Markeb01 Build Thread

[Bomp]

In the first shop I had I mixed 1 gallon of white with 1 gallon of battle ship grey. I was surprised how I could lay under a vehicle without having to use a trouble light. When moving everything back into the shop I dropped a torque converter and fluid went flying. Didn't mar the floor and clean up was nothing more than a simple wipe.
In this shop I decided to go pure white. It allows me to work under vehicles without the use of a trouble light (I do have around 28 4ft lights and 2 Camaros hanging so illumination isn't a problem)lol.
One thing I didn't realize was how much dirt shows up around the edges/corners/off to the side where the broom doesn't reach on quick clean ups. The grey helped hide the filth.
Im unable to remember which brand exactly I used but it wasn't the one with the speckles in it from HomeDepot or Lowes. Not that they don't work but I wanted total overkill.
One thing I did notice right off the bat was when welding you will smell burning floor epoxy. The area I weld wasn't painted for that reason but the edges of where I left off get a spark or two at times. Nothing horrific but that's one of the disadvantages.
Here are some links to similar products. I also did a light etching of the floor to prep it for the epoxy.
Follow the manufacturers directions and you'll have no problems.
http://www.epoxy-coat.com/?gclid=Cjg...hapDBXBpfD_BwE
http://www.epoxyproducts.com/b_floor.html
http://www.behr.com/consumer/product...alers-and-prep
Your truck and garage look great.
Always a good time peeking in.

[markeb01]

Thanks for the feedback and links Greg. I'll be looking into options once the wife's landscaping project is completed! I don't do any welding so that part won't be a problem. It's going to be interesting to see is the dirt patterns continue with the new garage doors. Historically I've had tons of dirt and debris all around the edges because the doors leaked so bad the only part that stayed clear was where the cars parked. Now it's almost sealed like a bank vault with the doors down, very quiet like being inside the house and no dirt intrusion. I need to wash the truck to see how long it will stay clean. With the old doors it was covered in dust in about 2-3 days.

I started painting the ceiling two days ago, hoping I could restick the loose paper tapes joints with paint. It turned out they applied the tape with water only, no mud and no paint, so even trying to cover it caused it to disentegrate or fall off. So Ruthann stepped in a stripped it all off and mopped & vacuumed what was left. I retaped 3/4 of it yesterday and if my knees hold up the rest will be done today. I'm really looking forward to having it all done and being able to start enjoying the benefits of the overhaul!

[likaroc13]

Nice work on the garage, & I dig your new hood ornament.

[markeb01]

Yesterday was a tough day. I finished taping and mudding the ceiling, but my left knee failed completely and it took a 3rd pain pill before I could finally get to sleep at 3:30 this morning. Once back on my feet around noon, it was obvious I wouldn’t be doing anymore ladder work today, so my lovely bride stepped in and painted all the detail stuff like the gas pipe, around the lights, and ceiling brackets while I painted the main ceiling surface with a long handled roller.

We finally hit the milestone of having the ceiling all in one color with all the tape joints in one piece this afternoon! There are at least 4-6 coats of “ceiling paint” on it now, but it’s going to need a final coat of something better to hide all the tape joints. That will have to wait until my knees grow back so it could be a few weeks before any further progress.

In the meantime, here are a few before (before we even bought the house) photos, and some relatively similar shots taken this afternoon. When we purchased the house, there was only one electrical receptacle in the garage. It can be seen at the far left of the snow shovel hanging to the left of the small door. It was also on a main line connected to a GFI in the front bathroom. The GFI was old and tired, and even plugging in a hand drill would pop the GFI and shut down circuits all over the house. It was ridiculous. To resolve the problem the GFI was replaced, and I swapped out a several 110v circuit breakers for half height breakers and ran multiple 110v lines to different rooms (including the garage) along with a 220v circuit for the compressor. There were also two mismatched garage door openers, but only one of them worked.

I’m glad to have this completed far enough to take a break for a while:

[Bomp]

Amazing transformation.

[Ta2Don]

Originally Posted by Bomp

Amazing transformation.

