The Super Duper Haggis Hauler

[MacQuigley]

As it only took me the morning to remove the back end and as the weather was still holding I thought that before I sandwiched the Chevy between two land rovers again (below being one of them) Id remove the front bumper and grill.



As usual, one thing lead to another and before I knew it a good chunk of the front end was off!

[MacQuigley]

I know keep saying Im not going to do anything one the truck until I finish my Morris project but Im waiting on parts for it so what else was I to do with my spare time! At least that's the excuse Ive sold the wife (The Morris is for her and my youngest daughter so they are keep to see it finished).

Anyway went out to the garage tonight with the intent of just clearing up a bit. That didn't work and curiosity got the better of me. I was keen to see what sort of condition the front fenders were in as Im going to order patch panels or replacements very soon.

So I started to buff out the filler on the passenger side first. Obviously this wing has seen some damage repair in the past!



The filler was almost 1/2" thick in places



I left the rear end along on this fender as I already know it needs work and I don't want to damage it until I have the new panel ready to weld in place. So I repeated the process on the drivers side, this time starting at the rear.





Fortunately the brace panel underneath is solid (unlike the one on the passenger side)

The front end showed similar repairs as the passenger side did



So I decided to knock out what I could and plug weld those holes



Far from a perfect job (there is just no way to get in there with a hammer) it is actually a lot better than the photo shows. It will only need a skim of filler and a bit of TLC by way of sanding and it should be 100% better than it was.

The front end of the passenger side will be a bit more of a challenge!

Need to get my parts order into Classic Parts ASAP. May get them by about Christmas!

[65sub]

Nice work on the fender Bill. Looks like somebody really beat up on your truck before you rescued it

[MacQuigley]

Its definitely seen a battle or two Dale. Just an additional challenge to deal with. That where the fun is!

[MacQuigley]

My new compressor arrived yesterday! I may have gone a bit over the top this time!



Its almost the size of the little Morris Minor in the background!

All that just to run a shotblast pot!

[Ta2Don]

New Tools

[ibrown50]

What is it with everyone buying new compressors, first Martin now you, thats a beast of a compressor ....................now where did I put my Machine Mart catalogue

[MacQuigley]

What actually happened Ian, is I bought a sand blaster.

Then found my compressor wasn't up to the job!

So a £120 sand blaster cost me £....... well very little actually as my father very generously and out of the blue bought me this for my 50th a couple of weeks ago (Its is going to cost me a LOT in whisky though! For many years to come).

However, be warned it really is one hell of a size!

It took me all last night just to get it inside and all tonight to clear a space for it.

Its going to take me days now to rearrange my workshop! At least I'll have enough air to power my air tools, all of them, at the same time!

[MacQuigley]

Well I got my new compressor in place - not the place id originally planned thanks to it being 3" taller than I was expecting!



Then it only took a further 3 nights and a weekend to go from this -







To this -









Still got to run in a new 45A supply for the compressor but once thats done I cant get back on with finishing the Morris so I can get onto the Chevy. I need more space or a hobby that involves smaller toy's!

[Ta2Don]

Reminds me of my "too small" space and the organized chaos that resides therein...

[MacQuigley]

Well I got a new 45A supply run into my garage over the weekend and tonight I finally got my shot blaster up and running.

I couldn't get it to work with the crushed glass Id bought but it worked well with kiln dried sand.

Played about with the back on one wheel and a bit of the grill support panel (that I had been stripping with paint stripper and a wire brush on an angle grinder while I waited for some reducers to come for the compressor)





Didn't finish either part tonight as I was doing this in the garage and that wasn't a good idea. Took longer to clear up than it did strip those small areas!

[65sub]

That blaster looks like it will do a nice job for you once you get some kind of enclosure for it. Do you have an air drier on it?

[MacQuigley]

There a water trap on the air input side, it if we are talking the same thing.

Don't know so much about an enclosure at least not for the larger parts. I think they will have to be done outside, but I think I'll make some kind of enclosure big enough to do a wheel.

