Junkyard Jimmy Super Low Buck Build Thread

[RatRod68]

yum! Those ribs look awesome

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by RatRod68

yum! Those ribs look awesome

They tasted better than they looked. I'm pretty good around fire

Hows the car hauler coming along?

[Bomp]

Nice to see some more progress. I admire your dedication to detail. Hard to keep on the "It's got to be perfect" mind set when your so close to the finish line.

I also took a lazy day today but it really sucks that you have all those ribs and didn't share with me.
I don't feel guilty not sharing my DQ Banana Split Blizard now.

[RatRod68]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

They tasted better than they looked. I'm pretty good around fire

Hows the car hauler coming along?

No clue. Had to sell it to pay for a class. I have a 68 C20 I am going to do up once I finish working on the c10.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Bomp

Nice to see some more progress. I admire your dedication to detail. Hard to keep on the "It's got to be perfect" mind set when your so close to the finish line.

I also took a lazy day today but it really sucks that you have all those ribs and didn't share with me.
I don't feel guilty not sharing my DQ Banana Split Blizard now.

I have plenty of ribs leftover. You should have stopped by. I even have good cold beer to go with it. Modelo Negra, if you haven't had it, you should. Then later we could have walked over to the DQ, it's just 50 yards from my house.

Originally Posted by RatRod68

No clue. Had to sell it to pay for a class. I have a 68 C20 I am going to do up once I finish working on the c10.

That explains the lack of updates. Too bad, I was hoping to buy that ramp bed from you in the future.

[RatRod68]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

That explains the lack of updates. Too bad, I was hoping to buy that ramp bed from you in the future.

Yea, it was one of those decisions that I hate to make. School is more important right now, and I can buy another one later. The guy that bought it plans to keep it a ramp truck and haul his gasser on it to the local car shows.

[hgs_notes]

Not much time to work on stuff this week. My in-laws are visiting from Idaho to see us. Mostly to see the grand kids of course. I did take a little time to spray some rattle can hi-build primer on my low spots though. Figured I would try it out. It's cheap and I don't have to mix it and clean spray guns. Looks ok, but has runs cause I put it on heavy. Most will get sanded back off. Will sand with 320 when I get the time. Should be the end of body work.

[hgs_notes]

I have the day to do what I want, so it's cowl and tailgate time I think.

On thursday we upgraded my sons ride from this...


To this...


Same year, a few more miles actually, but it's in much better shape and is a better vehicle all around than his first beater. It was owned by a local mechanic the past 4 years and he did a lot of the maintenance you would expect of a high mileage car. New ball joints, CV boot, head gaskets, water pump, starter, alternator, both wiper motors, heater core, heater fan, other misc stuff. Good tires, full tank of gas, nice clean interior. And it only cost $300 more than he's selling his pickup for. He loves it and I'm happy for him.

[hgs_notes]

How come it seems like spraying a few ounces of paint is a significant progress but the dozens of hours of prep it takes to get there seems almost insignificant?

Drilled holes for the tailgate seal trim piece (don't know what to call it).


Cleaned up and etch primed said seal trim piece...


Sprayed some primer after some wet sanding. Only pictured this part, but most of the other pieces were ready...



Then I sprayed some white sealer and then some color...







Gonna let this stuff cure until tomorrow at least before I mess with it. My son already put a scratch in the stuff I sprayed on the back end of the bedside. Its on the inside corner and will be covered in bed liner so I didn't freak out.

He scratched it when we were moving the chopped up half top into position...


That is there so I can start marking the holes for the single wall top. This was a 71 tub and set up for a double wall top. I will mark the front hole from this top, then use the chrome bed rail strips to mark the rest. Wanted to do that before paint was sprayed. I have some ideas for that half top for later. If I ever get that far.

So maybe tomorrow I can mount up these painted parts and work on panel fit and alignment some more. Then a wee bit more sanding and it'll be time to plunge into the exterior paint with both feet.

[VA72C10]

Looking good! Most don't realize the work it takes to get to that point. Congrats!

[Bomp]

Nice progress going on there.

Thats what I like. Jump on it with both feet and don't look back. Throw a hand in if you need too.

