Build that 71 402 already

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Picked some things up from the candy store today. A sample - he painted the core support as well. The bed extensions were sprayed in the same material as under the bed & cab. Same material sprayed underneath the skirts.

Saw the cab as well, ochre is done. He plans to finish it this weekend

[IronCanine]

Hot Dog that's some good looking mustard!

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by IronCanine

Hot Dog that's some good looking mustard!

......Looks dull as heck in that pic. too.

Everyone I've known personally less the guy painting it & his wife have said "Nooooooo!, not Ochre". Been that way 30 years. Those left who have seen what's here change their tune on the positive side Either way it's subtle & suits, IMO.

My mother was a big supporter, less Ochre of course She always wanted to see, kept asking why it was taking so long Heck I don't know, while everyone else is finishing parts I have a gauge sensor on the wrong head, meaning a plug on the wrong head too Means I might need that impact I keep putting off, ordered one today.

Money pit, but when I see guys blowing 70K on new 1/2 ton trucks loaded up, at least we get something out of it and cool tools too

[DeadheadNM]

Now I want a pretzel. Love it.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

I'd put this on the comic's board but there isn't one. See if I didn't do some things the hard way sometimes I wouldn't do them, and here's a great example, plus you have to appreciate the tape job.

The door is great, had some rust inside, so I brushed on POR15. Along the hinge required a tiny 14" long foam brush & flashlight of course, but that's okay, I got this and it aint gonna be perfect Pretty nice inside, but honest to heck a small band of steel missed with metal prep, painted anyway & came right off with the tape (ha!). Tells you something about POR15, dollars to donuts Masterseries wouldn't have, I've used that on parts without treatment & still the mother of all coats I've seen, should have used it but I guess I wanted black.

Downside of the hard way is it isn't as clean. Upside only I will know the difference, it will outlive me by miles anyway and I get to keep the rivets

Anyway, the rest should be painted tomorrow or so with the defrost & heater box, Giving this to him prepped of course, I spent 80 hours on it Somehow I'd like to etch the metal, but not sure how to do that without a rinse. Think I'll just use a wax/grease remover, call it good.

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by 71CHEVYSHORTBED402

...Downside of the hard way is it isn't as clean. Upside only I will know the difference...

Tony...you just told all of us.


And nice tape job.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by IronCanine

Tony...you just told all of us.


And nice tape job.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Cutting the mustard.

Story about the painter. I worked with his wife, she's a remarkable woman and very smart too. She ran her department, and I was an analyst who wrote up her puter systems. We made things easy despite the system around us

I mentioned some work on my 05 Tundra, she mentions her husband and I figure if she's with him he must be something, which was a good guess. Then we figure he's going to paint my 1971, while he and especially I had no idea what we we're getting into. Oh sure, "I ought to be able to do this project in 18K" Anyway, he's as much or more excited where things are going, we started this must be five years ago. Bed took him a while, but I'm slow at this anyway. He's caught too far up this point, need my radiator for starts, I have to bend transmission lines yet.

Oh yeah, the guy that was supposed to paint my evap. case can't today, his wife's water broke.

Think when this gets home I'll install the first thing removed, the coat hanger Josh delivers too I'm a lucky guy.

[Mapearso]

Originally Posted by 71CHEVYSHORTBED402

Cutting the mustard.

Story about the painter. I worked with his wife, she's a remarkable woman and very smart too. She ran her department, and I was an analyst who wrote up her puter systems. We made things easy despite the system around us

I mentioned some work on my 05 Tundra, she mentions her husband and I figure if she's with him he must be something, which was a good guess. Then we figure he's going to paint my 1971, while he and especially I had no idea what we we're getting into. Oh sure, "I ought to be able to do this project in 18K" Anyway, he's as much or more excited where things are going, we started this must be five years ago. Bed took him a while, but I'm slow at this anyway. He's caught too far up this point, need my radiator for starts, I have to bend transmission lines yet.

Oh yeah, the guy that was supposed to paint my evap. case can't today, his wife's water broke.

Think when this gets home I'll install the first thing removed, the coat hanger Josh delivers too I'm a lucky guy.

