ol Curt Progress

[ol Curt]

My seat cover is done. It will be here on Monday...better get my tail goin this weekend!

[ol Curt]

Damn!!! Had to do some yard work and help paint a room today. No rest for the wicked. Hopefully, back to work either tonight or tomorrow morning.

[DPowers]

Seat cover is awesome.

[ol Curt]

Yeah, I think they did a great job for $219! They worked with me to get the exact colors and scheme I wanted.Hats off to a good American company!

Got a little time in the shop tonight but had to come in as it is getting ready to storm. Man, is the firewall thicker than the rest of the floor pan? If not I got a really bad batch of cutting wheels. I ended up using a sawzall on it!

I found myself dumpster diving today but got some decent sheet metal.

[Alan's Classic]

Originally Posted by DPowers

Seat cover is awesome.

Originally Posted by ol Curt

Yeah, I think they did a great job for $219! They worked with me to get the exact colors and scheme I wanted.Hats off to a good American company!

Got a little time in the shop tonight but had to come in as it is getting ready to storm. Man, is the firewall thicker than the rest of the floor pan? If not I got a really bad batch of cutting wheels. I ended up using a sawzall on it!

I found myself dumpster diving today but got some decent sheet metal.

I love dumpster diving

[ol Curt]

It's amazing how creative you can get when the money gets tight. I took some sheet metal today and formed a patch for my passenger kick panel...not perfect, but with a little filler it will do for a driver.

Pics later this evening...camera charging!

[daverod]

I fixed my last doors with some scraps I had left over from mt first doors. I'm pissed I want to see how much to hook gas uo to my welder the guy said like 200 which was'nt to bad. Then I got home and looked at the back of my welder and it's not plumbed for the reg. The hole is there but no plumbing.

[ol Curt]

Got my seat cover, most of the floor is done. Have to fix a boo boo on the hold down for the seat on the passenger side, but I think it will be a piece of cake...just need to set the seat in there to mark a spot for the hole to bolt through.

Can't quite decide how much foam I want to put in, the cover has a 1/2" layer on the back of it. I have had one person tell me they used their original foam and added 1" over it and it turned out nice. I think I'll wait till I see the old foam to decide. How much(thickness) foam was there in the original seats?

I also hope to have the interior ready for a coat of paint in a couple weeks. I have a spray booth at work just like the one that 198 got. I'm hoping to offer it to my friend and get him to paint my truck in return. Does anybody know how far the original interior paint extends into the jambs?

[ol Curt]

Almost forgot, get to meet my first board member tomorrow...LilRed66
Picking up a tranny and factory column from him.

Well....actually that is not totally true. I have one high school friend on the site ...Dads71

[ol Curt]

Picked up the TH350 today and already have several questions. What is good but safe for cleaning the case up. It is in reasonable shape but a bit dirty....also were they painted or plain?


I also have a bit of scoring on the front shaft. Maybe that's normal...just need to know if I need to clean it up with emory or leave it.

[SSWfleetside]

Uhhh, gee that looks better than mine do after they are cleaned.
I have never seen an original trans painted.
They will take paint and stay cleaner looking.
Scoring looks pretty typical from what I remember.
Do your self a favor and replace the front seal before installing the transmission. It is a common place for them to leak.

[Captainfab]

I would replace the seals at both ends as well as a new filter and pan gasket. Oh and check the O-ring on the dipstick tube and the kickdown cable too. I usually clean aluminum with carburator cleaner in the spray can. You might try oven cleaner too.

Is that trans crossmember chromed?

[ol Curt]

Originally Posted by SSWfleetside

Uhhh, gee that looks better than mine do after they are cleaned.
I have never seen an original trans painted.
They will take paint and stay cleaner looking.
Scoring looks pretty typical from what I remember.
Do your self a favor and replace the front seal before installing the transmission. It is a common place for them to leak.

It was rebuilt in Feb '09 and the seals look to be new...just wanting to cover all the bases.

[ruffrida2005]

Ol Curt, I would stay away from the chrome pan. I will just trap heat. Get a nice aluminum one with fins to help cool it down. You can scuff the chrome on the crossmember and paint it. That's what a lot of people do to rims.

I would take the cab off and check it. It's a lot easier to install the trans and get the crossmember in the right spot when drillin holes. If you have a hoist, just ask Alan how he made his lift.

I'm not sure if your running a diffrent steering colum or not, but you can always cut the old shaft out, and replace it with 3/4"DD pipe and get 2 joints. it will clean it up a lot. I hate the rage joints.

