Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step

[Vic1947]

After a second look at how the floor fits between the A-pillars, I realized I wasn't nearly as far off as I originally thought. Fortunately, the driver side front lower door pillar had enough metal left to bolt to the new floor. There's a 1/2" offset where the bottom of the pillar meets the floor. This allows the lip on the front of the floor to match up to the edge of the firewall. Looks like I may still need to spread the A-pillars as much as 1/2", but I can't confirm that until I get the f/w back from the metal blasters. The passenger side lower door pillar is rotted completely out, so there's no reference holes to work off of.

Meanwhile, I repaired some rotted out areas on the L-brackets that attach the rear of the cab wall to the floor. Reinstalled the floor with the A-pillars spread out slightly. Measurements look fairly close, so now I just need to get the firewall in place and see how it fits to the pinchweld lip on the floor.

[Vic1947]

Mixed up a small batch of the Glisten PC today and sprayed it on some test pieces. Not sure what to think of the results. Could be some of the issues are my own doing but not 100%.

First of all, the product literature I read before buying it said it needs a one hour inception time in a sealed container after mixing. However, the instructions on the can said it has a pot life of 3-4 hours and can be sprayed right after mixing. So naturally, I didn't wait the hour. Don't know if that had anything to do with the way it came out of the gun, but maybe. Seemed to like higher air pressure than I'm accustomed to using.

Second, the product lit recommends spraying the cleaner on the bare metal, letting it sit for two minutes, then rinse and dry. I did this with one piece and not with the other to see if there was a difference. It looks like the piece with etch may allow the clearcoat to flow out a little better. However, both have a fair amount of orange peel.

Third, it takes several hours for the surface to dry tack free. Since I don't have a booth, there were some dust nibs that settled on the surface. Not a big deal from normal viewing distance, but still aggravating. The way this stuff is supposed to dry, I doubt you can wet sand and buff it.

Lastly, I also sprayed the polished cover I made for the fan pulley. It looked absolutely awful. Again, it probably was my fault as I varied from the procedure. After using the etch, I noticed some small spots I was afraid would be magnified by the gloss clear. So I re-polished the piece and washed it good with Dawn dishwashing liquid then rinsed and dried it. I reckon I should have used the etch a second time but didn't. The upshot is that on the polished surface, the clear had a very heavy orange peel and didn't want to flow out at all. After waiting about a half hour, I dipped the piece in thinner and removed all traces of the coating.

You're supposed to be able to brush the product on and it will flow out any brush marks. After watching how it performs using a spray gun, I'd be skeptical of that claim. As of now, I'm back to researching products.

[knomadd]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Thanks, Duane. This is the third mill I've owned and it works pretty well for my stuff, which is mostly small. It's not very expensive, but the tooling always ends up being the budget buster.

While we're wishing for stuff, I'd love to have a GTO like yours. It's my favorite year and model. We had a couple of 69 Judges when we lived in Missouri City, TX back in the 70's. Picture below was taken up at the track in Porter, TX. We used the stock appearing one to tow the race car.

Thanks for the info, I'll have to look into a mill. Not sure where I'd put it though. Those are a couple of nice looking Judges. I bet it was a lot of fun racing. I can picture one towing the other. That would have been a cool site to see.

[hgs_notes]

I had some bare metal parts I wanted to clear on my jimmy. I actually made my own version of the shadow chrome by just adding a few drops of black tint to clear and spraying it. For prep I cleaned the parts with soap and water. Went over everything with fine steel wool and/or a 3M scuff pad to get off any old paint overspray, rust stains, etc. I cleaned everything up with automotive paint prep solvent. Let that flash off a while, then sprayed the automotive urethane directly on the clean bare metal. I did the grill and so far it has been holding up pretty well.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

I had some bare metal parts I wanted to clear on my jimmy. I actually made my own version of the shadow chrome by just adding a few drops of black tint to clear and spraying it. For prep I cleaned the parts with soap and water. Went over everything with fine steel wool and/or a 3M scuff pad to get off any old paint overspray, rust stains, etc. I cleaned everything up with automotive paint prep solvent. Let that flash off a while, then sprayed the automotive urethane directly on the clean bare metal. I did the grill and so far it has been holding up pretty well.

