68 C 10 stepside "My American Bulldog"

[jlaird]

how are you stripping the paint? What technique? Looks good!

[spike38]

Originally Posted by jlaird

how are you stripping the paint? What technique? Looks good!

I use airplane stripper, From the paint store
Use a cheap paint brush, And coat 1 square foot at a time.
If it sucks it up, I'll coat it with a little more. Let set for about 10 min.
Then I use a 1" putty knife, (That I rounded the corners) to get the bulk off.
Apply a thin coat of stripper as needed in between wire brushing lower layers
When I get close to the metal, I use a medium wire brush (welding supply)
Wipe all remaining stripper clean with Acetone.
Then treat all exposed metal with phoscote, To neutralize any rust. And it leaves
a zinc coating, To keep it from rusting in this South Georgia humidity.

Keep in mind, Mine had 9 layers on it. You may not need a putty knife.

Hope this helps

Spike

[spike38]

crob35 hooked me up with his old bench seat (thanks again)
It's got plenty of good springs in it, To rebuild mine.
And his 68 stepside, Is going to be a hot looking ride, When he finishes.

Started ripping the front end apart today.
First the bad news
The passenger fender, Inner fender, And radiator support are toast.
The good news is, Everything else was great!!
Even the side vent boxes, Just had light facial rust.
Tomorrow, I'll remove the radiator and support, And start on the
engine and tranny.

Spike

[spike38]

Finished removing the front end, And pulled the engine and tranny.
Now I knew the engine was blown, BUT D#MM !!!
I have blown plenty of motors in my time, But have never personally
seen one this screwed up. The only things that were salvageable,
Was Holley 600, An Edlebrock performer intake, A set of headers,
And an alternator.

Everything else was cracked, Broke, Or burnt. And I have never
seen a cam broke into 4 pieces before!!

Spike

[spike38]

When I was talking to Crob35 the other day, He reminded of another
stripping technique, Using Saran wrap. I had heard of it before, But never
used it. So I tried it today. It worked great!

First You apply a generous amount of stripper. Then you cover it with saran
wrap. The quicker and smoother you can get the saran wrap on, The better.
You are trying to keep the air out.

After 8hrs or more, Pull the saran wrap off, And remove all the loose paint.
Most will come off easily with a putty knife.

One more light coat of stripper, And a coarse scotch bright, Or wire brush.
Will remove anything that's left.

Then I coat it with phoscote to neutralize any rust, And prevent it from
rusting, Until I prime it.

The last pic, Shows 1st cleaning at the top, Final cleaning in the middle,
And phoscote at the bottom.

Spike

[kyull67]

Nice work on the paint. And wow, looks like someone forgot to check the oil in that motor!

[VA72C10]

looking good

[spike38]

Originally Posted by kyull67

Nice work on the paint. And wow, looks like someone forgot to check the oil in that motor!

thanks Kyull67 and VA72C10

I thought the stripper technique was pretty neat.

Spike

[jlaird]

how bad are the fumes from the aircraft stripper? Do you have to remove the phoscote prior to primer?

[spike38]

Originally Posted by jlaird

how bad are the fumes from the aircraft stripper? Do you have to remove the phoscote prior to primer?

The aircraft stripper has some fumes, I keep a fan blowing in the shop,
So it's not too bad. But once you cover it with the saran wrap, there are no
fumes, That I noticed anyways.

No, I do not remove the phoscote before priming. What phoscote does, Is
it neutralizes rust, And leaves a thin zinc layer. That bonds to the metal.
But as with any paint job, I will go over the vehicle with a sanding block, And 400
grit wet sandpaper, I use water with a little dawn dish detergent. And rinse as I go.
At a quick pace. Just incase there is anything stuck to the metal. Wash everything,
And let it dry. Before the full body primer is applied.

Spike

[spike38]

Got some goodies in today!
It will feel good to do some reconstruction for a change.

Spike

[DorianB]

I need to replace those pieces in my 68 also Watching and taking notes!

Looking great so far!

