Penny
 

As the title says, I have a "Vision" of what I want the truck to be when it is done, but I have very little experience and just enough knowledge to make me dangerous.

I bought this truck 6 months before my youngest daughter got her drivers license in March of 2012 and the intent was to have it ready for her Senior Year. Needless to say, that didn't happen, but life did. Today, she is a Sophomore in college, with a little economical gas saver car to get around with and she has no interest at all in the truck.

But I do..... :metal: I have putzed around with it over the last few years, going this direction, changing this, changing that, but never have had a real direction in where or what I was going to do.

A couple of weeks ago, I found a thread that Elliot949 started about a board member here named Chad "Hellaflush3d" that did 3D renderings of our trucks.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=661301 I contacted Chad and through several emails, tried to give him an idea of what I was wanting, and the vision I had for my truck.

Here is what I started with. This is the day that I brought it home.
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pspidnmrc9.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psq5kxobjl.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pspkcww5pz.jpg

and with a little input from me and a lot of Chad's magic computer pen, this is what I am hoping for in the somewhat near future
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psicyclrup.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psapi1czmi.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3pnvdvkd.jpg

I hope that I can come even somewhat close to these renderings.

I am going to go through some of the things that I have done.... whether they are the good, bad, ugly, right or wrong. It is all a learning experience for me.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

I like the renderings. Im sure itll turn our great. Are you doing a complete restoration?

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

It will not be a complete frame off like some do, but it will be a work on it as I can, drive it sometimes until it gets to a point of needing to do suspension type of restoration.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

The first thing that I did was to give myself a little extra room in the cab, so that when I wanted to, I could drive it. I am a pretty big guy, 6'-4" and about 320, so fitting behind the steering wheel was a chore at best.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psrkcc82hb.jpg

So we slid the steering wheel back closer to the dash about 4 inches and this is what we ended up with...

http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/h...209_181519.jpg

Then we removed the bench seat and installed a couple of buckets from a 2004 Chevy truck...

http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/h...329_154909.jpg

My nephew had to make sure they worked... We also relocated the shifter from the column to the floor with a Mr. Gasket shifter and removed the column shifter lever

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Looks great... It doesn't look like what you are wanting to do wouldn't be real difficult... Just take it slow and the guys here on this board will be a HUGE help with direction and spending your money... LOL...

Also be focused... Make a list of what you want to do and a budget then stick to it... I didn't do that with the 67 "3 Deuces" and it has spun completely out of control... On the 71 "Haulin" I have a budget and a vision and I WILL come in on budget...

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

I completely agree. I have been on here for a while now and the board members have been ever so helpful with their knowledge and ability to recommend ways to spend money :lol:

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

I finally found the rest of the pictures I was looking for, now I can add them.

Left off on the seat installation and installing the floor shifter

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pscnxqbrk8.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3riixqm8.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psyqx6fmcq.jpg

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Next, time to address the bed. There was some damage to the back of the passenger door and pretty much the whole passenger side of the bed.

I looked at just replacing the bedside and part of the floor that was rusted, but I found this bed in Oklahoma when we went up there to visit relatives

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psfgovoo5h.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pslgd9fvyv.jpg

It had a nice solid floor and just a little damage from sitting like it is (I wish they had stored it upside down... but oh well). We struck a deal for $100 and I figured I could do some bodywork for that price.

I didn't have a way to bring it back at that time since we were in the wife's car, so a month or so later a buddy of mine and I made a road trip to get it.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3opnj9gv.jpg

Now comes the fun part

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

I have always loved the Pro-Street look. Great big steamroller tires on the back, regular sized on the front so it doesn't wander. Once my daughter decided she wasn't interested in the truck, I pretty much knew that was the direction I wanted to go.

