'66 Longbed 327 w/AC project

[TJ's Chevy]

That wood rocks! And I used to think the wood in my truck looked perrty.

[cortcomp]

Thanks man! After scuffing last night (all 6 sides of every piece) with 3m scuff pad and then did 3 pretty good coats on all sides (about 1/3rd gallon of clear!) I should be able to block tonight (i wasn't comfortable blocking last night because of how thin the insgle coat was) and maybe get another coat on. I would like to be done with the bed wood by this weekend, or the latest monday or tuesday, so i can bring the T-37 home so i'm not paying another month storage on it.

[cortcomp]

Here it is today before i start blocking and recoat later, and the first pic showing how it could look if i was half as good as whoever did that truck!!!

[cortcomp]

After sanding 600 and grey scuff pad, and about another half gallon og clear (both sides but will be just adding to face from now on), some of the shallower grains are starting to fill.

[TJ's Chevy]

Hey uh......if you are feeling generous......HOW ABOUT SENDING THAT WOOD DOWN MY WAY!!!!!!!?!???!?!!!!

[cortcomp]

Blocked 600 again last night, only a couple boards were really not filling with grain. So, doing the face only, i sanded the boards and rated each board as 1, 2 or 3. 1 needing the least clear, 3 the most. Then i mixed up some clear, and moved SO SLOW with gun volume putting the most out. At one point it looked like waves blowing across a pond. It is amazing HOW FAST that stuff stiffens up. I put on a FEW coats that thick. On the boards rated three, i went over them AGAIN. For the first coats, i probably could have rolled it on to get it thick enough to sand down and be serious about filling the grain.

Now, if you're following at home, this is all a bad idea because it's expensive and this much clear can crack and whatnot. I probably have the equiv of 15-20 coats of clear on (laid in like 9 coats). Probably half of that sanded off. After two days, when sanding, i can still smell the clear coming off the board even though it's hard. And after painting, i leave the garage at 75 and it's dry as a bone in there. THIS IS NOT how you're supposed to use clear.

So anyways, here's what i came home to today...i THINK i can just block 1500 to level, then maybe 2500, then buff! Hopefully this weekend.

[TJ's Chevy]

WOWZA!!!!!! Looks good!!!!!!!!!!!

[cortcomp]

Some shots below, the ones with masked boards are the day after pouring clear on. The three boards with the sign are blocking 1000, then buffing 3m with the three color pads/compounds. You can still see the 1000 scratches up front, and the grain is still kind of wavy.

I have tons of 1000/1500/3000/5000 trizact pads, so i will spend the day tomorrow finishing blocking 1000 the other boards, and probably trizact all of them including these three, and buff them. I know it's extra work, and you really can't see the scratches because of the woodgrain behind them, but i have the pads and i am apparently a glutton for punishment. Then it's time to bring the chassis back from the front garage!

However the worst thing that can happen now is a board with no waves or ripples comes up, if one is perfect i know, i just KNOW i will be 600 all over the other boards and opening the clear back up...please just hope they all match so i can move on.

[CRGRS 66]

[CRGRS 66]

What I meant to say was, wood looks... Unbelievable

[cortcomp]

Thanks guys! It's been a lot of work, but i do love it, and man it should be protected, at least 5 coats on all 6 sides!

[cortcomp]

It's been a long weekend! After blocking all the boards 1000, i used the DA to do 1000/2500/3000/5000 yesterday. Today I used the buffer and the white/black/blue pads and compounds, took the tape off, wiped them all down and took some shots before stacking the wood and bringing the truck back in. I am very pleased!

Speaking of bringing the truck back in, glad to have it back in the garage to get it together! Going to try and have a back window made and installed and get the windshield installed, then get the bed together. Will sand and buff the roof and doors, and probably the fenders but do the fenders off the truck. Just got a call from the motor guy and should be good to go quickly. I have the feeling i have some late nights ahead of me!

[duallyjams]

That's some serious attention on the bed wood and it was worth it.

[TJ's Chevy]

Now....you better NEVER EVER haul ANY dirt OR ANYTHING AT ALL in that bed with THAT wood in there!!!!! That is just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to nice to get dirty!

[McMurphy]

Your bed came out amazing !!!
Well done !!

