1970 Chevy Longbed CST/10

[Driver_WT]

Hey Jim, Great to see you this week. Very nice work on the truck. I will be watching your build.

Wade

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by Jim70Chevy

Well there was finally a break in the rain over the last couple days and I figured I better get some Por15 down while I had the chance. I will add more later but I got a good coat on the fender wells, radiator support and the floor of the inside. I went ahead and coated the inner cowl area to protect it from further damage during the upcoming rains. I still need to finish repairs but at least the rest is coated.

I'm following, keep up the motivation! I noticed in the bottom pic of this post, in the door jam, there seems to be a lot of rust there, pitted metal, did you happen to test that with your punch as well? Mine looks like that and when I removed the outer rockers my floor pan was toast.... Hate to see you do all this work and your floor pan rot out on you soon after..

What lowering kit did you get? How low you going?

[Jim70Chevy]

Great to see you too Wade. Keep me up to date on that truck of yours. Would love to see some pics.

TAC10 - Yes there was actually a lot more rust than I have shown previously in the build. Below are some pics. As for the lowering kit I used a Crown Suspension Chevy GMC C10 Lowering Blocks Steel Drop Kit that dropped the back by 3". For now I am going to leave it how it sits. I may lower it more in a few years when I rework the suspension.

[Jim70Chevy]

Well it's been a while since I posted. After removing the bed and notching out the crossmember to make room for the gas tank I tackled moving the tailgate handle to the inside. To be honest the idea of messing with the tailgate linkage scared me but I figured I would learn as I went. It really was not that difficult and this new tailgate handle opens like "buttah" such an improvement over the stock one. I still have some refining to do on the outer skin but I am getting close.

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by Jim70Chevy

Well it's been a while since I posted. After removing the bed and notching out the crossmember to make room for the gas tank I tackled moving the tailgate handle to the inside. To be honest the idea of messing with the tailgate linkage scared me but I figured I would learn as I went. It really was not that difficult and this new tailgate handle opens like "buttah" such an improvement over the stock one. I still have some refining to do on the outer skin but I am getting close.

Ah, yeah I like seeing all the metal work, I'm still working on my cab and being a newb I like learning new tricks/methods of body work.

Tailgate looks sweet man

[Jim70Chevy]

The next thing to address was the tool box. After much looking around and a lot of research I decided to just remove it. I know my welding just plain sucks but I took my time and hit little (ugly) tack welds over an 8 hour time until I had a fairly solid piece to spend another 4 hours grinding on. Long a short I got the job done (mostly). I still need to do some finish work on the panel but at least it is this far.

[jimbosprint]

Originally Posted by Jim70Chevy

The next thing to address was the tool box. After much looking around and a lot of research I decided to just remove it. I know my welding just plain sucks but I took my time and hit little (ugly) tack welds over an 8 hour time until I had a fairly solid piece to spend another 4 hours grinding on. Long a short I got the job done (mostly). I still need to do some finish work on the panel but at least it is this far.

It's too bad that you couldn't save the toolbox, but I understand. It has cost me a fortune and a lot of time to save mine.

[Jim70Chevy]

Yeah. I thought about it a lot and looked into what it would take to restore it. I am going to save the pieces. Maybe I can restore it off the truck and eventually add it back. I have everything I need except the time and patience to do it.

[Jim70Chevy]

It's not going to stay dry here long and I need to get this cab back to a water resistant state to make it through the rainy season. This weekend I tackled the drip guard. I started by removing the old seam sealer. I used a chisel for much of it and then based on a tip from this board I finished it with a wire wheel. I then treated the whole channel with a couple coats of por15 and let it dry overnight. Next day I used the self leveling seam sealer and after letting that dry for several hours (the label says you need 30 minutes) I gave it a coat of TCP 2k epoxy primer using the preval sprayer. I don't think it is going to leak.

[Jim70Chevy]

While I was at it I started sanding down the interior and getting parts of it sprayed with the TCP 2k epoxy primer sealer with the preval sprayer. It does not spray a great coat. I will sand this layer down to smooth and use a spray gun on the next coat.

[Jim70Chevy]

Well after a long rainy winter I finally had enough of waiting on the weather. I just converted my 3 car garage into a place big enough to work on it year round.

So begins the process of stripping all the rattle can primer off the body to prepare it for the epoxy primer. It's a messy job but I am told not to trust the spray can stuff as a foundation.

I am thinking I would like to replace the outside door handles with something cleaner. Anyone have a suggestion on a decent replacement?

[Jim70Chevy]

Hey everyone. Have a couple of questions for all of those painters out there and other people experienced with paint and body shops.

Let me start by saying I have stripped off ALL of the spray primer (quite a job) and I have been addressing body work as I find it. I have also spraying the body with a 2 part epoxy sealer and I am about to begin the complete front to back filling, sanding to prep the body for paint (I have never done this before).

My plan is to take the truck to a local paint shop to finish the last prep and paint the whole truck (inside and out). I am not looking for a show quality paint job. Just something nice that will last. I am considering a white paint job and will be doing a spray in bedliner.

