SkinnyG's '61 Apache

[pdxhall]

Things are looking great. You have some mad skills, my friend.

[SkinnyG]

Blasted the grill today. Other than wheels, I think I have now blasted everything.

Plotting my next primer/paint 7-day/14-day spraying window.

[Braunschweiger]

Hi, would you like to help me and measure your frame from the windshield at 2/3 points in height?

[SkinnyG]

19.25" or 490mm measured at the center of the defrost vents, from shoulder to shoulder, NOT the ends of the flanges.

[SkinnyG]

Some more primer:

[Braunschweiger]

I thank you and will check it in my cab, that will help me.

[SkinnyG]

Bit of prepping today. Hopefully squirt some more primer tomorrow.



Wow. I sure look old in this shot. In my head, I'm 24. My body is not holding 24 too well.

[Braunschweiger]

Haha, I feel the same way

[SkinnyG]

A bit of filler, and another coat this evening.

[SkinnyG]

I bought a Turbine Products Supplied Air System to save my lungs as I spray a di-iso-cyanate:



First skiff of colour (First pic is closest to in-person, it's more orange than the next two pics. And the supplied air system is freaking awesome!):

[SkinnyG]

I'm jambing the cab, then hanging the doors, then finishing the bodywork, then shooting the whole thing assembled.

This is NOT a "show truck;" it's a freaking "please don't rust out so fast but hella cool daily driver."

[Braunschweiger]

It's going to be great, I'm really excited.

[SCOTI]

Color is bright & not what I was expecting.

What are the tube lengths for your fresh-air set-up? That's really a good idea if doing a big project like this @ a home shop.

[cwcarpenter98]

Oooooh yeah, a color other than black! I like your approach to keeping it from rusting faster

[SkinnyG]

The colour is as close to "Grabber Orange" as I could get with this paint.

The kit comes with a 25' hose.

You can buy a longer hose from them, but it's a garden hose fitting at the machine end, so you could easily lengthen it in a pinch if you had to.

[SkinnyG]

The paint is a little more orange in this shot.

[The Rocknrod]

I would avoid placing plastic over paint. Not just dry paint either.

[SkinnyG]

Despite the pics I post, you need to know: it's not yellow. It looks yellow in pics. It's not yellow.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by SkinnyG

Despite the pics I post, you need to know: it's not yellow. It looks yellow in pics. It's not yellow.

Certainly not green.

But like all your work……..

I do like it.

[SkinnyG]

Backside of grill and front bumper done. Also hood inserts and headlight bezels.

[SkinnyG]

It's this sort of thing that has me thinking "in five years from now, when this is covered in road grime and blow-by residue, how much am I going to care how not perfect this is?"



Sticky-side-sandpaper-on-a-roll is one of the seven wonders of the universe.

[350TacoZilla]

For me personally the thought of having perfect paint and body work would ruin owning an old truck because I would be afraid to even drive it let alone use it for truck things.

PS. the more you deny it being yellow the more yellow it looks....

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by 350TacoZilla

For me personally the thought of having perfect paint and body work would ruin owning an old truck because I would be afraid to even drive it let alone use it for truck things.

PS. the more you deny it being yellow the more yellow it looks....

Or.... 'YOU' see more yellow?

[SkinnyG]

Originally Posted by 350TacoZilla

For me personally the thought of having perfect paint and body work would ruin owning an old truck because I would be afraid to even drive it let alone use it for truck things.

That is the balance, isn't it?

I struggle to find shades of gray. I am either on or off, black or white, yes or no, go or stop, all or nothing. I struggle to find that balance.

On one hand, this is intended to be a driver, a truck that I will use. Rain or shine, sleet or snow, freaking DRIVE it. It's going to scratches, rock chips, door dings, and rust.

On the other hand, if I'm going to take it 100% apart and fix everything, why WOULDN'T I go to the effort of perfecting everything?

Well.... because I'll STILL be working on it fifteen years from now, and I want to finish it and start enjoying it.

Depends, I guess, on how much I can convince myself that the little defects I see all over the place aren't going to be bothering me as much as I think they will.

And, at NO TIME will I ever say I am a body man. I'm less afraid of it, but I still do not enjoy it. Give me ten motors any day.

[pdxhall]

I really like the paint. It does look more orange in the last pic. I know exactly what you mean about finding a balance between perfection and drivability. That's part of the reason my build has taken so long. For not enjoying body work, you do great work.