Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window

[Dan in Pasadena]

June 29, 2016

The works continues after a delay for the painter to complete some short term work for others.

The bedsides have been blasted clean and powder coated red to act as a primer in hard-to-reach areas like the stake pockets and bed rolls. The angle strips should have been removed before this but they weren't - a screw up. But the painter has now drilled out the spot welds and removed them.

Today he removed surface rust that was behind them and began the body work to make the interior bedsides pristine. And honestly? To me they were nearly pristine before given that they are over 60 years old. Anyway, I'll quit the jibber-jabber and just post the few pictures I took:

[II_Slow]

Yeah and those bedsides are a ***** to straighten out because a low spot in one side is a high spot on the opposite side so you can just pave over it - at least on the areas outside the fenders and stake pockets.

[Kim57]

they look pretty good for their age.
Kim

[Dan in Pasadena]

I agree. There are only 2-3 places where there was either rust-through or tear-out after the spot welds were drilled and the strips were pried off. And they're very small, maybe 1/4" in the longest dimension.

For those that haven't read the whole thread, I bought the truck from the 2nd owner that had it about 1 year before I bought it in 2011. It had not been registered with the DMV from 1999 til 2010. The 1st owner bought it new in 1955 and was too old to drive it after '99. I don't think the truck was ever used for much other than a daily driver & occasional weekend hauler. That must be why the bedsides are nearly undented. I lucked out.

PS: I'll be bolting on new polished stainless angle strips instead of spot welding and re-polishing. I plan to put a bolt through the front/back stake pocket and behind the fenders. How many places do you guys think I should drill? I'm guessing align them with the bolts in the flat bed strips to make it appear consistent?

[ChuckDriver]

Bolting on the angle strips is a good idea, you might add some 3M panel bond and make it even stronger.

[Dan in Pasadena]

JJ, behind angle strips to seal out further moisture or to actually increase strength of the connection?

[ChuckDriver]

I was thinking for strength. Several new trucks are built with the bedsides bonded to the bed.

[Coupeguy2001]

Dan,
when is this $60,000 dollar truck going to be finished?

I need an example to show my wife what mine would look like If I actually took it all apart and put it back together again.

Oh, BTW, she has seen the all apart phase before.....................LoL That's why I need the finished pic.....
She knows I want to rebuild it as a retirement project.

I put a TPI 350 and 6 speed in a Mercedes 230SL, and I haven't finished that.
Just think what she will say IF I take my truck apart.... "what? You expect to live forever?"

[Dan in Pasadena]

Honest answer, I don't know how soon it'll be TRULY done. By ext summer I hope.

Wow, $60,000? You're trying to make me ACTUALLY add it up - something I've been trying NOT to do so far, ha ha.

$4800 purchase in 2011
$2000 immediately to get it squared away as it was. Tune, belts, hoses, filters, fluids, starter, Pertronix, radiator..,
Another $1-2,000 in bumpers, grill, assorted niceties like new mirrors, Altman latches, etc.
$1200 (I think) for Fatman Fabrications IFS
And now the big bucks (for my budget) Probably $15,000 for body & paint.

Still well below $60K even if I'm way off.

[Coupeguy2001]

Just teasing.......You need a ZZ4 and a 4L60 with overdrive and lockup converter to get your money back in gas savings. BTW, gas is $2.11 here right now.

I won't add up my expenses. some how, some way, my wife will see it and I'll have to sleep in the truck for a while.

Just spent $120 for a radiator, and $150 to modify it, air conditioning shouldn't be over $500, but then window tinting, insulation, powder coating, etc. Just bought 2 tires for $300.
I don't think the drain on your wallet ever really goes away.

Course the tire thing is a good thing. it means I have almost 15,000 miles since I put independent suspension on it. it has almost 350,000 miles on it since new.

[dubie]

man, this project has gone a lot further than I thought you might take id Dan. Sure going to be one sweet ride when it's complete

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by dubie

man, this project has gone a lot further than I thought you might take id Dan. Sure going to be one sweet ride when it's complete

It HAS gone a lot further than I intended. I originally intended to use a dropped axle with Posie's Superslide springs. I even bought a never-installed front disc brake kit for the straight axle. (I still have it)

I kept reading my plans would cost as much as an IFS setup. Was STILL gone do that then I happened on an ad for a new Fatman Fabrications IFS kit that had never been installed for pretty cheap compared to full retail.