X2!!!
Rest up Brother… need those knees to operate da clutch and go pedals...

[piratexpress1369a]

now get some much needed rest mark

[1963c-10]

Hood ornament looks great and nice job on the garage. Hope you get to feeling better!!!!

[markeb01]

A few days of rest and my knees returned to working order, resulting in a fun day yesterday. Had family over for a BBQ dinner, then took my squeeze on a road trip date in the evening. We drove over to the Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho (about 35-40 miles) parked on the side road (with about 100 other cars) and watched the fireworks display at 10 pm. It was a nice show, but the best part was just being out and having fun together.

All I have to share is a couple of not very good captures off the dash camera:




We did record the entire fireworks show on my cell phone. It’s a nice memory, but nothing worth posting.

I also realized it’s time to rework the layout of the dash switches again. It was the second time I’ve run out of gas because it was so dark in the cab I flipped up the fast idle switch instead of the fuel pump. The problem was quickly resolved the two times it’s happened, but it could turn serious in the wrong setting. So I’m going to move the arm/starting switch to the center position of the red safety covers, and the fuel pump switch will move to the 3rd position with an open toggle and a side guard instead of a cover.

It may not look as cool, but it will be a lot easier to select the correct choices in complete darkness.


I relocated the switches this morning, and ordered this guard for the fuel pump toggle switch which is now exposed:

[markeb01]

The simple story is I washed my truck this evening. I’ve been washing cars most of my life using the standard practice many people follow using a bucket of car soap, a wash mitt, and a hose.

The last time I washed the truck, I was having real problems with my knees and the simple task of climbing up on a step stool to reach the middle of the roof was a real struggle. So I started looking for a better way and ended up buying an RV mop with an extendable handle. Just an inexpensive Walmart version that looks like this:



Coincidentally my wife wanted to install a water feature in the front yard where I normally store the hose for washing the truck. So I offered to try one of those collapsible hoses advertised on TV, along with a quick connect so I could store it in the garage when not being used.

It does everything they claim, but the green version has two drawbacks for washing cars. It is hard as a marble when inflated and is a slip and fall hazard if stepped on. Also the inside of the hose is tiny, creating great blast pressure of a tiny little stream when wide open. Both features aren’t very desirable for car washing by an old guy like me.

So I bought one of the black collapsible hoses to see if it was any different, and it is:



The hose is much larger inside providing a nice flow, and the hose is much softer. Stepping on it under pressure merely squishes the hose so the falling hazard is greatly minimized.

The side benefit of all this is the truck was washed in record time tonight. I normally spend an hour washing, and maybe another hour drying it off and wiping down the door jambs, dash, and interior. Rather than hand wiping every square inch of the truck with the soapy mitt I covered 90% of the truck with the mop in less than 20 minutes. Only the grille, bumpers, and detail areas like the mirrors required hand washing. I was pleasantly surprised how fast it went, and will be using this method from now on.

[glos55]

WOW!!! I just tuned in to all this! You have been one busy guy!! Everything looks great!

[Ta2Don]

I can't wait to be able to wash my 65... Thanks for the hose review...

[likaroc13]

Good to know about the hose. I see those commercials all the time. Seems like there's at least a few different brands/versions floating around. Not sure how they compare though.

I'm also reminded how much easier it is to wash a truck without shiny paint. My old C-1500 was a breeze when it was in tinted primer. My shiny black Tahoe now is nothing but a headache. You constantly worry about scratches & swirls while both washing & drying.

[markeb01]

Haven’t had much interest in accomplishing anything during the day with temps above 90 degrees (I’m a 72 degree guy)!

But I did manage to scrub a year’s worth of crud off the Gaylord bed cover with an application of Mother’s Cleaner Wax followed by a coat of Ice Synthetic Polish (the stuff that leaves no white residue):



A good cleaning/polishing once a year is about all it receives (or needs).

