Wamego: 1949 GMC 150

[joedoh]

front end time, you may remember it was bashed a bit.

IMG_0176 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I have two GMC fenders and a nice GMC hood, but I really like keeping the sheetmetal with the cab it came with because it matches. I need to get the stuff pounded out at least enough to fit it all up, then have someone with more skill than my two dumbsticks tap it nicer.

IMG_0644 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_0646 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I have that spare grille I got at the swap meet earlier this year to fix this one.
IMG_0650 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I have two sledges I use for bodyworking this old sheetmetal, works fast and great. imagine my surprise when chucking the long one up in the vise provided a great way to hold the fender to boot!

IMG_0655 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_0654 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

when I needed something with a thin edge to get some creases back where they belong, the axe I havent used except for teenage daughter boyfriend threatening (uncle buck reference, no teenage boys were threatened) provided a great surface.

IMG_0660 by Joe Doh, on Flickr


not too shabby, looks like a fender again!
IMG_0661 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

got the pedal bracket in for a final test fit before grinding and painting. works perfect. the column is SO sturdy and I dont even have the bolts in anything except the booster! (that one extra bolt in the top is loose, needed it to get the booster in)

IMG_0663 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_0664 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_0665 by Joe Doh, on Flickr


found a mirror arm from my 65, should work great with that stainless mirror I didnt like on Hannah.

IMG_0667 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

speaking of hannah, she now is mostly weather tight and spends her days in the sun.

IMG_0638 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_0639 by Joe Doh, on Flickr


more to come!

[Palf70Step]

Nice work on the fender.

[oldman3]

Nice work...Jim

[OutlawDrifter]

Making some decent progress, I saw your ad for Hannah in my searching.

[8man]

Those tips for fender bumping were great. It did look like a fender again. Post a close up of that work if possible.

[joedoh]

sure, I was dinking around on it just a few minutes ago before doing some "real" work today.

here is what it looked like to begin with, it was pushed back about 4 inches at the grille.

IMG_0169 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

you can see the big crescent crease that gave all of that 4 inches back, from then on it was just a matter of pushing the dents out in the reverse order they were dented, start at the back and push forward.

IMG_0673 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_0674 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

this wrinkle was tough, it was overlapped on itself, just had to be patient with it.
IMG_0675 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I will probably have to cut this one, it is folded and tight, nothing is stretching it back.
IMG_0676 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

[8man]

That came out pretty good for the bend in it. Thanks for the pics.

[joedoh]

no body man here, some friends are and maybe they can tap around on it.

outlaw its looking like Hannah will be my shop truck. it doesnt appear that anyone can drive a stick any more haha. went for an hour cruise this morning before starting work.

[mongocanfly]

Hahahaha.....love your "body hammers"!!!!!!!!......

[GreasyLikeaBurger]

Originally Posted by joedoh

no body man here, some friends are and maybe they can tap around on it.

outlaw its looking like Hannah will be my shop truck. it doesnt appear that anyone can drive a stick any more haha. went for an hour cruise this morning before starting work.

I honestly would be interested in your old truck, if I could only sell my tundra. I saw on the HAMB, you listed it as sold.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by GreasyLikeaBurger

I honestly would be interested in your old truck, if I could only sell my tundra. I saw on the HAMB, you listed it as sold.

I am not making this up, an hour after I posted that, a guy called, showed up, and bought it.


now I can get wheels for wamego. and some patches. and some suspension. muahahahahahaha

[joedoh]

busy day. I think my 41 has the perfect stance but it doesnt fit on trailers. it got hung up halfway on, seriously hung up like cant go forward or back, and whatarewegonnado?!! I just started the forklift, lifted the back and got it on.

IMG_0703 (1) by Joe Doh, on Flickr

waved goodbye, beeps and I ran to bowtie bits. I love having a shop like this local, I can see everything before I buy it and he has about everything you could want. plus the NOS stock that rotates in the showroom is crazy to look at, there are always full steel wheel sets and random seats. he has a brand new charcoal 94 blazer seat I would love to buy and make into an office chair! look at the wax coated bumpers, thats not beat up army green paint! its chevy geek heaven.

IMG_0704 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

bought a few things.

IMG_0707 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

wipers, door window felts and seals, inner outer cab corners, the parts to fix the rot in the kicks, front lenses, taillights new window rubbers etc etc etc and a partridge in a pear tree




what am I forgetting? oh yes!







did you wonder how ernie got the 41 off the trailer? well.







IMG_0680 by Joe Doh, on Flickr


he has THREE forklifts. I have been outclassed.

[8man]

OMG, out forklifted...

Fun story though.

[rusty76]

We got our race car stuck going up on the trailer. Couple jacks and on it went. The thing sit like four inches off the ground. We learned to carry lumber. Stack it right and no problems.

[Advanced Design]

Well I’ve been missing out...in like Flynn for the rest.

[joedoh]

welcome aboard doug!

rusty the problem was he had an equipment trailer with the raised center for chaining things down. the exhaust belted one support squarely, enough to break an exhaust stud.

8man he sure showed me.

I ordered upper and lower control arms yesterday at 5pm, and they are here! what the heck?

[jae]

I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but I'll say it again... Your threads are an absolute treat to read. You, sir, work like an artist. There are times that I don't see the "big picture" until a couple posts later when you show where you end up.

