1958 SWB C4 Fleetside - NZ Build

[dsraven]

Exhaust is looking nicely put together. Have you thought about some heat shielding for stuff around the pipes?
Wheels look nice. Not sure it would be worth it for me personally to do all that work to fit the truck to the wheel. It's your dream though, so to each their own. Maybe try a rendering of what a fleetside box would look like if the wheel openings were flared that 2" you're talking about. Before you cut.
Love the pics.keep em coming.

[dsraven]

Sorry, didn't see the post about the heat shielding.
Carry on.....

[QBRacing]

Here is a photo of the super HPC coated front pipes and the 3 brackets that protect the trans selector, booster and master cylinder.

Also have tyres fitted now.

After much to-ing and fro-ing I have settled on 245/40/20 fronts and 275/35/20 rears. This is the best setup to allow max clearance to the swaybar and the outer lips of the guards.

Im thinking I might change the 400lb 9" springs to 8" springs as that is the lowest setting I can get them too. I could then level the rear and still lower the front just a little more

[dsraven]

Looks like it was fun getting all those bends to fit. Looks good completed.
Um, your bumper is crookid.

[QBRacing]

Here's a video as to
1) went with four 20x9.5s
2) why I'm still going to tub the rear
3) how I'm relocating the original battery box
4) paint

Enjoy

[QBRacing]

Sorry in advance for the up coming photo bomb but over the last week I have been buzy stripping and prepping for paint and just wanted to share.

As always I havemade a quick video if you follow my build blog on Youtube - YouTube Video 55

All I can say is 60 years of paint and paint and paint and paint and bog is fun to remove.....

So starting with the cab - I removed the primer I put on over 2 years ago after I stripped the cab. I thought it was etch but after removing it found it as epoxy so I could have just skotched it and relaid a second coat... oh well. Ive also done the filler work on the roof join and where one of the old owners used a cutoff wheel to remove some paint....

[QBRacing]

Then I moved onto the hood which had 4 layers of paint, 3 on top of the original green colour..... red white and black....

Needless to say the wire wheel and paint stripper won out and after close to 5 hours it was back to bare steel and ready for some primer too...

[QBRacing]

At this stage the thought did cross my mind to leave it bare steel but from what I have heard and the people I talked to said dont do it in our seaside , humid island conditions.

That didnt stop me from ripping into the guards and doors though (i still have 1 door to finish yet)

[QBRacing]

and the having learnt how to get all the paint and primer off effetively the first dor only took me about 3hrs to do back to bare steel (but I still have the lower jambs to finish)

[QBRacing]

We have paint ... well we started anyway.

Colour is drab olive green off an old Toyota Landcruiser. Think it will suit it with black accents.

Another short video

[QBRacing]

More painting complete.

Will be a little while before the doors are done as the bottom insides of both are shot. Ones full of pin holes located once bog removed. The other has some botch job done and there's no rubber mount holes or drains... it looks like they just welded over the old panel effectively making the inside and outside 1 piece... some people make me mad....

[_Ogre]

you need any help for the next 3-4 months?
we have this white stuff falling all over and i haven't seen the sun for a month

[QBRacing]

Thanks Ogre.
Summer here is lucky to hit 30 degrees as it is, rained all last week but we dont get white stuff here (that falls from the sky at least).
If you wanted to bring all my missing parts over that would also help


As for the truck.....
Windscreen and rear window installed.
Visor installed.
Trans tunnel bump finished and PCM finally mounted.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Good work so far!

Your color reminds me of my truck before I stripped it down to redo it. Sometimes I wish I'd redone it in the same Sage color it was. Yours is going to look great!

Mine was fugly primer when I bought it. I painted it with Rustoleum satin Sage Green spray cans. It actually held up well for several years.

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by QBRacing

Pic 2 - looking up

is that a heim join in that little rubber boot? where did you get the boot from!?!? how did i not know those were a thing!?!?

[57FleetsideC4]

Just went through your build thread. Our builds are similar but different. Excellent project going and can't wait to see it done. I am interested in all aspects of the build and will have questions if you don't mind. Keep up the good work and look forward to the progress. Steve

[QBRacing]

@6dog
Got the boot from the company that sold me the heim joint for the steering rack

@57fleetsideC4
No problems. Some will probably be answered in my build videos but if they aren't then ask away

AS FOR PROGRESS, its been slow and steady. Doing lots of little bits.

Mounted and wired the Dakota Digital GSS3000
Re ran the main fuse feed and a few other wires I wasn't happy with
Mounted the air delete cowel panel
Used eurothane on the inside of the cab where the wiper pivot protrudes
Made a paper gasket for the new chrome wiper bezels
Ran the washer pipes to the wheel arch
Started modifying my 2001 vt commodore washer bottle to fit in the lf guard
Mounted the new sun visor and rear view
Mounted the 10 double plates for the seatbelt mounts
Ran into an issue with the pcm. It wont fit under the seat due to the rod that runs the slider rails.... more to come ....
Re-worked the fuel pressure reg and finally mounted it
Reinstalled the swb fleetside tray I have
Ordered some new lower door skins (outer) and lower inner cuts too.
Ordered a new rightside fleetside skin

Think that's about it...

[QBRacing]

Been doing lots of little bits recently trying to get ready for "Beach Hop 2021".

Doors and fleetside wont be done but hope to have the rest of the cab and front end complete to make it a trailer pony at least

I've painted and mounted the hood emblem. Still undecided if I'm going to paint the chev emblem or not... ideas, thoughts

I've painted the headlamp covers, turn signal housings, door handles and fitted new locks to the doors and ignition.

I've moved the PCM again as I didn't like the wirin
g so close to the front drive shaft universal (for obvious reasons)

I fitted a driveshaft loop just incase

I've sanded one guard and hopefully will do the other tomorrow

Good things take time.

[6DoF]

the black accents are going to look soooooo good, love it.

[QBRacing]

Hopefully for the next week the updates will be steady as I try to nail out the small niggly things... for example, to night I

Sanded down the last guard so I can get into primer tomorrow.
Coated the inside of the guards with the stone chip stuff I used in the engine bay
Coated the upper radiator panel/bonnet support with stone chip.
Completed the battery mount and made a front support
Installed the rear led tail lights

[QBRacing]

I probably should have spent more time tidying up the rear of the cab looking at those dents (lol) ... but ... I really do need to get it all in paint for now.

I will come back and tidy that up later.... (bog and paint is new to me)

[57FleetsideC4]

Coming along good. What did you use to spray the chip guard? Also what size bolts 1/4" carriage or 5/16" carriage on the 2 inside bolts of the wheel tubs? The ones that go through the short strips? Thanks Steve

[QBRacing]

@57fleetsideC4
My mate has a gun that screws straight on top of the can. Being water based makes for a simple clean up. 1/2" bolt head for the lower inner fender to support brackets is about all I know. 5/16 most likely.

Guards all dewaxed and ready for snother primer spraying in my home made spray booth tomorrow...

[dsraven]

The gun is called an undercoating siphon feed shutz gun.
1/2" bolt head is 5/16" bolt. Correctamundo.

[57FleetsideC4]

Thanks QBRacing and dsraven. I have a body shutz gun. I figured that spot would use the 5/16 bolts but the mar k intructions for my fleetside bed has 1/4" bolts going there and if you look at it the wheel tub has big squares and the bed strip has small squares. Thanks for the information. Steve