Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window

[Russell Ashley]

When you mentioned wood trim on the dash instead of the original bright work I didn't think it would look good, but boy was I wrong. That dash with the wood is over the top. Of course, the red one is beautiful too.

[ptc]

Originally Posted by II_Slow

Or there's always this interior.

Seeing some of the high-end work on these old trucks sure gives me an inferiority complex. I'm just a hack!

Not at all!!! its inspirational.... --- that truck is where my idea came from, she's a beaut!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Contacted the '56 car dash seller to arrange pick up today as agreed earlier in the week and he said he'd been sick, had forgotten all about the dash and wouldn't have it cut out of the car til "next week" and ended with "I'll call you". We'll see if this is factual or he's flaking on the sale, time will tell. I only pursued this dash because it was reasonably priced with no shipping unlike the few I've seen on eBay.

[Kim57]

Hope the guy's not jerking you around.
Good luck.
Kim

[ptc]

Originally Posted by Kim57

Hope the guy's not jerking you around.
Good luck.
Kim

Craigslist is a plethra of good and bad. Sometimes I find the best buyers and sellers on there and I have found the worst of both too. People buying set up times and dates to meet and never show. Sellers tell you come on by and pick it up and its gone when you get there! WTF??????

NO LOYALTY whatsoever! ---- I use paypal now for any sales. I tell them if you want it send me the money and come pick it up anytime you like.

If sellers dont have a paypal account then I dont even buy from them anymore, doesnt matter how special the part is they are as good as crack dealers....

If the ad says "VINTAGE or CLASSIC or NOS" I dont usually even look anymore because they are overpriced parts by crooks that think they have a gold mine in junk parts...

rant over.... lol

[Valarius_Starchaser]

Originally Posted by ptc

If the ad says "VINTAGE or CLASSIC or NOS" I dont usually even look anymore because they are overpriced parts by crooks that think they have a gold mine in junk parts...

rant over.... lol

I do the same with RATROD and PATINA buzzwords are a big buzzkill for me when buying

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by Kim57

Hope the guy's not jerking you around.
Good luck.
Kim

Me too. I'm going to wait tip Wednesday or Thursday and send him a text.

[ptc]

Hey Danny.... heres some more 'dash inspiration' .....

From HELOCREWCHIEF build

[Dan in Pasadena]

What's that dash from? I don't recognize it. Is it even from Chevy? Seems OLDER than a mid 50's vehicle.

[ptc]

Oldsmobile.... not sure what year, but mid 50 ish....

[Dan in Pasadena]

June 29, 2016

The works continues after a delay for the painter to complete some short term work for others.

The bedsides have been blasted clean and powder coated red to act as a primer in hard-to-reach areas like the stake pockets and bed rolls. The angle strips should have been removed before this but they weren't - a screw up. But the painter has now drilled out the spot welds and removed them.

Today he removed surface rust that was behind them and began the body work to make the interior bedsides pristine. And honestly? To me they were nearly pristine before given that they are over 60 years old. Anyway, I'll quit the jibber-jabber and just post the few pictures I took:

[II_Slow]

Yeah and those bedsides are a ***** to straighten out because a low spot in one side is a high spot on the opposite side so you can just pave over it - at least on the areas outside the fenders and stake pockets.

[Kim57]

they look pretty good for their age.
Kim

[Dan in Pasadena]

I agree. There are only 2-3 places where there was either rust-through or tear-out after the spot welds were drilled and the strips were pried off. And they're very small, maybe 1/4" in the longest dimension.

For those that haven't read the whole thread, I bought the truck from the 2nd owner that had it about 1 year before I bought it in 2011. It had not been registered with the DMV from 1999 til 2010. The 1st owner bought it new in 1955 and was too old to drive it after '99. I don't think the truck was ever used for much other than a daily driver & occasional weekend hauler. That must be why the bedsides are nearly undented. I lucked out.

PS: I'll be bolting on new polished stainless angle strips instead of spot welding and re-polishing. I plan to put a bolt through the front/back stake pocket and behind the fenders. How many places do you guys think I should drill? I'm guessing align them with the bolts in the flat bed strips to make it appear consistent?

