Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window

[Dan in Pasadena]

Oh, thank you very much. Very nice of you.

Just back from a vacation with two of our now-three little grand daughters. It’s a true blessing to be able to spend time with little ones. They’re as genuine and loving as can be.

The two older ones, Isla & Charlotte went with us and the 8 week old one is with my daughter, Katie - her mother and the mother of the blonde one, Isla.

Sorry for the pics. i just can’t get enough of the little varmits

[Dan in Pasadena]

...Now, back to our regularly scheduled program....

[G&R's57GMC]

Now Dan , Dan, Dan ... Don't do anything rash .
These things take a long time, remember .
Delays happen , things don't always go as planed or hoped for.

Last year I pushed hard to get my Dart ready for Kool April Nights in Redding. Last thing it needed was alignment , I got it into the alignment shop on the day of the Cruise it got a sun bath all day then they rushed it at the end of the day and got it to me just in time for the cruise. Great ! I got to drive it a few miles.

After K.A.N. I took it to the body shop so we could schedule it in for some body work and paint. They said they would call when they had room for it and I should strip off the trim and bumpers in prep for them, so I did that day in April 2017 and then the wait began .... I kept checking with them every week or two . Then finally they were ready two months before 2018 K.A.N.

When I drove it over to the body shop I noticed the steering wheel was no longer centered .

Well the body shop finally got done with it and it looks great but they want it back so they can paint the underside of the hood. They said take it home so the paint can harden .
I drove it home and put on the lift in the garage without even taking pictures of it the day before we left for a month long trip up through Oregon and down the coast.

When it was on the lift I checked the upper control arm cam bolts. The alignment shop didn't tighten the upper control arm cam bolts the year before. Don't ya love it !

I still have to do the trim and make a run to Sacramento to pick up my bumpers at the chrome shop.

Get the hood to the body shop . Order a bunch of parts . Start on the interior redo . And maybe get to drive it before winter sets in.

Also the gas in the new tank is over a year old and has moisture in it. It just never ends ! But I'll get over it .

Cute kiddos G'Pa.

Ok now back to the regular program ....

[oldman3]

Dan, beautiful pictures of the family. Your like most grandparents, proud of your grandbabies...Jim

[Russell Ashley]

Dan, you just have to be proud of those beautiful grand daughters, and that pic of your daughter with the new girl is over the top. That has to be a keeper. I'd have that one blown up and framed, although you probably have plenty of framed pics of the girls already, LOL. On a less important topic, I'm sorry that your truck build is dragging but it will get done, just don't let the delays take away from the excitement.

[Nut Case]

Dan

That picture of your posterity is stunning


Keep on keepin on

NC

[lower50's]

I hear your pain the only 2 times I have ever dealt with a paint shop they screwed me over. I hope it all works out for you.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Hmmm, thought I posted this earlier today but it got lost in the ether I guess

A little update for my own reference later:

I had to rip 1/4”+ off my outer-most bed boards so the new angles strips will lay down flat in the board grooves. It doesnt seem this should be necessary in mass produced wood from an aftermarket supplier, but so it goes.

The polished angle strips will be bolted through the bedsides parallel to the bed strip bolts. Nuts will not be visible except under the fenders.

Marcos pre-fitted the windshield and found a < 1/8” gap between layers of sheet metal at the driver’s upper corner that isn’t there on the passenger side. This possibly explains why the windshield rubber never laid flat up there. He’s going to clamp this shut and use a sealer in the rubber.

I dropped off the door handle actuators and handles too. Once the windshield is in, there will be no way to get in the truck since the back window is in and the side windows up.

All window area and passenger side paint damage is now completed.

[G&R's57GMC]

Yea ! You're getting closer to driving it !

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by G&R's57GMC

Yea ! You're getting closer to driving it !

I wish.

There’s a street parade of older cars in my step son’s town of Atascadero - that’s in the Central Valley of California. I originally thought I’d have it in the 2017 parade! DOH!

[Black_Sheep]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

I wish.

There’s a street parade of older cars in my step son’s town of Atascadero - that’s in the Central Valley of California. I originally thought I’d have it in the 2017 parade! DOH!

You don’t want to compromise to meet some self-imposed deadline. Just keep moving forward and pretty soon it will be finished...

[G&R's57GMC]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

I wish.

There’s a street parade of older cars in my step son’s town of Atascadero - that’s in the Central Valley of California. I originally thought I’d have it in the 2017 parade! DOH!

Well I thought my Dart would be ready for K.A.N. this year , NOT .

BTW Atascadero is on the "Central Coast". Fresno is in the "Central Valley".

And yet Central Valley was the name of our town before we took a vote and changed it to the City of Shasta Lake or as we call it Shasta Lake City or Shasta Lake for short.

That just adds to the confusion when people think its Shasta Lake but they are referring to Lake Shasta .

Then there is Shasta , Shasta County , mount Shasta the mountian and the City of Mount Shasta .

But I digress .

