Not Another Rebuild Thread....

[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

[matt_l]

Wow, McMurphy, that tailgate came out amazing. I have been following your build for a while now, and your ingenuity never ceases!

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by coulter

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

Originally Posted by piratexpress1369a

can't wait to see this part finished

Originally Posted by matt_l

Wow, McMurphy, that tailgate came out amazing. I have been following your build for a while now, and your ingenuity never ceases!

Thanks guys !!
As I get closer all I can say is I only have a few more tricks up my sleeve for this build, but hopefully you will find them worth your while.

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

I cannot believe it has been almost 2 weeks since my last entry.... I must apologize for that.
Too many things that are in the works right now that would seem chaotic if I posted daily what I had worked on.

That being said, you know I hate to do things twice.
I REALLY hate having to fix something that was "perfect" because I goofed it up (and yes goofed usually comes out of my mouth with the F as the first letter) which is what happened to my tailgate.
I actually let it fall and the nicely done in side panel with the inverted CHEVROLET lettering got all scratched and gouged to ........ heck.

It was bad enough for me to stomp around my garage for a full 3 minutes exersizing ever curse word I ever learned.
I think my Drill Sergents would have been proud of that littany....

So I had to fix that, just finished it today actually.
I also filled the red CHEVROLET letters with clear silicon along all the edges and that was a chore to clean up and make look nice.
But more on that later...

I finally got all the body work done on the fenders, and cut in my Cadillac side marker/turn signals.


These are normallly mounted vertically, but like my tail lights, I emplaced them horizontally. I think they are looking pretty spiffy:


I also got the fenders, and the fender spaces on my bed sides herculinered; and today I threw down some paint:


I made some custom and extended bed rail caps, as well as getting my tail gate retainers/striker latches welded in place.


The cut out CHEVROLET was looking pretty good, but the clear silicon made a mess, and I did not approach it very well from the start. It was indeed a trial and error working.
After masking off the panel to shoot some Night Shades red in the letter wells for the benefit of the caulking, I ended up with some leakage from the masking tape job my wife did for me.
It played havoc with my metallic grey paint and one spot you can see between the E and the T really took a disliking to it all. A lot of my raised letter edges suffered as well, so instead of spending gobs and gobs of time masking off the letter wells, I masked off the panel edges, and filled the letters with water.
So that is what you are seeing here, 9 water filled letters, and fresh paint all around:


Other than that blemish under the arm of the T, I am quite pleased with the results so far.
I suspect the paint on top of the water will solidify enough for me to lift it out, and then I will sponge out the remaining water.

This also confirmed that I have a good seal around each letter, so no initial worrys about gunk getting inside my tail gate....

Thanks for sitting through this long winded post.
I am going to go shoot one more coat of the grey and call it a night.

Thanks for looking !!!

[Ta2Don]

Originally Posted by McMurphy

It was bad enough for me to stomp around my garage for a full 3 minutes exersizing ever curse word I ever learned.
I think my Drill Sergents would have been proud of that littany….


These are normallly mounted vertically, but like my tail lights, I emplaced them horizontally. I think they are looking pretty spiffy: Snazzy comes to mind as well!!!


I made some custom and extended bed rail caps, as well as getting my tail gate retainers/striker latches welded in place.

Thanks for looking !!!

Well Played Sir, way to adapt and overcome

[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!!!

[piratexpress1369a]

that looks awesome ..i knew you would knock it out of the park

[truckswede]

Looking good to me too from northern europe.
Maybe there is a smidge of truth in the saying that we are always our own worse critics? I know i am with what i do. Your ideas and executions of them are nothing less than brilliant, and a joy to follow.
By the way, i think you got me mixed up with another swede here, 2mas.
No christmas tree lights in my garage, just an old project and 8x12 meters of chaos in desperate need of cleaning and organising. Carry on, sir.

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by 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.

Thanks for the encouragement bud, I am already planning my revenge !!

Originally Posted by 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!

I cannot wait to show it to you brother !! It's going to be pretty cool being neighbors with you.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

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

It gets closer every day buddy, I swear it !! LoL

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.

Considering what you do to your truck, I have got to consider that pretty high praise !! We keep up like this and people will start thinking we are brothers at the shows...

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

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...

Dude your engine looks so sweet right now, I cannot say enough good things about it, those headers you are are just too cool.

Originally Posted by 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!!!

Thanks man, but the score goes to the UnLucky team this time... I will show you just how bad here in a minute.

Originally Posted by piratexpress1369a

that looks awesome ..i knew you would knock it out of the park

thanks Pirate, but .... yeah.

Originally Posted by truckswede

Looking good to me too from northern europe.
Maybe there is a smidge of truth in the saying that we are always our own worse critics? I know i am with what i do. Your ideas and executions of them are nothing less than brilliant, and a joy to follow.
By the way, i think you got me mixed up with another swede here, 2mas.
No christmas tree lights in my garage, just an old project and 8x12 meters of chaos in desperate need of cleaning and organising. Carry on, sir.

I am so sorry for confusing you with 2MAS, but in my defense all you Swedes look the same to me....

Just kidding !!
Thank you for the kind words, please feel free to steal anything I do and make it better for your build !!

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

Ok now for the ugly.
Just because you guys were so swell and supportive, I just HAD to go down and take some up close and stinky pics of those letters for you all. I was starting to feel like I was living a lie with praise I did not deserve. So here you go:



Those certainly fall into the "Not so spiffy" category IMO.
They look like they have cancer....bleh !!
But this next project turned out pretty satisfying...

All that trouble to get those tailgate retainer/support arms drilled and I learned the hard way why they have an oblong hole at the pivot point... because they bind when you close the tailgate and it....will....NOT.....close !!

So I came up with a plan B ...... Yeah baby ...... CABLES !!
The actual credit for the idea goes to my down stairs neighbor Daniel...so kudos to him.
I thought about modding something from the junk yard, but as I thought about it, I figured I could make them up real quick.
Soooooo step one, cut the removable fulcum end from the old supports and notch to take the cable:


Two, weld cable to fulcrum end:


Three, grind welds.... and grind and grind and grind....:



Oops, that is 5 photos.... give me a bit, more to come !!

[McMurphy]

Here is a final assembled support cable.
I used heat shrink to cover the ends of vacuum hose that I had pushed the steel cable through.
I also used some heat shrink on the loop end that will anchor loosely to the bed side using a spare fender screw. (since I am raising the bed deck, there was no need to use these fancy screws where they would not be seen which gave me enough to use on the bed head board as well)


Here is it supporting the tail gate as I ensure the tailgate is hanging square to the bed:


Yep, pretty much nailed it:


And just as a follow up, this is what the rear fender side marker/turn signal lamps ended up looking like:


Man, you just have to appreciate the fact that you are dealing with auto body parts that are almost 50 years old, when once you lay paint on them, EVERY battle scar becomes visible !!


And a final shot of the bed sides on, and the fenders hung with power to the light (I am using an ATV battery to check electrical continuity and illuminate the lamp):


All in all it was a good weekend, a lot was accomplished !!!
I suppose it would look more like a truck if it wasnt draped with dust cloths....

Thanks for looking and all your support guys, you all make sharing this adventure completely worth while !!

[Ta2Don]

Looking Good Murph!!!

Wish I could offer some words of advice concerning the lettering...
Encouragement is the best I can do at the moment...
I am sure you will find the best solution...

Your Tailgate cables are...

and those side marker lights...

Well Done Sir!!!

[Low Elco]

Dude, really, that cable bit is slick. Nice job.

[Jeff La]

Again your hitting it out the park. Love the fender marker. I'm sure you already have those pesky letter figured out and they will be great.