Starting 1966 Factory Short Bed Build, Bagged, 383 Stroker and Muncie M20 4-Speed

[Paul Y]

The reason why my build is 'as is' on the body work is I hate sanding!

Looking forward to a pictorial update - hope to have my frame brace in place over the next few weeks so will update you on my thoughts.

P.

[88Stanger]

Originally Posted by Paul Y

The reason why my build is 'as is' on the body work is I hate sanding!

Looking forward to a pictorial update - hope to have my frame brace in place over the next few weeks so will update you on my thoughts.

P.

Ya, i so know the feeling on sanding. My intake air filter on my mini-split in shop is just full in a week of sanding.. crazy

I am excited to see what you think of the brace.

[88Stanger]

ok, where in the heck do these very small dent demons come from!?! I get all the rust fixed in the cab, started to repair the "obvious" dents and such and started the overall sanding to lay down the first coat of high build primer and after halfway of sanding i find two very small but "obvious" dents, like they were hiding in plain sight!!! LOL Oh well just more filler but i honestly can see the light at the end of this tunnel!!! feels exciting and re-energizing...
Question to the body guys and/or painters... what grit of sandpaper do you use right before you re-Prime? In other words i am currently on bare metal that was sandblasted with no rust. So i am using say 120 just to take off the roughness of the bare metal then finish with 220. After that i will use a high build primer/sealer and then start the process of using my dry Guide Coat and level everything out. Then right before 2nd coat of primer, what grit of paper are you using?
Then after it is primed for how many times it takes to get it flat, what grit are you using on the primer before you paint?

Thanks for any responses.

[Paul Y]

Just as an FYI -threw the brace into Woody today to test fit and give myself a Mojo Boost.

What a great bit of kit the brace is. Really well made and all the bolt holes lined up once I used a little brute force and a ratchet strap!

Any update pictures your end?

P.

[88Stanger]

Originally Posted by Paul Y

Just as an FYI -threw the brace into Woody today to test fit and give myself a Mojo Boost.

What a great bit of kit the brace is. Really well made and all the bolt holes lined up once I used a little brute force and a ratchet strap!

Any update pictures your end?

P.

That is Awesome! Glad you like it. I had to do the same thing as i think overtime the frames tweak a bit, hence 1 reason for the brace.

I would post pics, but all they are is some pics of the cab in various stages of body work. I have it just about done though! I was really excited yesterday to get it right to the point of primer, but the call of reality hit and i had to do a bunch of yard work and well "Zoey" proof the yard, closing off potential escape openings, as she loves people almost to much, so that kinda put a damper on my get the truck to primer stage, but it will be there this weekend for sure! Then it will be just some minor cream filler in areas where my body skills suck and show up in the dry guide coat stage. BUT i am getting closer. I need to get moved on for my excitement but also to clean out my damn storage!! LOL

FYI - Zoey is my little (Queen) 15 week old Boston Terrier who unlike her much larger and calmer brother loves to play and run around.... well at least for 30 min or so then its nap time.... lol

[Paul Y]

Originally Posted by 88Stanger

That is Awesome! Glad you like it. I had to do the same thing as i think overtime the frames tweak a bit, hence 1 reason for the brace.

I would post pics, but all they are is some pics of the cab in various stages of body work. I have it just about done though! I was really excited yesterday to get it right to the point of primer, but the call of reality hit and i had to do a bunch of yard work and well "Zoey" proof the yard, closing off potential escape openings, as she loves people almost to much, so that kinda put a damper on my get the truck to primer stage, but it will be there this weekend for sure! Then it will be just some minor cream filler in areas where my body skills suck and show up in the dry guide coat stage. BUT i am getting closer. I need to get moved on for my excitement but also to clean out my damn storage!! LOL

FYI - Zoey is my little (Queen) 15 week old Boston Terrier who unlike her much larger and calmer brother loves to play and run around.... well at least for 30 min or so then its nap time.... lol

Hear you on the Doggo proofing the garden. Had to spend some time on Sunday repairing the fence where my year old monster had managed to pull the chicken wire back enough to make good her escape.