So before putting the new bed on the truck, I figured it would be prudent to make the necessary adjustments to allow for the installation of these.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psgznqb9pp.jpg

I took a lot of measurements and cross-referenced actual tire size and where the frame rails came into play and started cutting

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psvvejxolv.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pshfbpooqk.jpg

A couple of cutting wheels and a few beverages later, I ended up with two great big holes in the floor

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psesyecyrq.jpg

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

I also had this wonderful idea of trying to keep it "stock" looking by cutting the existing wheel tubs and extending them by approx. 10 inches.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0vkt3xbo.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psbvw2bi6s.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psmkm2gghy.jpg

It was at this point that I realized that if I needed to feed my family on my welding skills, we were going to starve. These are my first attempt at fabricating ANYTHING from scratch

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psm40c6exv.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psmqjualqh.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pspxwe5170.jpg

They are still in the truck at this point, but will be removed and replaced with a set that was cut from 4 wheel tubs to retain the body line. I had it in my mind that since the bed was going to rhino-lined, that it wouldn't matter....

Not So Much.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Once I had the tubs semi completed, I got my dad and two nephews over (dad for supervision and nephews for muscle) and we put the new bed on...

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psogezmcmi.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psmiwlhpbk.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psffcd8epd.jpg

A little adjustment here and there, some new carriage bolts and everything was locked into place.

BTW... I am the one with my head on the cab of the truck.

And... this is the way it stayed for several months. More time than money took over and well, you know... things happen.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Like I said before, Pro-Street was the way to go for me, but also, I gotta be me. I didn't want the usual 15 x 15 deep dish rims, I wanted something different.

I want a 15 x 15 STEEL wheel with custom offset and backspacing so I don't have to cut the frame rails and I want to run original 1968 dog dish hubcaps.

No biggie right.... again, Not. So. Much. Nobody makes that and those hubcaps are pretty much impossible to find.

Fine. I will just have them made. I purchased a set of 6 lug (oh yeah, I want to keep it 6 lug also) steel wheels from another board member here and started researching how this needed to happen. I got a lot of good advice from several people on the board about this and some suggestions of places to have it done, but those guys want an arm, leg and left ***.

My decision... I am going to do it myself. Anything they can do, I can do too.

Started with this...

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5wblb0mb.jpg

Located all of the spot welds, ground through the outer wheel down to where I could see the different metals, put them in the freezer overnight, and the next morning with a really BFH, knocked the centers out.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psmib7lk7g.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pszin2kvgv.jpg

That is the way those stayed until last month.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Until the last month, for about the last 7 months, the only thing that has been done to the truck is the installation of a '69 Camaro gas tank.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1lqgywu9.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pse7f46c49.jpg

That is the way the truck has sat for pretty much the last 7 months. It has been parked at my parents house since we sold the house we were in, rented a house for a bit, finally bought a new one, did college stuff with one kid and wedding stuff with another, you know, life things. I kind of lost interest in working on it and there were so many other things to do.

Even then, like most car guys, you never really stop thinking about it. I was on the forum a couple times a week, looking at everyone's builds, perusing the for sale sections, checking craigslist and ebay... looking

Then about a month ago, two things happened that sparked my interest in getting up off my a$$ and getting something done.

First thing was I found a set of original hubcaps on ebay, they needed some work but it was a complete set of 4 and the guy thought he had a 5th one. They were listed for $40 each and he had a make offer option too. I made him an offer and he accepted it!

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psqco8otw3.jpg

Second thing was coming across the thread by Elliot949 about "seeing your Dream truck in a rendering". That was a great idea. I contacted Chad (Hellaflush3d) and several emails and a couple of days later I had the renderings from Post 1.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Once Chad sent me the renderings, it was time to get started again. I contacted Speedway Motors and had them send me two of their 15 x 14 steel hoops

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pssohsfgpy.jpg

A little togetherness...

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psxj2y3dgu.jpg

and a preview of what they may look like.. different offset of course

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7miijg4l.jpg

Again, thanks to the renderings Chad did, one major thing has changed. I was going to do the hubcaps in white with the copper striping, but I asked him to show me what they would look like chrome (even though it isn't original, it is close) and this did it for me...

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psperhxqi2.jpg

This is where I am as of today. The hubcaps are out to be chromed and powder coated with the copper like the picture. The wheel centers are being welded into the hoops with the correct spacing so I will not have to narrow the rear axle or the frame rails.

And I am looking forward to a summer of long nights realizing the "VISION" :ennyd:

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

A couple of weeks ago, I orders a sample of the vinyl wrap that I want to use on my truck. A nice matte copper finish like the renderings.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psmebualfq.jpg

They sent that sample, but they also sent a sample of the gloss copper...

