47-55.1 1953 3100 "Honey-do"

[rnrdthefox]

Then it was on to the doors and stepping and repeating. Or wax on and wax off that I tell the boss. One side note - this kind of repetition seems to be good for the rotator cuff recovery. My PT has been pleased.

Along the way and on final sanding, I double check with Mirka guide coat.

[dsraven]

It's great when you can see the hard work pay off.
Looks like a cool set up for spraying. Any complaints from the neighbors? There's a do-gooder in every crowd, lol.

[rnrdthefox]

Originally Posted by dsraven

It's great when you can see the hard work pay off.
Looks like a cool set up for spraying. Any complaints from the neighbors? There's a do-gooder in every crowd, lol.

I'm very luck with my neighbors. They understand what I'm doing and are supportive. I also spray early in the mornings when it's cool and little to no wind. Usually set the spray hangers up at night for the morning then take it all down mid-morning once everything dries. This method seems to keep people happy including the HOA.

One lady stopped while walking the dog one morning and laughed and said - "at first I thought you were putting up some strange child's playset then I realized what you were doing. I've been watching you work on your truck for months."

The bugs haven't been a big issue for the most part. The cotton sheading in May/June was a real pain. Nice part about this phase, I just sand it out and do small touch ups as a go. I can't wait until I have the space for doing this stuff inside!

[8man]

Sanding is a major PITA, but you are killin' it!

[dsraven]

Every time I spray outside I get too many bugs sticking, then crawling across the wet coat. How about yours?

[6DoF]

i admire the patients in the prep work, keep it up cuz you are on the path to amazing results.

[youngrodder]

All of that prep work looks great. There are no shortcuts to a great paint job.

Marc

[rnrdthefox]

Thanks for the comments, guys.

Time for a little update. I've got the cab into the media blaster and should be getting it back the week of the Aug 8th. In the meantime, I wanted to get some of the tasks that I've been putting off for a while because the cab was in the way.

First up was the Gen 1 oil pan and Pontiac G6 tranny pan. The pics below show how low the truck pans stick down below the cross member. I was concerned that the wife would hit something and crack a pan and end up stranded (and even worse, trash the engine or tranny).

[rnrdthefox]

I've had these parts for over a year now waiting to do this. A few pics of the process and the final pic of the underside. Both pans are now higher than the cross member.

[rnrdthefox]

A couple things about the Gen 1 oil pan. It comes with an oil level sensor in it which I deleted with a plug. One of the bosses needs to be drilled out. Also, one of the bosses on the side of the pan that the tranny lines attach to on the truck pan is gone. Not a big deal, just ended up making a bracket.

I wanted to keep the bracket as I like how the tranny lines dump out right in front of the P/S rack. It will make plumbing the lines through the cooler straight forward. It also holds part of the harness to the starter and knock sensors.

[joedoh]

i have been wondering about the master cool flaring tool, I always have to flare lines on the truck or its tremendously inconvenient to take them to a vise and flaring the GM stainless lines sucks too, takes several tries to get it right. thanks for the confirmation that its worth the price.

just staggeringly beautiful work, you think of everything!

[rnrdthefox]

Wow. It's been a few months. I've almost dropped to the third page.

Took a few months off after hunting season to just step away from the project. I find that when I'm not in the mood to work on things, I tend to do poor work or create more work for myself. It's time to catch up with my progress.

Just before hunting started, I picked the cab up from the media blaster. Turned out well, but it did find a few more spots of rot to deal with.

[rnrdthefox]

The one area I wasn't expecting was the vent on the cowl. It makes sense, but visually, it looked ok before blasting. The part that was aggravating was that I couldn't find an aftermarket part, so I had to drill it out and repair it. It's ready to go back in and will be on the list for next weekend.

[rnrdthefox]

I got the cab in Epoxy which was the goal before I left for hunting. I plan to work on the cab most of the winter.

[rnrdthefox]

Recently, I've been working to get the outer cowl panels on, and the door gaps set. I don't know why, but this has evolved into several weeks. The driver door was caught by the wind at one point and turned back into the cowl. As I started working the details, I started to notice that the hinges, post and other things were tweaked. I finally got the driver's door set and gaps "ok". I noticed the driver cab corner is off some. Still deciding if I will fix it or not. I'm not sure if I was off when I replaced the outer door skin or had the door out of alignment when I put the corner on or if I simply messed up the corner.

I ended up keeping the old sheet metal and replacing the bottoms. They simply fit better.

Very pleased with the passenger side as it's 95% where I want it, but I can still fiddle with it some more.

[daveshilling]

That looks amazing! This is how filler is used like an expert... sparingly, and only when perfection is desired.

[Rickysnickers]

Looking very nice!

[Tempest67]

Thanks for sharing your ideas and workmanship.

Great work

[rnrdthefox]

Thanks for all the comments. Much appreciated! Renard

[vintovka]

Very nice and very expert restoration. I really admire your efforts. I wish i could have done what you are doing on yours.

[mobileortho]

Man! I love your workmanship!

[slammed57]

Man I just stumbled across this. Great build , Strong work. I'll be following bud

[28TudorAZ]

Looking great. You got rid of all the good rust on the outside.

[rnrdthefox]

It's been a few months since I last posted. I'm making progress, albeit slowly.

First - Thanks for all the replies. They are much appreciated.

I've been jumping around a bit as I get tired of bodywork. I'm still focused on getting the cab ready for high build this early summer. I've still got some mechanical things to finish up on the cab also.

Finished patching and welding in the cowl drip rail. Got the outer cowls put back on. Used some Kitty Hair on the joints and then Evercoat Rage over that.

[rnrdthefox]

More pics