What did you do with your truck today, Part 3

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Black_Sheep

I was makin' dust in the garage and my brother in law Ronny stopped by with a couple of custom bed rail end caps, designed to replicate my tail lights. He added the rings around it for a nice little detail, I think they look pretty cool...

That is some amazing craftsmanship.

Brian

[evilokc]

I found yesterday that the new bracket isn't going to work. I have tons of height but no width. I think ive decided to try and build my own compressor bracket. I'm going to pick up some thin poster board tomorrow and start trying to mock something up. I'm sure it will take me a couple of weeks to get this to work but I will get it.

[Black_Sheep]

Originally Posted by evilokc

I found yesterday that the new bracket isn't going to work. I have tons of height but no width. I think ive decided to try and build my own compressor bracket. I'm going to pick up some thin poster board tomorrow and start trying to mock something up. I'm sure it will take me a couple of weeks to get this to work but I will get it.

If it was easy, everyone would do it...

[Black_Sheep]

Thanks for the kind remarks guys, I will pass them along to Ronny.

Picked up my rear fenders from the body shop after work, they look great. I will drop off the doors on Friday, when they are done the truck will be ready for paint...

[mr48chev]

Not a big step but a step just the same, I cleaned out a spot and moved the suspension donor around so that the wrecker can get a direct shot at it after I remove the pieces I want. There will be and empty spot in the yard in a day or so.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

Not a big step but a step just the same, I cleaned out a spot and moved the suspension donor around so that the wrecker can get a direct shot at it after I remove the pieces I want. There will be and empty spot in the yard in a day or so.

Any time you touch ANYTHING for your truck you are working on it.

Brian

[Black_Sheep]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

Any time you touch ANYTHING for your truck you are working on it.

Brian

I try to get something done every day, no matter how small the task. That's how progress is made...

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Black_Sheep

I try to get something done every day, no matter how small the task. That's how progress is made...

I call it my "Five minute a day plan" figuring, it would take a hell of a long time to build this truck at only 5 minutes a day but it would get done a hell of a lot faster than if I didn't work on it at all!

Yeah, this making a living crap gets in the way of all the good stuff!

It doesn't look like I have got much done tonight but I actually have spent quite a bit of time out there the last number of days. This window is much more work than I thought it would be, no wonders no one has done what I am doing to this thing.

Anyway, final trimming and tacked into place, WHOOO HOOO! Hopefully the other side will be easy using this as a pattern, I can only hope. :sweat:

Brian

[MiraclePieCo]

I may be taking advantage of Brian's "5 minutes a day" plan by using it as an excuse to work only 5 minutes a day, lol! Today I secured the battery cables to the firewall and installed my fan spacer. Okay, it probably took 10 minutes total...

[MARTINSR]

The thing is, it's amazing how much you can get done over a few days of just going out there for such a short time. You got one step closer that you wouldn't have if you didn't spend that little time, right on!

Brian

[Black_Sheep]

Sanding louvers, what was I thinking?

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Black_Sheep

Sanding louvers, what was I thinking?

Everytime I think about louvers I think about when I was 19 years old 40 years ago I was working a full blown restoration shop, we specialized in "Model 40's" which is the 1933 and 34 Ford. I paint many of them, in lacquer, cutting and buffing every single square inch including jambs to Concours d'Elegance perfection without so much as on spec of texture. With Lacquer we are talking lacquer primer sanded to perfect, applying four coats, sanding it, four more, sanding it, four more then sanding it to absolute perfection and then polishing it to a mirror.

Did I have any finger prints at the time...nope.

Brian

[Black_Sheep]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

Everytime I think about louvers I think about when I was 19 years old 40 years ago I was working a full blown restoration shop, we specialized in "Model 40's" which is the 1933 and 34 Ford. I paint many of them, in lacquer, cutting and buffing every single square inch including jambs to Concours d'Elegance perfection without so much as on spec of texture. With Lacquer we are talking lacquer primer sanded to perfect, applying four coats, sanding it, four more, sanding it, four more then sanding it to absolute perfection and then polishing it to a mirror.

Did I have any finger prints at the time...nope.

Brian

This will be my 3rd and hopefully, final round of sanding.

I love the look of a well done lacquer finish, I bet those old Fords looked fantastic

[DeeJayNOLA]

Originally Posted by Black_Sheep

Sanding louvers, what was I thinking?

I want to get louvers cut on both my rides so bad. But yeah sanding them would be a serious weekend job. Not a 5 minute hit it and quit it.

[MiraclePieCo]

Tired of doing mechanical work, I installed my rear fenders and hubcaps just to give myself some visual sense of accomplishment.

[DeeJayNOLA]

Those dog dish hub caps look good.

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by DeeJayNOLA

Those dog dish hub caps look good.

I suspect you're talking to me, so thank you! I had them on my other truck too, minus the trim rings:

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by evilokc

there is a show on youtube and motortrend tv called enginemasters. they did a dyno comparison of several styles of mechanical fans vs electrical fans. I have the same fan you have. they tested it and that very fans parasitic draw was 30 hp! no joke man. I'm switching to an electric and I suggest you do the same while its easy and accessible.

Ha ha, did you happen to watch the commercials and see if the show was sponsored by Spal?

The respective merits of electric vs mechanical fans have been debated ad nauseum. I've used both and prefer the mechanical for cooling, reliability, simplicity and old school essence.

.

[evilokc]

Originally Posted by MiraclePieCo

I suspect you're talking to me, so thank you! I had them on my other truck too, minus the trim rings:

great looking truck man.

[MARTINSR]

Right on!

Brian

[MARTINSR]

I got all the welds on the rear window done, WHOOO HOOO! My "five minute a day" plan ended up being five hours a day this weekend, very rare but I had to spend so much time and thinking on this portion so done deal. I have a bunch of metal work still here, plannishing and finishing it off but the welding is done.

I also got some plannishing done on the top right corner of the roof that is screwed up, why I have no idea. I think I did something when I chopped it like bending the B pillar out or something don't remember. Anyway I started to plannish that bringing it back into shape.

The last photo is of my Snap On clock that I got for FREE from the Snap On man after spending about $3000 one year with him. I changed the battery today so I have a clock that works out there WHOOOHOOOO! No, those things really mean a lot to me, memories for sure.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

I got the area over the right corner window that I planished into shape last night welded. Then I got the lower inside piece shaped and ready to weld in after I clean up the rust and protect it with paint on the back side of the pieces. The real big accomplishment tonight was to figure out what I was going to do with all these inner pieces. I got a plan that I didn't have before tonight, I am stoked!

I just want to rave about my Spitsnagle spot weld driller again. DAMN that thing works awesome! I wanted to remove that piece, just simply "unbolt" the welds, it's that easy.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Continuing with the inner rear cab panel. Got the center cut out of the extra one I had so I can put it in my cab with the fewest of cuts and welds. Cleaned up the rust as best I could with a quick clean. I will have to do more later but I just wanted to get the cutting started.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

I got a little trimming done on the right side pieces. Got a pattern made from the left side and wham, done, damn this side was a lot easier than the other!


Brian

[MARTINSR]

Soooooooo, I got one of the pieces trimmed and tacked in. And THEN I realized that I made a mistake on the area across the bottom, CRAP, CRAP!
It needs to be straight across and I looked at every friggin thing but that, CRAP. I now have to cut welds and re-shape to clean it up and weld it back again, geez. I spent hours out there trying to figure out how to pull this off tonight, will see in the morning how to solve it going back out there with a clear head.

Brian