Dug's 1959 Fleetside

[dug224]

Almost finished bumper. Bottom of bumper is 8.5" above the ground. With all my heavy welding on the brackets, the final bumper location wandered off towards the passenger side by about 1/8". I'll slot the holes in the brackets next time I have them off. Sorry that the last photo is rotated. Could not figure out why it was doing this.

[Kim57]

Looks good.
Kim

[dsraven]

somebody has a sore thumb!
I like the set up. don't you love it when a plan comes together?

[RockinKees]

Looks good Dug!

I was also thinking about flipping the front bumper, but as I look at it, the A-pillar is somewhat in the same shape and direction as the bumper, if you know what I mean...?
It just looks better.
I'll go right-side up

[dug224]

Originally Posted by RockinKees

Looks good Dug!

I was also thinking about flipping the front bumper, but as I look at it, the A-pillar is somewhat in the same shape and direction as the bumper, if you know what I mean...?
It just looks better.
I'll go right-side up

It's a tough call. With a couple more minutes of studying it, I probably could have just as easily talked myself into installing it right side up. I'm pretty sure the only people that would notice it either way reside on this build site!! Working on my flipped back bumper now. dug

[dug224]

On to mounting rear bumper upside down. Plan is to narrow the bumper by a removing a couple of inches from the center to make the ends of the bumper flush with the bedsides. Will also cut the edge of the bumper so there is no curve where it meets the bedsides under the tail lights (see pencil mark in 4th photo). I'll hang the receiver hitch and the bumper off of the same plates that will be welded to the frame. I'll cutoff the male end of an old receiver hitch and weld it to the license plate holder thereby making it removable when I need to hookup a trailer.....but first, since I don't have my sheet metal to mount the bedsides, I'll have to shim them into place and get all the lines right before I commence with the bumper. Got the bumper cheap because the chrome was falling off. Had my blaster remove it and prime.

By the way, figured out the photo rotation issue. Because I upgraded my computer to Windows 10, I now have to rotate, rename and save the photos I took with my camera (only the photos I took with camera rotated) using MS Office Picture Manager. Will attempt use this program to open and save the photos rather than using MS Explorer which was the old and easy way I did it until now.

[Kim57]

That should look real nice when done.
Kim

[dug224]

Fabricated the receiver hitch license plate holder this morning. Pretty straight forward.

[dug224]

Started projecting the line for the back of bumper cut. Pretty hard to keep a straight line on such a complex curve.

Also, proved once again, you get what you pay for. Fortunately for me, I am installing the bumper upside down. The old top has a significant bend that would have been pretty noticeable had I installed it correctly. I whacked the bumper a few times with a large rubber mallet and managed to lessen the bend a bit.


By the way, I finally understand how to add text to individual uploaded photos thanks to the smart guys on this site. This is what I got when I searched this site. It was posted back in 2014. Thanks!!!!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=636863

[Kim57]

License plate holder is simple and clean.
Kim

[67Mal]

Looking great! Doug.
I'm still following along in Tupelo,
Always look forward to your updates.
Malcolm

[dug224]

Originally Posted by 67Mal

Looking great! Doug.
I'm still following along in Tupelo,
Always look forward to your updates.
Malcolm

Thanks. Love your car. By the way, there is a local El Camino with that same body style that I am trying to sneak up on. Appears to be in restored condition but sitting outside at a mobile home with junk piled in the bed. Hasn't moved in a year or two. Stay tuned on this one. dug

[dug224]

Cut off the back of the bumper at the ends so it fits flat against the truck. The cuts turned out pretty good in spite of the fact that I was freehand cutting with a 4.5" cutoff blade on my grinder.


Mounted it flush against the back of the truck and moved the bumper to the left (driver side) to get the best look on the passenger end. I don't want the bumper hanging outside the plane of the bed side. I determined I will be narrowing the bumper by 2.75" rather than the preliminary determination of 1". Looks like the tag will fit just fine in the new more narrow opening.

[RockinKees]

Plateholder came out nice!
I think you're gonna make yourself a really nice rearbumper!

Are you going to paint the bumpers or rechrome them?

[dug224]

Originally Posted by RockinKees

Plateholder came out nice!
I think you're gonna make yourself a really nice rearbumper!

Are you going to paint the bumpers or rechrome them?

Paint. Trying to keep in mind this is a budget build. I still have to build a new house!!! If I'm not careful, I could $100 myself into a pretty large build cost. A buddy of mine here in Mobile is north of $25k in his truck and I believe it is for material only. Don't get me wrong, the truck is fabulous and he is an incredible craftsman. I just want to be able to use mine to build the house without worrying about it. I'm currently on track to spend $10k to $12k and a gillion dollars in free labor. dug

[Kim57]

Looks real good.
Kim

[RockinKees]

The rear bumper looks great this way.
Its a very nice touch!

I know what you mean about a budgetbuild and billion dollar on free laborwork...I'm right in the middle of the same. I think, building and making your own parts, stands out from the rest, because no one has that same part

[dug224]

Managed to section the rear bumper. Removed 2.75" using my DeWALT chop saw and got a pretty square cut on both passes.

Tag fits nicely. Was afraid it would be too tight.

[Kim57]

Looks real nice.
Kim

[ChuckDriver]

I like it!

[RockinKees]

^^ me too!!

[dug224]

Thanks guys! Today will be dedicated to attaching the hitch/bumper to the frame. dug

[dug224]

Spent a good bit of time setting up the bed so I could position the hitch/bumper. As you can see, I setup my long aluminum straight edges along the face of the tires and determined the center point between them. Using a plumb bob, I dropped a mark from the center of the tailgate and lower cross member to the concrete floor. Looks like I'm still off laterally by 1/4" but, with each ratchet strap and shim I add, I seem to be getting a little closer.

So, before my head exploded, I finished welding the bumper and decided to give the bed positioning a multi-day rest. Flap Discs really do a good job finishing the metal work.

[Kim57]

Bumper came out real nice.
Kim

[dsraven]

looks nice. are there plans for back up lights?
just looking at the bed side, you would really benefit from a stud welder. maybe sell off some of the wife's shoes or handbags to finance, haha. oh wait a minute, that just means she would have to fill that empty space with more shoes and handbags. there goes that theory, lol.