1957 Chevy truck re-rebuild

[Stepside Jim]

I had to take care of a small area that is seen but doesn't get much respect.

For those who have the Camaro clip, it's the upper control arm washers.


I know if I paint them I will chip them when the nuts are tightened up against them.

I must solve this problem.... Once again, stainless to the rescue.

Cutting the 4 blanks.


Back to the press to get the cone shape.


Then to the lathe to drill the 5/8" hole.


Then some 1500 grit paper prior to polishing.


Then to the drill press with a buffing wheel attached.


Oh my, what an improvement.


Look closely and you can see the ceiling fan blades spinning in the polished one.


I ordered some stainless locking nuts so this area should be done for years to come.

[Baldeagle SR]

Very nice idea. I will keep that in mind. Rich
my build
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...64#post6690964

[butchp]

I would buy a set of those if you make more of them.

[Rednek13x]

that is what i call, attention to detail!

[Stepside Jim]

Thanks all, I've restored and worked on enough GM muscle cars and these washers have always been a thorn in my side. My side feels much better now that I'm past this issue.


butchp, I'll keep you in mind if interest grows.

[Kim57]

Those are some sharp washers.
Kim

[bowt1ed]

Jim, so how much for a set for my subframe? Cheers, Jim

[Stepside Jim]

Originally Posted by bowt1ed

Jim, so how much for a set for my subframe? Cheers, Jim

bowt1ed and butchp, I don't want to ignore your requests for these stainless washers. I'll cut a few blanks and get a couple sets made in the week or so. Price will be reasonable, they are labor intensive but if there is more interest I can devise faster ways of making them, thanks for your interest. Jim

Otherwise, nothing special tonight, just one more step in the list of many steps of restoring old vehicles.

One of my disc brake dust shields was abused in the past so I found some used ones on e-bay.


Nothing a little sand blasting can't handle.


Hung up with a coat of epoxy primer.


Painted and cleared, now sitting out in the sunlight drying.


The silver is good on these shields works great, plus it is a test run to see if I like the silver as part of the two tone of the truck.

[hotrod1]

What sandblasting gun do you have? Is it in a cabinet?

I have a harbor freight blast cabinet that has been modified but was thinking about getting a TP Tools gun. I heard that they work much better.

Your parts look like they came out well after blasting. Either you have a good gun or have patience with a slow gun.

By the way, the silver is beautiful. I like the flake.

[Stepside Jim]

Originally Posted by hotrod1

What sandblasting gun do you have? Is it in a cabinet?

I have a harbor freight blast cabinet that has been modified but was thinking about getting a TP Tools gun. I heard that they work much better.

Your parts look like they came out well after blasting. Either you have a good gun or have patience with a slow gun.

By the way, the silver is beautiful. I like the flake.

Hey hotrod1, blasted right outside in the driveway, I usually use an old 50 pound pressure tank style that I've had for over 30 years now, pretty much the same as what's sold today. I have to change the ceramic tips once in awhile, but otherwise, just good ole silica sand.

Before anybody else brings it up, yes, be careful of breathing the dust while blasting, always wear protective gear.

I do have a blast cabinet, but since the media is reused it can cause contamination which can result in fisheyes unless cleaned well before priming and painting.

The sand blasting does leave a slightly rough texture, but with 2 coats of epoxy primer, it fills the texture pretty good for the paint.

[Flames97]

Just getting caught up and Wow, Things are looking good.

[Stepside Jim]

Slowly making progress..... I've pretty well finished the block sanding on the cab, front and rear fenders and doors.

It seems every painter has their procedures before paint. Right now I need to get the bottoms of the fenders painted. About a year ago I applied 2 coats of epoxy primer.

Now I can scuff sand the epoxy.


Next I apply one more slightly over reduced coat of epoxy primer. It will serve to cover any small areas that bare metal became exposed, fill sand scratches, help adhesion, seal and provide a consistent base for the paint to lay on.


I forgot to take a picture in the shop, but after the painting I set them in the sunlight to dry.


With the epoxy primer and paint I shouldn't have to do much more than an occasional pressure wash to clean up the undersides now.

[dug224]

The details you are providing will help us "soon to be" body guys. Thx. Dug

[Stepside Jim]

Originally Posted by dug224

The details you are providing will help us "soon to be" body guys. Thx. Dug

Dug, thanks for mentioning it. For some reason it's a natural for me to try to teach and along with the pictures it works pretty well.