[ChuckDriver]

Bolting on the angle strips is a good idea, you might add some 3M panel bond and make it even stronger.

[Dan in Pasadena]

JJ, behind angle strips to seal out further moisture or to actually increase strength of the connection?

[ChuckDriver]

I was thinking for strength. Several new trucks are built with the bedsides bonded to the bed.

[Coupeguy2001]

Dan,
when is this $60,000 dollar truck going to be finished?

I need an example to show my wife what mine would look like If I actually took it all apart and put it back together again.

Oh, BTW, she has seen the all apart phase before.....................LoL That's why I need the finished pic.....
She knows I want to rebuild it as a retirement project.

I put a TPI 350 and 6 speed in a Mercedes 230SL, and I haven't finished that.
Just think what she will say IF I take my truck apart.... "what? You expect to live forever?"

[Dan in Pasadena]

Honest answer, I don't know how soon it'll be TRULY done. By ext summer I hope.

Wow, $60,000? You're trying to make me ACTUALLY add it up - something I've been trying NOT to do so far, ha ha.

$4800 purchase in 2011
$2000 immediately to get it squared away as it was. Tune, belts, hoses, filters, fluids, starter, Pertronix, radiator..,
Another $1-2,000 in bumpers, grill, assorted niceties like new mirrors, Altman latches, etc.
$1200 (I think) for Fatman Fabrications IFS
And now the big bucks (for my budget) Probably $15,000 for body & paint.

Still well below $60K even if I'm way off.

[Coupeguy2001]

Just teasing.......You need a ZZ4 and a 4L60 with overdrive and lockup converter to get your money back in gas savings. BTW, gas is $2.11 here right now.

I won't add up my expenses. some how, some way, my wife will see it and I'll have to sleep in the truck for a while.

Just spent $120 for a radiator, and $150 to modify it, air conditioning shouldn't be over $500, but then window tinting, insulation, powder coating, etc. Just bought 2 tires for $300.
I don't think the drain on your wallet ever really goes away.

Course the tire thing is a good thing. it means I have almost 15,000 miles since I put independent suspension on it. it has almost 350,000 miles on it since new.

[dubie]

man, this project has gone a lot further than I thought you might take id Dan. Sure going to be one sweet ride when it's complete

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by dubie

man, this project has gone a lot further than I thought you might take id Dan. Sure going to be one sweet ride when it's complete

It HAS gone a lot further than I intended. I originally intended to use a dropped axle with Posie's Superslide springs. I even bought a never-installed front disc brake kit for the straight axle. (I still have it)

I kept reading my plans would cost as much as an IFS setup. Was STILL gone do that then I happened on an ad for a new Fatman Fabrications IFS kit that had never been installed for pretty cheap compared to full retail.

Then my brother in law who loves to wrench came for a visit and helped me pull the dog house to install the IFS last summer. "It'll be a lot easiest to install if we pull the engine" - and sliding not down the slippery slope was launched! There was no bed wood in it - "It's only four bolts to pull the bed"

It's gonna be cosmetically beautiful (to me anyway). It'll still have the 283/350TH but of course I find myself looking at 5.3 LS engines in Craigslist. That'll have to wait. Just don't have the money and if I did it I'd have to have someone do the electrical. I know my limitations.

[ChuckDriver]

I had to stop adding up my receipts years ago!!

[dubie]

I'm going to be swapping out my dropped axle after this cruising season is over Dan. After running it without any issues for 3 years, I decided I want a bit more comfort for our rough northern roads. So I'll be swapping in a Camaro clip in the fall. It was the plan I had in my mind right from the start but I ended up listening to a couple outside sources instead of trusting my gut.

[II_Slow]

I was tracking every dime I spent on mine for a couple of years but I got disgusted and stopped as well. I've been frugile anywhere I can, but you just can't compromise on some things. It would be worse to finish and not have what you wanted than to go over budget. It's only money, right?