What did you do with your truck today, Part 3

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by idbeast

Thanks everyone for all the kind comments!

Jim its a GM color called Sunburst Orange Metallic [Orange]

Picked up the cab and used their 2 post lift to set the cab on my frame, then I went to pay my bill and they told me that it was such a pleasure to work on sometime that didn't need any work at all, they only charged me for the painters wages for the hours worked, which included 5 coats of clear at my request... $420 for my paint job which I supplied the PPG paint and clear for!!!!

That was DAMN nice of them on the paint, holy cow that should have been a LOT more! You better bring them a 12 pack of some good stuff at the very least.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

My brother the motor master did a tune up on Marge for me. Check this out, I didn't have a feeler gauge to check the point gap and he eye balled it. After he did this he told me that he used to be able to do this no problem but I better go get a feeler gauge set. I ran to the parts store and got back for him to check it and it was perfectly .020! Damn when you have done something as long as he has you can do things like that!

We got it done ("we", I did next to nothing) and Marge is running great again.

The bummer of the day was that my brother saw what I didn't want to thus I hadn't, the rear axle housing for my truck is bent. CRAP, I checked it out and sure enough it's off quite a bit. Sooooo, now I have another step before I can get it into primer.
I learned this long ago, should have been more observant, when those spring pads are welded on you can't apply much heat or when it cools it shrinks one side of the tube. I didn't check it, but I didn't think it was an issue being the welds were pretty lame that were holding the pads on. Didn't look like they got real good penetration so I never even checked. The thing is, they may have torched the old pads off and that would have created a bunch of heat if done wrong. Sooooooo they are warped. I have dealt with it before, years ago on a friends Model A that he had the rear spring shackle mounts welded on by a "pro" and warped the rear BAD. So I will get-ur-done.


Brian

[Kevin Mac]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

kevin m ...what caused the wheel to drop off?...sounds like you got lucky if you had no damage...

Man I guess I did't tighten the lug nuts. That's a first for me. I only went around the block. I drove back around in my Tahoe and found 4 lug nuts at one intersection right before I got on 50 mph blacktop for about 300 yards before turning onto my street. Lucky I didn't go farther down the blacktop, I was so happy the brakes were working good, they haven't been right since I bought the truck 2 years ago. The vac booster never had enough vac to work right I guess.

Mac

[MARTINSR]

I have fixed a number of cars that left shops with the lug nuts loose, not good!

Brian

[idbeast]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

That was DAMN nice of them on the paint, holy cow that should have been a LOT more! You better bring them a 12 pack of some good stuff at the very least.

Brian

Everyone thanks for all the kind comments!

Brian, I took care of them very well!!!

[evilokc]

this weekend while tearing around town in the death rattle I noticed it was gushing coolant. I crawled under it and its from the lower hose. looks like the screw on the hose clip broke off. luckily I just bought a box of hose clamps because you never know when you need one. unluckily they are all to small. so hose clamp this week.

[svr]

Idbeast tell your painter ill be right over with paint and will pay double, wow very nice

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by svr

Idbeast tell your painter ill be right over with paint and will pay double, wow very nice

LOLOLOL, really, I was thinking the same thing! I can paint mine myself and I wouldn't think of it with a deal like that! Look at that truck, that sucker is BEAUTIFUL! DAMN I hope my truck looks half as good!

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Sooooo, what did I do today, not a friggin thing on the truck. I had a lazy day for sure. But I did get a few things on ebay to sell, and sold a few things on ebay and got them in the mail to help pay for the truck. All money I make selling this stuff goes into my truck account.

Now, getting back to the truck. My brother was over and just talking in the living room about life and childhood and my truck and his car (his 39 that he bought just a few years after I got my truck in the seventies) and he sparked me a little on the idea of keeping my bed instead of buying a new one. The whole truck has been stripped to bare metal and epoxy primed, was planning on buying a new bed because stripping this one and doing all the body work over would be MASSIVE. But simply sanding this lacquer paint and applying epoxy primer over it wouldn't be a big deal. I just hate to do it being the chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, lacquer primer that's like a friggin wire tie as the first chain link!

But I am giving it all another thought. I would love to have the original bed that I did 40 years ago and get-ur-done!

So I will be thinking.............................. The money for a new bed I could get my motor rebuilt for goodness sakes.