Then my brother in law who loves to wrench came for a visit and helped me pull the dog house to install the IFS last summer. "It'll be a lot easiest to install if we pull the engine" - and sliding not down the slippery slope was launched! There was no bed wood in it - "It's only four bolts to pull the bed"

It's gonna be cosmetically beautiful (to me anyway). It'll still have the 283/350TH but of course I find myself looking at 5.3 LS engines in Craigslist. That'll have to wait. Just don't have the money and if I did it I'd have to have someone do the electrical. I know my limitations.

[ChuckDriver]

I had to stop adding up my receipts years ago!!

[dubie]

I'm going to be swapping out my dropped axle after this cruising season is over Dan. After running it without any issues for 3 years, I decided I want a bit more comfort for our rough northern roads. So I'll be swapping in a Camaro clip in the fall. It was the plan I had in my mind right from the start but I ended up listening to a couple outside sources instead of trusting my gut.

[II_Slow]

I was tracking every dime I spent on mine for a couple of years but I got disgusted and stopped as well. I've been frugile anywhere I can, but you just can't compromise on some things. It would be worse to finish and not have what you wanted than to go over budget. It's only money, right?

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by II_Slow

I was tracking every dime I spent on mine for a couple of years but I got disgusted and stopped as well. I've been frugile anywhere I can, but you just can't compromise on some things. It would be worse to finish and not have what you wanted than to go over budget. It's only money, right?

I've kept all my receipts (I think) but yeah, at some point you're doing this for yourself unless you always intended to flip the truck. I have a friend that does that. While I respect it can be a profitable business it almost necessitates you compromise to maximize your profit. I don't want that.

A nicely done Task Force truck has been my goal for 25-30 years. I had an abortive start with a '57 small window years go before my divorce from my high school sweetheart after 20 years - I lost my shirt. I eventually started to recover financially and went to other projects - an early Porsche 911, a couple 944's and 951, then my '46 Chevy truck which I now wish I'd kept but my personal holy grail was always a '55 big window and I finally got one. I don't intend to ever sell it. It'll be my retirement daily driver I hope. That's mostly realistic in SoCal.

[Dan in Pasadena]

July 13, 2016

Stopped by the bodyshop today to drop off new polished stainless angle bed strips so the body man could trial fit them and drill for where they'll be mounted after paint.

This first bedside has had the spot weld locations repaired as well as the holes in the top rail. This bedside is done for the moment.




This side is in process and will be finished in the next 1-2 days. The body man says after its done he will primer and block sand them both until they're totally flat. To me? The one that's done is ALREADY super flat. TO think these are original 60 year old bedsides is amazing (a word I usually hate).


He's even nicely finishing the underside of holes that were in the top rail for some old camper shell (I assume):


This is an example of repairs to tears that resulted when the spot welds were drilled and he used a chisel to finish separating the parts:

[ChuckDriver]

It's looking good Dan!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by dubie

I'm going to be swapping out my dropped axle after this cruising season is over Dan. After running it without any issues for 3 years, I decided I want a bit more comfort for our rough northern roads. So I'll be swapping in a Camaro clip in the fall. It was the plan I had in my mind right from the start but I ended up listening to a couple outside sources instead of trusting my gut.

Originally I was going to do a Sid's 3" dropped axle, Posie's Superslide axles, power disc conversion and some kind of power steering setup. My thinking was that the early Ford guys all run their originally suspensions with dropped axles and even drum brakes albeit the large finned Mercury or Buick drums.

I even thought someday soon this setup will be the desired one since so many frames were chopped in half for Camaro clips. But I kept reading the cost will be the same or more than an IFS setup and I wouldn't need to cut my frame so my mind began to change. The last straw was a then-recent tax return check in hand that coincided with finding a new, never-installed Fatman kit for about $4-500 below retail on Craigslist and it was local to me. I've been sliding down the "slippery slope" ever since!!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks JJ!

It's getting closer and closer to color. He says he's going to finally prime and long board the whole thing a couple more times. This paint job may be too good for me! Ha ha. I may be afraid to actually drive it around like I want.

[Red Foreman]

Hey Dan, been away for a while had to brush up on your build thread, its all looking great!

[Kim57]

Coming along real nicely.
Kim

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks Red, thanks Kim!

It's coming along...kinda like Chinese water torture, lol.

[Rods57]

Looking good, nice detail work on the bed.

[Dan in Pasadena]

His Rod, I agree. He seems to be doing nice work. I am very pleased so far.