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

Nice job, anyway. Y'all come back when you get you next truck!

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

That looks nice!

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

Thanks, Mike. Another crazy idea eats up 40 hours of work (including the laid up fiberglass backer board).

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

I think I have all by drips dried up (I sure hope so). Bleed brakes again, axle seal installed, filled with fluid and ready for a ride. Man what a disappointment that was, the brakes feel like I have manual. I was ready to get thrown threw the windsheld instead I was glad I stopped. I can't even lock up the brakes. I hope maybe the hydroboost has some air in it. The power steering works fine. I have all new hoses, rebuilt pump, ran 2 return lines back to resevior. I replace power steering gear box last year, all the fluid is new. BUT I did buy salvage yard hydroboost and master against my better judgement.
I will check to make sure the hoses are not backwards on the HD unit tomorrow. The pedal feels hard but I can put it to the floor if I push real hard. Sorry for the little rant but I am tired of the cardboard creeper!!
Mac

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

Brakes are something that has to be right, hope you find the problem...Jim

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

This is why I went with HB. My vac didn't work right either. I did find the prop valve was piped wrong while I was working this over. It just feels like I am not getting assist at all from HB. I will play with it some more then get a new unit if I can't get it working.
Mac

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

Ha ha, I see your "hillbilly creeper" under the truck!

Well worth the effort!

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

What did I do today, well, not much, but was out there for more than my 5 minutes! Something hit me today, I am about to send off a bunch of stuff to be powder coated with the rad support as one of them. What hit me was will the stock rad support clear the hood when the hood is sectioned 2.5 inches? DUH! I never thought of this. So I made a template of the support and went up into my garage attic where the fenders and hood are to see if I could figure it out and it is REALLY close as far as I can figure, like a quarter inch! Soooo, I am not really sure if this is going to work out or not. I may have to modify the top of the rad support removing that stock braces across the top and making a lower one as I think it will still clear the rad I have. If anyone has a 47-53 Chevy truck with the front sheetmetal on and no engine who could get inside the engine compartment with a little 2.5 inch cardboard measuring device and see if it fits above the rad support with the hood closed I would greatly appreciate it.

Right now, I am just planning on having it all done and if I have to modify the rad support so be it.

Brian

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

Waiting on parts and better weather so killed some time painstakingly picking out minute dents on the inside windshield trim defroster louver. I wanted it to be right since it will be staring me in the face all the time I'm behind the wheel. It was really crushed in, so it seemed hopeless when I began but is starting to look respectable now.

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

The weather warmed up to 39* today - perfect painting temperature, right? I heated the spray can with a heat gun and rattle-canned my inside windshield trim. One of them fell off the hanger, landing on the garage floor and so had to be redone - grrr. My repro visors also arrived, so beautification of the inner windshield area is well underway.

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

I picked up some of the painted parts!

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

Very nice idbeast, waiting for painting weather here

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

MAN I love that color!

Brian

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

Progress! I've had stuff fall off the hanger too. It's a real bummer, but it happens. At least it wasn't your Ming vase...

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

Thanks Bob. I've been following your progress on your build thread; your paint is looking spectacular! Heck, mine is just rattle can - no great loss.

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

Very exciting to have paint on, really inspires one to put it together!!
Looks nice.

Mac

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

Idbeast, painted parts look great, what color is it called?...Jim

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

Now that's a MILESTONE! Looks like you picked a great painter!

The trucks that made it this far are in for a life of luxury in comparison to their first incarnation!

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

I haven't been doing too much with the build thread because Snapfish blew up my early pics and I can't edit old posts. I've just been posting here. Now that I see some folks are looking there I'll have to do some updating (but not today...doing taxes today - ugh.).

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

Before my brother comes over to help me tune up Marge (my '59 Rambler daily driver) I thought I would get this bed header in primer and paint. We are talking rattle can stuff here, just to get some color back on. You see, I stripped this header panel inside and out before I decided to just buy a new bed. Which of course stripping it sent me in that direction because it was a MUTHA to do and I am just done with doing stuff like that. I am going to buy a new bed, paint it and bolt it on, done deal.

I brought a sample of the lacquer paint on the rest of the bed to the hardware store and actually got a pretty good color, in statin so it looks like the dead lacquer that is on the rest of the bed. It's still wet in this photo is why it has a gloss.

But I am going to bolt this bed together and sell it on craigslist to someone who wants that "patina" look and a straight bed.

The other photo is a little safety device I decided to do after the wind blew down the garage door!

I just drilled a hole through on both sides putting this bolt that I will remove to shut the door.


Brian

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

How exciting is that? Having been at that point not so long ago, I know just how you are feeling. Great color choice, now the fun begins...

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

I often neglect to raise the garage door all the way up, then when I'm wearing a welding or grinding hood I smash my head into it as I walk under it. Laid myself flat out on the concrete once that way.

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

I spent a few hours this afternoon detailing the motor. I polished the aluminum water pump, the power steering pump, timing cover, alternator and bracket, and the pulleys. I also turned around the ps belt so the lettering on both belts went the same way. Tomorrow I'll get it up on jack stands and do the stuff I can reach from underneath.

