
 

No, it's not gaudy? No, you don't like?

Actually I'm still looking for a suitable Chevy emblem but I also keep thinking about the old steering knob on my granddad's tractor that had a pic of a naked lady on red velvet... I think it was Marilyn Monroe, but I know I used to like to play on that tractor a lot.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

LOL This has my vote

Re: Previous owner '68
 

Wife hated it despite the nostalgic bliss it brought me.

Re: Previous owner '68
 

no its not gaudy but no I don't like it... now Marilyn that would be appropriate especially when you had to give he a toot ...lol like you said your going to do what you want ......hard to believe you can't find a way to at least get a bowtie the wheel turned out fantastic ......

Re: Previous owner '68
 

I'm still searching for the perfect emblem. Also working on some of the bed panels but it's all boring crap that doesn't photo well. And the heat is unbearable lately!

Re: Previous owner '68
 

Raggedjim, there is an El Camino horn button on eBay right now for $44.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/15628649146...Bk9SR9Td0IihZA

Re: Previous owner '68
 

I saw that but the designs of the button are just different enough that they won't fit. It would look great if it would though!