[hgs_notes]

Yesterday I did get the tailgate and cowl installed. They fit fine, but still have issues. First on the tailgate. The right side bracket support thingy was real stiff after painting. It was a like new part. It also was a tad to the outside, so when I closed the gate, it rubbed paint on the edge where that pivot pin is. But the gate fit good.

This is the paint from when I first tried it out on the gray primer. It will be sprayed with white sealer and repainted again with the rest of the truck.


The scratch...


I will probably touch it up when the rest of the truck gets painted. I pulled on the support to get it to settle more inboard and doesn't rub now.

Then I got the cowl panel in. Don't sweat the over spray. It's getting wet sanded again anyway. It will have to come off again to install the wiper/washer stuff, but I need it there for hood/fender alignment.


And that alignment is all kinds of screwed up BTW. I can't close the hood now because it hits the cowl on the driver side. If I adjust the hood to the cowl it wont fit between the fenders. And they are as far over as I can go. That leaves me with pulling the tub to one side so the fenders will align with the hood. Not really hard to do (I hope) as long as I have enough give in the holes to get it where it needs to be. If not, I will have to clearance some holes. But I have to get this right before any more paint goes on.

[Low Elco]

Best of luck, the puzzle is the fun part, and the cowls are a pain. Hope it smooths out!
Posted via Mobile Device

[Bomp]

Music, lots of breaks, fan if needed, lots to drink.
Slow and easy wins the race on this part.


Looking good

[warbucket]

I've been aligning my blazer for the last 2 months and learned a lot. Can you move the cowl back more towards the door, I had to make the bolt hole a little larger to move mine back. Also moving the radiator support side to side to dial in the hood to fender gap and even up and down if needed. Do you have pics of the hood gaps and does the fender have a good gap near the door and rocker?

[TennesseeZ]

Wow! Wow, wow, wow!!!! Took me like 6 days to read this whole thing, but once I got started I just couldn't stop. About 1/3 of the way thru, I figured you'd be done in another third, and the last third would be minor mods and a bunch of driving shots. Then 2/3 thru I was sure you'd be thru at the end, and realized you should have named this thing TENACITY X 100! You've really impressed me with your junkyarding/ parts trading/ deal waiting on skills, how far you've come on such a relatively small outlay of cash for what you've got, learn as you go with the welding, patch making, rust repair and bodywork, double especially on the sanding, sanding, sanding, ...........

And then you throw in a custom hood. I was sure you'd give up on it and it would go to the scrapper, but you kept after it and made it look great, I mean absolutely stunning! the factory could learn some stuff from you. You taught yourself to paint, not just how to spray something, but how to adjust the gun, and to figure out what's wrong when it's not working right. Whether you know it or not, your windshield frame repair/rebuild is right up there with the Coddingtons, Fooses, all the real custom fabricators. And you just jumped in there and did it, and got it right the first time, not the 21st like it would have taken me. Yeah, I'm impressed. And subscribed.

But it's been like 5-6 summers that the furthest you've driven it is around the block, (and I'm not sure that was even the same truck, maybe the frame), time to jump back in there and get it painted and drive it some, reward yourself and finish it up over the winter. Then you can decide who to give it to, wife or one of the kids. They all will be wanting it.Personally I think you should keep it and tell 'em like Bobby Allison told Davey when he said he wanted a racecar when he was around 16: You know where the garage is, right? Get out there and build yourself one. Which he did. You've done an absolutely stunning, inspiring job all around, and BTW did I mention that I'm real impressed with the color, and the price you're paying for it, and also your ability to go thru all the hassle selling parts on ebay and I assume CL? I finally gave up on that, (for now) because of all the hassle packing and shipping. I'll have to get back to it eventually, kicking too much stuff out of the way now just to get around in my modest little shop.

But back to your build, I'm just really, really impressed with the whole thing, and (not so) patiently waiting to see it all in color. Just hope you don't make it too nice where you're afraid to drive it, after all, it was supposed to be just one step above a beater, more like a low level driver that you carry tools in to fix what breaks on the road, right? Kinda like my DD. That light at the end of the tunnel has got to be pretty bright now, it should be pulling you towards it now. kinda like a moth to the porch light. Can't wait to see you driving it, you won't be able to get the grin off with a jackhammer! Outstanding build Mike, and I haven't even mentioned your writing, photographic, and record keeping skills. You've got me hooked, now give some more, man, more!

