64 C10 Stepside "Jaybird"

[bj383ss]

Started early this morning at 730 sharp. Put in about 8 hours today. Suppose to rain the next two days so wanted to make the most of today.

So here is where I left off with the fender. I spent about an hour getting it fit just right and rechecking all my measurements to make sure it was in the right place.

20171002_085520 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171002_085514 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Some tack welds to hold it in place. I went very slow let it cool completely and planished each weld with hammer and dolly.

20171002_091919 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

This part would have to be shaped after it was welded in securely. These aftermarket parts never fit properly. They all require massaging.

20171002_091929 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

After the patch was secure flipped it over to replace this mess. Took 2 measurements to the mounting hole to get it back in the same place.

20171002_093939 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171002_093943 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Cut the old piece above damage and test fitting the replacement.

20171002_094728 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Cut line.

20171002_094730 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Cut to size and clamped in place.

20171002_100724 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Decent fit.

20171002_100727 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

One of my measurements to verify it is in the right vertical position. Also more of the ugly original paint of my truck.

20171002_100736 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Had to put this clamp on the outside to put some curve in since the brace was cut right in the middle it was sagging.

20171002_100742 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

After I tacked the brace I put it on the truck to verify it was right. It came out perfect. This fender hasn't been on this truck for almost 4 years.

20171002_104922 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

This bottom mounting hole is about 3/4" big so there is plenty of play to move the fender around.

20171002_104935 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171002_104944 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

With it verified it was in the right place plug welded the brace in.

20171002_113145 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

With some primer and undercoating no one will never notice anything happened here.

20171002_114654 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171002_114658 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Dealt with this part next. Massaged it into place.

20171002_115024 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Stitching it up very slowly. VERY SLOW.

20171002_121239 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

In fact to keep busy during cooling I drug out the front bed panel to see if I could get the bow out of it. I didn't take any pics but I took a 2x4 and a BFH and beat the hell out of it til I got it pretty damn straight. I also knocked out about 8 really bad dents that were from stuff sliding forward in the bed.

So while waiting for the fender to cool I decided to start stripping it.

20171002_142759 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

2 work stations in the shade with the Big fan blowing. Was a beautiful 84* today. I worked til 5p.

20171002_142808 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Before

20171002_142803 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Drilled out the rivets and took these buggers off. My FIL had a vinyl tonneau cover on it.

20171002_143614 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Aching neck, back, arms and 3 hours later.

20171002_164953 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171002_165012 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

The fender is almost stitched up. The the next thing is putting a patch right above this new piece. The bottom patch wasn't quite long enough.

20171002_165017 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Quick pass with the dual action sander and some 80 grit. These bed pieces are galvanized from the factory. I tried my best to leave as much of it as possible.

20171002_165537 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

I have a little bit of rust at the bottom of the panel I will have to treat and one small pin hole I can weld up with a nail head.

20171002_165541 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

That's it for today.

Bret

[Mjminino]

[Grizz1963]

This is really making me smile Mate.

Great progress again today.

Well done.

[bj383ss]

Originally Posted by Mjminino

Originally Posted by Grizz1963

This is really making me smile Mate.

Great progress again today.

Well done.

Anything to make your smile Rian.

Bret

[bj383ss]

Yesterday's work.

I only had the morning to get stuff done as the weatherman predicted and rain. And for once he was right!

Made a patch for this small spot.

20171003_082614 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

One thing I have learned is cutting the hole to match the patch is much easier than cutting the patch to try and match the hole.

20171003_082610 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

I have been make all of my patches from this piece of a cab back. When I got my gas tank mounts John just cut the whole piece from the cab versus cutting all the spot welds. I don't blame him and the plus side I have some original sheet metal to patch with.

20171003_082216 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171003_085125 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171003_085130 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

While welding in the patch I flipped the front bed panel over. This is the only place on the whole truck that still has decent paint. It even still has a sheen to it. So I plan to just sand this side down really well and feather in all the bad places and just prime over it.

20171003_090156 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

I almost wanted to polish it out to see what the paint job my FIL did looked like.

20171003_090202 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

You can see all the dents from over the years I knocked down. Not perfect but much better than before.

20171003_092921 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171003_092926 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Drilled out the one small rust hole it had.

20171003_093509 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171003_094517 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Welding up the 20 holes across the top.