You'll get to drive your truck to next years events ... with any luck.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Saturday, August 18, 2018

Status update for my record:

The angle strips are in though the bolts are not yet tightened.

The tailgate is on.
- But Marcos would like to use the factory trunions instead of the aftermarket poly ones. He says the aftermarket ones aren't "lifting" the gate quite as high as the stock ones and are going to cause chips in the paint. I don't know, we'll see when er swap them out.

- I dropped off the kick & door panels, lower hinge covers, ash tray, & dash block-off plate to him for installation. Windshield is still not installed.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Wednesday, August 23, 2018

After saying I wouldn’t I got lazy (& cheap) and bought Soffseal windshield rubber from The Truck Shop. The windshield was installed today. Once the little area where two layers of sheet metal were slightly spread apart on the driver side top, it went in great - I’m a little surprised, BUT... now I have a question. This rubber has a groove or line in it like it’s supposed to have a lock strip, but it doesn’t. Is this typical? I decided I wouldn’t use the stainless trim. But if I were to change my mind later, does that fit with this rubber or does it require a different rubber made for that purpose?

Apologies for the bad picture. Windshield was very dirty and low
Light. Windshield wiper escutcheons have also been installed with new gaskets.

[Flysocal]

Coming along nicely! Windows can be a ***** to get installed so good job. Front glass has 2 rubber versions. One without trim slot and one with trim slot. The trim is installed in slot prior to installing on vehicle. Judging by the quality of your build you may want to get the correct rubber and redo. Or install trim but you will need to remove glass. I’m an expert because it took me 3 attempts to get my BBW installed!

[Russell Ashley]

Dan, my truck had the original glass and rubber gasket in it when I got it, and that looks like my original one to me. If it is the rubber for the stainless trim it will have a slot that would be about 3/8ths of an inch deep. You might try sticking a thin object into the indention and see if it is actually a slot or just an indention. Nothing wrong with SoffSeal as I think they make a lot of the rubber products that are available for antique vehicles.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by Flysocal

Front glass has 2 rubber versions. One without trim slot and one with trim slot. The trim is installed in slot prior to installing on vehicle. Judging by the quality of your build you may want to get the correct rubber and redo. Or install trim but you will need to remove glass.

Thanks for the kind words on my build...but...

UGH! UGH! UGH! on possibly having to remove and reinstall the glass! Not having seen it I’m curious why the trim has to be installed in the rubber in advance? Is there no way to install it now, after the fact?

Of course I’ll be check the rubber to see if it’s a line or a slot. I bought it at The Car and Truck Shop locally and they sell both the standard and deluxe rubber. The counterman may have given me the deluxe and I didn’t know to check it. Too bad now because it’s been installed with sealer and would have to be cut off, so tough t!tty for me I guess.

[G&R's57GMC]

Hay Dan What's up ?

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by G&R's57GMC

Hay Dan What's up ?

Reassembly at body shop. Slow......as......water.....torture

I made the mistake (I guess) of going back to work as a consultant after being retired since the end of 2017. I’m hating getting up to an alarm clock again, the commute. But it’ll maybe replace some of the money I spent on the truck. It got away from me as I’ve mentioned here before and I spent more than I ever intended.

Truck is all together to look at it. Some trouble with attaching door latch actuators to Altman latches as you may have seen on a separate thread I posted. Ended up grinding the peening off the fasteners on the stock latches to spot weld them on the Altman latches.

All glass is in, interior trim. Glove box and a few misc pieces to be done before hooking up tail lights, 3rd brake light in rear window, having upholstery finished. Just takes forever. Thanks for caring enough to ask. Believe me, when there’s anything to show, I’ll take pictures and post them.

[G&R's57GMC]

Update sometime this week ?

[Dan in Pasadena]

Still in the shop, Glen. But thanks for remaining interested. I may stop by this afternoon though.

When I FINALLY get it back for good I'll take some pictures in some scenic spot - no idea where. I'll be out of town the next couple weeks but I plan to tell the painter I want it back for good when I get back.

[oldman3]

Tell the painter we are waiting for pics. He doesn't want to see us when we're angry...Jim

[lower50's]

Originally Posted by oldman3

tell the painter we are waiting for pics. He doesn't want to see us when we're angry...jim

lol

[Dan in Pasadena]

So I stopped by the painter's today and told him I will be back to get the truck October 11 or 12. Basically, everything he can do is done except putting the chrome lock strip in the rear window rubber.

I will have a little work to do when I get it back but not much: Side, hood & V8 emblems, mount the tail lights and rear license plate, etc.

I'll be making an appointment with the upholsterer soon but I know from last year that he does a lot of work for the SEMA show each year so I assume he'll be busy with that again this year and I will have to wait my turn in about November. Anyway, that's it for now.

PSW: Pics of the exterior; hopefully in some picturesque place, as soon as I get it back. Interior pics later.

[ChuckDriver]

Hope to see some pic's soon Dan!!