1969 Custom/10 clean up

[Steve-W]

@ FrankieD, probably not...don't want Tattoo like fellows screaming:"Zee plane, zee plane boss" everytime I cruise by.

@Bollybib and Calvin; thanks and the one finger salute is a popular way in Dutch traffic to express your dissagreement about one's driving style..

@Gdavis, it's to late for late for the cabin:


but here are some update pictures, I took the painted parts over to see if the would fit.






the inner fenders turned out nice aswell



today the hood arms (or whatever you call them) will be painted


I also got some stuff in I ordered, like my windshield rubber and the one for the rear window.. but it's the wrong one

[Steve-W]

small update; friday I've take the day off, because I've rented a truck to transport the cabine to the sandblaster. If all goes well, we might even get some paint on it!

so tomorrow night I'll be in the garage, taking off the radiator core support. That needs to get blasted aswell.

pictures will follow!

[Steve-W]

Tonight at 21:00 I picked up the van to transport my cabin to the DIY (!) sandblasting company. I hope I will manage to get there because the weather forcast says: Blizzard like conditions, 3"'s of snow and gailforce winds...knowing the dutch, it'll be mayham traffic tomorrow.. it's like people forget how to drive a car when a snowflake hits their windshield..
here's some update pictures

Backed it up into the garage without hitting anything.


Maybe I should move the cabin before opening the lift?


I was alone, but with locking caster wheels, its easy.


Bottem looks rock solid


otherside


the middle


A picture through the cab into the garage..yes on the left its a '71 Cuda AAR replica


lock and load!


I'm bringing the hood, which looks pretty decent, apart from a few spots.


did I say bring da hood? WESTCOAST MECHANICS!


Almost forgot to take out the the ID plate


the trofee cabinet

[CURSED GEARS]

I'm enjoying your build. I got a lot of respect for builders of our stuff over seas. Takes alot of commitment, and money. If I need a bolt, I just drive three blocks to Ace Hardware, sounds like you have to order yours since you have metric stuff. I've had a small taste of what you must expierience from building, and maintaining a Triumph motorcycle. Same thing, got to order almost everything. Cant zip down to Ace and expect to find whitworth threads. Keep it up!

[Steve-W]

Originally Posted by CURSED GEARS

I'm enjoying your build. I got a lot of respect for builders of our stuff over seas. Takes alot of commitment, and money. If I need a bolt, I just drive three blocks to Ace Hardware, sounds like you have to order yours since you have metric stuff. I've had a small taste of what you must expierience from building, and maintaining a Triumph motorcycle. Same thing, got to order almost everything. Cant zip down to Ace and expect to find whitworth threads. Keep it up!

Thanks and true..although we do have a couple of shops for parts
for instance: http://www.prinstruckshop.nl (check it out, he has an english page aswell)
and hardware stores will sell US bolts and nuts..so yes it's more expensive, but not impossible.

[67cheby]

Sweet !

[Steve-W]

So here's a rundown of my weekend,which was hellish!. On friday morning I wanted a early start, so at eight I cranked over the van's engine...nothing, battery dead, so it took me 40 minutes to get somebody to help me with booster cables (my car was at the workshop and my wife had left for work) The van didn't have wintertires, so driving it through 3" of snow was like dancing with a whale... after several feeble attempts to get up the sloped(!) driveway to the sandblasting company (what were they thinking) I managed to get the cab unloaded and into the blasting room (only 2 hours late).
then we spend the next 5 hours sand blasting the hell of the cabin and the hood..then in the evening we spend the same amount of time taking out the grit and dust..ofcourse we ended up rekitting all the seams. I was home at 2:30 end at 7 my "human alarmclock" dawid was jumping up and down our bed. that day we had a full agenda so I didn't manage to get back to the workshop before 21:30...and guess what? the cabin was already painted!!! My mate Ferry had gone to the workshop at 18:00 and got a head start.
Because this is airplane grade paint, you can spray this wet on wet..so every 20 minutes you give it a fresh coat, so painting doesn't take that long.
I was home again at 2:30,but with a very satisfied feeling.

and now the moment we have all been wainting for!!:
Ferry kitting


blasted rear, firewall and inner roof




Hard rocker panels! we didn't blast the inside floor seeing it didn't have any rust and will be covered by carpet anyway


we almost got a 2gallon bucket full of grit out of the cab.


rekitting


and now some color!













when Ferry was painting I gpt back to my favorit hobby; sandblasting the radiator support.


like a famous Italian actor often says: you do,you like?

