85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by moregrip

Thank you for a great read! Lots of good info in here and details! Fantastic truck brother! I hope mine turns out half as good as yours!

My pleasure. I have learned so much from this forum, its the least I can do to share my experience with others in hopes they might benefit as well.

[N2TRUX]

Another long day at work so my shop time didn't start till late. I have been working on a couple of ideas for the breather on Scarlett. I really liked the one we put on my 84 GMC, but I wanted to refine this one a bit. I started by sending the lid to my buddy Johnny C for his dimple die treatment. He has the dies and the skills to use them so it made sense to have him punch the holes.
I wanted to use a wire mesh to cover the holes so I searched for a source. Most of the expanded metal or wire mesh I found was too costly, and too heavy of a gauge. I noticed that an old air filter had just what I needed so I stripped it down.

If you try to duplicate this be warned that the edges are very sharp when exposed. I cut the mesh to the proper width, then rolled each side for a smooth edge and to give it strength. I'm still working on a solution to attach it to the breather lid, bit I like the look.
This is a project that evolves as it comes together, so stay tuned for possible changes.

[UKNOWME]

Now that's sweet!
What are you doing with the base to eliminate the intake tube?

[daddyjeep]

I like that breather a lot. I may have to borrow that idea. I'm thinking it might be cool to have longer oval holes instead of the round holes...then I wouldn't be stealing your idea.

[Low Elco]

I like the breather. Glad to hear Kevin's still alive out there. Miss his threads a lot.

[moregrip]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

I like the breather. Glad to hear Kevin's still alive out there. Miss his threads a lot.

got any links to these threads brother?

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by moregrip

got any links to these threads brother?

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...archid=5546174

This one is my favorite

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=622971

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

Now that's sweet!
What are you doing with the base to eliminate the intake tube?

I'm not sure yet. I have an idea for replacing the base, but that will come later.

Originally Posted by daddyjeep

I like that breather a lot. I may have to borrow that idea. I'm thinking it might be cool to have longer oval holes instead of the round holes...then I wouldn't be stealing your idea.

The oval holes were what I planned to go with, but the dies wouldn't fit in the limited space available. I may be the first one to do this on a Squarebody, but certainly not the first. I got the idea from my buddy N2billet

Originally Posted by Low Elco

I like the breather. Glad to hear Kevin's still alive out there. Miss his threads a lot.

Me too. Hes a fun guy to follow.

[N2TRUX]

I'm still not sure how I want to attch the mesh inside the breather lid. I have a couple of ideas, just not sure how to make it look nice.

In the interim, I moved on to the valve covers. I have a new set on the shelf, so I considered cleaning these and adding them to my swap meet parts bin. It didnt take long to realize the chrome was not going to clean up. It appears that they have been wiped with Scotch-Brite and there was some mild spotting from rust.

Looking inside I saw that they had been pulled off of a used motor and "sorta" cleaned up before installing them on this 305 HO. The left over grunge bothered me, so I decided to clean them up in my blasting cabinet.

Before committing to keep them, I checked the mounting surface with a straight edge and they were all true. Despite the appearance, these were actually a quality set of chrome covers. Committed to reusing them on my build I media blasted all of the internal grunge then hosed them down with brake cleaner.

Prepping chrome for paint is not an easy task. I cleaned the chrome in the blasting cabinet, then hit it with 150#grit to give the primer something to bite on. Once I had the whole surface sanded I came back with Scoth-Brite and brake cleaner to ensure a oil free surface.

After a blew them clean inside and out once more, I laid down a few coats of sandable primer. When this cures, I plan to wet sand and test the adhesion. If it sticks well, I will add a color coat.

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

I'm still not sure how I want to attch the mesh inside the breather lid. I have a couple of ideas, just not sure how to make it look nice.

In the interim, I moved on to the valve covers. I have a new set on the shelf, so I considered cleaning these and adding them to my swap meet parts bin. It didnt take long to realize the chrome was not going to clean up. It appears that they have been wiped with Scotch-Brite and there was some mild spotting from rust.

Looking inside I saw that they had been pulled off of a used motor and "sorta" cleaned up before installing them on this 305 HO. The left over grunge bothered me, so I decided to clean them up in my blasting cabinet.

Before committing to keep them, I checked the mounting surface with a straight edge and they were all true. Despite the appearance, these were actually a quality set of chrome covers. Committed to reusing them on my build I media blasted all of the internal grunge then hosed them down with brake cleaner.

Prepping chrome for paint is not an easy task. I cleaned the chrome in the blasting cabinet, then hit it with 150#grit to give the primer something to bite on. Once I had the whole surface sanded I came back with Scoth-Brite and brake cleaner to ensure a oil free surface.

After a blew them clean inside and out once more, I laid down a few coats of sandable primer. When this cures, I plan to wet sand and test the adhesion. If it sticks well, I will add a color coat.

I'm so glad to see you redoing those valve covers. I was worried you were going 90s chrome on us! Haha just kidding

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

I'm so glad to see you redoing those valve covers. I was worried you were going 90s chrome on us! Haha just kidding

I do dig retro, but that's not where I'm headed with this. I just hate to waste good parts, and these are actually well made.