How long do you reckon it's been on there? I originally thought about doing something similar, but got sidetracked by the POR-15 claims of a "rock hard, non-porous finish". But when you consider clear urethane on cars provides a UV resistant barrier that protects the base coat from the elements, it's really doing the same thing. I think the prep is the most important part. You do that right and paint will adhere to most surfaces.

[jlsanborn]

Nice work on the cab floor there. Those clamps you have are sweet! Who makes them? I'm bummed about the POR product not being soo easy to lay out. You've obviously got a bit more experience with painting stuff than I do and if you had a rough go... You're surely going to play with it some more right?

[hgs_notes]

I sprayed it on there over a year ago and the grill sat outside next to my garage until I installed it after I got my paint done in August. Been driving it since then. So it sat exposed in a MN winter with dust and dirt settling on it. And for the other seasons, hot, cold, wet, dry, etc. No signs of peeling yet which was my biggest concern. I might have sanded it with real fine grit paper too before spraying but it's been so long I don't remember. Could look back through the thread and see I suppose.

I also sprayed the black border around my chrome steel replacement grill on my C-10. Since it was black though, I prepped by taping off the area to be painted then sanded with 320 grit, then cleaned, etch primed, and painted. Thats been about 1.5 years and a few thousand miles. I scratched it once. No other issues.

And I also painted a chrome rear bumper doing a similar process. Talking to my friends at the body shop here they said as long as there is something for the paint to grip to it should be good. It doesn't have to be visible scratches. The bond is microscopic really.

I figure worst case is removing the grill, strip it and respray it if it ever gets bad. Not really a big deal.

[Low Elco]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Nice work on the cab floor there. Those clamps you have are sweet! Who makes them? I'm bummed about the POR product not being soo easy to lay out. You've obviously got a bit more experience with painting stuff than I do and if you had a rough go... You're surely going to play with it some more right?

They're "Kant-Twist" clamps. Machinist clamps, but they work great on all kinda stuff. Google 'em.

It's comin' along good, Vic! Sorry about your hassle with the new stuff!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Nice work on the cab floor there. Those clamps you have are sweet! Who makes them? I'm bummed about the POR product not being soo easy to lay out. You've obviously got a bit more experience with painting stuff than I do and if you had a rough go... You're surely going to play with it some more right?

Clamps are "Kant Twist" and are available from machine tool supply stores or online. Then come in different sizes based on max clamp opening. Valuable addition to the tool box!

I think the Glisten PC might have worked better with a bit of reducer. I don't have the recommended solvent on hand, so I need to pick some up at the paint store. I'd like to be able to use it since it was sorta expensive. Weather has turned cool again, so it may be a while before I have a nice day to experiment.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

I sprayed it on there over a year ago ...
I figure worst case is removing the grill, strip it and respray it if it ever gets bad. Not really a big deal.

If it didn't pop after all you exposed it to, it should be good for the long haul, I'd think. Thanks for the tip!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

It's comin' along good, Vic! Sorry about your hassle with the new stuff!

Thanks, Chip …nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. Are you still working on the shuddering s-box?

[Low Elco]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Thanks, Chip …nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. Are you still working on the shuddering s-box?

Working on getting paid for it... It's just sitting there, straight as an arrow in primer. We had a discussion at the end of the week, we'll see.

Sadly, I'm getting kinda fond of it. An LS would drop right into it. Muahaahah! Luckily, Stacy, not so much fond of it. (Imagine that!) Thanks again for the help on it, That part came out really nice.

[Mr Chevorlet]

Nice job on the floor install, i like fab work but i dont think i would take on a full floor repacement. Great job.

[Vic1947]

No word yet from Eagle on the metal blasting, so I figured the exhaust system was a perfect rainy day project. Unboxed the electric cutouts and began laying out where the parts need to go. The mufflers and tubing that were on the truck when I bought it were in decent enough shape to reuse. Once the cutouts are welded in and the exhaust hooked to the block hugger headers, I'll disassemble it all and give everything a coat of high temp paint. The cutouts came with wireless fobs to open and close them, but I'll probably use rocker switches. Should be major fun when pulled up next to a Harley.

The RFID keyless entry / pushbutton start / remote start system arrived today from Advanced Keys. I didn't realize when I ordered it that the company was based in Canada. Didn't think the box was ever going to get released by US Customs. Lotsa wiring ...hope I'm up to the task. I have one more bit of instrumentation planned for the interior upgrade, a pair of UEGO wideband A/F gauges. I should have ordered them sooner so I'd have the bungs to weld in while I'm on the exhaust, but I can do that later I reckon.

