1957 Chevy truck re-rebuild

[Baldeagle SR]

That is going to be nice.
Rich

[Kim57]

Looks real good.
Kim

[ChuckDriver]

Nicely done!!

[papastrk]

Just keeps getting better and better. That is going to be one nice interior!

[dicer]

You mentioned using an etch primer? Epoxy is not etch primer? I think using something to etch first then epoxy is better?? I'm kinda just asking the questions....

[Stepside Jim]

This is great, 10 seconds to up-load a picture to photobucket, high speed is wonderful.

Thanks everybody, this my first attempt at creating an interior so I'm slowly stepping into this project.

One other reason for the center counsel was to give a side foot rest. With the flat floor I have no place to prop my right foot while driving, especially if I take a long trip.

Here's the fit.


I stopped the bead roller just before it reaches my foot. I know I'll end up wearing off the paint or what ever is there. Once finished I plan on cutting a piece of stainless steel and attaching it where my foot will make contact.

dicer, on the etching primer/ epoxy primer. For years the etching primer was the way to go. It was like an acid based primer, it would etch into the metal and the primer would hold well to it. I used it for along time, one issue was it usually wasn't recommended over body filler or left over paints or primers. Plus it had no filling characteristics.

Then comes epoxy primers. Extremely universal, can be used over fillers and prepared paints and primers and although it does have a slight filling characteristic it is nothing like a good filling primer and it holds to metal very well. Another plus is it is good for coating something that will not be painted for sometime, it is not porous so it should lock out moisture.

Now, spraying epoxy over etching primer, I can only say, "lean to the safe side". We have to be chemists anymore with all the different stuff we mix and spray. With all the choices, one thing to be very careful not to use products that could repel each other.

I usually tell beginners, find a brand name that covers bare metal to clear. If you have any issues when done and you bring in a paint representative, he can not back away if it was his product line used 100 percent.

[Stepside Jim]

I've been working on this truck for some time now. Lingering in the back of my mind is what I'm gonna do about wheels and tires, so many choices.

I not only have to figure what wheels, but also the size and the offset for the mounting.

Fortunately I have a very kind tire dealer in town, he allowed me to take home and try a couple different wheels and he mounted used tires on them also so I could get a good idea of the fit.

I went with Boss 338, 18" x 8". Here's the outcome.




I've been pondering what steering wheel to go with also. Once the wheels were on the truck, it was an easy decision. They very closely match the spokes of the wheels.


Getting these things figured out now is gonna help me keep my focus later when I start painting.

[Kim57]

Those are nice.
Kim

[rgunlock]

Your truck is really taking shape Jim. Looks great, and the wheels look really good on it.

[Stepside Jim]

Thanks Kim and rgunlock. Although the truck is just temporarily together to test fit parts and set the ride height, I'm starting to get that anxious feeling of getting the truck done. In reality, it's showing the many little adjustments yet to finish. Such as getting the door gaps set and test fitting all the wood for the bed floor, bumper fitments, etc. Pretty much all the headaches you don't want to have issues with once the truck has paint on it.

One issue I encountered with the new wheels was the mounting flange was much thicker than the stock wheels. Out came the originals for a set of ARP long studs. I couldn't find the ones with the proper knurl diameter where the stud presses into the flange. I had to drill all the holes to fit the closest high performance studs. The fun never ends.....


They ended up being about 3/4" too long. I cut them to length and rounded the outer edges. Problem solved.


It's these never ending issues that you simply can not explain to a "non automotive" enthusiast when they can't understand why a project goes on and on and on.

[Stepside Jim]

On to another loose end I wanted to take care of. It's the panel in front of the bed. When it's bolted in place you can see into the opening of this panel. By spending a couple hours now and closing the openings now, I'll never have to see these openings again.

[Kim57]

That came out real nice.
Kim

[Wybrow]

Your sheetmetal work is absolutely astonishing. I hope to be half that talented some day.

[ChuckDriver]

Excellent!

[87Lowrider]

Outstanding work... subscribed.

[Stepside Jim]

Thanks for the compliments, I have to admit, I'm really trying to push my abilities as far as I can on this project.

Since the weather is all about high humidity I'm focused on the interior right now. I hope to get the interior designed and fitted before the weather turns to perfect painting humidity and temperature.

One item I definitely want in this truck are cup holders. I have space between the shifter and the firewall so I'll use this space. Once again I used some construction paper to get the design and used the torchmate to cut the sheet metal out of 18 gauge sheet metal.


After a little bending and cutting I have it matching the shifter base.


I have some finalization to do with the frame work but it is just about done.


As the pieces are coming together.

[Kim57]

Looks good.
Kim

[dubie]

oh man that console is sweet!!! Good thinking, using door panels as sides. I was going to build a console for mine too because I'm running the same B&M shifter and I wanted to get it up off the floor.

Nice work!!

[papastrk]

Looks very nice! And thank you for posting photos.

[Stepside Jim]

Thanks again everyone. Dubie, I dealt with the same issue of the floor shifter. I actually waited til I got the shifter then started building the interior around it. That's how important I felt the shifter location was.

Just a follow up on the progress. Getting the seats back in place and I can't tell you how many times I've jumped in the truck and imagined the ride.


Yes, finally got the center counsel made, fits great and is just the right height for my right elbow to rest on.


Same picture, just from the drivers side.

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by Stepside Jim

I can't tell you how many times I've jumped in the truck and imagined the ride.

just don't let any one catch you making vroom vroom noises

lots of work to get your trim mounted, looks good
never track how many hrs you use doing these little things
it will drive you nuts

[dubie]

i think we all sat in our projects on more than one occasion and pretended slamming through the gear, stomping on the pedal to hear that exhaust and hanging your arm out the window to see what it's feel like to cruise in it. I know I sure did. The time will come soon Jim. Just keep plugging away at what you're doing because you've already put a bunch of cool and unique touches to this truck. I can only imagine how cool it's going to be once it's ready to run

[Stepside Jim]

Kim and Bomp, thank you.

_Ogre and dubie, on one hand, I'd hate to know the amount of hours I spend in the shop on the small stuff, but on the other hand, I'd be proud to realize my determination to see a project through to the end.

Oh, on the other hand, I'd hate to see the amount of time I've sat and stared or sat on the drivers seat and day dreamed of the finished product.

Still trying to check off the items I want to get finalized before paint. Since this truck has had a front clip, I've learned it's from a 1980ish Camaro, the bumper brackets don't hold the bumper exactly where I want it.

After cutting the brackets in half to get the height I want and slicing the ears to weaken them so I can adjust them to get the angle of the bumper how I want it, it's time to get these welded and looking like they never got cut up.

I'll show a comparison of the left and right, one done and finished.

[Kim57]

Looking real nice.
Kim

[Stepside Jim]

Moving forward, I'm trying to think of all the odds and ends that need to be considered before paint.

One item that comes to mind is a mount, or support for the fuse block. Looking through the discussions about wiring I never see much about how and where everybody is mounting the fuse block.

So here goes..... I know I don't want holes drilled into the firewall. I know I don't want it easily seen, yet I want to find the fuses when I need to find them.

After looking for a good spot I decided on a bracket that will attach to the brake pivot. There isn't a good flat surface to weld to, so the bracket will need to follow the contour of the brake pivot.


I made it as a two piece bracket, I figure once to wiring is routed and I made one long bracket I may never get the brake pivot out again if I need to with all the wires in place.


Now bolt on the extension for the fuse block to mount to.


Now with the fuse block in place. I have plenty of space on the sides and behind the fuse block to route the wires where needed.


Ok, check one more item off the "to do" list.