[calvin78612]

I love it man!Looks great.Keep up the good work.
Posted via Mobile Device

[CURSED GEARS]

Looky there! Fresh paint! Looks good.

[gdavis]

Originally Posted by Steve-W

So here's a rundown of my weekend,which was hellish!. On friday morning I wanted a early start, so at eight I cranked over the van's engine...nothing, battery dead, so it took me 40 minutes to get somebody to help me with booster cables (my car was at the workshop and my wife had left for work) The van didn't have wintertires, so driving it through 3" of snow was like dancing with a whale... after several feeble attempts to get up the sloped(!) driveway to the sandblasting company (what were they thinking) I managed to get the cab unloaded and into the blasting room (only 2 hours late).
then we spend the next 5 hours sand blasting the hell of the cabin and the hood..then in the evening we spend the same amount of time taking out the grit and dust..ofcourse we ended up rekitting all the seams. I was home at 2:30 end at 7 my "human alarmclock" dawid was jumping up and down our bed. that day we had a full agenda so I didn't manage to get back to the workshop before 21:30...and guess what? the cabin was already painted!!! My mate Ferry had gone to the workshop at 18:00 and got a head start.
Because this is airplane grade paint, you can spray this wet on wet..so every 20 minutes you give it a fresh coat, so painting doesn't take that long.
I was home again at 2:30,but with a very satisfied feeling.

and now the moment we have all been wainting for!!:
Ferry kitting


blasted rear, firewall and inner roof




Hard rocker panels! we didn't blast the inside floor seeing it didn't have any rust and will be covered by carpet anyway


we almost got a 2gallon bucket full of grit out of the cab.


rekitting


and now some color!













when Ferry was painting I gpt back to my favorit hobby; sandblasting the radiator support.


like a famous Italian actor often says: you do,you like?

cool blue. I like

[Steve-W]

After this enormous progress, everything has basicly come to a standstill..but I should be able to get something done this weekend. my EZ Wiring kit, Cab mounting kit, window and door rubbers all got delivered, so I'm a happy camper...apart from the cab mounting kit, because the diameter of thew inner bus is much wider than the bolt that goes throught it...I alwasy thought it had to be snug? I'll take some pictures tomorrow evening.

here is a PDF from the paint I used, so you can see it is really aerospace grade stuff

[gdavis]

Originally Posted by Steve-W

After this enormous progress, everything has basicly come to a standstill..but I should be able to get something done this weekend. my EZ Wiring kit, Cab mounting kit, window and door rubbers all got delivered, so I'm a happy camper...apart from the cab mounting kit, because the diameter of thew inner bus is much wider than the bolt that goes throught it...I alwasy thought it had to be snug? I'll take some pictures tomorrow evening.

here is a PDF from the paint I used, so you can see it is really aerospace grade stuff

This paint that you used is it tougher than reg. paint. how is it against chipping.

[Steve-W]

have ever seen paint chipping on a plane?
they fly 600Mph...guess the paint can take it..hahaha

btw..this paint isn´t available for anyone else than aircraft builders..

[TchncnDen]

Somewhere in my build thread you say you have a $3000 budget, but I'm thinking you may end up with that just in shipping. It must be really hard building one of these in countries outside the US. I wouldn't think you have great parts availability and probably not many in salvage yards where as we have an abundance. Anyway, it's looking good and that shop you have sure is nice, makes me jealous. That thing should fly with that special paint on there!!!!!!! Get it, ha.

[Steve-W]

Originally Posted by TchncnDen

Somewhere in my build thread you say you have a $3000 budget, but I'm thinking you may end up with that just in shipping. It must be really hard building one of these in countries outside the US. I wouldn't think you have great parts availability and probably not many in salvage yards where as we have an abundance. Anyway, it's looking good and that shop you have sure is nice, makes me jealous. That thing should fly with that special paint on there!!!!!!! Get it, ha.