[sduckworth13]

Looking good Vic, I can't wait to see how the bed turns out. I don't think this is a stretch but you are one of the best fabricators I've ever seen. If you didn't have a project and I had a lot of cash I would want you to do all my sheetmetal repair. I don't mind doing my own, but your work is outstanding.

[jlsanborn]

The cut outs are going to be cool!
Aren't the O2 bungs kind of a standard deal that you could maybe pick up local? I thought they were a 14mm just like a spark plug? I suppose length might be a gamble without having the sensors in hand though. That whole deal is intriguing and I'll be anxious for the day you start your shake-down. I've been rounds and rounds with them Edelbrock carbys and always thought that setup would be the ticket. I'd have to use a hand held however. If I had two, permanently installed indicators, I'd be re-jetting all four corners every other day!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Looking good Vic, I can't wait to see how the bed turns out. I don't think this is a stretch but you are one of the best fabricators I've ever seen. If you didn't have a project and I had a lot of cash I would want you to do all my sheetmetal repair. I don't mind doing my own, but your work is outstanding.

Thanks, Scott, I appreciate the kind words. That being said, when it comes to fabrication, you don't take a backseat to anyone. I've seen your build and it looks great! Converting the bed to a short box is still a month off, but I've been mulling over a battle plan. Stay tuned.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

The cut outs are going to be cool!
Aren't the O2 bungs kind of a standard deal that you could maybe pick up local? I thought they were a 14mm just like a spark plug? I suppose length might be a gamble without having the sensors in hand though. That whole deal is intriguing and I'll be anxious for the day you start your shake-down. I've been rounds and rounds with them Edelbrock carbys and always thought that setup would be the ticket. I'd have to use a hand held however. If I had two, permanently installed indicators, I'd be re-jetting all four corners every other day!

I'm sure the bungs are available, I just figured it would be better to have the sensor in hand when mocking it all up. I read somewhere that the sensor should be installed pointing down about 10 degrees from horizontal so moisture can't accumulate in the annular area between bung and sensor.
I plan to use permanently mounted gauges, but I'm mainly interested in getting it close. Reading plugs is no substitute for real data.

[sduckworth13]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Thanks, Scott, I appreciate the kind words. That being said, when it comes to fabrication, you don't take a backseat to anyone. I've seen your build and it looks great! Converting the bed to a short box is still a month off, but I've been mulling over a battle plan. Stay tuned.

Thank you Vic, if you need a extra hand let me know. I also have a 11lb roll of esab ez grind 0.23 that you can have. I don't think I'll get around to using it any time soon. I have a new roll on my welder right now. I don't really have a lot of welding left to do.

[Low Elco]

x2, Scott, your stuff looks great!

Oy Vey, Vic, that's a lotta wires. Good luck!

[sduckworth13]

Thank you Chip

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Thank you Vic, if you need a extra hand let me know. I also have a 11lb roll of esab ez grind 0.23 that you can have. I don't think I'll get around to using it any time soon. I have a new roll on my welder right now. I don't really have a lot of welding left to do.

Thanks, Scott. I still have some wire left on the spool I'm using, but not enough to do the bed when the time comes. I'd be happy to buy it off you so you can apply it to your Porterbuilt parts. You should be able to at least buy a handful of hardware from them …small handful.

I'll PM you when I get closer to cutting up the bed. Thanks again!

[sduckworth13]

Sounds good Vic, here is my number 913-314-6233.

[Vic1947]

Picked up the silver powder coated accessory brackets from Sure Coat in Sedalia yesterday. As always, their stuff looks great. Mounted it all up and took a snapshot to remind myself what it looked like with everything nice and clean. Also, still working on mocking up the exhaust system. Photo shows how the electric cutouts fit in the available space. One small curved piece of tubing should complete the driver side.

Dropped by Scott Duckworth's this morning and stood around in the freezing weather and talked shop. He's put together a nice inventory of parts for his Porterbuilt ride. Too cold to work today, though, for sure. Before I left, he donated a spare roll of EZ grind wire he had. Should have plenty to convert the long bed into a short one now. Thanks, Scott! I really appreciate it.

[sduckworth13]

Your welcome Vic, glad to meet you today. The engine and accessories look awesome!!