That looks great! Thanks for the detailed write-up!

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

It's not Ochre it's "Spanish Gold" I'm a bit color challenged, but in the right light & that clear it's easy to see why the nic. Real happy with the dash.

Word is can take six months to receive tailored wire harnesses for vintage. Everything is slow now due COVID. I was hoping to wire it up without doors. Doesn't look like that will happen, I'd rather not leave Josh hanging. His last payday is when the moldings are on. Dude has caught too far up while I sit parts prison.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Temperature parts painted up. I still need to recondition the fiberglass yet, but I think I'll let the paint cure a good while first, just in case. I only remember my former stepdad saying don't "wax" a paint job for three months. He was a body/paint guy. Perhaps paints have changed, but I'm in no hurry.

[IronCanine]

Looking good!

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by IronCanine

Looking good!

Thanks Iron. He didn't paint the A/C diverter, it's just there for comparison. He's a fine finisher, and today talked me into epoxy on truck badges. I was say what? He says yeah, perfect. So what the heck, see what happens.

How cool would it be to epoxy badges blue like the bowties? I don't mean the frames but the letters & numbers, perhaps black frames. I'm very tempted to do that for spares and options, just for something different. Near as I can tell epoxy is gloss, so either way it's a little off. Another reason to go blue

Lucky to have found this dude, he lives a few miles from me and can do any finish a guy likes, Ceracote, PC, chrome clone, etc. etc. Heck, he says he can make an emblem from scratch, it's quite a shop.

[88Stanger]

Well I just read your entire thread and damn what a journey you took me on!! The detail you take, the doc. is just awesome! I am kinda that way, maybe not a good as you, but i do believe in baggies for parts, labels and keeping things on check. Anyways, love that. Sorry for all your loss, but happy for all your gains. This will be one epic build!!!

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Thank you 88. Two items on this truck left me scratching my head for years, one how to fit rear bumper brackets & the other a divorce for this operation. Didn't find either when I tore her down. Both issues seem to have been solved yesterday, I fitted the modified brackets, and picked up the choke & overhauled Rochester.

Leaf springs on a 2WD SWB is not a blessing. It's a rare frame, and they don't sell bumper brackets for these frames, despite claiming otherwise. Anyway, this is how I got "coil spring" type brackets to work. Luck has it I had the OEM outer brackets and found NOS inner brackets off a board member, for a "coil spring" frame.

I think a shim in the form of a washer is in order for this application, fit between the frame rail on outer brackets. It improves the alignment and should help avoid a disappointment when the brackets are torqued to the frame. Dummy bent this bumper when he installed it on the wrong brackets 30 years ago, what a disaster all the way around. Note to self, install the bumper side first

Curious if anyone can measure from the lower rear bed to the top of the bumper on their factory installed sport bumpers. I think this has to be close or nuts, any further mod pending installation of the bed. Thank you.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Original carb studs fit better than clone, so I cleaned up the studs from years of abuse and dipped them in caldwell's oxide & sealant. First time I tried it to the letter, nice stuff. Dipped the retainers in plastic dip. Couple of original better than new, they were 2K first. I'm guessing a 10SI won't take that alternator clip though

Paint divider fits like a glove, a board member wanted to give them to me for nothing but shipping. He polished them up too

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Chevy COVID blues

Got some good things done, including the transmission lines I didn't have from start, former owner cut them to install an auxiliary cooler completely bypassing the radiator Very cool to see the clip from the oil pan saved 28 years ago hangs the lines exactly as intended, I'll take some pics some point. Less two hours work I'm out of work, and here's why

Waiting on a truss head for the remote choke three weeks. I really want that truss head, I get 100 of them, $8. When I get that I'll mount up the carb and everything but the air cleaner cuz it's been with my nephew so-to-speak three months He says next week He's got my brake booster and steering column too.

