Not Another Rebuild Thread....

[Bomp]

Here ya go Murph,
Don't use the plasma or it will ruin everything. Ask me how I know.
Here's a link.
http://www.race-mart.com/product.asp...FdGUfgodD5QA2Q

Good luck Buddy

[Alan's Classic]

Ok Greg, how do you know.

[Modges'66]

Murph,
Another option is to get a cement drill and sharpen it slightly different for steel. The point on these drills is made from carbide. You need to keep the carbide tip of the drill cooled with liquid as the carbide is only silver-soldered on & the solder will melt at a far lower temp than the carbide itself.
We used to do this at work, in order to drill hardened tool steel from time to time.
Also, it would be wise to use a drill press, as it takes close to the force of 3 titans when using a hand drill.

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by Jeff La

Great job, You have given me some ideas but I'm not gonna be lighting it up like you LOL. I think it's great.

It is the idea inspiration that I like man !!
Most of my stuff has been from looking at other peoples stuff, and then my brain twisting it into something that appeals to me, so I totally get you !!
I just hope you share with us what you do

Originally Posted by Bomp

Here ya go Murph,
Don't use the plasma or it will ruin everything. Ask me how I know.
Here's a link.
http://www.race-mart.com/product.asp...FdGUfgodD5QA2Q

Good luck Buddy

Thanks for the link and the PM Greg !!
Wife is going to swing by the local tool outlet and pick me up some drill bits for this... I frankly had no idea they were made of spring steel but after changing drill bits 5 times, and even the drill press could not pierce it, I figured out what I was dealing with (at first I thought it was just dull drill bits LoL)

Originally Posted by Alan's Classic

Ok Greg, how do you know.

Kinda curious about this too....

Originally Posted by Modges'66

Murph,
Another option is to get a cement drill and sharpen it slightly different for steel. The point on these drills is made from carbide. You need to keep the carbide tip of the drill cooled with liquid as the carbide is only silver-soldered on & the solder will melt at a far lower temp than the carbide itself.
We used to do this at work, in order to drill hardened tool steel from time to time.
Also, it would be wise to use a drill press, as it takes close to the force of 3 titans when using a hand drill.

Thanks Modges !!
As a rule I generally oil anything that is thicker than 1/8th inch to keep the drill bits healthy (especially my slugger bits) and I use the drill press every chance I get; much cleaner results that way.

Good thing I have other phases of this to work on today, otherwise I would have to make a trip into Fairbanks just for these drill bits, and that takes a large chunk of the day away. Wife can jet out there real quick from post during her lunch break and I can have them tonight when she gets home.

I need to get these retention arms adjusted because the receiver latch is getting welded in and I cannot work with them after that.

Thanks again for the input guys !!
Your comments and wisdom are always welcome

[chad64chevy]

love the tailgate, was kind of what I was thinking you were going to do, just didn't think of you shortening the height! looks really good, nice job for sure!!

[Low Elco]

Love the mods! Great to hear the end's in sight for you!

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by chad64chevy

love the tailgate, was kind of what I was thinking you were going to do, just didn't think of you shortening the height! looks really good, nice job for sure!!

Yep it should all look right when I am done....

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Love the mods! Great to hear the end's in sight for you!

Either I drive it up onto a trailer done, or I push it up...either way, nothing is getting in my way of escaping Alaska !!
It was a swell tour of duty up here, but the swelling has gone down....

************************************************************************************

So a summary of my weekend efforts...
This is me checking the level height for how I want the tailgate to sit, once I get the retention arms under control:


A shot of the tailgate down, a peek at what JL Sanborn caught onto... I figured what the heck, I am doing all this mod work anyways, why not make it so the CHEVROLET is readable when the gate is down ???


Got the new height for the tailgate figured out, here is a photo to show:


And one of it in ride position:


Worked with the back lighting panel some more today, had to resolve an issue I had with some door/window seal I was using as a gasket of sorts that was blocking some of my LED light strips. Then it was more sanding and prepping the tailgate for paint as well....

[McMurphy]

Well the masking tape came off the in-side panel of the tailgate today, and I started laying paint on the out-side panel.

A quick peek at what it is coming to:





Just a couple shots of it out in the sunshine...you can still see tape glue if you look close enough LoL

[piratexpress1369a]

looks awesome !!! i was thinking maybe you were going to change the gate to open side ways but i see the you are keeping it the up and down

[Ta2Don]

Very Nice Sir!!! Very Nice!!!

[coulter]

amazing work man thats gonna be sweet!!!! your skills keep progessing with everything you do!!! keep it up man

[piratexpress1369a]

can't wait to see this part finished

[piratexpress1369a]

side markers look cool ..do you know where the other lights are going in

[CRGRS 66]

Great to see an update Mike! I love the side markers... you know... if you stacked 3 of them one above the other, they would look like sergeant stripes, nd how fitting would that be???
Cheers!

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

Well Played Sir, way to adapt and overcome

x2!

Originally Posted by CRGRS 66

I love the side markers... you know... if you stacked 3 of them one above the other, they would look like sergeant stripes, nd how fitting would that be???
Cheers!

When I first saw the markers the way he placed them on the fender, I was trying to figure out what they reminded me of. That just might be it!