I am lucky to have quite a large garage, well for the uk anyway but have very little room to work on Woody with his cab, front clip and bed taking up 2/3rds of the available space. Plus, I am not the tidiest of people when it comes to working in the garage....

Hope that you get the body work done soon and start driving you truck, looking for some real world feedback on how effective the brace is.

P.

[88Stanger]

Ok Gentlemen, I was able to sell the Harley to a close friend. He got a good deal and is happy, i am happy that it has a good home and well i have new room in my garage now.

so, with that said, i am toying with getting a different EFI system, the MSD Atomic 2. I really like this look of it, function is very close to the Holly setup, MSD is owned by Holly, i have all MSD ignition stuff so i would like to stick with the same manufacture.

Thoughts?

[roll_the_dice]

Originally Posted by 88Stanger

Ok Gentlemen, I was able to sell the Harley to a close friend. He got a good deal and is happy, i am happy that it has a good home and well i have new room in my garage now.

so, with that said, i am toying with getting a different EFI system, the MSD Atomic 2. I really like this look of it, function is very close to the Holly setup, MSD is owned by Holly, i have all MSD ignition stuff so i would like to stick with the same manufacture.

Thoughts?

Congrats on selling the Harley!

I looked at the Atomic 2 along with the Sniper when I was deciding what EFI to replace the FiTech. Since they are both owned by Holley, I was talking to my Holley customer service rep about the differences between the Sniper and Atomic 2. He said they tune the same, the only difference is the Atomic 2 has a fuel transducer which is a good thing and the Atomic 2 has to run a separate fuel regulator since it is not built into the system. The Sniper has a fuel regulator but not the transducer...I do like the fact you can get fuel pressure readings on the handheld of the Atomic 2. The only reason I went with the Sniper over the Atomic 2 was my fuel lines were already setup for a system with built in fuel regulator...so it was easier I do like the look of the Atomic 2. The handheld looks identical to the Sniper as well...I don't think you can go wrong with either choice.

[Paul Y]

Learning from your mistakes is good.

Learning from others is priceless....

Looking forward to the pictures.

P.

[88Stanger]

Originally Posted by Paul Y

Learning from your mistakes is good.

Learning from others is priceless....

Looking forward to the pictures.

P.

LOL yep that is the way.... sometimes you are the one learning from others and sometimes you are the others.....

[88Stanger]

Ok, so here is an update of the pics that i took of the re-pop door and fitament... it is not exact, but neither am i, but it is close. First set are how it was at first.. then the next are me adding welding rod to fill the gap...

[88Stanger]

Start to filling the gap.. .By the way this after i adjusted the lower door area that i replaced some time ago... had to lower it a bit....

[88Stanger]

here is the beginning process of adding the welding rod... and yes i am not that good of a welder... lol

[SkinnyG]

I like high labour, low dollar.

Jambs look good. Satisfying once it's done though, eh? Lot a' work though.

[88Stanger]

Originally Posted by SkinnyG

I like high labour, low dollar.

Jambs look good. Satisfying once it's done though, eh? Lot a' work though.

Appreciate it. It is very satisfying honestly. TON of work!! But overall so worth it. Yes it is not perfect by any means, but good for my means. This is not to say I am skimping out on anything really, just that I am not a body guy, nor do i have the $$ to pay a body guy, but it is done to my best, and that is good for me. I will be painting her also... soon hopefully... lol

Honestly this has taken by far the longest of anything on the truck so far!! This cab is killing me.. lol just keep going towards that end goal....

[Paul Y]

You are a braver man than I Gunga Din!

P.

[pdxhall]

Your work on the door jambs is coming along nicely. I'm in the exact position you are in with mine. What door seals are you using and do you have them on while you are aligning things? I am using the Honda door seals and I am finding that there are some areas where the seal holders need some aligning. I am also going to have to do a little tweaking on the bottom patches.