I hear you, but up till now I'm under budget..so fingers crossed
We do have a dedicated c10 forum and a USAtruck forum a few scrapyards..but anything good will be gone in a blink of an eye. So we end up ordering mostly from LMC.

[Steve-W]

Time for a major update: the eagle has landed!

first I cleaned of the frame part where the cabin sits and sprayed it with Hammerite. hard-as-nails stuff you can use for anything from autobodies to old rusted fences. no primer, no de-rusting. I don't think it's sold in the US?


also did the backside of the bed


getting it set up under the winch


"Housten, we have lift off"


Like a glove



Instead of the standard 3/8" bolts I went for 3/4" because the fit nices in the bushing



looking good


I think I'll paint the bed in this color.....hammerite



so what's the smartest do do next? the wiring I guess right?

[gdavis]

Originally Posted by Steve-W

Time for a major update: the eagle has landed!

first I cleaned of the frame part where the cabin sits and sprayed it with Hammerite. hard-as-nails stuff you can use for anything from autobodies to old rusted fences. no primer, no de-rusting. I don't think it's sold in the US?


also did the backside of the bed


getting it set up under the winch


"Housten, we have lift off"


Like a glove



Instead of the standard 3/8" bolts I went for 3/4" because the fit nices in the bushing



looking good


I think I'll paint the bed in this color.....hammerite



so what's the smartest do do next? the wiring I guess right?

I was just think why would General Motors put a 3/8 bolts instead of 3/4. Would it be for shifting back and forward and left and right Just thinking.

[checoperez]

its a wonderfull work man! i like it!!!

[Steve-W]

Originally Posted by gdavis

I was just thinking why would General Motors put a 3/8 bolts instead of 3/4. Would it be for shifting back and forward and left and right Just thinking.

that thought crossed my mind, but there are also the shims to adjust the fenders. I was also thinking that maybe the thread on the bolts was 3/8, but the stem was 3/4?
nevermind, it's bolted down and I'll see how the rest lines up

Originally Posted by checoperez

its a wonderfull work man! i like it!!!

thanks..long way ahead of me.

[Steve-W]

Okidoki..what have I been up to in the meantime?
got the brakes sorted out. got myself a new BPV (brake proportioning valve) because the old one was for a drum/drum set-up without a booster, so it wouldn't have worked. then I got into heaps of trouble with the new front brake hoses, because I thought my new crossmember came from a '73 Sub, but the the brake hoses I ordered (for that model) wouldn't line up...so we had to be creative. then there was the position of the bpv.. I could have made a support bracket, but I ended up at the firewall.. please feel free to tell me off if that's not the way to go!. This made it tricky for the brake lines down to the front hoses, but again I got creative with the bending tool .
Steering is all done, I found out that the old steering arms wouldn't fit the spindle, because their diameter was to small. luckily I got the steering arms with the '73 crossmember, so I only had to swap it.
now some pictures







ok I have a few questions and I would appreciate any help on these:
(1) I read somewhere that the 2 brakelines between the master brake cylinder and the proportioning valve should be exact the same lenght: true of false? and if true..why so?
(2) the 2 bearings in the steering columb; I have a spring at the bottom one hoding it at tension, do you also need a spring at the top one, or is it the steeringwheel keeping it in place?
(3) I got replacement doorweather striping and it doesn't hold itself, so it falls down? do you need to glue it, or are there clamps? (see pic)


thanks in adevance for the answers!

[TchncnDen]

My steering column has a spring on both top and bottom, the one at the steering wheel is only about 3/4" long if I remember right. That's 18mm or so to you! The weatherstrip does need to be glued, 3m weatherstrip adhesive is the best, available at most parts stores in the states, maybe you could find some easily too? As for the brakes someone else will need to chime in on that one.

[Steve-W]

I'm going to leave the brakelines as they are, if it gives me any trouble it's not that hard to re-do. thanks for confirming the spring part, now I just have to find one..

speaking of which, I've got some parts I'm looking for and perhaps someone can help me out (I'll also open up a seperate thread for this)

I need, the E-brake unit (or is it called the park brake?)