[truckswede]

Good day, sir! It feels very awkward making a first post in someones build thread. You, of course, have absolutely no idea who i am, but i on the other hand, have been following along your build and kind of think i've gotten to know you a little bit through your journey this far. Weird, wuh?
I've been laughing real hard at your video-duel-thingys with the amazing Bompensteins creator Mr. Bomp, and i've been enjoying your journey with all your personal solutions and inventions on your truck. Very well done, sir!
Been admiring your beautiful Pontiacs and your cool tow truck too.
You have a really educational and entertaining thread going here, and i will keep reading for as long as you keep posting stuff here.
By the way, any chans of seeing more of that truck-cat-track vehicle you spotted this winter, now that the snow is gone?
You do great work sir, i'm taking notes for sure. And, thanks for sharing!

[ddubbs]

Wow coming along great. Seen you driving the tow truck on the base a few weeks ago.

[clemdaddy]

nice on the side markers murph. closing in on a very cool truck.

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

Well Played Sir, way to adapt and overcome

I wish it were so... luckily I never lose my cool like that when there are others around.
Pretty sure it would scare some one.

Originally Posted by piratexpress1369a

side markers look cool ..do you know where the other lights are going in

Yep been working on that in conjunction.

Originally Posted by CRGRS 66

Great to see an update Mike! I love the side markers... you know... if you stacked 3 of them one above the other, they would look like sergeant stripes, nd how fitting would that be???
Cheers!

Yes, that thought occured to me as well. Got them mounted in today, they turned out pretty awesome, I think.... LoL

Originally Posted by likaroc13

x2!
When I first saw the markers the way he placed them on the fender, I was trying to figure out what they reminded me of. That just might be it!

Thanks for taking a look man !!

Originally Posted by truckswede

Good day, sir! It feels very awkward making a first post in someones build thread. You, of course, have absolutely no idea who i am, but i on the other hand, have been following along your build and kind of think i've gotten to know you a little bit through your journey this far. Weird, wuh?
I've been laughing real hard at your video-duel-thingys with the amazing Bompensteins creator Mr. Bomp, and i've been enjoying your journey with all your personal solutions and inventions on your truck. Very well done, sir!
Been admiring your beautiful Pontiacs and your cool tow truck too.
You have a really educational and entertaining thread going here, and i will keep reading for as long as you keep posting stuff here.
By the way, any chans of seeing more of that truck-cat-track vehicle you spotted this winter, now that the snow is gone?
You do great work sir, i'm taking notes for sure. And, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for making a comment, I am glad you enjoy my madness... I need to reissue the challenge to Bomp too. He has been hiding behind that Honey-Do list for too long. I enjoy your build too, you overseas guys (and gals Veronika !!) really have a challenge and I salute you your efforts !!
I still wonder about the christmas tree lights in your garage...

Originally Posted by ddubbs

Wow coming along great. Seen you driving the tow truck on the base a few weeks ago.

Dude !! I am ready to drag that 85 Sierra to where ever you want it, if you still want it... The bed is immaculate, lots of good parts still on it !!

Originally Posted by clemdaddy

nice on the side markers murph. closing in on a very cool truck.

Thanks Clem. I really and truely wish I had the shop you do, then I would have no excuses for doing shoddy work. I am having to make do with "good enough" as my dead line looms ever closer on the horizion.

**************************************************************************************

Ok as you can see the paint came off the top of the water pretty good !!


The bottles of epoxy are for carbon fiber, but it sets up totally clear.


Tailgate on, and down:


Lit up with the lights on:


Lit up with the lights off:


I am seriously unhappy with the way the letters turned out. A classic example of me over working something.
Not sure if you all can see it in the photo, but the letter color came out very blotchy, like watercolors done poorly. From 10-20 feet back they look fine, but any closer and they look sickly....
The plan at this time is to see if I can get everything else done before the deadline to free up time for another go at this. Which is what I shared the clear setting epoxy with you all for. If I get another whack at this, I am going to set the plexiglass, and then fill the letters with that epoxy and go from there.

More updates tomorrow, I had a pretty productive weekend, but it is dinner time and I am being rude right now

[CRGRS 66]

Well my friend, you cannot expect perfection on the first go everytime when you are pushing the envelope as you always do... I suspect that Edison was not successful with his first attempt at the light bulb. Good plan to move on and revisit this later. Very cool theory, and if you ask me, from the pictures it looks pretty darn good. Keep your stick on the ice mister.

[jlsanborn]

I think it looks great! Everything I do, I could do better the next time, it never ends. You're close Murph, you'll be driving this thing in no time and will for sure be re-visiting a lot of this once you've settled in again. Can't wait to see it in person!

[Low Elco]

I like it! Keep it up, Murph, the end is in sight!

[markeb01]

Whether or not you're completely happy with the results or not at this point, that tailgate is one of the coolest automotive adventures I've ever seen. The concept is fantastic, and as mentioned from a few feet away it looks incredible.

[Ta2Don]

Originally Posted by markeb01

Whether or not you're completely happy with the results or not at this point, that tailgate is one of the coolest automotive adventures I've ever seen. The concept is fantastic, and as mentioned from a few feet away it looks incredible.

I agree with Mark… You have completely raised the bar beyond reach with this INCREDIBLE build…

Re-Visit is the current Mantra with my build… I am not aiming for show quality, I just am itching to drive my truck…

Keep up the Great Work!!! …and I've also been rude a few dinner times myself...

[Jeff La]

Yea it's not perfect but it's something I could live with for a long time. LOL. Your doing some great work with your ideas and truly making it a one of a kind, if your lucky you get it right the first time, if not, you get the pleasure of doing it again. Are you ever truly done with these trucks, most just improve constantly. Again superior job!!!