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pscfzfcvgx.jpg

So... being the man that I am, I looked at the wife and said "What do you think?" She said that she like the gloss better than the matte, but she would like to see what it looked like on the truck.

An email to Chad and.... PRESTO... one glossy copper 68 pickup

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psjdyhtxnh.jpg

She LOVES the gloss copper. I like the matte copper. All of MY friends are taking her side with the glossy look.

So.... a question to the masses.... GLOSS or Matte???

So you don't have to scroll... here is the matte finish.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psicyclrup.jpg

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Gloss!!!!... By the way... here is the rendering Chad did for me... you are basically doing the same thing with the wheels I am doing...

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Thanks Elliot... it is your fault (I mean your thread) that got me looking for Chad to do this..... I kind of like the wide whites, but not with the copper truck.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Thanks... yeah some things work better on some things...

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

I didn't get anything done on the truck this weekend, but, since Father's day is coming.... the wife gave me her Credit Card and said have a good time..... :metal:

So.... I have a "new to me" upright Craftsman Air Compressor

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psc59ol9up.jpg

A new 220 mig welder

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psoxnigkpx.jpg

and the pleasure of trying to figure our where in amongst all of this stuff I am going to put everything, plus, she wants me to bring the truck to the house so I can work on it here.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9d7khavx.jpg
http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psz2gawagj.jpg

Happy early Father's Day to me....

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

LOL! You have more room in that garage than i have in mine!

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

kudos for wrapping...note: the gloss will last much longer due to the clear laminate, and wont get all wonky if a bird doops on it

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

I had that same thought... not about the bird stuff, but about the gloss finish making it last longer so I sent an email to 3M and asked them. Their reply was that the matte finish also has a clear laminate on it as well that protects if from dirt and fading due to the sun. Here in Texas, the sun will definitely be an issue.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Today I finally plumbed and wired up the 69 gas tank under the bed. It is so nice to have a working fuel gauge now. I also removed the old gas tank from behind the seats. Since I have early 2000 Chevy bucket seats, it actually gives me a little more room.

No pictures, but we all know what the gas tank in the cab looks like.... and what it looks like when it isn't there.

A little progress is better than none.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Got a few things done today that I am really excited about. I finally finished 1 wheel. The spacing is correct and it is fully welded and runs <1 all the way round on the dial indicator. I still have plenty of room behind the wheel, although the bump stop will have to be relocated somewhere, and I am going to need to move the emergency brake cable a little.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psrjm4m6ha.jpg

A shot down the side... nothing sticks out past the fender

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psouswl8za.jpg

There is plenty of room behind the wheels

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pspe6skxgi.jpg

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pssdxwdmxh.jpg

Aaaaannnnndddd I threw my spare hubcap on just to see how it was going to look.... me likey

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psmkrc23kj.jpg

The backspacing to the part of the wheel that meets the hub

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pstbhxyzzl.jpg

Front lip from the outer lip of the rim to the outer lip that fits the hub

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psd9idbv7y.jpg

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

This was an afternoons worth of work... If I ever find the person that put that white strip down the center of the bed.... :devil:

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psmeqecwpj.jpg

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...ps920vzwwz.jpg

Tomorrow... start filling in the divits and finish pulling the bottom of the bed.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Wow. The wheels look awesome so far!

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Thanks. We ended up getting them trued up to within 0.010, so they should balance out pretty well. They are plug welded and seam welded so they should be strong enough...

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

I put the first coat of filler on the passenger bedside after pulling as much of the dents as possible.

Unfortunately, I have to work night shift 6 out of the next 7 nights, so it will have plenty of time to cure.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

It has been a long couple of weeks at work... 15 out of 17 days, but I managed to carve out some time today to do some sanding and priming. That is a pretty good transformation if I do say so myself.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psg16wzugv.jpg

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psoy4j8ngi.jpg

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

The used bedside you picked up is a great starting point to making that side right again.

If you pick up a stud welder, a slide hammer and a box of pins you can get that bedside all straightened out to within the thickness of a dime which will make it so all you need is a skim coat of filler to make it perfect.