[Low Elco]

Hey yeah, you didn't let the cowl beat you after all this, didja? Anybody home?
Posted via Mobile Device

[Dieselwrencher]

More nice work here man! I have to agree, aligning the front sheet metal is always fun. I have to remove the cowl on mine and redo the LH fender some day. I'm not that worried about it for now though.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by TennesseeZ

Wow! Wow, wow, wow!!!! Took me like 6 days to read this whole thing, but once I got started I just couldn't stop. About 1/3 of the way thru, I figured you'd be done in another third, and the last third would be minor mods and a bunch of driving shots. Then 2/3 thru I was sure you'd be thru at the end, and realized you should have named this thing TENACITY X 100! You've really impressed me with your junkyarding/ parts trading/ deal waiting on skills, how far you've come on such a relatively small outlay of cash for what you've got, learn as you go with the welding, patch making, rust repair and bodywork, double especially on the sanding, sanding, sanding, ...........

And then you throw in a custom hood. I was sure you'd give up on it and it would go to the scrapper, but you kept after it and made it look great, I mean absolutely stunning! the factory could learn some stuff from you. You taught yourself to paint, not just how to spray something, but how to adjust the gun, and to figure out what's wrong when it's not working right. Whether you know it or not, your windshield frame repair/rebuild is right up there with the Coddingtons, Fooses, all the real custom fabricators. And you just jumped in there and did it, and got it right the first time, not the 21st like it would have taken me. Yeah, I'm impressed. And subscribed.

But it's been like 5-6 summers that the furthest you've driven it is around the block, (and I'm not sure that was even the same truck, maybe the frame), time to jump back in there and get it painted and drive it some, reward yourself and finish it up over the winter. Then you can decide who to give it to, wife or one of the kids. They all will be wanting it.Personally I think you should keep it and tell 'em like Bobby Allison told Davey when he said he wanted a racecar when he was around 16: You know where the garage is, right? Get out there and build yourself one. Which he did. You've done an absolutely stunning, inspiring job all around, and BTW did I mention that I'm real impressed with the color, and the price you're paying for it, and also your ability to go thru all the hassle selling parts on ebay and I assume CL? I finally gave up on that, (for now) because of all the hassle packing and shipping. I'll have to get back to it eventually, kicking too much stuff out of the way now just to get around in my modest little shop.

But back to your build, I'm just really, really impressed with the whole thing, and (not so) patiently waiting to see it all in color. Just hope you don't make it too nice where you're afraid to drive it, after all, it was supposed to be just one step above a beater, more like a low level driver that you carry tools in to fix what breaks on the road, right? Kinda like my DD. That light at the end of the tunnel has got to be pretty bright now, it should be pulling you towards it now. kinda like a moth to the porch light. Can't wait to see you driving it, you won't be able to get the grin off with a jackhammer! Outstanding build Mike, and I haven't even mentioned your writing, photographic, and record keeping skills. You've got me hooked, now give some more, man, more!

Uuuuh, thanks.

Glad you like it. And yes the light at the end of the tunnel is bright enough to burn my retinas, but some things came up. Might not of mentioned it in this thread, but the wife and I separated a few months back. I have the kids and the house and all of the responsibilities that go with them. Not complaining, but it does cramp the garage time. So if you want more, please be patient. It's coming I swear. Or you can spend a few days going through my C-10 build thread. I need to finish the re-do on my dining room (finished the painting and 95% done with the laminate flooring install), get through the last week of the kids softball season, and I should be able to go sand some more and re-adjust the front sheetmetal. Then it's taping time.

Oh and I forgot to mention that I got another summer time-stealing toy with a fishing boat. It was my dads last big gift to himself before the cancer took him. My sister has had it since, but rarely used it and needed the money, and sold it to me. And because it was sitting so long without use it had some issues to fix, which stole my evenings last week.