[spike38]

Started on the drivers side rocker and kick plate yesterday.
Also my first time with a mig welder, (not to pretty)
But I'll get used to it. I over cut the kick plate, Then trimmed it down.

Spike

[spike38]

More pics from yesterday. Still have a few pin holes to fill.

Spike

[67chevy1series]

looks good spike38

[spike38]

Originally Posted by 67chevy1series

looks good spike38

Thanks, It's been fun so far.

Here are some follow up pics.
Finished up the kick plate. Had to put a patch
in the floor, And a small one in the inner rocker.
Tacked in the rocker. Checked the fit,
Had to move it once. Welded everything.
Messaged the metal a little, For a better fit.
Smoothed the seams.

I'm working on the other side, But it's not as bad.

Spike

[crob35]

Looking good. Need some help welding let me know.

[spike38]

Originally Posted by crob35

Looking good. Need some help welding let me know.

Thanks, The welds are pretty ugly, I know.
But today, I was actually getting used to the mig welder.
It's definitely different than stick welding.

But you are welcome to come by anytime.

Spike

[spike38]

Got my new tilt steering column in yesterday,
It's out of a 76 chevy pickup. Test fit it tomorrow.

Spike

[spike38]

Started pulling the engine and tranny from my donor vehicle today.
Isn't she a beauty, Complete with shag carpeting, Wood paneling.
And 4 wore out captains chairs.
But, I found the engine is a real prize. I remove the shiny new carb,
Only to find a very clean intake. So I looked up the engine numbers,
To see how old it was. And found out it was a create motor. I then called
the company I bought it from, The very helpful lady told me the motor
was purchased new in "AUG 08", And was taken back out of service "JAN 09"
due to an electrical shorts in the dash and AC problems. But it took over a
year to decide to sell it. (So this motor is practically new!!!!!)

Spike

[spike38]

Got the engine out of the van, And on a stand.
While it's out, New cam, H2O pump, intake, carb, HP oil pump.
Roller rockers, And some fresh paint, (and billet of coarse).

Spike

[spike38]

I spent the earlier part of the week parting out my van, It's now ready
for the scrap yard. Get a little money back.
I've been getting in some parts, Cam, Lifters, Ect.
And some header wrap.

Tonight I wrapped my headers.

In the first pic, Shows my rusty headers before cleaning.
The etching primer, And Rust-Oleum paint I used on them
Painted headers, Along with the header wrap, That is soaked in water.

The second pic shows how I start from head flange, And work to exhaust tip.
Over lapping at least 1/4" and keeping it tight as I go.
Wrapping each by itself, Until they get to close, Then two, And so on.
Finally taking the last wrap all the way to the tip.
I also use the stainless zip ties at the end, And at the head flange ends.

Yes, I've heard that it shortens the life of your headers, But it also lowers
the temperature of your engine compartment, Increases performance, And
lengthen the life of your plug wires.

Spike

[spike38]

Lifted the cab off today, Got it chained to a beam for tonight.
Building a roll around caddy for it, Out of some old treated lumber.
I can't wait to blast the frame. Paint it, And start reassembling it.
I really want to see some forward progress.

Spike

[spike38]

I was able to get some work done today
My cab/bed dolly was done two days ago.
Yesterday, Got rid of the van, Got a few bucks scrap
But today I got the bed off as well!!!
Moved the chassis outside, Soaked it in degreaser, And pressure washed.
Tomorrow, I'm going to my cousins auto salvage to look for some parts.

(Is it just me, Or are there more of us. That would trust a complete stranger,
More than our own relatives)

Well here are some update pics

Spike

[spike38]

Last week, When I went to my cousins junk yard. I found a 72 C10 Fleet side,
With a complete front suspension. Also a power steering box.
Got it back to the shop, Ripped it apart, To find the good and bad.
Ordered ball joints, Bushings, And tie rod ends.
Today, I was able to sand blast some parts
(thanks to crob35 loaning me his tank setup)
And got some paint on the upper and lower control arms.
It felt good to be going the other direction.

Spike