65Custom Build Thread

[Alan's Classic]

Congrats on the parts and progress. The parts fairy forgot where I live.

[65Custom]

Originally Posted by Alan's Classic

Congrats on the parts and progress. The parts fairy forgot where I live.

Yep I know what you mean. I still need to get an AC unit so that I can finalize the cab,although it is finished in my head , what is in the garage is not even close.

[ruffrida2005]

Isn't everything done in our head, I guess we have to keep dreaming.

[Alan's Classic]

Originally Posted by 65Custom

Yep I know what you mean. I still need to get an AC unit so that I can finalize the cab,although it is finished in my head , what is in the garage is not even close.

Do you need a new polished compressor? It came with my vintage air kit, but I'm using a serpentine setup.

[65Custom]

Originally Posted by ruffrida2005

Isn't everything done in our head, I guess we have to keep dreaming.

[QUOTE=Alan's Classic;3760210]Do you need a new polished compressor? It came with my vintage air kit, but I'm using a serpentine setup.

I'm looking for the interior unit right now and I was hoping to pickup a LS1 & trans Drop out with all that attached, which I'm also looking to pickup soon.

I'll keep it in mind when I get to that point.

[structures]

Hmm never heard of the lizard skin. I like that idea over the sticky foil. Did you have to buy a special gun to shoot it? Please post pics of the install.

[65Custom]

Originally Posted by structures

Hmm never heard of the lizard skin. I like that idea over the sticky foil. Did you have to buy a special gun to shoot it? Please post pics of the install.

Yeah I agree and if I ever have make a repair I guess Ill just have to grind it off but at least it wont be sticky. (I hope that never happens again as long as I do it right.)

Yes I bought a kit which comes with the gun, based on the calculations the cost is about half of what the sticky stuff is and the great thing about the spray is that is lays down and can get into places where that dang sticky stuff does not go very well. And since I'm taking my roof panel off I'm going to use it up there too. So I hope that I'm going to have really quite and cool cab.

[miracle whip]

65custom nice work, Do you remember what kind of paint you used on your frame?

[65Custom]

Originally Posted by miracle whip

65custom nice work, Do you remember what kind of paint you used on your frame?

I had a local company powder coat it Black with the Satin finish

[miracle whip]

Ok thanks it looks good!

[collins10672]

can't wait to see the cab finished up and in primer.fixing this cab you have more guts than most men would lol.seriously you have done a fine job on it.i have pondered about tearing a cab down this way to get at all of the rust.to me this is the best looking bodystyle truck ever built,its a shame GM didn't build them to last forever.i think you have found a way to save many rusty old cabs that a few years ago nobody would have considered restoring.thanks for the info on the cab corners,yours sure look good.

[aggie91]

I just looked at this build again. YOu have done a ton of work on that cab. Mine is not that bad, but I have even thought about pulling the cowl area apart to repair/remove rust from where you can't see it once it is together. I have some rust holes (small ones) along the edge where the firewall and cowl are meet.

Keep up the great work!

[65Custom]

Originally Posted by miracle whip

Ok thanks it looks good!

Thanks

Originally Posted by collins10672

can't wait to see the cab finished up and in primer.fixing this cab you have more guts than most men would lol.seriously you have done a fine job on it.i have pondered about tearing a cab down this way to get at all of the rust.to me this is the best looking bodystyle truck ever built,its a shame GM didn't build them to last forever.i think you have found a way to save many rusty old cabs that a few years ago nobody would have considered restoring.thanks for the info on the cab corners,yours sure look good.

Believe it or not it really has not been as bad as I expected, yes it has been a lot of work and I'm working in small two car attached garage so logistics is tough sometimes, but do-able. Yes I am very happy with how the cab corners turned out and thanks for the compliments it helps keep me motivated.

Originally Posted by aggie91

I just looked at this build again. YOu have done a ton of work on that cab. Mine is not that bad, but I have even thought about pulling the cowl area apart to repair/remove rust from where you can't see it once it is together. I have some rust holes (small ones) along the edge where the firewall and cowl are meet.

Keep up the great work!