1. How far should I take the sanding and prep before taking it to the paint shop?

2. Am I better off taking it to them now and letting them finish what I have started or am I better having it mostly done and with a fresh sealer coat on it?

I just don't know enough to know the right thing to do.

3. Also is there a best way to approach these local paint shops to get the best result.

Thank you all in advance for the advice.

Jim

[knomadd]

First let me say I'm not a paint and body expert. It's been a while since I did this for a job, and it wasn't for very long. I've done a little for my own projects on the side, but I'm no professional. And this will be LONG... sorry for that, but it's necessary if you have no idea. If you have some idea, this may be a waste of time. I hope this helps, even if only a little.

Second, good job getting all the spray paint off. That's a major item in my experience.

I would have to say the answer to your questions is purely up to how confident you are in your ability, and how deep your pockets are. If you're a confident guy and feel like you can tackle almost anything, go for it. It's not terribly difficult, but it does take a lot of patience and time, and it also takes a touch to get it really really nice. But, if you're not sure you can do it, you'll need to weigh the cost of a body shop to do the labor vs your confidence or determination on what you want done. You can always go by a shop and talk to them and see if they can give you a quote, or some ideas of what products to use. Be up front with them. Tell them what you're after, driver quality, show quality, somewhere in between? Ask them if they'd paint it for you after you've done the bodywork, or if you can start that process and have them finish it, then paint it? Not all shops want to deal with classics, so if they give you a hard time, move on. Find a shop with someone you can talk to and feel confident in. Once you have that, it should be pretty easy to figure out where you want to go from there.

If you do it yourself, you need to be sure anything you put on the sheet metal will stick and not flake off. If anything flakes, especially the first layer, you'll be taking it all back off again.

You will be sanding everything many times, so patience is a NECESSITY. Sand, sand, sand, sand, sand, then sand some more. Reapply filler and sand, sand, sand, sand, reapply, sand, sand, sand, and keep sanding. Every coat of whatever you put on. Do not put a coat of filler over another coat if you haven't first sanded it out. Once you feel good about your filler, finish it off with a glaze/finish filler, sand that too, then you can prime it. You can always add filler again if your primer didn't fill any imperfections, but you don't want more than 1/4" of filler overall. Too much filler will crack over time. If you need more than that to fix an imperfection, you'll need to do some metal working before adding any filler.

Once you have sanded your primer and recoated, sanded some more and feel good about your work, take it to your shop/painter. They can take if further or just scuff and shoot (if they'll do that). That is completely up to you and the shop. Just be sure to check with whatever shop you want to use if they'll do what you want, before you do any more work. Some shops wont touch another guys work (it's not too common, but still happens). If they will, ask what products they use or recommend, and if there are any products you can't use if they are to paint it. If they don't know, don't use that shop. Any painter worth a penny will know what products they use and at least tell you to stick with those products.

That's about all I have. Just know, the body work is roughly 90% of the cost of a shop providing a paint job. The more you do yourself, the cheaper that shop's bill will be.

[Jim70Chevy]

Thanks so much for your response Duane. Big help. I actually also put out a thread on the main board about this which got some good traction.

https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=815340

Summary: I contacted several shops and the cost is more than I want to spend on a paint job without a warranty. So I am going to do it myself.

I am gathering the necessary items including a better compressor, paint gun and better protective equipment to avoid the ISO's. Going to be a single stage paint (white as of now) and my daily driver (not show) will be one step closer to being ready.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the support we get from this board.

Of course I will post more pics as I have progress.

[MDPotter]

I've painted 4 whole vehicles and a few individual parts, so I am an expert by no means but can give you some insight from my perspective as a hobbyist. It looks like you've already made up your mind to do it yourself and that's great! Spraying single stage white paint is not that hard, just practice on a scrap panel or cardboard to get your technique down. Everything knomadd said is true and I'll add/emphasize a few things:

1. Bodywork is like 95% sanding. You will spend about 5% of your time spreading bondo, spraying primer, or spraying your finish coat. It's a process of using filler to do the mass of the work, followed by a finishing glaze, followed by a primer/surfacer, followed by sealer and paint. Like knomadd said, sand, sand, sand, sand, reapply, sand, sand, and sand some more. You will also learn how to apply, sand, and "feel" the panel with your hand. Your filler should feather out nicely around the edges which tells you that you don't have any hard edges and that it is adhering to the substrate. When "feeling" the panel, I lay my hand flat on the panel and move parallel with my fingers and that helps me feel the highs and lows.

2. The foundation of the paint job is your metal substrate. The best prep is sandblasting, but it's not the only option. The epoxy primer I use requires 80 grit scratches from a DA sander or roughly 180 grit over existing finishes.

3. In all scenarios, cleanliness is important. Always use W&G remover prior to applying any coating. I don't over sandblasted surfaces as they are too rough and will just grab whatever rag you are using. Besides, sandblasting leaves the surface clean but it should be blown off with compressed air before spraying.