Today the toggle switch guard arrived in the mail. It’s so attractive, I considered polishing it to full aluminum luster, but it looked so great with its anodized finish I left it alone instead. Here it is mounted, followed by a close up. Since relocating the switches, I haven’t run out of gas once. Having the new configuration makes it much easier to “feel” the correct selections in the dark:





I’m looking forward to the Spokane swap meet this weekend, and only a couple more weeks until Goodguys Spokane!

[Ta2Don]

I hear ya about the heat!
Dash gets better and better every time I look at pics...

Looking forward to your coverage of the upcoming shows...

[markeb01]

Recognizing a weakness in the security layout of my truck, I realized it was possible I might someday hop into a similar truck and mistake it for my own. To make sure mine is truly unique, it became obvious I needed one more feature to separate it from other similar looking trucks. So I picked up a package of these toggle switch extensions:



They nearly match the red shift knob:



They were way too long to be practical, and the opening that slips over the switch is too big for retention without some type of adhesive. These are made of a hard plastic that isn’t flexible, so I cut this much off the piece with a Dremel tool:



What was left popped right on the fuel pump switch with an authoritative snap, eliminating the need for any adhesive:



Now I can easily confirm I’m in my own vehicle instead or a near look alike!

I’ve also ordered up a legend tag that says “fuel pump” that will fit above the switch guard. That should arrive well before the Goodguys show, leaving us fully equipped to participate.

[piratexpress1369a]

mark make sure you buy a few more of the toggle extensions , i have broken a few of the plastic ones over the years

[markeb01]

Thanks for the tip, I had no idea how durable these things might be. Fortunately I got four of them at $1.00 each and I'm only using one. If I break all four I'll go back to having a plain switch!

[markeb01]

My oldest son and I went to the Spokane Swap meet this morning for a short visit. There were a few grilles and headlight rims available, but nothing I was in the market for:









It’s nice to have something car related to attend, but the event is routinely a disappointment. I grew up on the early swap meets during the mid-late 1970’s, which were primarily made up of hundreds of individuals selling surplus items cheap to clear out their garages. As a seller I frequently came home with several hundred dollars, rarely charging more than $5-$10 for anything. As a buyer I came home with some real bargains for $5-$10, and bought lots of classic car magazines for 5-10 cents each.

That concept evaporated decades ago, being replaced by comparatively few sellers showing up year after year with the same old overpriced stuff that rarely changes hands.

Spending time with my son is always enjoyable, but I’ve come to accept that Ebay has replaced the traditional swap meet, at least for me. Bargains I used to find at swap meets can still be found online with enough research and diligence.

[piratexpress1369a]

i like the last pic ..i could use that chrome grill on mine

[Ta2Don]

I too remember swap meets in the 70's and 80's... Sure miss the bargain days. Enjoy that Father/Son time, i get to see my boy 5 days a week at work (if you want to call it work) and I enjoy being able to pass along wisdom and make up for lost time when he was younger. He just bought his first motorcycle and I see me with mine in him...

[markeb01]

Okay so a good friend and my wife both agreed the red metalflake toggle switch cover looked stupid. Since I value both of their opinions, and they usually don’t offer one unless they really think what I’ve done stinks – I gave it due consideration and removed the extension. I liked the way it “felt” in use, but didn’t like the way it looked. So now it’s back to looking like this - and the switch is again fully protected:



A new legend plate is due to arrive tomorrow labeled “Fuel Pump”. It will mount just above the switch guard, and cover the area of wrinkle paint that was squished by the safety cover mounting plate. This will both identify the switch, and forego the need to repaint the mounting plate.

[markeb01]

This afternoon I ran the truck out in the backyard and tried to capture at least one decent overall photo. So here’s the latest showing the bumper bullets, portholes and hood ornament:



And here’s somewhat of a close up:

[TJ's Chevy]

Looks really sweet Mark!!!!

[likaroc13]

Lookin' good Mark! Wanted to let you know I got my GMC hood emblem on Friday, & it looks just as it was pictured on eBay. Now I just have to decide whether to paint it or have it chromed. I don't see any pitting whatsoever, so it should be a great base for either route. Thanks for the help with picking it out.