Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window

[Dan in Pasadena]

Anyone have anything good/bad to say about THESE bending tools:

Amazon.com: Eastwood Brake Line Tubing Bender and...

...cause I JUST ordered them! Hope I won't regret the expense. There were cheaper ones, but...

[Number 9]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Ok, I guess I misunderstood and though the rearend was too wide. Sounds like your tires are the culprits. You think one size smaller will be enough for cornering with radials?

255's down to 245's is only going from 10.1" wide to 9.7". A little over 3/8". Won't the sidewalls on radials flex that much?

It should handle like a slot car. 78 camaro front frame clip with sway bar. I am going to run the 255's for a while to figure it out. They didn't rub in a straight line and I will do what I have to to make it work. Tub it a bit if needed. The outsides never hit. The flex is usually at the bottom.

[Russell Ashley]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Yeah, yeah I couldn't help myself. I went to ask if they had an off white or almond in those letters. They said only black, white or chrome. Being the immature clown I am (at age 58!) I had to try the chrome. I like it. I don't mind if you guys say you don't.

To be honest I love this look. I shouldn't. The truck is nowhere near worthy aesthetically...but I can't help myself.

...and the "slippery slope" of "while I'm there" made me realize the new mirror heads made the arms look like hell. Which in turn made the door handles look terrible

Dan, were those chrome letters difficult to get on straight and lined up correctly? Yours look like they are perfect. I got a set of those a while back but haven't installed them yet.

[Baldeagle SR]

I got to order 2 of those mirrors for mine. My pass door doesn't have the holes or the plate inside the door for the mirror. Who did you get your mirrors from? Thanks
Rich
my build http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=576185

[Dan in Pasadena]

Hi Russ,

Nah, "piece of cake"....once I figured out how to do it, lol.

I have a 48" aluminum straight edge I held up to where I wanted the top of the letters.
I balanced one of those little bullet levels on it. Then I very lightly drew a sharp pencil line.

When I applied the letters I just eye-balled the side to side spaces, then I JUST covered the pencil line.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by Baldeagle SR

I got to order 2 of those mirrors for mine. My pass door doesn't have the holes or the plate inside the door for the mirror. Who did you get your mirrors from? Thanks
Rich
my build http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=576185

Whoops, you must have posted as I was writing that last post. The mirrors came from The Truck Shop in Orange, CA. I guess I was lucky because my truck DID have the threaded plate inside it. I used tiny chrome carriage bolts from OSH because I didn't want a Phillips head showing.

[LDO]

Dan, where did you pick up the chrome letters for the tailgate? That looks sweet.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Same-same, The Truck Shop in Orange. I THINK it's actually called The Car and Truck Shop.

It's surprising how many people really like those. I went to buy white or off white but it turned out they don't carry off white and were out of stock on white. The had black and the chrome ones....so 'ya know!

Spent some time today TRYING to polish the lips on my old Torq-Thrust wannabe's. Only partly successful. The previous owner told me he coated them with something. They were/are uniformly dull. I don't mind on the spokes but the lip has always bothered me.

I did this by putting the truck on jack stands and running it in gear - yes, dangerous. Turned out there was a thick film of SOME thing on it. It was so thick I started out sanding with emery cloth but that wasn't getting it so I shut it off to find I'd exposed an edge of the film. I used a combo of a carpet knife and a box knife while running to sort of "cut" the film off. Some of it came off in 3/4" x 5" or 6" long strips!

Anyway, it's not (yet) to my satisfaction but I did polish this one up. I really only want a machine finish or a little shinier. It's almost there but not quite uniform enough yet.

BEFORE:


AFTER:

[Kim57]

The rims are going to look nice when done.
Kim

[Daze57]

wheels look good !

[Russell Ashley]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Hi Russ,

Nah, "piece of cake"....once I figured out how to do it, lol.

I have a 48" aluminum straight edge I held up to where I wanted the top of the letters.
I balanced one of those little bullet levels on it. Then I very lightly drew a sharp pencil line.

When I applied the letters I just eye-balled the side to side spaces, then I JUST covered the pencil line.

Thanks Dan. I was wondering if you had drawn a reference line like that or if you had just centered the letters on the raised part of the tailgate. I like the pencil line idea.

The wheels look good.

[Baldeagle SR]

like the wheels , The old school look.
Rich

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks everyone.
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[Dan in Pasadena]

Received these today in the mail:






Bought from a guy in Massachusetts for $100. They're aren't truly "perfect" - you can see the minor pitting in the background area but they are very, very nice for being 60 years old. They're SO good compared to mine that I'm not sure I'm going to paint the background white as it is supposed to be.

Opinions on leaving them all chrome? I'd hate to have to sand that area but if I did want to, how to paint it and have it not look amateur-ish?

[Rude Dude]

Dan those are nice, if you go for paint after masking the large areas use some petroleum jelly (vasoline) with a small modeling brush on the area's that you don't want paint to stick a little tedious but great results. They have primer touch up paint and various colors in small bottles at the auto parts stores just get a pint of thinner and thin the paint out. It is always to thick and apply paint in thin layers let it comletely dry betwen coats you will get excellant results.

P.S. Love the comments, thats why your my friend

[Baldeagle SR]

Those are nice.
Rich
my build http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=576185

[Dan in Pasadena]

You're a genius Rudy - well, ok NOT a genius but certainly ingenious!

I'd not thought of Vaseline but it HAD occurred to me to use a brush paint. I was thinking maybe model builder paint from a hobby shop but I knew it wasn't made for exterior use.
It had NOT occurred to me to have it be those little Duplicolor automotive touch type paints. Excellent suggestion!
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[Rude Dude]

Glad to help thats why we are on this forum to pass ideas, take care buddy.

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

You're a genius Rudy - well, ok NOT a genius but certainly ingenious!

I'd not thought of Vaseline but it HAD occurred to me to use a brush paint. I was thinking maybe model builder paint from a hobby shop but I knew it wasn't made for exterior use.
It had NOT occurred to me to have it be those little Duplicolor automotive touch type paints. Excellent suggestion!
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[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks Rudy, I owe you a couple ideas - now if I could just come up with one worth having! Lol
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[Kim57]

Those are some nice pieces.
Kim

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks Kim.
It was kinda of a crap shoot because I could only see these pieces on email photos. They looked good and the seller claimed they were "very nice, but not perfect" - you never really know what that means to any given person but he was true to his word.

Right now; with Rudy's suggestion, I am considering painting them (after I hang them on the truck for a few days to see how I like them plain) but IF I do I won't sand them. I'll use the Duplicolor primer in the tube and hope it "grabs" well enough to not chip off easily.

If I get time today I'm going down to The TRUck Shop for the V8 emblems and if I get even more time I'm gonna drop in at Flat Out Engineering - down the street I'm told - to check out their Corvette suspension parts. Fabguy (Mike) has been enticing me to the dark side.....four wheel independent suspension! ha ha...

[G&R's57GMC]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Anyone have anything good/bad to say about THESE bending tools:

Amazon.com: Eastwood Brake Line Tubing Bender and Forming Pliers Kit: Automotive


...cause I JUST ordered them! Hope I won't regret the expense. There were cheaper ones, but...

I've got those too. They're the way to go.

Also nice Bling you scored.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks Glen!

[fabguy]

WOW, the truck is looking really nice Dan
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[JR25]

Keep on keeping on!!!

Looking good as always!
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