[ol Curt]

I crawled under the old truck today and felt the parts of the floor pan that had not been replaced were so good that I can't justify tipping or removing the cab. Some light wire brush work and a little POR 15 should make it real good for a driver!
Thanks for the tip on the finned cover...I'll have to look for one of those.

I'm always on the lookout for something I can do early morning on ol Curt cause my garage is attached, and you DON'T want to wake the wife early! I thought I could put some seam sealer on. Little did I know that the Autozone wouldn't carry it. The young guy was trying to sell me some clear silicone that couldn't be painted. Couldn't find the real stuff....guess I have to wait til Monday and go to an autobody store!

[daverod]

Originally Posted by ol Curt

I crawled under the old truck today and felt the parts of the floor pan that had not been replaced were so good that I can't justify tipping or removing the cab. Some light wire brush work and a little POR 15 should make it real good for a driver!
Thanks for the tip on the finned cover...I'll have to look for one of those.

I'm always on the lookout for something I can do early morning on ol Curt cause my garage is attached, and you DON'T want to wake the wife early! I thought I could put some seam sealer on. Little did I know that the Autozone wouldn't carry it. The young guy was trying to sell me some clear silicone that couldn't be painted. Couldn't find the real stuff....guess I have to wait til Monday and go to an autobody store!

Autozone here has it comes in a caulking tube? Near the bondo.

[ol Curt]

Couldn't find it at Autozone...called Advance, Pep Boys and O'Reillys. All said they didn't carry. I went to one O'Reillys that is sort of slow business wise and the guy looked in the back and found one tube. I asked out of curiosity if the other stores in town showed any. He said both did! LOL

I got a lot of work done in cleaning up the rest of the floor and prepping for whatever coating I decide on this week. Damn, it was hot!!

I looked at my seat a bit and am undecided on what to do with the foam. The back of the seat was original and had 1" of foam. The bottom had been recovered and my grandpa was pretty short, so I can't help but wonder if they put extra padding in it. It has a piece about 5" think. How thick were most of yours?
First Pic is of the back padding.

[ol Curt]

I should mention that this was the first time my wife has weighed in on ANYTHING with this truck and she says I have a nice cover and it should be NEW foam!

[ruffrida2005]

This is what I'm saying you can get to clean it up. I found it on summits website. but it gives you an Idea.

[ol Curt]

OK, I just need to get it set in my mind how the pieces relate to the existing shaft.

[ol Curt]

Originally Posted by ruffrida2005

This is what I'm saying you can get to clean it up. I found it on summits website. but it gives you an Idea.

So, does one end of that go on to the existing round shaft and have a set screw or a pin that goes through the original?

[ol Curt]

What hav eyou guys done about your drip rails. I fell it was a problem with these trucks having he rail all the way around the top. It makes sens on the sides. I have minor areas where I can see a little rust dripped down the side and back of the interior in the past. I don't want to paint the interior till I know I have all that sealed.

Has anyone cut all but the sides rails off and welded them shut?

[daverod]

Originally Posted by ol Curt

What hav eyou guys done about your drip rails. I fell it was a problem with these trucks having he rail all the way around the top. It makes sens on the sides. I have minor areas where I can see a little rust dripped down the side and back of the interior in the past. I don't want to paint the interior till I know I have all that sealed.

Has anyone cut all but the sides rails off and welded them shut?

Allan cut his off he just showed it on strodder thread. That drip edge does have drain holes in it. I think they just get pluged.

[Alan's Classic]

Originally Posted by ol Curt

What hav eyou guys done about your drip rails. I fell it was a problem with these trucks having he rail all the way around the top. It makes sens on the sides. I have minor areas where I can see a little rust dripped down the side and back of the interior in the past. I don't want to paint the interior till I know I have all that sealed.

Has anyone cut all but the sides rails off and welded them shut?

My drip rail still goes around the top, but I did removed the one going down the A post. Strodder is folding his over and welding shut.

[ol Curt]

Well, I ought to be really good at carving turkey this Thanksgiving. I have been trying to mold some new foam to the shape of the old for my seat. I believe my mother in laws Hamilton Beach electric carver is a bit dull. Sorry no pics...camera at work. Will have some tomorrow.

I was not short of help tonight. My neighbor Frank, who has trouble putting gas in his mower and my wife both decided to critique. I told them neither of them would be allowed to ride in the truck if they didn't shut up. Not too much, don't you think that spot is a little to square?, etc, etc
I don't know why my wife has taken an interest in the seat. She could care less about anything else that has been done. But damn, she sure is interested in this!