Caddy Light Install

[454HO]

My opinion..... I think you just ruined a couple pretty decent bedsides. If I were doing it, I would have put those Caddy lights horizontal down in the roll pan. Oh well. If it matters to you, I would give you an A for effort but only a C for execution. Now get to it... quit joy riding and finish that thing up!

[jrsmith_2010]

Originally Posted by 454HO

My opinion..... I think you just ruined a couple pretty decent bedsides. If I were doing it, I would have put those Caddy lights horizontal down in the roll pan. Oh well. If it matters to you, I would give you an A for effort but only a C for execution. Now get to it... quit joy riding and finish that thing up!

so i get a B average right?

i had to take it out, it was nice, its been in the garage for a while now, i needed it!

[454HO]

Originally Posted by jrsmith_2010

so i get a B average right?

If my grading system was worth a crap, yeah I guess so.

I must say, you did inspire me to do a bit of welding on my own today.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=321325

Not as ambitious as your project, but ay least I got off my butt and started on it. So I got to give you thanks for that.

[73chevyman]

Originally Posted by 454HO

My opinion..... I think you just ruined a couple pretty decent bedsides. If I were doing it, I would have put those Caddy lights horizontal down in the roll pan. Oh well. If it matters to you, I would give you an A for effort but only a C for execution. Now get to it... quit joy riding and finish that thing up!

I'm with you on that with the horizontal mount

[dammitmitchell]

front bumper is tweaked also

[jrsmith_2010]

Originally Posted by dammitmitchell

front bumper is tweaked also

yea i seen that too, idk if its just the pic or what, i dont remember it being tweaked, ill look into it

[Walts_restoration]

ya, would of looked good in the roll pan, but thats the easy way out. I like it vertical, its unique, and harder to make look natural, so make sure to pull it off jr. Better be at setumup jacks with that think, ill be grading it haha.

[jrsmith_2010]

haha hell yea illl be there! painted of not, ill be there!

[jrsmith_2010]

got some work done tonight, i made some tail light fillers im gonna try out before i buy some, just to see it they will work. i havnt welded them in yet cause that is an acess to my wires. i got all the stuff needed to do them the right way today. just need to get some butain. then i started sanding down the bedsides again, hopefully the final time. not gonna primer it till i get the caddy lights in completly, which isnt that far way! heres some pics

an atempt at fillers


the new gear to do the wireing


and some bed work, im pretty much redoing most of it. will be complelty smooth in a couple of days

[dammitmitchell]

OMG so much bondo..
wow dude..
well.. good luck

[James McClure]

Mitch, don't pick on the kid, he's only 16 and as far as I can see he has tackled a job alot of us older guys wouldn't. I know just how daunting this can be. I'm 60, spent 33 years working for GM as a truck mechanic and when I did mine I wasn't so sure I could do it, mine was real bad. Done now, but then? I needed positive reinforcement and got it from friends and that made all the difference, SO, If critisism is nessary, so be it, just make it constructive and accurite. He will listen and git-er-done & looking good. I'll give him a pat on the back!! 8 or 10 cases of Molsons will get him thru it, LOL. jim

[boatpuller]

keep hammering away at j.r..you'll learn along the way.the finest hotrod's weren't built on the first attempt.i applaud you.it's good to see a kid tackling this stuff,instead of playing xbox all day or texting the kid sitting next to him.nice work man.

[dammitmitchell]

im not harassing the kid i just finally noticed how much bondo therew was on his bedsides..
it sucks to clean up that much bondo.. sucks so much..
if you reffer back a few pages and read it dude i gave him a ton of wire advice i had to spend a ton of time in school to learn
cause when i started i was just like him..
so me.. not being a dick... =-)
he's doing a good job.. and it's cool.. given a few good pointers and im pretty impressed with how he's taking it..
cause when i was his age i could give a crap what people thought and diddnt take advice at all..
so kudos to him..
p.s. if i diddnt like him i wouldnt post on his thread

[TylerHuff]

as fast as youre working id already expect those fillers to be in and sanded down. jk. bedside are looking alot better though

[jrsmith_2010]

haha yea im getting the wiring done, turn signals are being stupid, they should be in tomorrow

[ont_guy_38]

Originally Posted by jrsmith_2010

haha yea im getting the wiring done, turn signals are being stupid, they should be in tomorrow

When you cut out the original tail light metal there was a ground wire attached in there make sure you still have that wire grounded to metal.A word of advice for those box sides also.Wait till you get the tail light filler panels welded in then buy yourself a long sanding board and sand them down with some rough paper,make sure there is no primer and that showing and mix up enough bondo to apply a thin layer on as large of an area as possible then take your long board and sand away.Although you are doing an awesome job you are being criticized by some people on here that have done bodywork for a living like me for one and we even dread trying to straighten something like that and putting on bondo on a 12 x 12 section at a time just makes it harder

[Str8Ugly]

i guess ill be the negative nancy here....
1. u ruined a good rear end by cutting it out by yourself with out having all the needed materials. if u had the buckets for the light it would be easier.
2. using the wrong tools for the job. flux core wire for sheet metal work is a big no no. u need to have a rig that can accept gas.

in my eyes which is MY OPINION... u hacked up the rear of the truck up...

what you should have done is

1. buy all the proper materials... tail light fillers, caddy tail light buckets, gas for the welder
2. take your time... sand down the area to be welded not grind, tack welds not beads... top of the light bottom of the light then each side... this is to not warp the metal..
3. once that is all done and the welds have been ground down use a great quality body filler not the bondo brand..


props for doing something kustom

[1LoC10]

why didnt you weld in the stock taillight fillers first? then french in the caddy buckets....would have saved a ton of work

[dammitmitchell]

well it do agree that the bed is pretty hacked up
BUT it's a dang good learning experience and at his age a good time to do it
later on down the road he will be able to do a muuch better job on his second try and im pretty stoked that a kid is doing this much work..
instead of a kid taking photos of a SHOP or his DAD doing the work for him..
im pretty happy that theres at least one more youngin out there continuing what we all used to do.. and now we r all the old guys giving advcice....
role reversal is pretttty nifty..
keep up the good work dude.. it'll get better over time...

[jrsmith_2010]

got some more done today, got some welding done, and got all the wires done the right way

[SnS C10]

your metal needs to be much cleaner than that to weld on which i think by now we have all stated before. give your self more room to make the welds, get that paint away from the two seams, atleast 1/2 inch on each side. since your welds are all over the place you need to help yourself out. but otherwise, not too bad- good job

[Ds86C10]

its staring to look better man!

[jrsmith_2010]

thanks guys, all i gotta do now is grind it all down where the light needs to go, it wont fit at the moment, but it will soon. then finish up the welding and then to the other side

[Chlsnk]

Looks good nice to see another young kansas boy like me on the fourms. I would get your self a wire brush to clean off some of the carbon flash build up from the welds when welding that sheet it really makes it nice and shiney for pictures and will quiet people down on there complaining. Can't wait to see it done.

[jrsmith_2010]

Originally Posted by Chlsnk

Looks good nice to see another young kansas boy like me on the fourms. I would get your self a wire prush to clean off some of the carbon flash build up from the welds when welding that sheet it really makes it nice and shiney for pictures and will quiet people down on there complaining. Can't wait to see it done.

ill keep that in mind