20171003_101315 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

These were super easy. Even for me.

20171003_094528 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Had one big 3/8" size hole right in the raised part in the middle. I made a flanged patch and welded from both sides.

20171003_101321 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

This pic popped up on my instagram feed and the shot of the bed really helps motivate me. Hopefully I will have mine looking like that soon. Not sure about the Elco bumper?

Screenshot_20171003-135200 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Started stripping the driver side bed panel. I made a run to HF and bought one of their Polycarbide abrasive wheels, a new cup brush and a 3" Roloc Disc sander. The Polycarbide wheel works really well for stripping fast and is much faster than the cup brush. Downside is it wears out really quick.

20171003_175334 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Not sure how I am going to get up at the top near the rail. My grinder is too big to fit up in there. Either going to have to sandblast or use paint stripper.

20171003_175328 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Tons of paint on this bedside. Especially around the outside edges of the fenders. Looks like there is about 6 layers of paint and primer.

20171003_175337 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

So this front corner needs attention. Some one pulled or tied something too it and pulled it loose from the stake, broke the weld and the metal on then side of the bed and the tab where it was spot welded to the bedside. What were they thinking?

20171003_175343 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Broken tab.

20171003_175351 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Looks like it might have happened before my father in law got it as the top of the bed has body filler on it.

20171003_175404 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

thanks for looking in,

Bret

[mjh1965]

Looking good Bret . I have started getting my doors lined up to the fenders , luckily the pattern fender to door gap seems quite good .

[Indian113]

WOW! Just read your whole Thread, I'm impressed with the work you have done and thankful for the pictures on how you did it. I'm starting a Full tear down of my 64 this Fall and going to have to do a lot of the same things you did. Thanks Again ,Ray

[bj383ss]

Originally Posted by mjh1965

Looking good Bret . I have started getting my doors lined up to the fenders , luckily the pattern fender to door gap seems quite good .

Thanks Martin. Can't wait to see your underway.

Originally Posted by Indian113

WOW! Just read your whole Thread, I'm impressed with the work you have done and thankful for the pictures on how you did it. I'm starting a Full tear down of my 64 this Fall and going to have to do a lot of the same things you did. Thanks Again ,Ray

Thank You Indian113. It has been a long journey and I am ready to drive it again. Good luck on your tear down. Are you going to have a thread or maybe you already have one.

Bret

[bj383ss]

I spent all day working on the driver fender.

First off was bending over the patch.

20171004_102558 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Next I knocked this dent back in place and then welded up the holes.

20171004_112317 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171004_122024 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171004_122028 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Last thing to weld up was a patch for this rotted place on the eyebrow.

20171004_122042 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Hung it on the sawhorse to make it easier to work on.

20171004_123306 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

I didn't take a pic but this corner was packed all the way back to the top of my cut with dirt and rust. It took about 10 minutes to dig and blow it all out.

20171004_124340 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171004_124345 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171004_124332 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Not perfect but pretty close and will be fine with some mud.

20171004_153748 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171004_153800 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

And here is the fender all stripped, cleaned, welded, and ground ready for some Metal 2 Metal aluminum filler before primer.

20171004_160429 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171004_160433 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171004_162834 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

This eyebrow part of the fender is one of my favorite parts about these trucks.

20171004_162842 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

First coat of mud.

20171004_165908 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171004_165917 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171004_175126 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Best before shot I could find of it.

DSCN6789 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Tomorrow will get i primed and then some primer surfacer and blocking after that.

Bret

[TJ's Chevy]

You do some fast work man!

Looks good!

[bj383ss]

Originally Posted by TJ's Chevy

You do some fast work man!

Looks good!

Thanks TJ. 12 days of vacation are helping of course.


Well my progress today is not as impressive as I never made it back outside after lunch. After 6.5 days of going strong my body gave out today.

I did get the driver fender in primer and the front bed panel.

20171005_144642 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

It still need a little bit of glazing putty.

20171005_164921 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Bed panel looks pretty good considering how rough it was.

20171005_164927 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

That's it for today. Will hit it hard in the morning and then a lunch date with the wife. So tomorrow might be another half day.