Some time back I ordered a set of leaf springs, I think the brand was Possies, (spelling). When they got to me they were missing a couple of the round nylon sliders. As time passed by I knew I had to do something to get the new ones so I finally e-mailed them directly and for 20 bucks I got 10 of the sliders. Perhaps I could have gotten them for free, but having them was more important than the 20 bucks.


The spring pack had a permanent clamp around the main leafs so I did paint these as a pack.


I did however paint the other leafs individually them assembled the packs.


It's always good to start reassembly.



Getting a little dusty but it's at least a rolling chassis again.

[Baldeagle SR]

The frame does look nice. Rich

[butchp]

The body shop guy has mentioned that he will spray truck liner under the fenders to protect from flying rocks putting reverse dents on the outside of the fenders.

[Kim57]

Looks real nice.
Kim

[Stepside Jim]

Baldeagle SR, thanks, at this time of trying to get through so many odds and ends it's nice to go walk around a past accomplishment such as the frame to get your head back in the right attitude to keep moving forward.

Thanks Kim.

butchp, you body guy has a good idea there. I have in the past seen the outward dents from rocks hitting the underside of a single panel fender as these trucks have.

A couple of pics I have and would like to mention.

First being the front coil springs and the compressor. While working to get the ride height set I had to use the spring compressor, and couple of times it was a fight to get it back out. If the arms were in the right place, it popped out fine, if the arms were slightly off, I had to do a little prying to remove it. The prying meant perhaps scratching the paint on the control arms on final assembly.

The last time I removed the springs I took the picture. By using this picture I was able to reinstall the compressor arms in the same place on the springs. During reassembly, no fighting, no prying.


One other photo is the upper control arm shims. Tape and mark each pack. Sure it will need to be realigned when done but by marking and putting them back in the same place gets you back in the pall park to get you to the alignment shop.


The digital camera pics can be a time saver in the long run, it's always good to have a back up memory of odds and ends.

[_Ogre]

looking good stepside
nice shiney washers.

i did a thin coat of bedliner on the underside of truk, seems to be holding up fine.

[Stepside Jim]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

looking good stepside
nice shiney washers.

i did a thin coat of bedliner on the underside of truk, seems to be holding up fine.

I do believe the bed liner spray will be a good idea.

Oh how I want to get to the overall paint but I know I have to take care of the bottom sides of the front fenders and cab. One step at a time......

At this point I've sprayed one coat of epoxy primer over the epoxy I applied over a year ago, I did fully scuff the old primer first.


One thing I wanted when I made the gills for the front fenders was to have them look somewhat original. I spent a little time cleaning up the welds before priming. Why the concern about the backside, the gills can be seen by looking into the front wheelwell. This way they look like they were press into the fender.


Two coats of satin black.



Couple more items off the checklist.

[Kim57]

You're doing a real nice job.
Kim

[Mr.Jones]

Nice

[apache200]

Jim if you make/sell a set of those washer I would be interested in 2 sets. You wouldnt ave to polish them

[Stepside Jim]

Thanks Kim and Mr. Jones.

For months I've known the painting of all the odds and was going to be in the forefront. With as boring a job it is to paint the undersides of all the parts I have to remind myself that the better and more complete job I do, the longer it will be that I have to see any rust begin to start over the many years to come.

apache200, yes, I am making the washers, please PM me and we'll get something arranged.

[Stepside Jim]

It's been a while since I've done much of anything to the bottom of the cab.

Last time was when I sprayed 2 coats of epoxy primer. Often times when I'm going to spray high build primer over the epoxy I just do 1 coat of epoxy. In this situation I wasn't applying any high build, but I knew I was going to sand it at some point. By spraying the 2 coats I have enough thickness to sand without sanding through.

Although I did get some incidental high build over spray on the bottom side, it got sanded along with the epoxy.


Once again, to get good adhesion and a consistent base I sprayed 1 slightly over reduced coat of epoxy primer.


Then onto two coats of satin black. Once again, the camera likes to turn the satin black into a digital mess, none the less, it's covered and safe from the elements.


You know, sometimes we just have to step back in time and remember where we've been to appreciate how far we've come.

Let's take a look shall we.... Firewall.


Yup, I'm getting there.....