I tell ya I think that there are a lot of cabs out there that don't get fixed as they should when it comes to the cowl area. I also will tell you that removal of the air boxes and the cowl is really the best way to fix the area it gives you the best access, I had the firewall and floor out when I fixed mine so it was even easier to fix, anyway good luck on yours and if you have a question let me know I have a ton of pictures, I just cant post them all I have some many. I am trying to document everything that I do.

[65Custom]

We had a nice day here in Ga. it is a great weekend of sun and the good ol boys racing is in town (NASCAR). I wish I had ticket for this weekend any way I digress. So I couldn't let this nice weather get away without doing something today, so I finally got the old drip rail off and a new one welded back on and hopefully now that the weather is getting warmer I can get motivated to get the cab finished up.

[65Custom]

Starting to get some motivation back, so I decided to start to remove the roof panel and I thought that I would put up some pics of the process.

1 Roof panel I picked up from greg65 last year
I have had some ask about how to find spot welds so I'll put a few pics which might help some.

2 pic of the tools used
3 pic of spot welds they are not too difficult to find sometimes you can find them with your finger tips just feel for the indentations in the metal, you will feel the small dimples in the metal, but occasionally I miss one and eventually you find it when you think you got them all and it is still stuck on

4 pic of spot welds after being punched with a spring loaded punch
I usually punch them several times I found that the deeper the punch mark the better the tool holds to the center and does not walk around as much

5 pic of spot welds one which has been cut and the other one just started
if you notice the one that has been cut most of the way through you will notice some rust dust as I like to call it. when you get used to cutting them you will see a puff of the rust dust when you cut through and you will know when to stop cutting.

On the roof panel since the drip rail is visible part of the truck I am taking it a bit slower to make sure that I don't blow through the drip rail

[65Custom]

The spot welds are generally about 2" apart and you can actually use your fingers to measure the spacing between the spot welds once you get the hang of it it can help you find a spot weld that may not be very visible.

1 pic shows the approximate spacing of the spot welds I have found this to be pretty consist on every thing that I have cut off including the parts trucks that sacrificed their lives for this project.

2 this pic is a shot of the section of the roof above the B pillar. This is right at the section where the Door jamb is there are several pieces welded together here and the roof panel has about 5 or 6 spot welds in this section. When i removed the replacement panel this was the section that provided the most frustration just making that I got them all off and didn't screw up the panel. We will see how this goes when I get there my cab

[65Custom]

Finally got the roof panel off. I was wondering where that seat cushion went.

[65Custom]

It is kinda hard to see here but when the original panel came off it is kinda twisted. The panel I have to replace it does not twist when picked up. I thought that it was a little strange that the original panel twist and if you try to straighten it up it flexes back and fourth. I have seen other sheet metal panels do the twist but was not expecting this one to twist when the replacement does not do that

[ruffrida2005]

the seat cushion is kinda funny.

When you get done, you wanna come and do mine. I need a new roof on mine as well. Post all the pics you can on what you do please.

[65Custom]

Originally Posted by ruffrida2005

the seat cushion is kinda funny.

When you get done, you wanna come and do mine. I need a new roof on mine as well. Post all the pics you can on what you do please.

I try to be funny although I don't always succeed.
I would love help fix your roof. I think a bunch of us on here would love to work on trucks and cars for living but we don't always get to.

I know that if I had a place where I could setup a shop I would. I will keep the build updated as I go through it, right now I need to get the roof cleaned up and fix a few spots on the replacement and get a few other parts cleaned I need to look up Ervin soon (The Local sand blaster)

[Ger]

I wonder if a guy takes the roof off his dryer he'd find the missing socks.. LOL

[Alan's Classic]

Nice progress. Your pics will be a big help to several people here.

[65Custom]

Originally Posted by Ger

I wonder if a guy takes the roof off his dryer he'd find the missing socks.. LOL

I have tried that before and to my amazement I have never found any socks but I know that they go missing in that darn dryer.

Originally Posted by Alan's Classic

Nice progress. Your pics will be a big help to several people here.

Thanks, I hope it can help someone. Yours has given me some good ideas and and lot of envy.

[Broke1]

your doing some nice work

[65Custom]

Originally Posted by Broke1

your doing some nice work

Thanks it is going slow right now hopefully it will pick back up soon.