'62 BBW SWB Highschool ride returns

[66Z71]

Is it wrong to start another project before the other('s) are done? Oh well I'm doin it anyway I bought this truck when I was 17 for $1,040. It was a root beer brown with cream upholstry, and a Cadilac tele column. The motor was a 283 with power pack heads and a cast iron 4 barrel intake. It had a holley carb and Crane roller rockers with a solid lifter cam. The guy had just put a Turbo 400 tranny in it, and with the posi it was a blast to drive. Since then I wore out the 283, rebuilt and wore it out again. About 10 years ago I replaced the 283 with a factory 350 crate motor, rebuilt the TH-400, and set it on a newer frame with disk brakes and power steering. Rebuilt everything mechanical, but left the body alone. It looked terrible, but the 3" exhaust with headers & flowmasters was enough to piss off the neighbors, and set off every car alarm I passed.

Two years ago I decided it was time for her next rebuild. With a wife, two kids, 3 malamutes, and a race car to tow, the old girl wasn't up to it anymore. I tore it down with the intentions of turning her into a crew cab ( http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=327242 ). But after I got her toren down I realized the cab was too solid to cut up. So I rolled her out into the back yard, and found a new cab. Well the crew cab has turned into a long term project, mostly being ignored. I haven't given up on it, but it will be a while before its done.

Last month I decided it was time to put the old '62 back together. I've been without a truck for too long.I felt bad for never painting her, and decided it wouldn't take much to clean her up a little while I put her back together. I know it ain't right, but I'm painting it one piece at a time. It's a sloid color so there is a fair chance it will look ok when I'm done. If I tried to get it all ready for paint at once I know I'd never finish it. Besides it works out great, I can lay down a coat of primer, then while it is drying I can go do some other task in the garage. Return later, and sand a bit, then go fix dinner. Go back and paint a little more, then go to bed. If I were 18 again and had nothing else to do I could paint the whole thing at once, but....

This isn't the first car I've painted. I painted two GTO's, and did a bit of touchup on some other cars, but that was 20 years ago. I did a bunch of reading, and asked some questions on a few forums. (How did we do anything before the internet???) Turns out the expensive Devilbis paint gun I bought back then is not worth using, Bondo is soo much easier to work with, and we never had poly-primer. I ended up buying a couple of new HVLP guns from Harbor Freight, and am absolutly amazed by them. I can't believe how little overspray these new guns put out. I was planning on spending $5-700 on a really nice gun for clear, but I don't know now.

Anyways here are the first pic's of my latest project...

What she used to look like:


Inside of the first door:

[Captainfab]

That door looks real nice

I can identify with your situation. Sometimes a guy has to work on something that isn't quite so overwhelming. Then it is a little easier to achieve a sense of accomplishment. Not that big projects are bad, it's just that sometimes a guy needs a break from them.

[66Z71]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

That door looks real nice

I can identify with your situation. Sometimes a guy has to work on something that isn't quite so overwhelming. Then it is a little easier to achieve a sense of accomplishment. Not that big projects are bad, it's just that sometimes a guy needs a break from them.

That's it. I've been trying to get my kids to help, so between the three of us I'm hoping that seeing some progress every day will help keep us motivated to finish it. The daughter (16) has a Corvair convertible that we have been 'restoring' for 3 years. She works for a while, but gets depressed that nothing is getting done, and goes back in the house.

Anyways here's more pics:
Here's what I started with.




And here it is after the Acid Etch Primer.



There were 16 holes from the mirrors this thing has had thru its life. The three original had been brazed shut sometime before I got it. Since I'm gonna go back to stock mirrors, I drilled & tapped those, and will put a washer & nut on the backside. The other holes got welded shut, and ground down, with a skim coat of Rage Gold over them.

[franky69c10]

Anymore pics of the truck
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[REDNOSE65]

Originally Posted by franky69c10

anymore pics of the truck
posted via mobile device

x2

[66Z71]

Finished blocking the outside of the door after work tonight. Tomorrow it gets sealer and color.


In the meantime, here are some pics of my paint gun. It's a harbor freight Devilbis Finishline 3 copy. I put a 3' hose with a good parker regulator on it and a gauge from Harbor Freights digital flow control, and air filter.


Here is my home made fresh air mask. It's a generic mask I picked up for about $10 on Ebay, a Home Depot vacuum, some air hose, and a few bits of hardware.


I modified the mask with a 90 degree fitting, two 3/8 washers and a fine thread nut on the inside in place of one of the filters. The other filter was blocked off with a 5/16 nut & bolt, and two fender washers. The other end of the hose is attached to a piece of plastic I turned down to fit into the vacuum where the hose is supposed to go. It works great, and cost less than $50

[Captainfab]

Great idea on the fresh air respirator. I would think the shop vac would blow the mask off of your face, or does it just blow thru the exhale valve?

I've seriously been thinking about some sort of supplied air myself. But the inexpensive ones I've seen on ebay are still $400-500.00. Probably still worth the price when you consider the effects of breathing paint fumes. However your idea is certainly attractive from a cost standpoint.