And about those changes in plans through the build, it all happened by circumstance and a severe chronic case of the might-as-wells, when I kept finding better parts. During all that build time I was also building my C-10, which was painted 2 years ago, and I drive the snot out of it. And trust me, this will be no trailer queen or special for sunday kinda rig. Its still just a prettied up beater. Just a better looking beater than most. That's why I straightened the bedside when it should've been replaced, and used paint that costs less than $100/gal.

I did learn a lot and have never really been afraid to try new things. Which is what this project is all about. After paint, its bumper building time, and maybe some nerf bars or what they call rock sliders now, and future plans to do suspension and roll cage tubing work. Lots more to learn and try. But I'm not exactly a novice when it comes to some of this stuff. I've been working with cars and building stuff with metal since Jr high. I was a nuke machinist mate on submarines in the navy (6 yrs), and was the ships welder and machinist at sea. I once qualified as an ASME code welder for TIG on 1" pipe in the 6G position (qualifies all positions) just cause I was bored one day, I'm an authorized inspector for ASME code fabrication shops and have the endorsement to supervise other inspectors in that. I've been a boiler and pressure vessel inspector for almost 20 years and was a maintenance supervisor for a couple years before that, after I got out of the navy. If I haven't done something myself I have probably watched some good people do it before and I'm a quick learner.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Hey yeah, you didn't let the cowl beat you after all this, didja? Anybody home?
Posted via Mobile Device

Nope. No one here but us chickens. See above. Forgot to mention I'm going to see Godsmack tomorrow night, and gonna try to go to the the Car Craft Nationals show on friday in St. Paul. Then its the state ASA softball tourny for my youngest (she's 16 and the team capt) this weekend. And the family reunion the following weekend. Sheesh, never ends does it.

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

More nice work here man! I have to agree, aligning the front sheet metal is always fun. I have to remove the cowl on mine and redo the LH fender some day. I'm not that worried about it for now though.

Thanks. I think I need a couple brothers to come help me thrash mine to the finish.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

Thanks. I think I need a couple brothers to come help me thrash mine to the finish.

Yep, you sure do. It's about time I get some work back from them for all their projects.

[hgs_notes]

Godsmack show was great!

[Low Elco]

Dude, if I was there I'd be on it like a rat on a cheeto. Just glad you're kickin, radio silence was makin me worry. Enjoy the summer!
Posted via Mobile Device

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Dude, if I was there I'd be on it like a rat on a cheeto. Just glad you're kickin, radio silence was makin me worry. Enjoy the summer!
Posted via Mobile Device

Always kicking. Like a one legged man at blah blah blah. Didn't make it to the car show in St Paul. But spent some good time with the wife. Some days I think we have no chance. Other days I think it's a sure thing. Reality is somewhere in between. Everyday that goes by where we can enjoy each others company is another step in the right direction.

But there is another show tonight that is closer.
http://www.hazardouswastecarclub.com/

And also a local cruise tonight, so I have auto related options. Or I could go shove sheetmetal around on a project truck.

[Bomp]

Glad things looking better for ya.

Now go sling some paint

[hgs_notes]

Alright you needy bastages. Your higher maintenance than my wife. But you managed to harrass me out to the garage and yank sheetmetal around on the Jimmy.

First I lined the hood back up to the cowl edge. Then closed the hood and Figured I needed about 1/8" movement of the tub to get it to shift over enough. The tub mount bolts were loosened and my son and I tried just shoving and pulling at the windshield pillar to move it. No Luck. So I went the mechanical advantage route.

I anchored a come along to the garage wall sill plate on one end and the windshield pillar on the other. And started cranking it up.


It had some tension on it...


I shoved it a bit, shook it around, let it know I meant business and I was not to be trifled with. Then let it rest like that to really think about what a PITA it was being and there are consequences for that kind of behavior. After I got done stewing, I went back out, tightened the front tub mount bolts down good, and let up the tension. The Jimmy seems to have learned its lesson and the front end was behaving itself again.




And I'm not gonna sand on it tonight no matter how much you guys goad me. I'm getting the dining room floor done. Maybe. If I don't go for a cruise instead.