Bret

[Indian113]

Bret, I don't have a thread yet. I'm still working on my shop. I have a 24x48 shop and I need to make room for our Harley's ,my wife's car and my Caddy plus get the 64 in it. But I have a plan, the Harleys may spend the winter in the MC trailer and the Caddy will sit outside with my S10 unless it's snowing. The PO thought he was a Sculpter and worked wonders with Bondo! Luckily I'm retired and I can spend as much time as I want in the shop. Ray

[Indian113]

Those look like 1950 Pontiac Taillights.

[Grizz1963]

You are rocking man !!

Some serious forward progress here.

[bj383ss]

Originally Posted by Indian113

Those look like 1950 Pontiac Taillights.

Thank You. Already found a repo set on Amazon for $46.

Originally Posted by Grizz1963

You are rocking man !!

Some serious forward progress here.

Thank You Rian. I am pushing as hard as I can to get as much stuff done before my vacation ends. I really wanted to have all the bed panels done and mocked up on the truck but that might be a long shot.

Bret

[mjh1965]

Looking good Bret . I plan to get some done on my next holiday ( vacation ) at Christmas time as we shut down for two weeks .

[62 Barnfind]

When do you think you will be done? We have a show coming up at the end of the month I would love for you to attend.

[bj383ss]

Originally Posted by mjh1965

Looking good Bret . I plan to get some done on my next holiday ( vacation ) at Christmas time as we shut down for two weeks .

Looking forward to your updates Martin.

Originally Posted by 62 Barnfind

When do you think you will be done? We have a show coming up at the end of the month I would love for you to attend.

Not really sure when I will be done just keep pushing to the finish line. If you are talking about my truck being at the show that would be tough to make. I am really hoping to have it driving under its own power and stopping by Xmas time.

Bret

[bj383ss]

Worked half day today and my body just gave out again. So I went inside and helped the wife with some chores and hung out with my boys.

Got this ready for some metal 2 metal.

20171007_105642 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

My buddy John talked me into doing bodywork on all the bed panels so here is the start.

20171007_110633 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171007_110628 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

When I block sanded the driver fender I had 2 high spots near my patch weld so I knocked them down gently but accidentally messed up some of my metal 2 metal so sanded it down and reapplied some more. UGH.

20171007_110620 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Next up was working on my cross sills. I was originally going to sandblast them to bare metal but after looking at them and cleaning them up they aren't that bad. My FIL shot these with red oxide primer when he repainted the truck. What little rust I did have I shot with Rust encaspulator. Will let that dry for 24 hours and then prime and shoot them satin Black.

20171007_111201 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171007_134409 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171007_143711 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Bret

[bj383ss]

This all I got done yesterday.

20171008_141240 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171008_154007 by bjohnson388, on Flickr


But I did a little better today. Last day of vacation. Back to the rat race tomorrow.

20171009_090440 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171009_090446 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171009_093445 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

All sanded down. Need to block them and put glazing putty in a few places and then one more coat of High build and block again and see where I am at.

20171009_092923 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171009_093440 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Forgot to take a pic of the fender before high build.

20171009_104310 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171009_104319 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171009_104329 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Starting to look more like a truck.

20171009_110617 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Really proud of this Driver fender. It is by no means perfect but much better than the mess it was. Can't wait to get the driver door done.

20171009_110631 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171009_110641 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Got 2 coats of Satin Black on the bed sills.

20171009_152534 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

This tailgate is a mess. It is bowed, which I think I can get most of it out its only on the top. It has several deep dents on the bottom that I will have to drill a hole and use the slide hammer to pull out and then weld back up.

20171009_143228 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171009_143233 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

The bow in the top.

20171009_143238 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Someone used it as a workbench too much. SMH.

20171009_143257 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Pulled out the other bedside and started stripping didn't finish but got a good start.

20171009_143608 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

It is in alot better shape than the other side.

20171009_143613 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171009_152745 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Both stake pockets need some attention.

20171009_152748 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171009_152753 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171009_154823 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

And that concludes my vacation progress.

Thanks for stopping in,

Bret

[Indian113]

Slow and Steady Keep up the Good Work.

[Grizz1963]

Absolutely nailed it mate.


Well done.


Were the boys not about to help?

[62 Barnfind]

Looking good! I'm glad you decided to do the body work.

[TJ's Chevy]

Nice job!

[step65]

All your hard work is paying off looks great. Fender came out real nice.