Brian

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

Now, getting back to the truck. My brother was over and just talking in the living room about life and childhood and my truck and his car (his 39 that he bought just a few years after I got my truck in the seventies) and he sparked me a little on the idea of keeping my bed instead of buying a new one. The whole truck has been stripped to bare metal and epoxy primed, was planning on buying a new bed because stripping this one and doing all the body work over would be MASSIVE. But simply sanding this lacquer paint and applying epoxy primer over it wouldn't be a big deal. I just hate to do it being the chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, lacquer primer that's like a friggin wire tie as the first chain link!

But I am giving it all another thought. I would love to have the original bed that I did 40 years ago and get-ur-done!

So I will be thinking.............................. The money for a new bed I could get my motor rebuilt for goodness sakes.

Brian

I'm with your brother. I'm keeping lots of ugly old parts on my truck just to retain the character, originality and provenance. Look up the "Ship of Theseus" Paradox: it basically asks how many parts of a '48 Chevy pickup can you replace before it is no longer even a '48 Chevy pickup at all?

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

<snip> keeping my bed...<snip>... sanding this lacquer paint and applying epoxy primer over it...<snip>.

I did this on my '55 sedan body in 1981 - which had had one lacquer repaint -- but I used lacquer primer (Ditzler DZL-72) instead of epoxy. The nose was stripped to bare metal and done "right". To this day I can't tell the difference.

I also painted over a single repaint on my '64 Vette in 1996. Still looks perfect today. Go for it and save the $$s!

[MARTINSR]

Thanks so much guys, I am thinking I am going to do this. It's a bummer I stripped the header panel, OMG that took me HOURS to ruin. It was straight and painted, could have been left alone, crap! That panel I will have to replace, I am not going to re-do that one.
But I am thinking you are right and I love hearing that Bob, thanks.

I just want to DRIVE IT!

Brian

[dsraven]

so, you use the old bed and it's great for awhile and you get to drive the truck. a long time later (in dog years) the paint cracks or some other defect appears due to the laquer primer. well, now you have all the time in the world to get another bed all ready and painted while still driving around with the original bed on the truck.
just get'er done. drive the crap outta that old bed. lol.

[DransportGarage]

Here's my crappy paintover from 1981 (taken 2017):

[mikebte]

Originally Posted by DransportGarage

Here's my crappy paintover from 1981 (taken 2017):

Still looks good from this distance.

[DeeJayNOLA]

Sometimes you get lucky. I really wish I can find someone to paint my mistress out here in ABQ, NM. Of all the car events and guys i've talked to I keep rolling snake eyes. No lucky 7 yet.....

[MiraclePieCo]

Snow is finally off the roads so I took my panel truck for a brief spin around the block yesterday. Yeah, I know it's a dirty mess - I'm waiting to wash it until I get the windows and doors sealed.

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by mikebte

Still looks good from this distance.

Thanks, Mike. I was kidding about the "crappy" part. It won triple trophies at the CCC Northeast Regionals in 1982 and still looks about like it did then.

[DeeJayNOLA]

Originally Posted by idbeast

Thanks everyone for all the kind comments!

Jim its a GM color called Sunburst Orange Metallic [Orange]

Picked up the cab and used their 2 post lift to set the cab on my frame, then I went to pay my bill and they told me that it was such a pleasure to work on sometime that didn't need any work at all, they only charged me for the painters wages for the hours worked, which included 5 coats of clear at my request... $420 for my paint job which I supplied the PPG paint and clear for!!!!

Sometimes you get lucky. I really wish I can find someone to paint my mistress out here in ABQ, NM. Of all the car events and guys i've talked to I keep rolling snake eyes. No lucky 7 yet.....

[idbeast]

Originally Posted by DeeJayNOLA

Sometimes you get lucky. I really wish I can find someone to paint my mistress out here in ABQ, NM. Of all the car events and guys i've talked to I keep rolling snake eyes. No lucky 7 yet.....

DeeJayNOLA, believe me I know! I literally had the truck in a different body shop to be painted and was told it would take a week and a half, and cost at least $5000, even though it was all ready paint! When I dropped off all the pieces, the production mgr told me he'd didn't think it would get done that soon as he wasn't even told about it. So I went a different route and 3 days later, had it home!