A few tips a friend of mine taught me about pulling dents, if you have a straight on dent make the first pull in the center and attempt to use your body weight to pull it slowly while stopping occasionally to check if it's close to flush with the original surface, once you get it close check for irregularities in the dent and place pins accordingly and pull again until you get it close everywhere.
If you have a crease start at the deepest part of the crease and work your way out to the most shallow part.
Most of the time there is no need to slam the weight into the butt stop to get the metal to move but occasionally if the dent is directly over structure you will have to do it.
It is important to get the angle right while you pull you don't want to cock your slide hammer at an off angle or you will cause more problems for yourself, always try to pull as straight and level as possible.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Simple... His and Hers.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

LOL... I am sure that I don't have the money for that.... and with what I am doing on this one... probably don't have the patience either

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Thanks for the advise Brian. That is the same bedside as what was on there, just a lot of bodyworking and a little bit of filler. Still some work to do.

I have the stud welder attachment for my mig welder and you are correct, it works wonders. I have already gone through a box of pins on the side you see and the other side. Best $35 ever spent.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

I am relieved to hear that, I was afraid you had gone through and just filled in the dents with filler like most untrained people do.
I can only see 5 areas behind the wheel and 4 in front of it that still need some attention, it's plain to see you have done some good work on the first pass, a couple more hours and you will have it straight and ready for a skim coat of filler and some high build primer.
The damage down at the front bottom edge looks fairly nasty and is most likely beyond saving you may have to cut it out and replace it.
I'm looking forward to seeing the work as you progress.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Agreed. Thanks for the encouragement.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

WoooooHooo.. Vacation Time!!!!!!!!

Spent the first week of vacation with some family in Oklahoma and went to the Outlaw Armageddon drag races. Had a great time, met some interesting people.

The second week will be all truck time.... one whole week of unadulterated truck fun.....

Started out by ordering parts. Bottom portions of the bed that were unrepairable, cab corners, inner and outer rockers, lower back corner for the drivers front fender, (in talks for the front cup for the same), a new passenger fender from Elliot949. Looks like X-mas in the garage right now.

While waiting for parts, did some work on the opposite bedside, lots of little dents, so the puller came in handy. First couple of filler coats

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pszfyo7whq.jpg

Now for some disassembly, in honor of all the parts ordered...

Hood.... gone

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psrsq5qgjx.jpg

Cowl.... gone

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psrn9copjg.jpg

Look what was behind the fender and under the cowl...

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pshyvuyal0.jpg

Found this also

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psdgnt3ejy.jpg

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psecpkm9au.jpg

Gonna have to work on that

Broke A LOT of these clips while removing the fender. Had to cut some of them off

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psscxyu974.jpg

After that, called it a day. Time for dinner and a show with the wife. Back at it in the morning.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

I forgot to mention it earlier, make a trip down to harbor freight and pick up a couple of polycarbide disks, they strip off rust, filler and paint like it's nothing but don't remove metal.
You will love it.
Here is a link.
http://www.harborfreight.com/4-1-2-h...eel-94017.html

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

I picked up a couple, along with a few more cut off discs and one of those swirled wire brushes for the grinder. That wire brush was my best friend today.

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Yesterday, I got the first parts delivery from TABCO. Floor pan, inner and outer rockers, whatever that piece is that the fender bolts to at the bottom of the post...

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psivpvhsmy.jpg

Sanded and primed the second side of the bed. Still a lot of work on this side, but needed to roll it outside for a bit and it has been raining cats and dogs here for the last couple of days and didn't want the bare metal to rust.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psyvoyw4po.jpg

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psyt25ujqk.jpg

Re: The "I Have a Vision" but very little knowledge Build
 

Today, started working on replacing the rusted pieces.

I have read as many posts as I could and watched video on you tube, but I was still nervous cutting into the rockers. It was kind of like a no-turning-back-now step. It actually came off pretty easy once I figured out where the spot welds were.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...pspwtihcm4.jpg

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psr9dykvdt.jpg

The only thing holding this piece on is the bolts from the cab crossmember. Once the bolts were removed, it was completely free

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psxbjb3dxp.jpg

Here is where I am at the current point. Inner and outer rockers are gone, whatever that piece that the fender bolts to is gone and the rust has been cut from the post, floorpan is pretty much gone. Waiting on the kick panel piece, it was shipped separately along with the fender pieces.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psqdvvbznx.jpg

Makes for a long day...