[66Z71]

Originally I used the 1-1/2" plastic hose from Home Depot, it looked like the vacuum hose. With that I had to drill a couple of 1/2" holes in the hose to let excess air out. The hose was too stiff, and I kept tripping over it. After switching to the air hose, I don't have any extra holes to bleed off pressure, and it seems to be about perfect. Heck for the price I can't see painting without it.

[Captainfab]

Do you have much other smell or odor coming from the vac or the air hose?

After I posted that, I got to thinking. That 3/8" air hose probably doesn't move a lot of air.

[smilts60]

That's pretty cool. I wondered about any vac smell as well.

[66Z71]

I don't notice any smell, but the hose and vac are new, and never used for anything else. It does kinda smell like a tire store with all the new rubber

[Captainfab]

I should have been more specific. I was referring to the smell new plastics and vinyls have sometimes. They can be a little overpowering......almost as bad as the paint vapors you're trying to eliminate.

[66Z71]

Finally got some time in the garage last night. Painted the outside of the door with the blue, then waited 1-1/2 hours (the instructions said 45 minutes to tape), taped it off and shot the white. As I was trying to get the tape off the roll, and cursing my frozen fingers I wondered to myself if it might be too cold to be painting.


At first it looked beautiful, but then I got all the paper off. I guess tonight I get to color sand the blue, and re-shoot it.

[Captainfab]

For best results, the surface you're painting should be ~60*

[66Z71]

With two propane heaters, and some color sanding, I was able to redeem myself a bit tonight. Just a bit of dust, that I expected.


Now the big question... what to work on next. The other door, the fenders, the hood, or the grill? The other door has a few more dents than this one. Both fenders need some rust repair in the lower rear corners. The grill is really rusty, and the hood has a few dents & rust.

[Captainfab]

That looks good

I would do the other door. That way you will have both doors done and the paint fully cured when you're ready to put them on the cab.

[66Z71]

I had some other welding to do, so I decided to work on the fenders next. I took the paint off to see just how bad it really was. I'm only using the rear 1/3 of the patch panel. The patch panel didn't match the lip around the wheel too well, so I'm only using what I need. There will be a little longer weld seam to deal with, but I think it will be less work overall.


I cut it a little further forward than originally planned,so I could eliminate one of the two holes.


Looks better already.


But first I need to fix this. Do they make a patch panel for this?

[SFTorange]

If that is the support brace for the rear of the fender, then they sure do! I just ordered a pair myself. These things must be rusted out in 90% of all 60-66 trucks, and the bolt seems to always break off too.

http://www.classicparts.com/1960-66-...ctinfo/44-863/

[66Z71]

Got the replacement brace this morning.


To use the whole piece would be a lot of work, so again I'm going to just use what I need. First I clamped the replacement brace to the patch panel, and scribed a line at the height of the patch panel. Then I layed a steel ruler on the scribe mark, and made another scribed line the width of the ruler below it. I layed the ruler on the old brace, and scribed it the same way. Then cut both. Next I clamped the patch panel in place on the fender, and used it to jig the new brace into the correct location. I tacked it in place before taking the patch panel back off to finish welding the brace.




I think I'll take it to the sandblaster next, while he can get inside of everything. Then I'll weld the patch panel in place.

[Captainfab]

You are taking that to someone to have it blasted? I see a blast pot sitting right there. Does it not work?

[66Z71]

Ya know, if I was a little smarter there would be a few things I never would have learned to do. Sandblasting being one of them. If you add up the cost of materials, time to do the balasting, then the time to clean up the mess, it's cheaper to find some other sucker to do it for you.
I blasted a whole car with that before I learned. Now I only use it for small projects or when I'm in a jam and can't wait for someone else to do it.
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[Corts60]

Great progress! I understand having more than one project...I have three!

[Captainfab]

I hear that. I've done a good amount of blasting in the past my self. That's why I'm glad that I have a friend that does blasting for a living. We just do trade work, so that makes it easy.

Originally Posted by 66Z71

Ya know, if I was a little smarter there would be a few things I never would have learned to do. Sandblasting being one of them. If you add up the cost of materials, time to do the balasting, then the time to clean up the mess, it's cheaper to find some other sucker to do it for you.
I blasted a whole car with that before I learned. Now I only use it for small projects or when I'm in a jam and can't wait for someone else to do it.
Posted via Mobile Device

[66Z71]

Got the other fender ready to go to the blasters. At least the rust wasn't so bad on this one.


All clamped and ready to cut.


No wonder it was so heavy, but look at the brace. It looks like I'll be able to use it. There is one hole, but even with that and thining because of the rust, I would rather keep it than replace it. The repro's feel thinner, and the channel section isn't exactly the same. Making it hard to weld onto the existing piece.


Patch fits nice and tight. Just gotta drop off both fenders at the sandblasters, then weld them back together.

[Bugeyev8]

My fender braces were in about the same shape, I ordered new ones and did not like them, totally different profile

I coated the inside of my old ones with por15 before welding the outer patches on, it filled in the pin holes , I poured a bit in and just let it run behind the fender down the channel, be sure to use phosphoric acid before doing any por15..it will not stick unless you do