[88Stanger]

Originally Posted by pdxhall

Your work on the door jambs is coming along nicely. I'm in the exact position you are in with mine. What door seals are you using and do you have them on while you are aligning things? I am using the Honda door seals and I am finding that there are some areas where the seal holders need some aligning. I am also going to have to do a little tweaking on the bottom patches.

Thank you sir. Honestly i have the seals but have not tried to install them as of yet. They are in my shed that is completely jammed full of all new stuff for the truck and with my luck they are located in the back... lol. I think you are smart to do what you are. My seals are re-pop ones for our trucks that as you are aware of are typically way to thick and suck to shut the door. At this point, i am just trying to get the doors to fit good and so that i can get the cab into sealer and start the primer going. BUT as i was working the last door to fit this last weekend I found that the bottom replacement panel is in too far and needs to be cut and extended out to be flush with the new door. I have the hinges moved in as far as possible and still about 1/4" away, so i have some work to do this next week to fix this.

[Paul Y]

I need to buy new weather stripping and am torn between the Honda or repop route - will be looking into see how you get on with your instal.

P.

[pdxhall]

What I like about the Honda seals is that I can pop them on and off to make adjustments. Good luck. I'll be following along for any help I might get in your process.

[88Stanger]

Ok, need advice. I'll have the cab ready to go into primer, with doors pre-fitted. Here is where i am a bit lost. I could get the cab all ready and spray the final Red on and then set that on the frame which then I could start the process of getting all the internal cab stuff set in, like the wiring, AC unit, Stereo, seats, brakes, brake lines, exhaust, and well you get the idea. After that then get the doors painted and on then work on the new front fenders and hood, and then working my way to the bed. OR should I only get the cab into primer and ready to paint, then set it on the frame, then test fit the front fenders and bed and then disassemble and then have a paint party, starting with the cab, then set it on the frame and do all the stuff mentioned above and then paint the fenders and bed and ..... I know this may sound like a dumb question but i am just trying to find the best way to attack this. I did it once before with my 1969, but not to the extent i am with this one.
Thanks for any comments.

[The Rocknrod]

I wouldn't "test fit" anything that's painted, that is if if the cab is painted and you test fit the doors or fenders to it, there will be damage. I wouldn't even primer it until your all test fitted out and ready to paint, then final assemble and install etc.
But that's just my experience, opinions and skills vary.

[88Stanger]

Originally Posted by The Rocknrod

I wouldn't "test fit" anything that's painted, that is if if the cab is painted and you test fit the doors or fenders to it, there will be damage. I wouldn't even primer it until your all test fitted out and ready to paint, then final assemble and install etc.
But that's just my experience, opinions and skills vary.

Thanks, that is honestly what I should do if I am going to do this right. Not doing this is just trying to hurry up a situation that is bound to have issues when done... so, yes this is how i should do it. Honestly I knew this but sometimes when part of you says you could just do it this way, and you know that that is not the right way, just having someone to verify what you think is right is... so thank you. At least here shortly the cab will be in sealer... then time to do basic body check then check it on the frame and then final doors, front fenders and hood.

[pdxhall]

I would get the body on and get all the body parts fitting correctly before doing any painting. get the doors on and gapped how you want them and then work forward. Fenders, cowl, cowl extension, and then the grill support. I sprayed epoxy on parts as I finished body work on them with knowing I would probably be spraying them again. Your choice though. I have had the doors, fenders, etc. off and on more times that I'd like to admit.

[88Stanger]

Update: I got the doors fitting rather good but have decided to do final fitting after i get the cab mounted on the frame and set, just to make sure that bolting it down to the frame does not change them to much if at all.
With that said, I went ahead and sprayed the Epoxy primer on the entire cab for rust prevention this past weekend. I was very pleased to have it sealed off and will now start the final body work if needed and primer along with fender install and bed install for fitment.
Excited to have some movement on the cab and not have it in bare metal. Pics coming.