I need the heating adjustment sliding arm holder thingy


and I need the plug that goes on the ignition, preferable with some wires attached

[Steve-W]

So .. is about time for an update 
In the summer I have done very little because of other things that required more attention , but we're back full on and I have a new deadline : April 2014 the heap must be able to drive .
What did I do in the meantime?
E -brake pedal mounted and connected, brake lines connected , filled and bled ... do not laugh when you see the pictures of the brake lines , it was my first time and its good for now, but I'll redo them some other time. it works and there is room enough .. to be sure I have bought a new brake force distribution , because the Original one was on was not suitable for power-assisted disc brakes .
rear window mounted , I opted for the standard window that was in the new cab and not the slider because I just don't like it
welded all the holes in my doors , primed and painted ... unfortunately we did rush spraying the doors...because you don't see it in the pictures , but they are not, how shall i put this..nice. Anyway, something more for a future winter project.
here is my to do list :
Make the columnshift work , because I have various brackets and rods but just doesn't line up the way I would like . In conjunction with this I think my steering column also is not 100% , but it will be in due course .

Wiring up the truck. I bought a new tree EZ -wiring set and it is easy because on each cable it says what it is ... but then again .. I could use some help , so if anyone is good with wiring and wants a holiday in the Netherlands to help me ..mi casa su casa.

Heater repair and installation , no idea what I 'm going to come across here.
front Windshield mount, I just ordered it , and still have to pick it up.

Doors are painted and now everything can go back together , window mechanism , door handles , rubbers etc etc.

Mount the exhaust, there were two side pipes on it , not my taste, so I want one thick pipe to the back, or two regular sized pipes adjacent to the rear . Will buy some loose bends and pipes and then weld, weld and weld some more.
upholstery, including the seat .. needs to be re-done..gosh I'm sure I'm leaving out a tone of stuff..but we'll start with this and then see what **** can hit the fan.

What do I still have to buy ..
Or new headlights or brackets / holder things if they can be bought seperatly?(where do you buy that ? )
Exhaust silencer ( s )
Steering column ? ( .. parts .. ? )
heater parts
Soundproofing mat , door / floor / dashboard trim
And probably tons of small junk that I forget to mention

Here some pictures :
the doors in color



Wooden steeringwheel sand blasted


puzzle pieces , called gear selector rods and the like


the better brake spaghetti work


there is indeed a new resident in the workshop

[Steve-W]

Since I started refurbishing the truck, the headers have been bugging me . while dismanteling I found out the headers where only bolted down with 5 of the 8 bolts per side . This was because the previous owner used standard 6-point bolts, so the bolts where rubbing against the tubes. By using allen bolts and grinding out some of the holes I could get the headers properly fitted . But I was still not a 100% happy because I had to grind off a small piece of my left upper control arm too to get it properly fitted and two spark plugs sit directly below the outlet pipe ( see photo )

A while ago I bought some stock manifolds , but it wouldn’t fit because of a strange looking power steering hose .. which seemed much too long to me, but at that point I didn’t feel like I replacing it. So I kept the headers on.

Last week I did decided to replace the hose and while I was at it, I thought I might as well mount the standard manifolds… Guess what? They still didn’t fit! The left sided hits the engine mount and then too many holes won’t lign up.


So now are the headers back on..again 

Then I got busy with my HEI ignition.. because I was smart enough to remove all the spark plug wires, assuming that there would be a mark on the distributor showing cylinder 1 .... But unfortunately I was wrong

So after some contemplating I realized that if the engine is at TDC ( top dead center ) that the rotor of the ignition should point to the first spark plug .. TDC can be seen on the harmonic balancer when the line Lines up with the 0 degrees mark.

1 cylinder must then be on the compression stroke , this I checked by taking off the valve cover and checking whether the rockers of cylinder 1 both had clearance .

the annoying part is that when the engine is at tdc , the rotor of the ignition is directly between two points on the distributor ... so I assume I take the one before the rotor as cylinder 1?, or after .. suggestions are welcome

[litew8]

Originally Posted by Steve-W

Wooden steeringwheel sand blasted

Cool, you have a steering wheel similar to mine (I don't see them around).
I didn't sandblast mine though, just sanded down the wood.
Any idea what brand/model? I've enjoyed reading your build thread.
I like seeing how it's done overseas. Keep up the good work.

Mine