My 78 K15 High Sierra build - Fish Tremble

[rgunlock]

Thanks Brett. Bit of an update this week. Got the bedliner sprayed in the bed and cab floor and both back onto the chassis.

[Greenlee]

Wow. Looking good!

[cmabolt]

Damn, I go away for two weeks and it's painted! Looks great Rick! Can't wait to see it all back together. Bedliner looks good as well. What did you end up using?

Chris

[rgunlock]

Thanks Greenlee and Chris. For the bedliner, I went with U-Pol's Raptor liner over their adhesion promoter. And its not quite painted yet I haven't painted doors, fenders, hood and small parts yet. Also still have to sand down and redo the bedsides. So, you can see the color better now, but not ready to show off the paint job yet.

[7dee2]

Originally Posted by Greenlee

Wow. Looking good!

Beauty!

[Matt Man]

Looks really good! I love that color.

[rgunlock]

Thanks Brett and Matt! I'm really pleased with the color too. You just never know for sure when you pick your color from pictures, but this came out just how I hoped/expected. Now if I could just figure out how to adjust the dang gun so the paint lays down better

[mjensen]

Wow...I guess it looks ok...LOL, just kidding! You're doing a great job, and I can't wait to see this thing done. Good work Rick!

[MTCK]

Great progress. I really like the color.

[83GMCK2500]

Great looking truck! I really appreciate how your OCD kicks in and demands that if you're going to complete a task, it will be done to the best of your ability. I was raised in a similar environment and developed a similar neurosis, to the extent that as I read through your thread I keep seeing one thing that I've got to ask about, it's driving me crazy...your radio opening. What're you doing there?

[rgunlock]

Marcus and Mike, thanks a lot for the kudos! I've been enjoying following your heavy hauler thread Marcus, and glad to see you rekindling interest in your build Mike. Just got to keep at it!

All of your comments on the color just get me more excited about it, so I'll share a pic in a bit better light that is far enough off you can't see all the issues

Appreciate you looking through my thread Devin. I have never thought of myself as being OCD, but my kids tell me that I am. Just heard over and over growing up that a "job worth doing is worth doing right". Another part of my particular neurosis is that while I plan ahead, its just a couple steps ahead or it would make me crazy. The truck came without a radio and to be honest I haven't paid much attention to the hole. I haven't noticed it looking hacked on, so I just assumed it was the factory hole and I'll find a system that will fit it when I get to that point (months and months away at least )

[83GMCK2500]

Ahhhh, this might make you irritated with your dash. The original radio is a shaft style, like this:

Image credit to user: HIGHWAY BY THE SEA

There are several options among original delco radios, even CB models, it seems like most of them can be sent off for modern internal upgrades. There are a couple aftermarket shaft style units that the restoration catalogs have in them, I've never been impressed with them, installed one in a '71 Chevelle and it was 'meh'.

[rgunlock]

Well, kind of late to weld in a patch panel at this stage. Good thing is that I haven't been holding myself to keeping this truck 100% original, so I'll just have to find a radio that will work with the opening I have. But thanks a bunch for pointing it out to me

[Greenlee]

I was bummed that my dash was cut also, but without being tied to the shaft style you can buy a decent stereo with blue tooth, speaker phone etc for about 1/3 the price of the shaft style that won't have all the bells and whistles.

You can buy a cover plate that hides any gaps and makes the install look flawless. I found mine on eBay. I contemplated welding in a panel so I could use the original radio, but now I'm kind of glad it was already cut.

I did buy a new bezel from LMC and took it straight out of the box and cut it for the radio. That was a strange feeling chopping up my brand new bezel.

[y5mgisi]

Since my dash is not cut I plan making some kind of natural looking cup holder and putting one of these marine stereos in with the cup holders. I think that's the plan. Otherwise I want to still use the marine stereo and put it into the ash try area. They have a few different ones.

[y5mgisi]

I think this is the actual one I'm going to get.

Edit: link didn't work.

[rgunlock]

Well, I took a closer look and the PO left both options open for me. He cut the shaft area of the radio opening, but just folded back the flaps. Not sure if that was clever or lazy Looks like I could, without too much effort bend them back and a few well placed welds be able to use an original style radio if I want. Spent the day getting the backsides/undersides and small parts prep'd for paint tomorrow if I don't have 50mph wind like we had today.

[swamp rat]

You picked a great color for the truck!

[y5mgisi]

There are several stereo options now that I have been looking for some for my crew cab again.

Sure is a hell of a color you chose! Looks amazing! Can't wait to see more over all shots when you get the rest painted and assembled .

I'm finally approaching being done with my buff job (just need to get it out in various sun lights to see spots I missed) and have started putting my new window seals in. The biggest thing I can't wait for with mine now is to get the trim cleaned up and installed! Inexplicably that's the same thing I can't wait to see on yiur truck! Chrome and that color is going to be insane! It's going to be somehow wildly over the top and totally subdued at the same time!

[rgunlock]

Thanks for the compliments on the color swamp rat and y5migsi! Seems that I am not the only one who thinks there are some cool shades of brown. Of course some of the guys at work kid me "did you paint any more sh1t brown?". Hard to say whether they are referring to painting more "stuff" brown, or referring to the color

On a happy note (at least for me), I got some great help over on the paint and bodywork forum that explained why my gun has been spraying like sh1t. It had been spraying with a stutter that was leaving lighter vertical bars. I cleaned the gun several times and tried everything to adjust it, but just couldn't get it to spray smooth. The reason I have to sand down the bedsides and repaint is that I thought with enough coats it would cover anyway. In my shop, it looked alright, but out in the sun - not so much!

Turns out that the Devilbiss Finishline guns have a plastic washer behind the fluid tip. This is basically a crush washer and needs to be replaced after only a couple of uses. I had no idea, but Jrainman (member) clued me in and I bought some. Made a world of difference. Night and day! Don't have pictures now, but this past weekend I sprayed inside the doors and fenders, underside of hood and all the small parts. Gun worked like a charm and the parts look great. Now I have confidence that I can get a nice job done on the outer surfaces of the truck. Just have a race with weather and holidays to get it done before there is no chance of a warm enough weekend.

[boynton]

I can't wait to see it!

[y5mgisi]

Well that's good! Once during my paint job I was between stages so I had cleaned the gun and waited for whatever I was doing to flash. I went back and was ready to spray whatever I was spraying next and it sprayed like really bad! I knew I must have done something wrong with the gun. I pulled it back down and found that I had left the fluid tip only hand tight! I tightened it down and all was well. I felt like a dork.

[Jonboy]

Looks outstanding!

[rgunlock]

Thanks Jonboy! Really appreciate all the support from the folks on this forum. Better part of 3 days hand sanding fenders, doors, hood, and bedsides. Uggghh! My right shoulder will never be the same again.

[mjensen]

You missed a spot!

Looking real good Rick!