My Free Truck-Project Rhino

[williamsboys]

Pic,pics,pics. We love the pics. Sounds like your getting the body straight.

[McMurphy]

I remember this thread when you first started it.
Any idea what your side mirror came from?

Hope you can get it in the shop, working outside can be a massive demotivator if you are not in a temperate location.

[TJ's Chevy]

Looks like that front fender went on vacation or was shot! Nice truck for free and a great start!

[BigDan3131]

The mirror? I have no idea and I will probably sell it and everything I don't use later on. You get first dibs since you asked about it.

Saturdays weather was horrible and I had no one to help me get it in the door. I ended up spending 24hrs with a hot woman instead!!!

[chad64chevy]

would also like to see some pics, and yes you cant beat a FREE truck

[BigDan3131]

Another Saturday...more rain but I got the truck inside and have what I need to finish most of the body work including primer.

On a side note I was thinking about adding a rolled pan to the rear but after taking some measurements I can put a 3" x 5" .120 wall pipe there and it wont interfere with the tailgate. I get a smooth look and a nice firm bumper too.

Yes...pictures tomorrow.

[BigDan3131]

So today I removed all the old filler remaining and used fiberglass reinforced filler in the spots because its waterproof. I then took off the headlight bar and separated the pieces.
The shop I'm working out of is attached to another shop that is liquidating parts and they just so happen to have a very large amount of stainless steel bolts. So in other words every nut and bolt I remove will now be SS. I also plan to build my own toneau cover...I picked those pieces out too.
Tomorrow will be me scuffing the rest of the truck for primer and maybe finish the floor. I might just primer the bare steel and bodywork because the existing finish is solid.

[BigDan3131]

The Pics you requested.

[BigDan3131]

I'm using fiberglass reinforced filler because its water proof. The seam sealer is covering more of that filler as I found holes in those two spots that I'm sure led to the floor rotting out. Once everything is finished smooth [I put metal to metal over the glass filler as the final filler] I have found out that I might be losing my spot at the shop so that means paint time. After Thanksgiving I will mask it off, lay out my two tone lines and shoot Hammerite on it.

I plan to shoot most of the lower half in hammered black which looks like slate gray metallic and then the rest including the engine bay in hammered silver. Since the body is solid except for the rust I have fixed I just have to scuff it and shoot it.

The frame rails will get blasted with a mini blaster we have then color.

[TJ's Chevy]

Looking good! keep it up!

[McMurphy]

If you could be so kind, I would appreciate a photo or two of that mirror, it would help in making an ID on it....
Thanks !!

[BigDan3131]

I'll do that on Monday.

[BigDan3131]

I got the hood off and cleaned the whole engine compartment. Tomorrow I will finish putting down the seam sealer and applying the rust convertor. While that goes on I will try to form the skin of the outer rocker panel in fiberglass and fix the inside edges of the doors along with trying to finish the floors if I have time.

More pics tomorrow.

[BigDan3131]

Well my progress has been stalled by this extremely cold weather we have. When the steel you want to work on is colder than the Mountain Dew your drinking its time to wait. So in the mean time I will stay late after work and sandblast the small stuff in our cabinet since the room will already be heated.

[BigDan3131]

Once again it has warmed up [almost 45 today] I plan to shoot the engine compartment in Silver-Grey Hammerite. If time and the wood doesn't run out for the stove I might even shoot the black.

I've been watching video's and reading more on the turbo forums and after seeing just how easy it is to do. My mind is made up...4.8L with single 76mm turbo with 5psi of boost it will make enough power to scoot this truck along.

I'll have new pictures once I get a new camera [my S10 was broke into and thankfully they didn't look in the back where all my tools were sitting] and I'll add new pics then.

[Lowl!f3]

Originally Posted by niterider65

mmmm man the left front fender look like the po thought it was cheaper to reform the front of the fender in bondo . looks a little thick

Looks like $200 in bondo lol.

[BigDan3131]

Haven't had much time to work on it since it seems to be Ultimate Linings time [we are no longer a Rhino Liner Dealer]. I shot three this week and have another tomorrow but its ready to be shot so I'll work for a couple hours.

As far as the truck goes it had to come out of the shop for a low mile former race car or the 57 Bel Air project I'm doing. The truck is in its new colors, I two toned it solid black Hammerite on top and slate grey Hammerite on the bottom with the engine compartment and core support in silver Hammerite. I had parts from another project lying around so while I was clearing some parts a week ago I shot some on a part with the Hammerite on it. No lifting, cracking or any other issue clearing it. I would wait a good 14 days before clearing over it so its fully cured by then.

So now I can see the remaining dings which are few, since the paint is a reinforced enamel I can spray over the body work once its finished. This is no long Project Rhino since the body is nearly dead straight so I wont be covering more than half of it in the liner. Just the bed, gas tanks and the light bar since I shot the headlamp grill already. So right now its a 30 footer but not for long

It will still be getting a low mile 4.8L engine but I found a guy who sells Ebay turbos pretty cheap and for the price I'll just buy two. It just means having two W to A intercoolers instead of one.

Pics will be taken tomorrow the 18th.

[BigDan3131]

Sorry for the delay, I needed the correct cable and it was an hours drive away from me.

[BigDan3131]

Rain Sucks.


I just got it back inside the shop and started wet sanding the body and fix those remaining dings. I shot a little clear I had left over on the front edge of the fender and it lays out nicely. So when my refund gets here I will order the clear and rootbeer candy. The low mile 4.8 I found is waiting for me to come get it and the tanks are ready to come out.

[98Murray]

Looking good!

[BigDan3131]

I had more left over clear yesterday and decided to see what different pearls would look like over both the silver and black. From the pictures you can barely see the copper over the silver nor the gold over the silver.

On the black the copper looks nice but shooting the gold over the copper looks really nice.

By keeping the gold pearl, it ties into the interior color so I don't have to change it right away.

[BigDan3131]

Well, its been too long since I posted anything about the truck. Doing three full restorations takes its toll on me and then it seemed like months of spraying three to four bedliners a week would never end. So one project is done and gone the other only needs to be fired up and its done too. I'll post pics of both next week.


Now about my truck...The hood, engine compartment and front wheel wells have been cleaned and sprayed with that undercoating I love so much. The outside portion of the roof is sprayed with it as well and then painted with more gloss black. I pulled the seat and stock tank out and I am masking the inside of the cab for undercoating and the lower half of the door as well. Then both will get painted but I'm not sure which base color yet the black or slate gray.
Once that's done I might spray the back of the cab to further insulate the cab from the weather and road noise Then I can finish sanding the drivers side and the body will be ready for the pearls and rootbeer candy.

I have a rear bumper now, its flat like a roll pan but made of steel diamond plate. I'm modifying the shape since this was on a 59 Apache then spray it with Ultimate Liner since that's what we use now.

Lastly, I've got my CL score. A set of 18" X 8.5" 8 lug rims with the right bolt pattern and backspacing for $350.00. If the chrome doesn't clean up like I want I will candy them too.

Pics very soon, I promise.

Dan

[LuckyLightning]

Good looking truck. What did you end up doing about the floorboards?

[BigDan3131]

I killed off all of the rust then sealed and reinforced them with fiberglass resin and stranded mat. With two layers of mat and four coats of resin making it extremely tough and now water proof.

Pics:The Boss' truck

[BigDan3131]

My truck pics: