Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

mighty fine modges... the part i really like, is your unwillingness to accept anything less than the best that you can do. always doing it better each time.

congrats... you're building a mighty fine truck there youngster.:lol::metal:

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Thanks!
All true except the youngster part! (LOL)

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Thats slick.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Thanks Bomp!!!
I still got a lot of work ahead!
I always watch your thread religiously.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

We got a chance shoot some more color this weekend!
Things are really looking good, I'm almost afraid to touch them!!!
It won't be long and all of the non-exterior surfaces on the cab will have color on them......Seems like this is taking forever!
The next step is to shoot the door openings, & inner doors, then the cab will be ready for exterior color!...I can hardly wait.
Here are a few more pics!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

:metal: man, that's gonna look really nice, good job brotha

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

that paint looks money :metal::metal::metal::metal:

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

sweeeetttt:metal: man that thing is going to be beautiful.... now quit grinning and get back to work:lol: seriously cant wait to see the cab finished, i bet someone is really getting anxious now.. lets see if i remember how this goes.. at least ten trips to the shop before bedtime..wife is telling about her day but all your hearing is the sound of the paint curing.. 3 hours after going to bed you will finally go to sleep only to dream all night about what your going to do next... ahhh precious memories, now seriously, get back to work:lol:

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Thanks all, for the comments!
And Flip, you are soooooo spot-on!
You cannot believe how anxious that I am!
my painter has got a few small crash projects that he needs to attend to, & then he will be back at it.
...I am getting impatient already.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

I can already tell this is a winning build. I "seened them there" two 5' tall trophys in the firewall shot..http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/ak...smiley-035.gif
Always peekin in.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

modges, i like the color scheme! i'm doing the same silver and blue, rustoleum hammered silver on the inside to add texure and duplicolor light blue metallic (21 wa7470)! they have it in the perfect match small cans, but i'll take it to have a gal. or so mixed for me when i get ready to paint! anyways really nice work its going to be up there with alans, flips, and clems with that paint scheme! i cant wait til mine gets there too!!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Cool build. The cor combo is awesome!
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Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

such nice work!! some great coments too,:metal:

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

If you don't mind me asking what color blue is that, that's kind of what I'm looking for. Thanks

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Thanks again Bomp!
Yeah, the photos were taken in my painter/buddies garage, and the trophies are from his son's motocross career which started in his childhood.
For a number of years, I did all of the wrenching & maintenance on his race bikes (both Race & practice bikes). A lot of weekends were spent at the track. Now his kid is old enough to take care of his own stuff....but painting my truck is part of the payback!!!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

As always, thanks for all of the comments Dudes!!!
It's been a lot of work, and it far from being finished!

The colors are current Corvette Jetstream Blue & Mercedes Iridium Silver
This is where I got the idea:
http://http://www.goolsbycustoms.com/projec...4-chevy-truck/

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Still watching you work this buddy!
Sure is coming along nicely !! :metal:

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Just finished going throught the thread and the truck looks good. Nice choose of colors also. You do good quality work.
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Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Things have been a little boring around here on the paint scene so in the meantime I have decided to focus on some other details to avoid boredom.
I ordered some misc. parts from LMC last week. One of the items was an ashtray handle as mine looked as if it were smiling.
When I received the new one, I was slightly disappointed with the appearance.
It didn't look at all like the OEM piece. I then decided that I would use a heat-gun to try to re-shape the original to not have the smiling syndrome.
It worked pretty good. I heated it up bent it back into shape for the most part, sanded it flat, & took scotchbrite to it, then re-painted the letters. All in all it looked pretty good, but I wasn't buying it, so I decided to build a billet one.
So here are a few pics of my ashtray handle fabrication!
I took a piece of aluminum and drilled & tapped it with what would end up being the mounting hole locations, & screwed it to a piece of aluminum plate & began carving it away in the Bridgeport, and here are some pics of the process & what I came up with.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Here are a few more pics showing the finger pull area & the final machining, and the finished piece after a slight polish.
It really looks good next to my billet dash insert!
Next I am going to figure out something for my heater control knobs...that may not be as easy to fab...

