48 Chevy COE custom diesel build

[Dieselwrencher]

Great work. The frame looks great. Oh man, Fred Flintstone wants your cab now! I actually looked at a 53 coe that the cab was rotted out similar to that laying in a maneur pile. Yeah, I left it there.

[Chance48]

Thanks.....Lol, I shoulda left this one where it was but beggars can't be choosers. The guy said it had hardly any rust....haha, it's mostly rust, just not in the usual places.

Check this out....if I hadn't pulled this thing completely apart in just a few years or less it would be rusting through a new restore. What if I sold it, that would be embarrassing!!







This thing is gonna be sweet when I'm done.....Gotta keep on keepin the positivity turned on...haha.

P.s. I know my iPad camera sucks butt. If I had a better picture taker you could see a lot better.

[47 Fasttoys]

Man Chance, I don't know about the amount of surgery your doing here. From what I saw in some of the early pictures it looked like a pretty solid unit to start with. Are you going to be able to put this puzzle back together without some kind of a jig of fixture? Your making good progress on the whole project but dang that's a big step.
Rob

[lower50's]

Lookin good Chance

[Chance48]

Thanks lowers.

Rob, I got this man. It had to be done. The cancer was so bad that had I just hid it all, in a few years I mighta been driving a convertible Coe.....against my will....while driving 70mph down the interstate, haha. I prolly removed 40 lbs. of oats, rat poo, and insulation from inside every cavity of this truck accept one place..yeah, the cab corners...go figure. What a mess, but she'll be brand new for the long haul when I'm done with her. If my camera was better you could really see how bad it is, it's that bad man.

I should have the cab back together in a couple, three weeks. It's still got its integrity. Just wouldn't wanna drop it or anything like that, haha....I'll need to install the doors so I can get gaps and in and out alignment sorted as I reassemble. Tis the plan anyways.

[Dieselwrencher]

I agree on fixing it all now. That would be a really bad deal if the roof rusted through after all th emoney spent on paint and all that hard work.

[Chance48]

Hadn't made a lot of progress and don't have pics of what I've blasted and discovered. Got some closeup pics of the rear panel devastation. Front outer cowl panel is rusted through, and yes, finally the cab corner on driver side does in fact have a few holes rusted through. It look localized. I might be able to fill those in with weld, crossing my fingers. And the cowl panel does not need complete replacement, so that's good. This is what I get for buying sight unseen and trusting a fool, which now has got me looking like a fool, haha....jokes on me, funny stuff! At any rate, it'll be new and should be around another 100 years this time, as its life will be a little more precious and cared for this go around.

[URL=http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/chancebaja/media/48%20Chevy%20COE/B13F1202-CC1B-451A-8174-E884A0AF969C_zpsosycdt1n.jpg.html][/URL















And tell me this isn't one of the slickest lookin rigs around...I gotta build something like this, haha.



I ran out of sand. Homedot didn't have anymore so I had to order a whole pallet. I blast a lot of stuff. Be here early this coming week. I set the cab Bach on the frame and will build the rear cab mounts while waiting for the sand.

Chance

[47 Fasttoys]

Yea, now I see why you had to go to extremes on the cab. It's interesting that the worst stuff is at the top and back but not the floor. I know it came on a chassis, I just don't how it got that bad and still had a floor at all.
Rob

[Chance48]

The mice carried oats and insulation into all the hollow cavities of the cab. Then of course they whizzed and shizzed for who knows how long. Like you, the floor being in ok condition I'd have to say that the mice lived in this truck for years, while the truck was in service yet. The driver always had company on his travels....there is a bright side to everything aye, haha...

I'm truly getting disgusted because I'm finding more rot, but it ain't no step for a stepper. I'll get it sorted....eventually!

[lower50's]

WOW keep up the good work Chance. Like you said it should be around for another 100 years if you do it right the first time.

[Purcell69]

Very impressive so far Chance!

-Joe

[Dieselwrencher]

Yeah, keep plugging away! Finding a better cab would cost a lot any how. I real ylike that black truck! I want to do the same thing to my Dad's 47 Dodge.

[Chance48]

Thanks everyone! Sand will be in tomorrow and I can continue forward with my floor work until rear cab panel gets here. Found a seat out of a mid to early 90's Chevy. It will fit perfectly. I can recess the mounts on each side an get perfect height! Really stoked about that....

Chance

[Chance48]

Been awhile, have gotten a lot done. Slow going though.

Sand blasted the areas needed so I could start reassembly of rear panels and roof.








The ole Shrinker stretcher at work.









Rear panel mocked up after lower panel lip tacked in.







Band all welded out and cleaned up.





Next is some previous pics of what I had done up until the rear panel arrived. These at will still be adjustable. The pics are kinda vague. The material is a little on the heavy side aswell. It's what I had. And didn't want to buy more thinner wall material.








And a few pics of the cowl problems. The hinge mounts are even almost a loss on the pass side. I'll have to totally remove outside panel on that side, reinforce hinge mount and the cowl panel floor....( the heavy material piece that hinge mount attaches to)




I thought this little sliver at the bottom was all I'd need to cut out there, but after blasting I found all kinda troubles as I stated a minute ago.




Will continue plugging away at it. After I get the roof on I'll do the inside rear panel. The piece I received from classic parts does not fit as a whole unit. I'll have to cut it in multiple pieces and still it might be a problem. We will see. At first I was like, wth...then I said to myself, this whole experience has been a surprise,(in regards to the body and its condition) so ill just fab her up as best I can and not worry about even calling classic to complain or what not. It wouldn't matter and fact is, a panel that large, made 60 years later can't hardly fit very well into a hand assembled contraption like this, so I'll make it fit, and it'll look like its supposed to.....rant over, haha.

