Wife's 48

[8man]

Thanks Greg. I'm trying to make this old stuff work, but sometimes it's just out of my reach.

[Tempest67]

good looking metal work.

Glad you are still at it, keep it going

[joedoh]

sheesh robert I am going to send you some fenders to work hahah

nice stufF!

[8man]

Thanks guys. I am learning and enjoying it.

[8man]

Ok, time for some trivia, what do you get when you take all of this?
IMG_0804 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

Well after about 20 minutes with that stuff, you get these.
IMG_0805 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr
What do you do with those? You fit those in the bed rails.

IMG_0806 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr
Which if you are lucky, come out looking like this...
IMG_0807 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

Yes, I started welding on the bedsides. I am using bed rail lights in back, and wanted to do something up front, so this is what I did. Now I'm going to work on drilling out the wiring location for the bed roll lights and welding up some other stuff.

I also got fenders for the 54 ready to be de-rusted, smoothed out and primed, but that was a lot of boring metal bumping and sanding, so no pics.

[8man]

Good news and not so good news to report.

First, after 16 months the upholstery guy called to say my seat was ready.
IMG_0823 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

Laura likes them and said they are comfortable, so it worked out since the truck is still not painted, and yes they are stored in her game room.

I have said this before, I'm no painter. I tried when I was a kid, but it just didn't take with me. I have a buddy who was going to help me by doing the actual spraying, but his health has gotten so that he just doesn't feel up to it. I've been waiting until I just can't wait anymore. So I'm doing a "course change, mid-stream", and on Monday, weather permitting, I'm taking the whole basket of parts to a guy who is going to paint it for me. His schedule is 3 months to get the cured painted parts back to me. That is about 1 month to check out my work on the parts to make sure they meet his satisfaction and primed. A month for the primer to cure before paint, and a month for the paint to cure. We'll see how it goes.

I guess I'll start back on the 54 for a bit, so I'll have something to do.

[dsraven]

Wowzers. What kinda paint does this guy use that takes so long to cure before it comes back to you?

[8man]

I'm thinking he is "covering his a.." because he is not going to just get right on it and knock it out. In his defense, he is also going to do some Lizardskin inside the cab, and bedliner under the cab and inside the fenders.

The good news is I can stop by all the time to check on what he is doing, how he is doing it and to make sure it isn't in storage someplace. I'm not sure he realizes I live that close!

[youngrodder]

The seats look great. Upholstery lead times can tend to linger.
Best of luck with your painter.

Marc

[8man]

Sorry Raven, didn't answer your question. It is a Dupont Chromabase paint. I'm thinking it is the addition of the Lizardskin and bedliner that is adding to the time. But what do I know, I have never messed with paint.

Thanks Marc. At this point I want all the positive energy and good thoughts I can get. I've been waiting since Last October just to get the paint started.

[dsraven]

Well, paint does take awhile for a full hard cure, but, body shops send your high end car back to you the next day after paint and detailing. If it were mine I would either have it stored and curing at my shop or it would be out getting cured while driving. Sure, dont wash it for a week , then hand wash with microfiber, but a couple months sitting somewhere else would drive me crazy. I would be there every day till he relented and had it trucked back to me. Haha.

[8man]

HA! Raven, you read my mind! I intend to be a "fixture" at his place until it all comes home!

[mongocanfly]

Seats look great..!!

[OutlawDrifter]

Seat looks great! Good luck with "paint jail"!

[8man]

Thanks Greg.

Funny that Laura didn't comment on them until she sat on them and said they are comfortable, and then she said "oh, they look good too, I like them".

[8man]

Outlaw, thanks, but I feel like I've been sprung from jail, waiting on my buddy for so long. I think if I'm "helpful" enough I may get the new guy done sooner than his estimate.

[Tempest67]

seats look great (60/40 from mid 90's ?)

Hope all works out with the Painter.

[joedoh]

16 months in upholstery, sheesh. I would have been darkening his door and standing over him every day after 3 months.

they look great though

[8man]

Tempest, thank you, and yes they are 60/40 from a mid 90's.

Joe, I would have been more aggressive on the seats, I'm not really known for patience, but I didn't have the truck even being painted, so it wasn't an issue. Now that I have a professional painter to paint the truck, I am going to be more involved.

[Tempest67]

I used the 60/40 as well and love em.

My wife is 5'2" and I'm 6'2", so I am comfortable when she drives.

[rnrdthefox]

Seats look nice. I can't wait until i'm working these kind of details.

[8man]

Fox, look at how long I've taken to get this far! You will do better, everyone does.

Tempest, I know your pain.

[8man]

I moved the entire truck, albeit in pieces to the painter on Monday. What a day, loading the cab with doors on a body dolly onto my trailer by myself was a real feat, but I only had to make 2 trips.

The good news is that I checked on it today and 1) they had the drivers door gaps about perfect, 2) the bottom of the truck has been blasted, metal prepped and painted with a black "tractor" paint, prepping it for the bed liner, 3) they started on the firewall and 4) they have another guy working on the hood (it's about 1/2 done). The hood is original, but it had some dips in it and those are all gone with maybe 1/8" or less of filler.

They also liked the idea about the sheet metal screws in the hinges to help locate them for reassembly and they like my homemade body dolly so much they are making one for themselves. They used mine to rock the truck up on the back so they could do the bottom of the cab. Before they would remove the cab from the dolly, put it on pads, roll it up onto the back and because it was so close to the floor they would have to work from their knees. With this dolly they can keep it on the dolly, roll it onto the back, and work from a chair.

They did explain they didn't like some of the "ugly welds" on the floor of the cab, but since they would be covered with bedliner on bottom and carpet on top they'd let them go. I felt chastised and offered I'd do better in the future.

[OutlawDrifter]

Progress is always good!

[8man]

Thanks Drifter. After waiting so long for anything paint progress related I'm ecstatic!