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Cool!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

very nice modges... i was also disappointed with what the replacement market had for the ash tray handle. way to go man.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

man thats awesome:metal: now i know 2 things i need you to make me .....wheel tubs and a ash tray handle:lol:

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

hmmmmm, me thinks you could sell those baby's to.... most of us on here!!!!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Hey, I don't know if you noticed, but did you see how nice the tubs turned out with paint?...I am pleased!

Thanks for the comment, the pictures really do NOT do justice!...Looks way better in person!

Thanks Clemdaddy, the replacement looked really cheesey to me...shoulda known by the price, eh?

I have the item modeled-up in Solidworks, and while machining it manually, I was contemplating having one of the programmers at our shop write a program to machine it in one of our 5-axis mills. What a bunch of work if only a hand-full of people want one!....

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Looking good.
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Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Awwww man that is awesome!
You are SO out-cooling me..... I now have a serious case of power tool envy.

:waah:

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

yeah, the wheel tubs looked great painted, thats why there still on my things to get from modge list:lol:

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Thanks for whatchin the thread man, I appreciate the comments!

You kill me McMurphy, every time I feel that you & Bomp are conquering new territories, I feel the need to try to 1-up ya!

Hey, I was seriously thinkin bout this, and maybe I can help you out when I get my build a little closer to completion....Seriously!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Nice job on your build. I'm really liking that ashtray handle, I'll take one too...

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Just read your build thread again...your doing an excellent job. Keep up the good work!
:chevy:
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Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Many thanks, as always guy's.
I started working on the heater control knobs, and like a fool, I forgot to take my camera.
I shot some pics with my phone, but haven't had time to e-mail/download them to see if they are worth a crap...maybe tomorrow.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Cool, you know all of us on here like pictures. Thanks
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Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

As long as your wrenchin' on your rig you can "one up me" all you want.:haha:

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Subscribed!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Well I finished my heater control knobs the other day....I'm thinking of it as jewelery for the old girl.
I didn't have my camera with me so shot some random pics with the phone. I wasn't sure how good the quality would be, and was surprised. If I would have known they would be this good, I would have taken more pics!

It all started when I was modifying the heater controls so that I could remove the front bezel to paint or polish to match my dash. I got started by center-drilling all of the riveted areas, and grinding the heads off. Then I drilled all of those spots & tapped them for a #6-32 screws. It worked perfectly!
once that the unit was disassembled, I cleaned it up and sandblasted & painted the sheet-metal bracket & reassembled the unit...It still looked boring!
Nice, but boring.
BTW this heater control is not from my truck, as mine had a heater delete plate in the dash. A friend happened to have this laying around for some unknown reason, and gave it to me. Hence it why it has cut cables & wires. I plan on using it to control a vintage air unit somehow...I WILL figure a way to make it work.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

And now, without further adieu, on to the fabrication of the heater control knobs!
I started with a piece of aluminum big enough to yield 5 knobs from, in order to have a backup plan for screwing up a few in the process. NOTHING ever goes as planned in your mind!
Once that I was pleased with the profile of the knob shape, I drilled & tapped #10-24 holes in the bottom of the knob profile that would be used to retain the knobs onto the levers of the control. Then, through the center of each tapped hole I milled a 3/32" slot for the control lever to fit into.
So as you will see, the threads on each side of the slot hold the setscrew that retains the lever.
Pretty simple really...NOT!
Once that all of this was completed, I separated the knobs from the workpiece by sawing them & machining the sawed surfaces to size.
I then milled a groove into the face of them with a 3/16" ball nosed cutter, and polished the individual knobs!

I didn't even screw one up!...yet.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

And now, on to the pics of the finished product!...The bezel still needs to be painted to match my dash, of course.

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Very nice!

Re: My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!
 

Here! Here! I'd buy a set!