Till next time, peace..
Chance

[99 to Life]

nice work, lotta work there for sure. I wouldn't doubt one bit your body could have moved. Removing that much, dash, roof, back, doors still on and little bracing you'd be surprised. none the less you'll get it ironed out cause you are making great progress.

door hinge area is def an area that can be a weak link. sux digging into the area but sometimes it needs it. hard to get in there and stop that rust even if its structurally sound, it will rust out at some point. so getting in there now is a good thing.

[Chance48]

Indeed 99.....the structure is definitely not out of shape though. I'm not a body man but I'm a metal man. Nothing was cut that replacing the rear cross brace and sheet metal would cause the structure to be out of shape, in fact I am able to correct a few things that the og assembler had a little off. The main issue with the inner panel is at the bottom where it flares to go around the cross brace it is to narrow causing it to not mate up with and match the outer window openings, aswell it was forcing the structure the wrong way. Matching the outside to the structure and roof before welding is the best route. I'll get all the gaps perfect, get the roof mated with rear outer. That will align everything as good as it was "in the day" then inside will be piece of cake regardless if it goes in in one piece or not. I'm hoping cutting it in threes will help but I think I'll have to trim that whole lip off, then tack it to top of cross brace, then I'll make a new lip. I'll be closing the whole lower inside back panel area in anyways so that it is a dual panel instead of one. Might help keep some of the engine and road noise out. I'll use an insulation of some kind aswell. Speaking of, I can't find the stuff that they use between the back braces and the body skin. Looks like a fibrous felty type material. I need some for my roof skin and top brace. I'm gonna go ahead and install the roof and hopefully get the material between it and the skin. If not maybe I'll use something in a tube and shoot between them as an isolator. Totally not shooting you down 99 as to your assumption that something moved so much that it is causing inner panel not to fit right. It's just that I know that's not the case. I never just start putting things together. I tried everything to get it in. It's just not made right, but it's ok, hard to expect it to be.....even though it wasn't cheap, haha. Modern autos are amazing though, in that respect. Doors all align, panels, etc..... Amazing how the tech is so perfect now, to me it is anyways.

[Chance48]

Give me an opinion guys. I wanted the classic Hole version then come across thus triangular design I'm kinda digging. Just a look at it and a broad opinion to your eye and taste. I don't know how to alter photos to give you a picture of them on the truck.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/20x7-5-20-Ne...FWFDdR&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/20-20x7-5-EA...b_90bw&vxp=mtr

[47 Fasttoys]

My 2 cents would say the second style, hard to go wrong with the round holes.
Rob

[ghettoluxury]

I'm with Rob. The others remind me of wagon wheels and I have never liked them.

[Chance48]

The real story is I showed the wheels I wanted to the wife(the classics) and she did the gag motion, lol. I was like wth, these have been my plan since before I was building this darn truck, now she got me second guessing myself. So, I showed her something I could live with, which where the others....she dug them, so I figured I'd get the guys opinion. Both you fellas see what I see.....I guess the wife can gag every time she see me pull in the drive now, lmao....personally I don't like extravagant wheels designs, and for this truck that would be a blasphemy to its breed For sure....

Another idea I have though....give me an opinion on the idea of the classic design in black with white walls? It's a thought, for some reason I'm trying out white walls in my mind and I'm diggin it, but wrapped around polished aluminum I'm not sure I would like it.

Chance

[Chance48]

I have not been as productive as I'd like to have been since my last build update but none the less this is hours of work.

I got the rear outside panel on, the roof cut, mounted and then had to do a bunch of gap work on driver side. I'm now moving to pass side half of truck, welding out and flapper discing that side. I'll have much less gap work on this side. Although, when I re skin the door, I'll have to make some gap adjustments to door at that time. I still gotta fix the front of the roof where the mice had caused it to rot out. I'm saving that for a special brain fart to occur and give me the courage to knock it out. The metal is a lil thin in that area do to the die stretching it there and the slight deterioration that I left there because I didn't want to buy a roof skin and don't have the skills to make the radius just above the windshield bead, so....

Here a pic of section I gotta replace at top of cab, front center of windshield..



You wouldn't know I did gap work here brutal so I welded out all the body panel seams that are exposed on door jams. So once skimmed, sanded and painted the jams will bebeautiful....I hope!






I'm welding out the entire belt line aswell. I'm doing this because I was lazy and didn't want to use a gasket and bolt the skin on like it was from factory, also I'd still had issue with attachment at left and right sides. This just seemed like best idea to me at the time. Hope the absence of a lil flex there doesn't beat my ass on the future, it prolly will, smh...At any rate, I'll get it close with the flapper then make it perfect with a skim of filler...Tis the plan anyways.




And a couple pics of the roof skin stuck to the new rear panel stuck to the rebuilt lower rear panel belt line lip





I'll post up more after about 60 hrs of slow, slow, ......slow sheet metal progress. I'd cast a spell on the dude i got this from if I could...anyone know a good witch doc, haha.

Chance

[99 to Life]

getting it done man, one way or another. some days fight you for so long and some jobs fight you for so long. but in the end. I'll promise you this. all the hard work pays off. You never really dwell on all the hard stuff.

[Chance48]

So true 99.... It's funny after you are done with something that you thought sucked so bad while you where doing it wasn't that big a deal after you are done with it....guess that's why women can can have more than one kid, haha.

[99 to Life]

hahhahahhah that's exactly it, great analogy.

[lower50's]

Sweet! Hey it looks like a truck again As for wheels I'd go with the triangle slots, if that's what your vision was. I think the round will make it look like you stole them from a motor home. Your wife will learn to love it when she see's how happy you are driving it. My GF does the gag motion when she see's a lowered truck and mine sits on the ground LOL. But loves it because I built it.