With any luck the '58 will be accepted for the 63rd Annual GSTA Car Show in April, I have a month to get it ready...

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

I installed a reman HB today to get the brakes going and they worked great. That's the good news, the bad news the driver rear wheel came off when I pulled in the driveway. That's right it came off and got wedged it the fender holding the truck up off the ground enough to still get a floor back under it. I robbed 2 lug nuts from other side and pulled it in the garage. It did a little damage where the lower back brace is but can't see it unless you lay on the ground and look for it. Guess I got lucky on that if you can call it that.
Couple pics to maybe give ideas on a couple way I did things. 1st pic is how I pulled the push rod out. I put the square head nut on the HB unit then cut a 1 1/2" nipple just long enough to put a bolt through the eye hole in push rod. The back out the square but to pop out push rod. Worked good.
2nd pic is dimpleing the new push rod in. Get something solid steel to back up area to dimple and use a blunt center punch.
3rd pic is how I pinned the HB from spinning in my bracket. Most people make their own bracket and instead of using a key I used 1/4" round stock. The HB is rounded in that area and you can simply use a round file to cut in for a round pin. I did taper the pin on the end going in first.
Last pic is what not to do (wheel falling off)
Mac

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

I'm realizing that the build phase of my truck is done and now I've entered...uh...not sure what to call it: the finishing phase? Completion phase? Puttering phase? It's mostly just little jobs. For example today I installed the inside windshield trim. The shiny screws are too conspicuous on the black background so I think I"ll paint the heads black.

Anyone know where I can get the upper and lower trim pieces that connect these with the center post trim? Haven't seen them in the parts catalogues.

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

Been there, done that. I finger-tightened my lug nuts, then forgot to torque them down. Went around a corner and my left rear wheel passed me. The hubs sawing back and forth on the lug studs ruined a new set of 10" Cragars.

I use a magic marker to completely blot out the belt lettering. I suppose lacquer thinner or acetone would erase it too. But I understand that for judging, new belt lettering could add a touch of detail and can gain you a few points.

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

If it was a house I'd call it the "Punchlist Phase". Keep on keepin' on!

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

I searched and searched and searched and gave up. Then fell upon these by accident. You owe me big time! :mm:

https://www.tuckersparts.com/Windshi....html?cat=1554


Brian

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

Thanks everyone for all the kind comments!

Jim its a GM color called Sunburst Orange Metallic [Orange]

Picked up the cab and used their 2 post lift to set the cab on my frame, then I went to pay my bill and they told me that it was such a pleasure to work on sometime that didn't need any work at all, they only charged me for the painters wages for the hours worked, which included 5 coats of clear at my request... $420 for my paint job which I supplied the PPG paint and clear for!!!!

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

That is really coming out nice IDbeast.

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

Ohhhh damn that is beautiful!

Brian

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

Idbeast, that is going to be one sweet ride, when you get it all together...Jim

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

sweet idb....truck looks great!!!

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

kevin m ...what caused the wheel to drop off?...sounds like you got lucky if you had no damage...

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

That paint looks beautiful!

Installed my VA condenser kit. It would not work with the aftermarket radiator. Ended up having to modify it to fit in the front. Now to remove, trim, paint and reinstall.

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

That was DAMN nice of them on the paint, holy cow that should have been a LOT more! You better bring them a 12 pack of some good stuff at the very least.

Brian:metal:

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

My brother the motor master did a tune up on Marge for me. Check this out, I didn't have a feeler gauge to check the point gap and he eye balled it. After he did this he told me that he used to be able to do this no problem but I better go get a feeler gauge set. I ran to the parts store and got back for him to check it and it was perfectly .020! Damn when you have done something as long as he has you can do things like that!

We got it done ("we", I did next to nothing) and Marge is running great again.

The bummer of the day was that my brother saw what I didn't want to thus I hadn't, the rear axle housing for my truck is bent. CRAP, I checked it out and sure enough it's off quite a bit. Sooooo, now I have another step before I can get it into primer.
I learned this long ago, should have been more observant, when those spring pads are welded on you can't apply much heat or when it cools it shrinks one side of the tube. I didn't check it, but I didn't think it was an issue being the welds were pretty lame that were holding the pads on. Didn't look like they got real good penetration so I never even checked. The thing is, they may have torched the old pads off and that would have created a bunch of heat if done wrong. Sooooooo they are warped. I have dealt with it before, years ago on a friends Model A that he had the rear spring shackle mounts welded on by a "pro" and warped the rear BAD. So I will get-ur-done.


Brian




https://www.hotrodders.com/forum/att...p;d=1552199257

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

Man I guess I did't tighten the lug nuts. That's a first for me. I only went around the block. I drove back around in my Tahoe and found 4 lug nuts at one intersection right before I got on 50 mph blacktop for about 300 yards before turning onto my street. Lucky I didn't go farther down the blacktop, I was so happy the brakes were working good, they haven't been right since I bought the truck 2 years ago. The vac booster never had enough vac to work right I guess.

Mac

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

I have fixed a number of cars that left shops with the lug nuts loose, not good!

Brian

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

Everyone thanks for all the kind comments!

Brian, I took care of them very well!!!:barn: