Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step

[Low Elco]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Looks good! I stumbled across this pic in my axalta calendar. You can get one at the paint stores.
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[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jeh

Vic, just when I think you've quit cutting things up , look what you've done!!!!
It's going to look awesome man, keep at it. I really enjoy reading and watching your build on here.

Thanks, Jason. Hope your big block and new tranny are still operating smoothly.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Looks good! I stumbled across this pic in my axalta calendar. You can get one at the paint stores.

Thanks, Chip, this is the exact same truck I'm using as a guide. There are several differences between what they did and my approach, though.
1. They raised the bumper up about an inch and the ledge they built comes straight off the grille shell below the bottom molding. (red arrow)
2. They cut about an inch more off the side of the bumper end than I did. (green arrow)
3. They extended the bumper out a bit farther than I did and built out the fender to meet it which results in a tapered body line versus the parallel line that's stock. (yellow arrows)

Their mods look great in the overall context of the build which was highly customized, but I was dealing with a stock setup and didn't want to modify the frame horns to lift the bumper up. So plan B was to rob as much of the idea as I could without the extensive relocations. This means I have a different problem to solve, which is how to make the transition below the corner of the headlight roll back under and follow the edge of the bumper at the same time. That's my next hurdle.

[Elliot949]

That is working out nicely...

I would think about running the "vertical lip all the way down that way the curve of the bumper is easier to work in the front piece and the side piece...

Just a thought...

[sduckworth13]

Nice work Vic! That looks slick!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Elliot949

That is working out nicely... I would think about running the "vertical lip all the way down that way the curve of the bumper is easier to work in the front piece and the side piece...

Thanks, Dan, I did extend the vertical sheetmetal on the front of the fender down to the curved piece. Not sure if this is what you meant, but it filled the gap about as well as could be expected.

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Nice work Vic! That looks slick!

Thanks, Scott, now I need to tack everything up real good and move on to the other side.

I switched out wire in the MIG machine today to silicon bronze. Whole new learning curve. If you slow the wire speed down, it balls up on the end and if you speed it up, it welds great but spatters like crazy. The anti-spatter spray I use doesn't seem to work all that well with the SB. May have to lay my leather leggings adjacent to the weld area to help alleviate the problem.

The powder coater called today and said my stuff was ready so Dad, the dog and I went over to get it. Looks like pearlescent aluminum paint right now. They cure it in the oven at 750 degrees, so we'll see what it looks like when the engine fires up and it gets some real heat on it.

[Elliot949]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Thanks, Dan, I did extend the vertical sheetmetal on the front of the fender down to the curved piece. Not sure if this is what you meant, but it filled the gap about as well as could be expected.

Thanks, Scott, now I need to tack everything up real good and move on to the other side.

I switched out wire in the MIG machine today to silicon bronze. Whole new learning curve. If you slow the wire speed down, it balls up on the end and if you speed it up, it welds great but spatters like crazy. The anti-spatter spray I use doesn't seem to work all that well with the SB. May have to lay my leather leggings adjacent to the weld area to help alleviate the problem.

The powder coater called today and said my stuff was ready so Dad, the dog and I went over to get it. Looks like pearlescent aluminum paint right now. They cure it in the oven at 750 degrees, so we'll see what it looks like when the engine fires up and it gets some real heat on it.

That exhaust is killer...

[ken4444]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

...I switched out wire in the MIG machine today to silicon bronze. Whole new learning curve..

I did some reading on silicon bronze MIG welding wire. What was the benefit to using it here?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by ken4444

I did some reading on silicon bronze MIG welding wire. What was the benefit to using it here?

Well, my personal observation about it is that it has a lower melting point which translates into less shrinkage in the weld area. It's softer than steel, which makes it easier to grind so you remove less of the adjacent material. On thin sheetmetal, that can make a big difference.

The downsides are that it can be finicky and ugly to weld. With the TIG, it doesn't like to bridge gaps very much. Both sides of the gap have to be wet before the weld puddle will form correctly. I noticed with the MIG (after just a few test welds to determine wire speed and amperage) it leaves a lot of smut and spatter. I'm using pure argon which is recommended, but some say a mix of helium and argon also works if the material is thicker. Too much wire speed is probably the issue with the spatter, but if you slow it down, you don't get a smooth puddle. Looks a lot like a cold solder joint.

At this point, I can't honestly weigh in on the cost/benefit of using it. I like it for applications where strength is less a consideration than cosmetics. Not much I hate worse than trying to be as careful as possible, only to have whoop-de-do's in the panel when everything cools off. MIG with EZ grind wire is not far behind, though.

[ken4444]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Well, my personal observation about it..

Thanks for the detailed explanation! The positives sound great because grinding a newly welded sheet metal seam is a pain, and like you mentioned, less heat is better on thin metal when burn though is a possibility. You list a number of drawbacks which are important. For my own work I will probably stick with regular wire and C25 gas, but I'm glad to have learned about the existence of this other wire.

[sduckworth13]

Look like they did a real nice job on the exhaust!

[Low Elco]

I'm diggin' it! I'm a big flag-waver for EZ-grind. (See Vic rolling his eyes.... look, there he goes...) It's soo much easier and more workable on sheet stuff. Vic did the guy in KCK do your Coating? Eric was gonna use him, but it was more than he wanted to spend. Keep it up, this is coming out neat!

[raggedjim]

Great job on that front bumper. I use the esab ezgrind in .023 wire and I really like it. The .030 was too much for me to use on sheet metal.

Keep up the good work. Rg

[jlsanborn]

All that is looking squeaky clean Vic!

[AKC]

Always a joy to see your work Vic.

Hope you dad is doing well and you're seeing good.

[GR8-68]

They make tucking the bumpers look easy on Kindig and Overhaulin Keep at it though it will look great when you finish up

[Low Elco]

I was thinking about you last night, they were tucking the bumpers on an 80 El Camino on Fast n Loud.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

All that is looking squeaky clean Vic!

Thanks, John!

Originally Posted by AKC

Always a joy to see your work Vic.
Hope you dad is doing well and you're seeing good.

Yep, we're good on both counts.

Originally Posted by GR8-68

They make tucking the bumpers look easy on Kindig and Overhaulin Keep at it though it will look great when you finish up

That's the magic of TV! It just kills me when they tear something apart then skip nearly everything in between and go straight for the reveal.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

I was thinking about you last night, they were tucking the bumpers on an 80 El Camino on Fast n Loud.

Don't tell me how it ends... I have it on the DVR and haven't watched it yet.

We've had appointments every day this week except Friday for Dad or the dog which reduces the time available for beating on the bumper. I added a thin strip to the passenger side to close up the gap a bit and welded out some more splices. I've dialed the heat way back and started going much slower which has produced better results. Hole is starting to close up on the driver side.

I finally got in touch with the shop that does the spray on chrome and I'm weighing whether to go that route. They only guarantee the work if they do everything from the ground up. Bumpers start at $700 and $85/hr. for bodywork and prep. So I'd probably be looking at over a grand for just the front. I'm starting to think a high gloss silver next to the flat red oxide color on the truck might look pretty dang good.

[Elliot949]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Thanks, John!

Yep, we're good on both counts.

That's the magic of TV! It just kills me when they tear something apart then skip nearly everything in between and go straight for the reveal.

Don't tell me how it ends... I have it on the DVR and haven't watched it yet.

We've had appointments every day this week except Friday for Dad or the dog which reduces the time available for beating on the bumper. I added a thin strip to the passenger side to close up the gap a bit and welded out some more splices. I've dialed the heat way back and started going much slower which has produced better results. Hole is starting to close up on the driver side.

I finally got in touch with the shop that does the spray on chrome and I'm weighing whether to go that route. They only guarantee the work if they do everything from the ground up. Bumpers start at $700 and $85/hr. for bodywork and prep. So I'd probably be looking at over a grand for just the front. I'm starting to think a high gloss silver next to the flat red oxide color on the truck might look pretty dang good.

That is looking great...

[69CST-V]

Nice work as always...

[Low Elco]

I am in the wrong business. That is all.

Looks good!

[snipescastle2]

Vic,
I gotta say, you have the utmost patience with this project....I'd have lost my mind by now.....just dealing with the little issues I'm having are driving me banana's

I'm trying to sort out this whole Holley carburetor problem I'm having, and I'm taking it step by step, but I'm finding myself reaching for that "Quadrajet" sitting on the shelf rather often, but I'm not one to give up on anything.....
Have a good one!
Ben

[Vic1947]

Thanks, everyone. I've been switching back and forth between working on CRLS and ripping a bunch of CD's that belong to Dad. When he moved in with us, we stashed a box full of them and I'm just now getting around to adding them to the music library. He wants to give an MP3 player to my uncle who's in assisted living and only has a radio with local stations. So, lots of trips up and down the stairs.

The metal work on the driver side is mostly finished. Next up are the filler panels that go between the bumper and the grille shell. You can see the pattern in one of the photos below. Not sure how well my box and pan brake is going to like bending that long of a piece... or if I have enough grunt to get the job done.

[Xeen]

The bumper mod has really cleaned up the front end of the pickup, much more refined than the original factory design. I can't wait to see it all welded in and finished up, this is good stuff.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Xeen

The bumper mod has really cleaned up the front end of the pickup, much more refined than the original factory design. I can't wait to see it all welded in and finished up, this is good stuff.

Thanks, Brian, me too!

I went ahead and used my box and pan brake to make the bends in the filler strips. The both of us creaked and groaned a lot, but we got 'er done. The profile was a bit more laid back than I'd planned, but it was necessary to make the filler strips flush with the bumper. I need the lip on the bottom because I plan to install these with panel adhesive. I've used it on the roof and the hood and it seems to work real well. We'll see if all that glue holds when we're going down the road doin' the shake and bake.

I put some small curves at the ends of the filler strips, but when I put the bumper back on after trimming it, I had too much gap with the strips in the initial location. Took the clecos out and let the strips slide forward and the gaps look way better. They also lay parallel to the bumper now. I'll have to massage the ends and the center a bit more, but I'm pretty happy with the overall look as it sits right now.

[sduckworth13]

Nice work Vic! That does look really nice!