1968 GMC - Ol' Blue

[MDPotter]

I got my cab back from the sandblaster and 4 coats of epoxy on the underside. I also built an attachment for my engine stand (idea from builtbykane's build thread) so I can wheel my doors around and make it easier to paint them. I put a first coat of filler around the door edges to take care of the dings that come from hammering on the skin.

I also rebuilt my door hings. I got a kit from SOKY (by Woodall) which is a 55-91 kit and it was an easy job and could be done without a press as long as they aren't very rusty. The pins have to be cut to length and the bushings are sintered metal. I was surprised to see that the old bushings I pulled out were plastic, not sure if they were factory or not. My hinges don't feel any tighter, but they do pivot more freely now.

[1971Stepside]

Those doors fit pretty well. I had to work my drivers adjustment over and over and over to get it satisfactory. You are getting a lot done. I like the door holders on the engine stand.

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by 1971Stepside

Those doors fit pretty well. I had to work my drivers adjustment over and over and over to get it satisfactory. You are getting a lot done. I like the door holders on the engine stand.

They do fit pretty well, I was pleasantly surprised. But my method has improved since doing the doors on my dad's 64. I am on a mission to get the cab, doors, and fenders painted before the cold weather comes so that I don't have to worry about cold temps and painting since my dad's shop doesn't have a heating system that can sustain itself. Then I can spend the winter wiring and finishing the chassis and resume bodywork in the spring.

[Snake72]

Great job on the skins, you did it right leaving the door bottoms on before skinning to get the right contour and length. I had to do some trimming and hammering on mine to get the gaps right.

I'm stealing that engine stand door holder idea for when I paint...

Keep up the good work!

[MDPotter]

I got the inside of the cab seam sealed and epoxied the rest of the cab last night. I forgot how strenuous it is to do yoga inside the cab in order to get underneath all of the dash area without touching the floor too much.

I'm excited to start filler work. I know that sounds crazy but it's not that I like doing filler work, but that it means I've reached a milestone and that it's progressing.

[1971Stepside]

That's a big milestone. As you know, you will quickly be tired of the filler and sanding process. I'm still waiting to get in the booth for primer...

[cebra]

I like the gloss black engine paint a lot. I did charcoal gray and it looks decent but black would have looked better in my bright red engine bay.

[cornerstone]

I love seeing guys plow through a large amount of work quickly. I can remember the days... Are you planning on staying with the same color? I believe I will also nab that excellent “builtbyKane” door holder attachment when it’s time to paint. Keep up the great work my man!!!

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

I love seeing guys plow through a large amount of work quickly. I can remember the days... Are you planning on staying with the same color? I believe I will also nab that excellent “builtbyKane” door holder attachment when it’s time to paint. Keep up the great work my man!!!

I love getting big chunks of work done. I'm ridiculously anxious to drive this thing again. It's going to be so much fun with the new powertrain.

I am staying in the blue color family, but am going with Voodoo Blue (Toyota). It's on the new TRD Pro Tacomas, Tundras, and 4Runners.

[TA_C10]

Awesome man

Looking forward to seeing your muddin progress


.

[clay68c10]

That color catches my eye every time I see one of those Yotas. It is going to look great.

How were the door skins quality-wise? The doors look good in your pics.

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by clay68c10

That color catches my eye every time I see one of those Yotas. It is going to look great.

How were the door skins quality-wise? The doors look good in your pics.

The skins were pretty good. Where the inner and outer are welded together inside the door, I had to rebend that tab to line up better but that was easy. What I should have looked at before test fitting the door was the lower front corner - I should have hammered the edges over with a little more inward force. The corners stuck out a little bit and hit the rocker at the front edge when you open the door. I had to grind the first couple inches and reweld it to get the gap right. But the skins fit the contour of the inner structure well and they seem to have good EDP on them so I'm happy with them.

[MDPotter]

I spent a couple hours last night just laying mud, probably 15 batches. I have my work cut out for me. Clean Sheets are awesome for mixing filler, I just wish I didn't have to clean the spreader off every time.

[cornerstone]

I bought a decent amount of cheapie spreaders so I could keep the work going, then clean them up later.

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

I bought a decent amount of cheapie spreaders so I could keep the work going, then clean them up later.

Does it chip off pretty easy after it's set up for a couple hours?

[MDPotter]

Haha I'll be pretty frustrated if I'm still sanding on this cab in a month. Famous last words!

[1971Stepside]

Hang in there. It's hard to stay motivated through sanding. I too was hoping for paint, but opted to just leave it in primer for the remaining 80 percent of the build. Once I can actually start, put in gear, and role in either direction I will then take it apart and block and paint. I'm tired of sanding

[TA_C10]

Yeah I agree, hang in there man. Looking good. And I like that 64 in the background. Are you daily driving that?

[MDPotter]

Thanks guys. I'm starting to see the light on the filler. Now that most of that first application is blocked down, things are close so the 2nd and 3rd coats should be less.

The 64 is my dad's, we finished it last winter and he does daily drive it. I drove it for a couple days this weekend and it's fun. Even though the AC isn't working right now and it's loud compared to my 2016, it's a good kind of loud because you can hear the engine and really be in tune with the truck. There's something about cruising down the road in this vintage of truck that can't be beat.

[JUN1269]

Seeing your build has given me a boost of motivation on mine. Keep pressing forward, it's looking really good.

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by JUN1269

Seeing your build has given me a boost of motivation on mine. Keep pressing forward, it's looking really good.

Thanks JUN, I'm glad it could help motivate you. I was sanding on it last night and am getting close to being done with the filler work. I'm working on it as much as I can so I can get it painted this month.

[1971Stepside]

Looks great! I thought I was about 90 percent there until I shot another coat of primer...so many spots to still fill and clean up. I can't wait for paint, but I still have so many things to test fit etc. I need to hold off. Can't wait to see her in blue.

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by 1971Stepside

Looks great! I thought I was about 90 percent there until I shot another coat of primer...so many spots to still fill and clean up. I can't wait for paint, but I still have so many things to test fit etc. I need to hold off. Can't wait to see her in blue.

I hear ya man. I could spend probably another 5 days on the back of the cab and the firewall, but the return for spending that time to get a flawless surface in those areas wasn't worth it to me. I was watching a video on YouTube last night by United by Trucks and his truck "Teddy" is a patina GMC and it's so cool. No body work, just nice mods and driving. Made me second guess all this work I'm doing, so I'm hoping it pays off.

[MDPotter]

Well my day off yesterday was successful, I got everything done that I wanted to. Theoretically, filler work on the cab, doors, fenders, and cowl should be done now. I sprayed a coat of epoxy on everything in preparation for high build primer tomorrow so I can move on. I'm worried about the sand scratches that I can see through the epoxy though. On the plus side, the seam sealer came out well.

[MDPotter]