"Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion

[N2TRUX]

I spent an hour with a wire cup on my 4" grinder and got the frame clean back to front. Once that was done I sanded the surface rust and cleaned it thoroughly.

With the frame cleaned I moved on to the floor pan. I spent a while with a course wire brush and Scotch Brite getting the years of accumulated dirt cleaned away. After blowing the remains clean I blasted it down with brake cleaner.

[N2TRUX]

Another blast with the air nozzle and I sprayed the floor with undercoating. I use Duplicolor UC102 on the cab and bed floor. It covers well and dries reasonably quick. It's about half the price of some other brands

[N2TRUX]

The undercoating flashed over so I painted the frame. I'll have to give it another coat once it cured. The humidity came up and it blushed a bit. I'll scuff it again and get a clean top coat tomorrow. Time to clean up.

[N2TRUX]

I had several service calls this morning so I had to go earn my keep. When I got home I found a package from Benchmark Abrasives I will be working with them on a promotional project next week on my @n2trux media feed. They sent me a sample of their abrasive products to test out.

I tried the wire cup on my 4" grinder to clean the frame. It's a nice compact size that fits in tight spots yet still has a nice size face area to clean flat surfaces. The company offers premium products at very competitive prices so look them up for your abrasive needs.

[N2TRUX]

Last night I wrapped up the drivers outside frame rail and floor pan. Today I worked on the passenger side. I used my new Benchmark Abrasives wire cup to work my way down the frame rail. I stripped all of the factory undercoating off down to the stock E coating.
Once again I sanded the raw spots, then wiped clean with brake cleaner.

[N2TRUX]

I blew the dust away one last time and went to work with the Krylon. I gave it several light coats letting it cure between. The latest formula of Krylon is still tricky to get coverage so patience is required.

[N2TRUX]

Chris came over today so we teamed up and knocked out a couple of projects. We wanted to get the truck running again which meant two major hurdles needed to be overcome.
First off we needed power to start the truck. Since we converted the clip to 73-80 style it required a new battery tray. I found the best prices at Summit Racing.
The tray is a stamped piece and it's a bit rough around the edges so I cleaned it up with my new Benchmark Abrasives flapper disc.

[N2TRUX]

Once we had the battery installed we teamed up on the gas tank. We used some left over sound deadner to replace the factory rub strips. We cleaned or replaced the fuel lines and cinched everything down tight.

[N2TRUX]

We hung the tank and reconnected the hard lines. We filtered the fuel back in the tank and checked that everything was clear under the hood. With a bit of coaxing Jake roared back to life. It's such a rush to hear a truck start up after it's been apart for a while. Its enhanced when it has no mufflers.

[N2TRUX]

After we high fives and fist bumped, Chris had to head home. My celebration was over and it was time to get down and dirty.

Once again I crawled under the truck. This time was equipped with a new tool. Rather than clean the floor pan with a wire brush I used my new nylon bristle cup from Benchmark Abrasives.
I ran it ina Dewalt drill and it really expedited the cleaning process.

[N2TRUX]

After a thorough cleaning with brake cleaner I wiped the area dry. I slowly worked my way from back to front overlapping the coats for a nice even texture.
As you can see I ran short of material at the back edge of the cab. I'll touch that up later this week.

[rustytruck50]

Looks great Ken!!! That's a Te-di-ous job, but looks so nice when done!!!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

Looks great Ken!!! That's a Te-di-ous job, but looks so nice when done!!!

Its slow and dirty, but well worth the effort. This was a 99% rust free truck, and I plan to keep it that way. Although it is minimal, the undercoating adds another layer of sound deadner as well.

[Advanced Design]

Looks much better! Nice work. So how did the bristle brush perform and hold up in comparison the the typical wire brush?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

Looks much better! Nice work. So how did the bristle brush perform and hold up in comparison the the typical wire brush?

It was easier to work with due to its lighter weight. I was able to use it in my Dewalt 20v rather than a 4" grinder. The smaller cup also fit better in tight spots. The down side was its physical size meant it covered less surface area. I would say the pluses out weighed the minuses.

[moregrip]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Its slow and dirty, but well worth the effort. This was a 99% rust free truck, and I plan to keep it that way. Although it is minimal, the undercoating adds another layer of sound deadner as well.

I remember "wire wheeling" an entire frame and chassis down to bare metal when I was 16 for paint, not for the faint of heart! That is definitely some love!! I imagine that same task for us over 40 folks smarts a bit more!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by moregrip

I remember "wire wheeling" an entire frame and chassis down to bare metal when I was 16 for paint, not for the faint of heart! That is definitely some love!! I imagine that same task for us over 40 folks smarts a bit more!

I had been using one of my older grinders that was extremely heavy simply because it had the wire cup on it. I have 4 full size and a couple of 4" grinders.

After a session of holding one of the larger grinders over my head, I had an epiphany and put the wire cup on the 4" grinder. Work smarter, not harder.

[N2TRUX]

I plan to get back on the core support soon, so I decided to work on some small parts that I will need. I literally started with a blank page so I need everything to make it complete.
Tonight I worked on restoring a set of GM headlight buckets. I considered replacements but wasn't impressed with the quality.

I found a good usable set and got to work.

[N2TRUX]

I tried the wire cup but it was to aggressive. I switched to the nylon cup and it was just right. The softer bristles cut through the dirt and rust, but didnt damage the original paint. A thorough cleaning followed by a rinse in brake cleaner got them ready for primer.

[N2TRUX]

I scuffed them down with Scotch Brite and laid on a few coats of primer.

[N2TRUX]

While the buckets were curing I polished the stainless trim rings. One had a broken mounting tab so I repaired it with a pop rivet.
Some quality time with chrome polish and they looked like new again..

[N2TRUX]

Worked late again last night. No real progress on Jake. I did pull some NOS trim parts from my stash for a good friend. I need a passenger side NOS front fender "horse shoe".

If you have one please PM me with details

[N2TRUX]

Today my work took me North of town. I took advantage of this and went by my buddy Donny shop at the end of the day. He had an 84+ tilt column that was exactly what I needed. It had the typical column wobble, by Donny is a pro at getting the screws tight and the column like new again.
Unfortunately he put a steel pick through the end of his finger and that ended the progress for tonight.

The up side is he also had a pair of 73-80 gas tank shields for me. I feel the shields add a finishing touch, and they offer protection from rock chips.

[N2TRUX]

Tonight I got some shop time in so I wrapped up a couple of small pieces. I had ran out of satin black so I grabbed some on the way home.
I painted the headlight buckets and restored the adjustment springs.
I believe in replacing parts that wear, and restoring factory pieces when possible.

[N2TRUX]

I worked on the gas tank shields as well. First they got a good bath, then scuffed for adhesion. I trimmed them down to fit the new tank a little better. I'll give the a little texture with undercoating and paint them before installing.