Dug's 1959 Fleetside

[dug224]

Originally Posted by dsraven

that looks great. now just to smooth the edge, a little epoxy and some filler to smooth things over.
on one of the other threads we discussed panel adhesive. that may work well on something like this as well if there is enough of the edge to get a good lasting bond.
keep going, you'll be done in no time. nice to see you back at it. are you done all those other projects already?

Never done! I look at those projects as practice for the '59! The Tandem (Schwinn BMX front and Huffy step thru rear) turned out pretty good. G-kids need a few more years on them to get two on it without crashing. The 5 year old can ride it but the long wheel base makes it challenging. Base coat/Clear coat using small HVLP gun......as I said, practice.

[Black_Sheep]

Your dash looks great, I did the same but left the holes to the left of the cluster for the headlight switch and wiper switch.

[dug224]

Originally Posted by Black_Sheep

Your dash looks great, I did the same but left the holes to the left of the cluster for the headlight switch and wiper switch.

Man, looks clean. I really like the two tone dash as well. I need to come up with a closure for my steering column like yours. Guess that'll come when I get assembly going. Thanks

[Kim57]

Your dash looks real nice.
Kim

[ChuckDriver]

Slick!

[dug224]

Put the truck back upright and started smoothing out the firewall a bit and tackling the cab corners and old gas cap hole (and CB antenna hole on pass. side).

[dsraven]

looks good. you'll be driving it for the summer at this rate.
don't forget the seam sealer on the back ides of the patch panels.

[dug224]

Originally Posted by dsraven

looks good. you'll be driving it for the summer at this rate.
don't forget the seam sealer on the back ides of the patch panels.

Seam sealer is on the list. Also, need to seal the plates I welded in the cab corners to seal of the cab corner pockets. I created kind of an awkward overlap that I need to deal with. While undercoating the cab with U-Pol's RAPTOR (2 part) bed linger, I am toying with the idea of using the bed liner on the firewall and inner fenders. It is rated for 185 degrees F. What do you think about that?

...and then there is the roof dilemma. New roof is $450 plus the labor to replace. May have to beat on it a bit, create a shaped screed/applicator and sculpt a new plastic filler roof much like the last guy did until such a time permits that I can replace it. All existing holes have been welded closed.

[67Mal]

PM sent

[dsraven]

if bracing you maybe don't wanna tack the roof to the brace, it will possibly show/distort when the roof expands from heat or cool. better to let the roof "float" and use a dab of something in between to stop metal on metal. maybe some of those chair leg felts or a bit of foam. like under the hood on a newer vehicle.

[dug224]

Originally Posted by dsraven

if bracing you maybe don't wanna tack the roof to the brace, it will possibly show/distort when the roof expands from heat or cool. better to let the roof "float" and use a dab of something in between to stop metal on metal. maybe some of those chair leg felts or a bit of foam. like under the hood on a newer vehicle.

Good point. I'll see how my shrinking exercise goes before I commence with bracing. Maybe even seam sealer if I have to brace???

[dug224]

Originally Posted by 67Mal

PM sent

Got it ...thanks. Your Chevelle project is incredible.

[dsraven]

if using seam sealer or other adhesive style caulking between the bracing and the skin, maybe use some wax paper or other non moisture absorbing material against the roof do it won't stick to the roof part. the skin may need support but maybe not attached, so it can float during expansion and contraction.
just a thought.

[dug224]

Logged in a couple of hours watching Youtube videos on how to shrink sheet metal. Plenty of techniques to try and with nothing to lose, I first tried heating with a propane torch immediately followed by hammer & dolly, followed by quenching with a wet rag. Moved the stretch around a bit but had a hard time being consistent. Finally broke out the Oxygen Acetylene rig and commenced with experimentation. Tried the same technique as stated above first using mild heat then I tried it with red hot heat (hence the marks) with no consistency. Finally landed on moving around a 12" diameter circle (see Sharpie marks) with 4 or 5 brief heat touches about 3" apart following each one with a rag quench. I worked my way radially to the center which ended up creating probably about 8 or 9 shots of heat per circle. Created the consistency that I was missing and ended up chasing the soft spots around a bit. I concentrated on three areas and I did 3 passes in each letting them cool for 10 or 15 minutes between passes. Seems I was trying to hurry the process thinking that the heat shrinking was covering a larger area than it actually was. I will sneak back up on it in the morning to see if it is still good and repeat as necessary to finalize this effort.