4. White is a good choice as it is more forgiving than most colors.

5. Watch for pinholes. I find pinholes in my filler all the time. I don't know if I'm not mixing it right or applying it right, but the best way to find them is to use compressed air to blow off the surface and then wipe with W&G remover. I use dolphin glaze to fill them.

6. PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE. It will probably take you twice or three times as long as you think. And when something isn't going right and you get frustrated, it's best to walk away and come back to it later or the next day.

7. Be careful with heat. Sheet metal gets all screwed up when too much heat is introduced. Tack welds scattered are important on flat areas of sheet metal and letting them cool. You can run into the same issue when using a stud gun pulling dents. Too much heat and the sheet metal will collapse or oil can and fixing that is difficult for a novice like me.

[Jim70Chevy]

OK No excuses now. Put my credit card through a workout and ordered paint, bed liner spray kit, new mask and tyvec suit, and all the different levels of sanding stuff. Add a new compressor, a new spray gun and all the stuff needed to run my filler neck into the bed. Now it's work time.

I did a quick cardboard mock-up of what I have in mind for the gas filler neck. I really liked what someone else on the board did (their pic attached) Now lets see if I can replicate it. and spray the new bedliner and finally the new paint (after prep of course). I will post more as I can.

[TA_C10]

I just finished my gas filler similar to this. See my thread below. Just a thought, are you going to do a tonneau cover with your flip kit tailgate handle? The way you have your filler going in that far forward in bed will mean you prob have to drape the gas nozzle and hose over your bed side to fill. And because of angle of gas pump nozzles it will be a chore(perhaps?). I moved mine to the very end of the bed next to tailgate for this reason. I just drop the tailgate to fill not having to worry about scratching bed side, and it's real easy to maneuver the gas pump nozzle at gas stations with nothing in the way. But if for some reason I needed to fill with tailgate up, I can still do this.

The other thing I see if your going with tonneau cover, usually your strut is mounted in this location too which may be in the way? I figure when I get my tonneau cover I will be in the clear of this.

All just thoughts man, making sure you get what you want. Disregard if you've already thought through all this

[Jim70Chevy]

Originally Posted by TA_C10

I just finished my gas filler similar to this. See my thread below. Just a thought, are you going to do a tonneau cover with your flip kit tailgate handle? The way you have your filler going in that far forward in bed will mean you prob have to drape the gas nozzle and hose over your bed side to fill. And because of angle of gas pump nozzles it will be a chore(perhaps?). I moved mine to the very end of the bed next to tailgate for this reason. I just drop the tailgate to fill not having to worry about scratching bed side, and it's real easy to maneuver the gas pump nozzle at gas stations with nothing in the way. But if for some reason I needed to fill with tailgate up, I can still do this.

The other thing I see if your going with tonneau cover, usually your strut is mounted in this location too which may be in the way? I figure when I get my tonneau cover I will be in the clear of this.

All just thoughts man, making sure you get what you want. Disregard if you've already thought through all this

TA_C10 Thank you for the thoughts. I reviewed your whole build. Very cool stuff. I don't plan on using a tonneau cover at this point. Just a good sprayed in bed liner. I am not sure exactly where I am going to put the filler neck yet but I will keep your points in mind. Thank you.

[Jim70Chevy]

Spent some time on the truck this week and got the fuel filler hose setup situated. I ran one-way valves for the two small vent return lines and the main filler and vent lines.

Also used this opportunity to spray color between the cab and bed while I had the bed off (hopefully for the last time). It's not perfect but at least it will be the correct color between the bed and cab. NOW the bed is back on and I can get to work on the fuel filler neck (in the bed) and the rear roll pan. I feel like I'm on a roll so hopefully more updates soon.

[May70]

Lookin good man!!

[Jim70Chevy]

Well, I got the fuel filler assembly built and screwed in place. I will seal it up and prepare it for spray in bedliner next but it is a start. I considered the advice from TA_C10 but I really like the look of where it is and I wanted the filler hose to be as short a path to the tank as possible.

[Jim70Chevy]

I've been thinking through the end look for the truck with the white paint and what I want the finished product to be. I drew up this rendering for the finished product (all white) and then felt like something was missing. After some research, I found trucks with Yenko stripes! They look good. So I updated the drawing. Seriously thinking about going this route.

Also found a scoop I like. All steel decent price and after doing a cardboard mockup I think I am also going that route.

[lolife99]

Your panhard bar looks bent.
I would source a new one.
I also bet the rear axle is not centered in the frame.
An adjustable version would be a great addition to your truck.
I like the “longer than stock” panhard bars that attach to the passenger side trailing arm.

[Jim70Chevy]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Your panhard bar looks bent.
I would source a new one.
I also bet the rear axle is not centered in the frame.
An adjustable version would be a great addition to your truck.
I like the “longer than stock” panhard bars that attach to the passenger side trailing arm.

Why yes it does. Good eye!! I just went a took a look you are correct. It is bent. I will be looking for an adjustable replacement. Thanks Keith.

[TA_C10]

Gas filler looks good! And wow, that panhard more like pansoft Bad dad jokes, more where that came from.