[N2TRUX]

I went out to load my truck for the work day and couldn't resist checking on the valve covers. I decided to wet sand them and check for adhesion. It wasn't 100% but not bad.
You can see where it peeled rather than feather out in a couple places. I sanded them back till it feathered then scuffed them with Scotch Brite once more. This was followed by a wipe down and a few more coats of primer. I think they are going to work out nicely.

[N2TRUX]

Friday night I hit the gym, then fired up the heater in my shop. Fortunately the insulation I added in the walls and doors really helped. Money well spent.
I wet sanded the valve covers on last time, then worked on the breather lid. The factory paint was in decent shape so it cleaned up quickly. A couple of wet coats of primer, and I called it done.

[moregrip]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Friday night I hit the gym, then fired up the heater in my shop. Fortunately the insulation I added in the walls and doors really helped. Money well spent.
I wet sanded the valve covers on last time, then worked on the breather lid. The factory paint was in decent shape so it cleaned up quickly. A couple of wet coats of primer, and I called it done.

I'm with you on the gym thing! I was doing pretty good until the holidays!

interested to see how those chromies turn out with some paint, I have a set that will probably need the same:metal

What do you do to minimize lint if anything when painting in your shop?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by moregrip

I'm with you on the gym thing! I was doing pretty good until the holidays!

interested to see how those chromies turn out with some paint, I have a set that will probably need the same:metal

What do you do to minimize lint if anything when painting in your shop?

I was committed to a 6 day routine for a few years, but got out of sync when we got a new dog.
I changed my schedule and didn't stay consistent. Hopefully I can get back to it again.
I use moist paper towels to wipe things down, then blow dry before paint.

[rustytruck50]

http://https://www.amazon.com/3M-Marine-Grade-Silicone-Sealant/dp/B01D890QUS#
This may be an option for attaching the mesh to the inside of your air cleaner lid...I've used it in several different applications and it works great. It's adhesive quality is great. Just an idea.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

http://https://www.amazon.com/3M-Marine-Grade-Silicone-Sealant/dp/B01D890QUS#
This may be an option for attaching the mesh to the inside of your air cleaner lid...I've used it in several different applications and it works great. It's adhesive quality is great. Just an idea.

Thanks, I will check it out

[rustytruck50]

I appreciate that...btw, I kinda cringed at the adolescent sound of the end of that post...hope it didn't come across overly repetitive
What I forgot to add was that I've used it in both indoor and outdoor, home & automotive & in both extremes of temperature and it holds up very well and maintains its flexibility....would've been so much easier if I'd just said that in the beginning

[N2TRUX]

I spent the morning shopping on line for parts I'm going to need to finish the motor up. I love shopping for the best prices and taking them to Summit Racing to price match and get free shipping
About the time I got my parts ordered Chris came over and we got started on Scarlett .

Today's plan was to get as far as possible with stripping the wiring back to clean and start painting. With the wiring harness peeled back Chris worked on sanding the firewall while I worked on prepping the top of the transmission and back of the motor.

Even though the inner fenders and back of the core support will be covered by Slosh Tubz panels I just couldn't resist cleaning and painting everything till we get them in place.
With a fresh coat of satin black covering everything we closed up shop for the night

[RootBeerFXS]

Man I can't wait to see this at LSTD next month.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by RootBeerFXS

Man I can't wait to see this at LSTD next month.

Me too. ��

[N2TRUX]

Sunday Chris had to do maintenance on his daily driver getting it ready for a road trip. He got the oil changed while I worked on my blasting cabinet. We had switched back to the medium grit media but it still wasnt flowing well.

I decided to try the fine grit again. I also tried a couple of different size tips, and that was a fail too. I'm not sure if the media is the issue or what, but my cabinet is non functional till I get this figured out. Not good timing since I really need to start cleaning parts.

[Coursey]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Sunday Chris had to do maintenance on his daily driver getting it ready for a road trip. He got the oil changed while I worked on my blasting cabinet. We had switched back to the medium grit media but it still wasnt flowing well.

I decided to try the fine grit again. I also tried a couple of different size tips, and that was a fail too. I'm not sure if the media is the issue or what, but my cabinet is non functional till I get this figured out. Not good timing since I really need to start cleaning parts.

I just started putting my cabinet together. Going to make a few mods as i put it together (from youtube suggestions). I am going to run the stock pick up for now just to try it out. A lot of people on youtube say to contact http://www.tacomacompany.com/ for a different pick up setup that solves a lot of problems.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Coursey

I just started putting my cabinet together. Going to make a few mods as i put it together (from youtube suggestions). I am going to run the stock pick up for now just to try it out. A lot of people on youtube say to contact http://www.tacomacompany.com/ for a different pick up setup that solves a lot of problems.

The stock pick up worked ok for me. The tubing betwen the metal tube and the handle get soft fairly quick and collapses while in use. I replaced it with another style of tubing and now its a bit too rigid.

[N2TRUX]

After a melt down of frustration on the blasting cabinet, I get under the truck and began the nasty chore of removing a massive build up of old oily grunge on the crossmember. I scraped and wire brushed layer after layer of built up sludge till I finally found clean metal. Chris worked from the top side and cleaned around the motor mount and frame rail. My brother in law came over and brought some Rudys Barbecue so we stopped for lunch.

After lunch we got back on cleaning. I worked on the center of the core support while Chris moved over to the firewall on the passenger side. I got the center of the core support prepped and he mad big progress on the housing and firewall.