I can't speak for small block fan shrouds but factory was supposed to and never did bend the lips on the core support for lower brackets, that I knew. What I didn't know but figured out they're suppose to bend the upper brackets too. They're back with powder coater, he won't be long. So there's why so many BBC shrouds were torn up by fans. Should see all the holes in the one I took off the truck, miss, miss, miss again I picked up a replacement years ago, it's nice, needed a little touch-up on top, I do that tomorrow assuming it's calm, there's a whole half hour. Say, you guys ever spray em? They're plastic with a clear coat on top. I'm using Krylon Fusion on the very top rear section only. Over the years the clear burns off on top, same on both my shrouds, the satin turned out nice on my spare shroud, though I think the original sheen was a pinch more glossy.

Cab and bed aren't on the frame yet, waiting for paint guys to give me the high sign, I could use a lift

Lost my window guy, I suspect he's serving time or threatened to. May have found another guy though.

A month wait so far for Original Air's signal for the A/C restore.

three month wait so far for rubber & seals for the glass. Can't get the vent windows done until then, and I won't be doing them. Can't do the window frames until then either, one needs attention, the shop can do that too. They can install windows too, but they're 30 miles away, and if they break the glass it's my expense............fun!

Word is custom wire harnesses are taking 6 months, I'm in 3 months so far.

Three shots at the correct divorce choke, the guy who rebuilt the carb is an edlebrock guy, so he orders one for the SBC, I call, he orders one for the BBC, doesn't work either, but they're part numbers 1931 & 1935, which is the same as my mother and step-father's birth years, yeah thanks for the reminder Life's a twist sometimes right. Going pretty good beyond that though, the clouds finally cleared. But I want to finish this truck already, it's been 5-6 years.

[GSFMECH]

Very very nice

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

See man, all I had to do was whine about it and things begin to click. The painters show up Thursday to stack the cab & bed. Contacted a window due he can do all and vent windows too pending the numbers, I got 2 bucks that say Original Air gives good news assuming they return my call

Man if only I could get that Truss head screw Heck maybe I'll get a wire harness too, who knows, though still holding out hope this is off my plate by year end

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

I was literally down to just cleaning the headlight beams but never got to it, but after today the list running through my head is long right. I'm still working on the bed to cab alignment, but that will come easy enough.

Took some pics of angles I'll never see again, and put her to bed forever it wouldn't last a day around my Shepard. But I did tell him it's a rattle snake, seemed to catch his attention The lab would get around to it too, they destroy my Subaru which is why I bought one

Ha, just noticed my new cap is on there. Delivered today. I'm running Rallys instead but they're back-up Nice cap, only need one more

[pjmoreland]

Your truck is amazing..

What is the truss head screw you're looking for?

[IronCanine]

Looking good!

[Getter-Done]

Amazing Work










.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

Your truck is amazing..

What is the truss head screw you're looking for?

Thank you, I'm a bit bewildered for lack of a better term. Got the cab set for now, pending what some weight does to it. Worst case scenario the front bed is raised 1/8" on both sides.

Here's those nasty truss head screws Estimated delivery April 26thAt the moment they're 30 miles from me, so, progress.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124239453786


OMG, I received the screws, only three weeks late. See thing is, USPS probably set it aside, and they slit the top open to see what's inside. They probably hoped for precious stones, surprised they didn't fall out. I don't trust USPS at all, year ago they stole from me, I know for a fact. They wouldn't respond to the complaint, what a great group.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Feels good to get something done in the cab. That and be off the parking brakes. Still have to adjust them. The service manual says one click and there should be a drag, what the heck? Think that means I'm pulling the tires again, that's pretty close though I suppose shoes wear out anyway I was going to save the handle and pad for "fun day", but I like throwing out boxes too well.

The manual I'm writing is half the battle. It's come in real handy, but I wrote this mess 4 years ago when I didn't know anything, and this end gives new perspective anyway. Edit, edit, edit & simplify. Did that BS for a living a long time, but this beats any business or system process short NASA Finishing the truck will be a blessing, but the manual is a hassle though it will be good to finish that too.

The transmission line clip off the oil pan is one of my favorite parts ecstatic to see new transmission lines slip in there with ease. I put that into a box near 30 years ago, discovered it when I started this, didn't know what it was.