The correct roof shape is back (see old shape in post #833 above) and the oil canning is gone.

[dsraven]

you'll be starting your own shop soon.
now for some filler and a smile

[dsraven]

just remember when you shrink or expand one place it will affect another place. good luck, hope it goes well.

[dug224]

Roof still a bit messy so I decided to do something I know I could finish.....that is, install the smooth cowl. I used up some old spray paint and painted the never to be seen again area below the cowl and also the back of the cowl. the cowl actually fit pretty well but decided to bend and file a bit to make it fit a little better to minimize the body work. I managed to hold it down with two screws and 3 Cleco's in the factory holes and added two new Cleco's in the top corners. Gambled and did not clamp the top edge and it managed to stay put during welding. Decided to practice patience so I stitch welded it approximately 3" to 4". It took about 30 welds to get around the perimeter. After each lap, I immediately cooled with compressed air followed by a wire wheel in my cordless drill. No apparent deformation but I did hear it pop once. I'll grind and fill next.

[dug224]

Originally Posted by dsraven

just remember when you shrink or expand one place it will affect another place. good luck, hope it goes well.

I noted this and was prepared. The fun was figuring out what else moved when I tried to shrink a certain area.

[dsraven]

fits pretty good. now a little time with the flap disc and a skim of filler. it'll look like it came that way stock

[dug224]

Dennis...speaking of grinding....I had a hard time getting each stitch weld on the top and bottom to lay flat. I was essentially welding in a valley and the weld would pile up and get thick in the middle (in the valley). Tried fooling with the wire speed and heat and even changed the stick out (moved the welding tip in and out of the cup) to see if I could improve on it. Best result was when i turned down the heat with the tip essentially even with the top of the cup. As a result, I had a little more material to remove with the grinder. Worked like a dream on the butt welds on the left and right side of the cowl. The welds laid down like they were supposed to and required very little grinding/flap flap-discing. Smeared on a thin coat of filler. I'll return to the roof project after I sand and prime the cowl.

[dsraven]

when I am doing these spots I weld about 1/4" at a time, let it cool with the wire still in the puddle, then as soon as the red spot goes away from my welding helmet lens I do the same again. after a seam about an inch long I lay off and cool it off. move onto another area, that way I can get a hotter weld so it lays out better but doesn't burn through or build a little mountain of weld material. what thickness of wire are you using?

[_Ogre]

don't forget to weld this drain hole closed
no sense getting caught in the rain and drain into your kick speakers

[Dan in Pasadena]

Excellent point...except I live in SoCal where it barely EVER rains...and I don’t intend to ever drive it when there’s a chance of rain anyway, lol.

[dug224]

Ogre: You and my buddy Jim beat me to the point!! I kept overlooking it. Welding it solid would have been a little easier on the bench but I managed. Fortunately my Dad left me some antique grinding tips I used in my drill. It rains a bunch here (most in the U.S.) but my truck will mostly be inside. Thanks.

I got the body work on the Cowl at about 90%. Jim came over and we whacked the roof a couple of more times and managed to stiffen it up. I did three 24" pulls on the filler using a Home Depot paint shield. It is a little flexible and does a pretty good job. With the exception of the back edge of the roof where I can't get under it, the filler is no thicker than about 1/8". The sculpting begins.

[dug224]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Excellent point...except I live in SoCal where it barely EVER rains...and I don’t intend to ever drive it when there’s a chance of rain anyway, lol.

All it does here is RAIN! We get the most rain (67"+/-) in the U.S. here in Mobile. My truck won't be out in it much and, if my wife gets her way, it (we) may be living in Colorado sooner than later.