The wife just spotted your Pontiac and was wondering if there were more photos of it?
It has some similar body lines to her 72 LeMans Sport, so it caught her eye from over my shoulder....

[cortcomp]

Thanks for the compliments guys! Believe it or not, the photos don't even do the bedwood justice. It's not quite as smooth as the example i posted above from someone elses truck, but i am very pleased.


The 71 T-37, very close to the 72 lemans (except of course she probably has a hard top and this is a post sedan...)

Here are some pics throughout its life. It has the 17" ralleye 2s from year one on it now, there are some of the older pics with the 428 in it and the older wheels also here (also i lowered it 1.5")

This car is both fun and frustrating at the same time, because i can never stop fiddling with it and just let it be!

[cortcomp]

Couple more...one was from our wedding, when the car was barely together (clutch didn't disengage right, had all sorts of weird issues.)

[CRGRS 66]

Beauty T37 When I was a kid my neighbors had a T37, it was a fairly base model, but I thought my neighbors were pretty cool.

Btw, that is one beauty 57 in those pics, I drove a 57 short stepper when I was in high school

[cortcomp]

The T37 was base six cyl, bench seat, auto when it was made (and limekist green! Ugh!) It's been through a couple changes

That 57 is my father in laws, there are some pics back in the thread from when we had it at my house, it is a sweet ride. Mild 454, great interior and paint, 700-R4, just an overall great looking and riding truck.

[rustbucket66]

That wood for the box floor is beautiful. The grains really pop, by far the nicest I've ever seen. Awesome work,

[CRGRS 66]

My neighbors T37 was the same color, no idea what was under the hood, I was a wee lad, just loved the look of that car

[cortcomp]

Still waiting on glass and motor, so been blocking and sanding the doors and roof and the back corner of the cab. It's exhausting, the clear is SO damn hard. Sanded through a little in 3 spots: One is covered by the fuel filler gasket, one is covered by the sail panel trim, and one is super slim on a edge that you won't see, so, i guess for how hard it is to sand those spots, i'm pleased.

The roof and other door and back of cab is already done blocked and DA to 1000, so three more stages of DA and three stages of buffing, hopefully no more burn throughs, and only little pieces i can do on a work stand left!

[McMurphy]

That T-37 is a beautiful car, thank you for sharing those photos!
I have to show those to the wife.

She and I just love the older Pontiacs, this is her second 72 LeMans Sport Convertible, her first one was too far gone to save. She picked this one up as a gift to herself for her deployment:


After some kids shot out the rear glass it got a new top and she wanted black this time. Then as a birthday-wedding anniversary gift I arranged to have the body fully restored and she opted for the new Camaro metallic red. This is right after we picked it up, it is missing the tail fin because they were on back order from AMES:


Here is it parked next to my 66 Tempest Custom on the day we met Bomp in Spokane:


She has a Pontiac 350, not sure of the trans (auto) but she has been snuggling up to me for exhaust cutouts. Something about smarmy kids in Hondas and stop lights.....

Again, thanks for sharing.
Now back to your tuck, otherwise I could talk these cars all day !!

[cortcomp]

Man those are some sharp pontiacs, i've seen the 66 tempest from your link, and i like that car a LOT! Her car is nice because, besides being a ragtop, she has the whole GTO front end in the lemans sport! Very sharp!

Pontiacs are cheap to build any more, EASY to make gobs of power, and of course all sizes of motor are the same so you can built a 455 for the price of a 350. Keep an eye out in the local classifieds, pick up a 400 or 455 block here, some decent heads there, get the right cam, and then swap for that 350 so she can make those Honda kids cry!

We did totally derail the thread, but it's ok, because i love my Pontiacs! If pontiac made a truck, i'd be at 67-72pontiactrucks.com instead of here ;-)

You can see the 4 door Catalina in the background here and there on this thread. I have a 428 in pieces for it, it has a switch pitch TH400 tranny in it, and plan to add a trips setup. Then the wife can cruise around in that, since it's quieter, less grumpy, and she doesn't like to drive stick.

If you're ever looking for a good pontiac forum, head over to pontiac street performance, mostly good guys over there: psp.aquacomp.net

[cortcomp]

Ok one last distraction