55.2-59 Duramax Task Force Panel

[dsraven]

fingers and toes crossed here too. hope it gets through without finding a problem.

[dsraven]

hey Finn, how did you end up installing your wiper motor? its the one from the donor, right?

[dsraven]

did you get your inspection passed?

[FinnDiesel]

Originally Posted by dsraven

hey Finn, how did you end up installing your wiper motor? its the one from the donor, right?

Yes, the wiper and supporting frame are '01 Silverado. It was actually quite easy once the angle of the '58 centre shaft is known. Just a couple of mods and construct some mounts to the cab and all good. Just keep your fingers out of the way, better yet, keep the key out of the cab - that linkage I'm sure would do some damage.

[FinnDiesel]

Originally Posted by leegreen

awesome truck. good luck with the inspection!

Originally Posted by dsraven

did you get your inspection passed?

Yeppers! A bit of a pain (a lot) - I forgot the top fan shroud in my haste, they wanted the squirters hooked up, some wires tidied in the footwells and the bloody driver side sun visor installed.
I went and grabbed the shroud, easy re-install.
I argued the squirters as they were an option in 1958!, they looked it up and let it go. I'm still waiting the actual spray nozzles to arrive.
I tie strapped the wires and gave them the sun visor to throw on - in true Canadian fashion, the buggers used Robertson self-tapper screws !
Oh well, its passed and on the road - too bad its raining today

[FinnDiesel]

Here's a shot of the extended front bumper ends to make up for the grille moving forward to clear the intercooler and AC.

[leegreen]

Moving the grill worked out well, probably only another person that has owned a TF will notice.

I bet your pumped to get it passed. Now drive it!

[dsraven]

nice to get that inspection behind you.
thanks for the pics of the wiper system. appreciated. not sure I'll have that option cuz it's pretty tight under the dash with venting etc.
haven't got that far yet. still doing the freaking roof. lol.
it's fighting back too.

[FinnDiesel]

The wiper motor and linkage fits under the TF dash pad - prob won't be able to keep a TF stock glovebox though.
The angle of the TF center pivot will not allow for the motor to go into the engine bay directly in-line - although, you could add gears or linkage to move the motor to a good spot.
The sweep of the trailblazer REAR wiper is exactly the same as the TF sweep. and doesn't require any linkage as its a direct drive and real compact. Trouble is figuring out the wiring. It might be your solution.

[FinnDiesel]

Took the 'ol gal to work downtown today - man, this thing drives amazing. So much torque, no rattles, actually quiet inside. That plywood floor really insulates.
The duramax torque curve is so flat, more apparent with a stick than an auto. I'll take some video tomorrow and post.
Here is downtown Victoria this evening. . . .

[dsraven]

That's cool.
It snowed here in Calgary on Saturday night

[B52bobardier1]

I love the patina and that you kept it out of the smelter. Another one brought back from the dead!!

Rick

[leegreen]

Love how it turned out, you must have a sore face from all the grinning this past weekend!

in post 1 it was primed brown, did the final patina come from sanding off the primer or did you paint it blue then apply patina? it just suddenly changed appearance in post 40, c'mon we want more pictures!

[FinnDiesel]

Thanks folks. Love to hear it.
The truck is original 5004 BLUE - that is the high level of factory masking in 1958.
Yes, correct, the truck had a really lousy faded red with white stripe paint job, which I imagine was to match the companies other mining equipment.
I started sanding the red off the body to get to the original blue - I got through in the areas around the white, but the white is thick. I embellished with patina style blue and brown in the white areas and the front fenders - I probably should have left them as rust as they were.
It's a work in progress as I don't really like the one shade of blue all over, I will most likely sand that back to the old actual patina'd white.

[FinnDiesel]

If it's pics you want, it's pics I got . . . I just downloaded a bunch off my phone.
So neat going back in time, pondering your choices . . .ha ha.
Here I started the sanding and you can see the blue now bleeding through.

[FinnDiesel]

You are also witness to the ongoing construction of the garage interior from studs to cement board etc.
Here you can the exposed blue on the rear doors hinges.

[FinnDiesel]

These are the first real life mock-up photos for ideas (not photoshop) - freaking' loving it - I still intend on lowering the truck in the near future. I am just trying to stay busy while waiting for our development permit to build our new house and 3,000 sq ft shop.
Here's a decent group shot - thats the original dually I was gonna chop up. Its a flat bed now for work.

[dsraven]

thanks for the pics.
you sure lucked out in the no rust department.
nice shop. did you build it first and then apply for the paperwork?
is your shop rectangular or does it have a different shape?

[dsraven]

that one pic really highlights the roof crown. thanks for that. now I don't feel so bad about the high crown on mine, lol.

[leegreen]

The paint is great. & nice shop too.

If anything I'd add blue patina to hood and more blue to fender tops. tie it together as original metal for the truck
The white stripe showing through on sides might be cool. So would some old time hand lettered business name peaking through.

[FinnDiesel]

Originally Posted by leegreen

The paint is great. & nice shop too.

If anything I'd add blue patina to hood and more blue to fender tops. tie it together as original metal for the truck
The white stripe showing through on sides might be cool. So would some old time hand lettered business name peaking through.

That 'L' shaped one is my old shop I built up at Lake Cowichan. Commuting got to us, so we sold out. Here are the plans from the old shop vs the new shop we just starting on . . . in Victoria.

[FinnDiesel]

RE: old lettering - thanks for your thoughts folks !
Here is a photo of the the original business logo ghosting on the front doors -
from Inuvik, Northwest Territories - you could see it from certain angles with the right light - I sanded it off.
it says North Star Service & Construction.
I was thinking of that or something else that goes with the blue, like ESSO fuels etc.

[FinnDiesel]

Originally Posted by dsraven

thanks for the pics.
you sure lucked out in the no rust department.
nice shop. did you build it first and then apply for the paperwork?
is your shop rectangular or does it have a different shape?

Yes, they do exist out there. Thanks re: the shop - that was the one we just sold.

[leegreen]

redoing that logo would be true to the trucks roots.

RCAF used light blue trucks back in the day. you could do a logo for one of the many abandoned RCAF bases that sprung up along the coast: RCAF station Tofino, Cape Scott, Alliford bay..... Some were still active when TF trucks were new.

Otherwise, fishin n stump farming were the themes of the island back in the 50s

[FinnDiesel]

Originally Posted by leegreen

redoing that logo would be true to the trucks roots.

RCAF used light blue trucks back in the day. you could do a logo for one of the many abandoned RCAF bases that sprung up along the coast: RCAF station Tofino, Cape Scott, Alliford bay..... Some were still active when TF trucks were new.

wow great idea. Never thought of that !
Lot's of info here:
https://www.silverhawkauthor.com/pos...-establishment

i'll do some photoshopping . . . in my spare time. . . first things first, tonight I need to change out the nylon gears in my Esprit headlight motors to brass gears. Right now, she's winking at me !