[65sub]

I meant a desiccant air dryer. http://www.grainger.com/category/des...ecatalog/N-c96 It goes on the outlet side. I have mine on a separate line to use when we need dry air ( painting or sandblasting )

[MacQuigley]

Nothing like that fitted Dale. I'll have a look here and see what I can get. I cant think of having seen the larger models but Im sure Ive seen the disposable type but the others must be available somewhere.

[MacQuigley]

Not really accomplished all that much since my last post for a number of reasons, but Ive been plodding away on the grill support panel.

After stripping it with the shot plaster I found the signs of previous repairs. That was about 3 weeks ago and Ive been working on it ever since trying to get it a close to perfect as I can.










So first thing I welded up all those holes.



After grinding them back I started filling (first pass with some guide coat on)



And that’s about where I still am except Ive filled, sanded, filled, sanded, filled……… you get the picture, so many times now Ive lost count. Getting all those curves correct is proving hard!

However, I think Im almost there. Just a little finishing and final coat of primer and Im going to paint it. I may still buy a new panel as Im not sure Im going to be able to get this as good as I want but Its worth painting to see what it looks like in the final paint.

Talking of final paint. We decided what we wanted so I got some samples and painted up one of the cowel panels to see what it looks like. (BTW the cowel panel will be stripped again, this was only a mock up)



This wont be the final paint scheme but we will use these colours. The intention is the cab top, bumpers and grill will be old English white and the rest will be LeMann’s blue.

Talking of grills, that’s something else I need to replace. The one I have is to badly damaged to salvage. But Im struggling to find a double headlight grill anywhere. Doe anyone know of a supplier selling these?

[65sub]

I like the color choice Bill. Kind of a 60's race car look. For the grille, you're looking for the GMC grille right? I could'nt find any reproductions listed but they are available used.

[MacQuigley]

Im sure, when I first started looking for panels Dale, that I saw a repro grill but I can not find it now!

As for the 60's race colours - Im much too young to know anything about that!

[mjh1965]

You have made a good start . I had the same problem with my blaster , I will try and get some kiln dried sand . Thanks for the top

[MacQuigley]

Got very little done over the last week. Unfortunately my dad has a hip replaced 3 weeks ago today and though that went well he had a couple of other things go wrong not least dislocating the new hip just over a week ago. So little progress has been made which my dad's not to happy about either as he is dying to get stuck into the engine (It was always meant to be a father son project. But I think its turned out to be the wrong father son combination. Hopefully it will become a grand father, father, son project before long).

Anyway I did get a little garage time over the weekend and decided to start stripping the headlights to see if I could fix up the grill. Personally I think the grill is too far gone to be worth saving. So I need to decide whether I try and get another non original double headlight grill or go for a single Chevy style.

I did find some odd use of wood screws when I was stripping it though (and not for the first time! Think the last owner was a joiner between wood screws and welde on nails!).



Even the light support panels are damaged and mismatched!!!

[Grizz1963]

Just keep chipping away at it mate.

I have found some interesting mods on my truck too.

[MacQuigley]

Cheers Rian.

There certainly have been some strange things done to it. One good thing is Ive only this week released its got a 12 bolt axle fitted.

What worries me is it fitted right!

[Grizz1963]

Just checking........

How are you getting on mate?

[MacQuigley]

Hi Rian,

Between my attempts to get my Morris Minor finished so I can clear space in the garage for the truck and problems with my father following a hip replacement (long story) Ive not been able to do anything on the C10.

However, something should be arriving Tuesday next week which will get both me and this tread moving again.

So watch this space:-)

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by MacQuigley

Hi Rian,

Between my attempts to get my Morris Minor finished so I can clear space in the garage for the truck and problems with my father following a hip replacement (long story) Ive not been able to do anything on the C10.

However, something should be arriving Tuesday next week which will get both me and this tread moving again.

So watch this space:-)

Great news mate.

I know the feeling of life getting in the way. My truck stalled for a while after I came back from America.

Look forward to your updates. You are building a challenging truck with all the obstructions you have faced so far.

Keep at it.