Lurker OrrieG Progress Pics

[dug224]

Can't wait to see the final steering wheel product. Intend to follow your lead on that. You are on the downhill stroke! Keep up the good work. Dug

[OrrieG]

Epoxy primed and sanding primed hood, tailgate, bumpers, grille, grill surround and some misc parts. Should block out real nice, only saw a few small boo-boos that will need work. I'm tired of bodywork for a while, going to do some mechancial and interior stuff.

[OrrieG]

Ready to block

[oldman3]

Looks good....Jim

[dug224]

So THAT's what my sheetmetal will look like in a couple of years. Well done. Dug

[Kim57]

Looking good.
Kim

[Green 1959]

Awesome as always!! I know how you feel about body work getting a little.... much. But keep going can't wait to see that back on the road

[OrrieG]

I don't mind doing it, but need to remind myself it is going to get driven. With the bed on I know I put in way to much time on the back of the cab below the belt line. Looking a the pics it looks like I use a lot of plastic but most of it is just a skim coat. I learned my skills from an old timer that ran the Ft. Hood hobby body shop in the early 70's. Luckily for me there usually wasn't anyone there so I got a lot on one on one instruction. I was doing my 60 VW panel (not a flat surface even though they look like a box) that had been hit on the rounded corners, sills and large slab sides. He would not even let me get out the plastic until I had mastered the hammer and dolly and worked the whole car. I would get it close to flat and think nothing else could be done, then he would take the tools and gently make it perfect. Learned a lot about patience. When it was done max thickness he would allow was 1/16", most was less then that. Yes, I could have rebelled and not worked as hard, but he wouldn't have taught me as much.

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

Ready to block

have fun blocking

sometimes i'd get a part done 'good enough' only to go back, reprime and reblock it again
some days i'd have to take off and not even look at it
hang in there

[zellway]

I just read over your thread and I must say I'm impressed. I love the slide out tray under the seat! I have a set of M/T valve covers painted just like the ones you have.

[OrrieG]

Thanks for the compliment. Orge, if you want to relive the feeling, come on by!

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Parts look good...

[1985-GMC]

Looks great!

Ft. Hood as in near Waco Tx?

[OrrieG]

Yes, I was posted at Ft. Hood with the 1st Air Calvary 72-73. I had a 64 Chevelle, and a friend an I raced a BB 69 Nova. I also wrenched on and drove other guys cars too. My Lieutenant had a GTO Judge that ran terribly. I got it running right and took him out for a test drive. Scared the beans out of him, he had never fully opened the throttle. He traded it the next week for a 63 split window Vette.

[1985-GMC]

Haha that's great, and thank you for your service Orrie!

[OrrieG]

Got to do a redo. Scored a Qjet off of a running truck (until about a month ago before it tossed a rod) for $30. Cleaned it up and spent the afternoon redoing the choke lever, ac kickup bracket and trans kickdown. Only thing that bolted right up was the gas pedal. It's ready to fire up again.

[Green 1959]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

Also started the wheel repair with my trusty roto tool and JB Weld.

I got myself a origanal steering wheel and need to do some repairs as well. How did JB weld work on that? Is there another method you would recommand?

[OrrieG]

Originally Posted by Green 1959

I got myself a origanal steering wheel and need to do some repairs as well. How did JB weld work on that? Is there another method you would recommand?

I use JB weld alot for cleaning up minor welding, etc. imperfections on brackets and such. The HAMB guys recommend it and another two part epoxy, I suspect they are similar. I know JB Weld does not shrink once it cures and will stick to anything, including you. It takes off a couple of layers of skin when removed. Some guys use body filler, but I do not think it would hold up because the wheels flex when used.

You can work it with metal files and 80 grit paper to shape, then lighter weight paper. Just make sure you under cut the cracks a little (tip I got from HAMB board too) to prevent it popping out. Does not have to be continous, just some holes, kind of like what the dentist does to keep the filling from rising. I think the 58-59 wheels are more of a plastic than the earlier one I was working on. should be an easy fix, not as many compound curves as the older ones around the horn area. I saw where you have the factory blinker assembly, that is cool.

Do a search over a HAMB for "steering wheel repair" and a number of good threads show up.

[Green 1959]

Yeah its funny you mention the turn signal thing, the wheel when it came had a blanked out collar. Is it a odd to have the turn signal?

[OrrieG]

Originally Posted by Green 1959

Yeah its funny you mention the turn signal thing, the wheel when it came had a blanked out collar. Is it a odd to have the turn signal?

It was an option, I have never seen a stock truck with one, most farmers didn't need it, or added it after the fact (like I did in 76) strapped to the column. I sold my unit to a rat rod guy last year.

[Russell Ashley]

Originally Posted by Green 1959

Yeah its funny you mention the turn signal thing, the wheel when it came had a blanked out collar. Is it a odd to have the turn signal?

I think the factory turn signals were fairly un-common. Most of the trucks I see here did not have them. If your wheel did not have the cancelling bracket you will need that. Here's a link to a page that has them or you might find one used somewhere. Only $4 so not worth much time looking for used though.

http://www.bowtiebits.com/store/stor...Category_ID=53

[OrrieG]

Cleaned up the door guts. Found some cracks, but luckily over the years I have aquired extra door parts (before they were reproduced). Rollers are shot but other wise everything is pretty good.

[Green 1959]

Looking good!! I'm cleaning my door guts right now as well. Going back to a earlier post of yours I saw you had you bumpers ready to block, what color are you painting them? The reason I was is I am getting ready to put my front bumper on, its painted a dark blue now and I am debaiting on doing the off white like my grille or the charcoal grey on the back of the cab. What are your thoughts?

[Chevette]

Well done on the body parts, Orrie. Also, seeing those "door guts" reminds me that I must gather up all those parts that I'm not going to use do to power window conversion and post them on eBay. I'll likely give them away, just charge the shipping. That is if I can find them. It's been a while.

[OrrieG]

Green - My truck originally was the the medium blue, repainted in the 60's to factory dark blue. It came with a white steel front bumper and blue wheels. I kept the white bumper and painted the wheels white. I later found a chrome back bumper. This time I am painting the bumpers and grille the same silver as the interior. I have seen a couple of truck like that and like the look. I was going with a blue color, but have changed to green, lately there have been a bunch of blue trucks showing up in town. First photo is mine, second shows grey on blue, but I think the grey is too dark, third without the pumper shows the shade of silver I will be using. I wish patina would have been "in" I would have just shot mine with a satin clear!