[MARTINSR]

No truck work last night, had to shore up one of my fence posts.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

So I fell asleep watching a basketball game tonight and didn't think I could make it out to the garage for my five minutes, but I did so and worked a half hour or so on making a measuring jig like tool for my rear axle housing so I can straighten it.

I also paid the bill for my dropped axle and all and it's on the way home! WHOOOOO HOOOO!

Brian

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

I also paid the bill for my dropped axle and all and it's on the way home! WHOOOOO HOOOO!
Brian

That was FAST!

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by MiraclePieCo

That was FAST!

You know the real funky part of my dropped axle story? Back a number of years ago a co-worker bought an AD truck. A super nice driver and it had a dropped axle and five lugs. One day I asked him if I could drive it and it drove SOOOOOOOO nice, OMG it drove soooo nice. I came back to work convinced I didn't need my Camaro clipped frame that I had made years before (yeah this truck has been apart for 30 years) and I traded the camaro clipped frame for a stocker and I was going to do what I am doing now, done deal. Well a year or so later my co-worker fell into modding his truck and removed the dropped axle! He told me I could have it all for free. Front axle, tri-five rear end, the whole bit. Right on, one problem the MORON who had done his swap (it sucked by the way, he has had nothing but problems with it since) had a shop FULL of crap (hoarder, how he makes a dime is beyond me) and MY axles were buried at the back of the shop with cars a few inches part in front of them so I couldn't get to them!
I went to the shop for months over and over to get them and never could. Next thing you know about a year later another co-worker got an AD and the first guy gave HIM my frigging axles! WTH? He went and got them and brought them back to the shop. I ended up getting the rear axle (will be running it in my truck) and he took the dropped front one home.
This was a number years ago, 5-10 years. I have tried to get that dropped axle all this time, he has never used it. I offered him good money for it, no, his brother was going to use it. Well, he is out of work from an injury,has been a year or more and he comes by every once in a while and I ask him about it EVERY TIME. He needs to ask his brother he would say. I know he needs money bad and I have told him I would give him a bunch for it.
Last time I saw him I told him in a few days I would be sending mine, so find out if you can sell that one!

Well, a week after I sent my axle to SID's I get a text from him asking me if I want it! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Brian, sorry if I have posted this before.



.

[mikebte]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

You know the real funky part of my dropped axle story? Back a number of years ago a co-worker bought an AD truck. A super nice driver and it had a dropped axle and five lugs. One day I asked him if I could drive it and it drove SOOOOOOOO nice, OMG it drove soooo nice. I came back to work convinced I didn't need my Camaro clipped frame that I had made years before (yeah this truck has been apart for 30 years) and I traded the camaro clipped frame for a stocker and I was going to do what I am doing now, done deal. Well a year or so later my co-worker fell into modding his truck and removed the dropped axle! He told me I could have it all for free. Front axle, tri-five rear end, the whole bit. Right on, one problem the MORON who had done his swap (it sucked by the way, he has had nothing but problems with it since) had a shop FULL of crap (hoarder, how he makes a dime is beyond me) and MY axles were buried at the back of the shop with cars a few inches part in front of them so I couldn't get to them!
I went to the shop for months over and over to get them and never could. Next thing you know about a year later another co-worker got an AD and the first guy gave HIM my frigging axles! WTH? He went and got them and brought them back to the shop. I ended up getting the rear axle (will be running it in my truck) and he took the dropped front one home.
This was a number years ago, 5-10 years. I have tried to get that dropped axle all this time, he has never used it. I offered him good money for it, no, his brother was going to use it. Well, he is out of work from an injury,has been a year or more and he comes by every once in a while and I ask him about it EVERY TIME. He needs to ask his brother he would say. I know he needs money bad and I have told him I would give him a bunch for it.
Last time I saw him I told him in a few days I would be sending mine, so find out if you can sell that one!

Well, a week after I sent my axle to SID's I get a text from him asking me if I want it! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Brian, sorry if I have posted this before.
.

Great story! Sucks that people often wait too long before letting stuff go to waste.

When I was in sales I would have stuff that would sit and not sale. I would mark it as SOLD online and people would come out of start calling wanting to know if it was still available. I have no clue how the human mind works, but its confusing.