Thank you so much for sharing with us. (Though now I feel like a total slacker for not being out working on my truck right now)

[joedoh]

hey thanks, I sure have fun thinking about things and trying stuff out, I am glad people enjoy it.

[rusty76]

It’s funny but that was practically the same way we got the race car back on the trailer when it went into the wall. Bent the car into a u shape and had to use two wreckers. It was even more fun getting it back off the trailer. Long night. Lol

[RDrancher]

I have a bunch of Hannah and Fenix pics on my computer, but actually took the time today to go back, read and check out the build details. Your creativity on the road to a finished project just amazes me. I'm in for this one.

[joedoh]

thanks! every truck I do is the best I have done. maybe someday I will have a nut and bolt restoration like some of the guys on here. I sure like shiny stuff.

rusty sounds like it may have been easier to part it out there and leave the bent parts.

i moved all my gmc stuff (ys I know the tailgate says chevrolet, I will fix it) to the front including the truck bed trailer that will give the bed, fenders, aprons, stub running boards, and even the running board mounts to the project. I am leaning more towards using the whole unbent front clip, knowing what I learned doing paint matching on hannah. what actually got me thinking about it is a gal had a front clip and doors, blue, listed for sale local, and I still have a perfect (well as near as perfect for old parts) blue bed in the back 40 (ft), and all that would have needed changed is the tiny bit of green left on the cab. so then I thought, why am I being crazy about that little bit of green, I can make it red if I want, the hood, grille surround, bed and rear fenders are already red.

IMG_0753 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_0752 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

pulled the windshield, if you havent done one and dont plan to reuse the gasket, the easiest way is to slide a box knife against the glass and cut the outer from the inner, takes seconds. cutting through the gasket perpendicularly is a lot more work than just cutting the outside portion off. a little rust through but an easy fix.

IMG_0754 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_0755 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I mocked the fender up, its in the wrong spot and pointing down a little but I think using the unbent steel is the right plan. I straightened the core support and just need to brace it which I will do tomorrow.

IMG_0757 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

my neighbor the great guy found this on his shelf and there was only one guy he could think of that could use it! love that guy, what a great neighbor.

IMG_0758 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

tomorrow I will make a cap for the core support and haul it in, remount the unbent fender and repaired inner fender, and start cutting things to fit. easy peasy!

[Matt_50]

I'll need to pull my windshield eventually, thanks for the tip. How easily does it go back in?

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by Matt_50

I'll need to pull my windshield eventually, thanks for the tip. How easily does it go back in?

super easy, I use nylon rope in the channel and lay it on the hood with the glass in the gasket, then a pair of extra hands to lay it up against the cab, then just pull the rope from the inside.

[mongocanfly]

That's a cool looking book...mighty neighborly of him ....

[joedoh]

yeah butch is the man. I was over there yesterday and he was taking the bark off some pine wood his son picked up because it had beetles. a whole trailer load of wood, just stripping the bark and treating it with pesticide so it doesnt hurt his neighbors pines.

august is the cruelest month, its suspension and steering time. new uppers and lowers, new spindles, new springs and shocks, new steering u joints and shaft, sway bar endlinks. and bunch of other stuff.

[soapbox] normally I would take my leafs to the local spring shop and have them dearched, but on the last truck I paid for 4" and got 1 1/2", then I had to pay again for longer u bolts to put on 2" blocks. so I was already a little chafed. I took the leafs in and asked for 4" again, and brought one of the original u bolts that galled up coming off to see if it could be rethreaded. they said "no" flatly, and offered to sell me another. then he quoted me almost $100 more than I paid in march for the set on Hannah. I was a little taken aback, and told them I could order new springs for less, they said sorry, labor has gone up. well ok then, add new springs to the list, and forever. [/soapbox]

the control arms and the leaf springs showed up the next day, which was nice, so I decided to start with the back since the spindles arent here yet. there are two people I would like to punch at GM, one is the guy who puts in the seat torx bolts, and the other is the production engineer who decided that the leaf spring hanger bolts should be put in from inside out and never looked down the line to see the gas tank prevents the bolt from coming out.

IMG_0777 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

but its out, you say. well, first I tried unbolting the gas tank, but the strap bolt just spun. I tried lifting it a little with a jack but the creaking made me nervous. so I took the easy way.

IMG_0776 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

and that cut one came in handy for punching out the hangers, which the new leafs did not come with.

IMG_0778 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I will pick up another bolt tomorrow, I spent the rest of the evening scrubbing scale out of the u bolts, which I didnt have to cut off for the first time in ever. the new pack has less springs so I need them to go deeper.

IMG_0782 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_0783 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I told you not to worry about the chevy tailgate, I ordered this one on fleabay. got a decent deal on it too, shipping cost more than the gate. maybe I will sell the chevy or maybe keep it for the future.

s-l1600 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I decided on wheels and need caps. this is partly a larger discussion of truck color I mentioned, but I wanted to see the two caps I was considering in person.

IMG_0766 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_0765 by Joe Doh, on Flickr


I chose the red caps, because I am going with red on the artilleries. and I think I have decided to wire brush the whole body and lay down some matching slate blue. which means the interior will be blood red too. I am pretty pumped.