Over 25 Years Later, Finally My 71 C-10 Truck Build

[hgs_notes]

Continued work on the fender tonight. Pretty much have the outside of it ready for primer. Flipped it over, took off the clip nuts or whatever they're called, but found a broken bolt in one of the nuts for the inner fender. Looks like it is going to be a real pain to get out. If anyone has an idea, I'd love to hear it.

The nut on the right, below where the hood hinge goes...


The fender...

[hgs_notes]

I've been thinking about how to fix my door. There are a few options.

1. Find a better door? Kinda overkill, mine's not that bad.
2. Use patches and either have someone weld them for me, get a gas set up for my welder and do it myself, or use the adhesive like I have been. The downside to this is having a weld seam along the length of the door or a patch panel and adhesive seam, and having to blend it all in with grinding and filler, etc.
3. Patch the inside and re-skin the outside. The whole skin is only about $65, and mine have had work done before, holes from old mirrors, dent, etc. No welding on the outside required.

Here are a couple threads on re-skinning. It seems easy enough, just be patient, take your time going around the edge, etc...
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ight=door+skin

and here...
http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=12761

[hgs_notes]

Found a heck of a dealer on a welder today. I was looking for a gas bottle to add to my current welder. I already have the regulator and had used it years ago with gas. I thought I'd try again. Went into C&S Supply in Mankato and they had this...


marked down to $199.99. MIG or flux core, like mine, but more adjustability, more power, includes the cart, etc. They had more of them I think for any of you in the Mankato area that are looking for a great deal on a welder. Normal price was $449.99.

Went across the street to the welding gas supplier and got this...


It's a 40 cu.ft. tank. Bought for $105 and it's full of Argon/CO2. I've been shopping around and don't think I could have found a better deal. I'd like a bigger tank, but the salesman said they will buy back with in a year and I can go larger later if I want.

Both good deals I think. I should be able to sell my Craftsman welder and recoup a lot of what I spent today.

On another note, I was at a shop today and talking about my various projects. The mechanic said he had a friend with some fiberglass bed sides, maybe for a blazer. I left him my card, it might turn out to be a good deal. Who knows.

[lyrikz]

That tank will not last you. Its so cute though. I spent about 100 bucks for a full size tank. It didnt fit well on my tiny cart, but your going to BLOW through that thing...

Good buy on the welder.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by lyrikz

That tank will not last you. Its so cute though. I spent about 100 bucks for a full size tank. It didnt fit well on my tiny cart, but your going to BLOW through that thing...

Good buy on the welder.

Ain't it the cutest though?

I know it's not a lot of gas, but it's what I could afford for now. I can swap tanks for refills about a mile from my house too. I just got it set up and tried it out. Huge improvement over my old welder. When I first got that craftsman, I thought I had become a crappy welder all of a sudden, because it always looked bad and I couldn't get it set right. I was qualified for nuclear pipe welding in the navy. Could TIG some of the prettiest welds you ever saw in any position. I could stick weld under a table with a mirror on 1" sch 80 pipe. I learned to oxy/acet weld in high school, could MIG weld anything, got started on TIG back then too. But I could not make a good looking weld with that craftsman.

My first weld on this one was nice and smooth. I could see my puddle flowing, change the bead size with my speed, etc. It was sooooo nice.

Anyone want to buy my craftsman? j/k

[hgs_notes]

Spent the morning in the garage, working on the other fender. It was in better shape and didn't need as much filling. So it is now ready for primer also. I didn't primer today, and probably won't sunday either. I found a couple dings on the driver side rocker panel that needs filled and sanded first. And I don't think I have enough propane in my tank to ensure the garage stays warm as long as it needs to for curing. I'll have to get a refill next week. Time to pull the other door out of storage and see what kind of work it will need.

Todays progress...

[nuke1]

Looking much better, Isn't it amazing what a deiiference a wselder makes with gas? good buy, and start practicing, you will fall in love with it and want to weld everything, Oh and jsut to let you know, your mud work is getting way better, starting to feather out alot nicer. Way to go. I think you are getting more work done than me!

[hgs_notes]

Yeah, I do feel a lot more comfortable with what I'm doing. I'm not going to say I enjoy it, because I don't. But there is a lot of satisfaction with doing it myself and at least in MY mind, succeeding. I lost a lot of anxiety about doing this work and will be willing to take on my own projects in the future, but I won't be volunteering to do this for others. I know why it cost so much for bodywork. There is a lot of time involved and supplies ain't cheap.

The welder will probably see it's first real use on my doors.

I cleaned up the bottom to see what was what. It really wasn't too bad, but there is rust. The inner part is just rusted along the bottom edge, the outer has one hole in a corner. Is it possible to replace just the bottom edge without having to replace the lower door skin? How would you open up the flange or fold over? Is it worth bothering to save the outer skin or is it just easier to pull it off, replace the bottom inner and put on a new skin?

Seems like a waste to buy a whole inner door bottom to just use the bottom edge. Also a waste to buy an outer door bottom for a small patch. But if I don't there will be rust in that bottom seam that will show up eventually.





Ran out of propane after about 20 minutes this morning. It's comfortable in there, but I'm running out of work to do with what I have in there right now. I have to buy parts for both doors. My tailgate and bed are in the storage garage. I'll need a trailer to move the bed and it needs to go to the sandblaster anyway. I need to come up with something to do....

[hgs_notes]

Found something to do... As if there was a real shortage. I'm afraid to even think about a list.

I ordered a driver side door skin and both inner door bottoms the other day from Mikes Bump and Grind. They are Tri-Pro parts and Mikes got great prices, he's a site vendor for those who don't know. I also sold my old welder for $150. So the upgrade in welder cost me $50. I'll try it out on the new door parts.

Todays progress. I cleaned the inside of the passenger fender and sprayed it with epoxy primer. Also cleaned up and primered more of the cab. Pretty much got the firewall sprayed, though I saw a couple spots later that I missed. Sprayed the drip rail area, and the top side of the rockers and door jambs. I have a ding in the driver side rocker to fill and sand and a couple little spots on the cab roof. Once that's done I'll spray the entire inside of the cab and firewall again for a second coat.

That rubber seal around the steering column would not let tape stick to it. So I said the hell with it and sprayed it anyway. I figure once it gets painted, I'll just mask the firewall there and paint it black. I also went with a new primer mix of 8 parts primer, 1 hardener and 3 of thinner. Opened up the paint knob a bit on the gun, little more air pressure and more air in the gun and was much happier with the results. I got a smoother finish and it covered better. I only had one run and that was in an awkward area where I didn't move fast enough and was too close.

Pics:





Was the dent on the top side of the rocker. Turned out ok.

[hgs_notes]

Just found out I won an auction for headers. Flowtech ceramic coated for less than $150 shipped. I bought my Jimmy headers through the same seller, which is the Holley group.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...8602&viewitem=

Also got a set of door hinge pins and bushings off ebay. Hopefully those are on the way also.

[hgs_notes]

Every time I do something on my truck lately, I learn something. I'm learning how to put on filler and make it look fairly smooth. Learning what different products to use for the various situations. I've used panel adhesive, epoxy primer, my own HVLP spray gun, a little bit of hammer/dolly work. I've replaced the welder and used mine to fill holes, and fix something already, etc.

Today I learned to not wear loose clothing when spraying paint/primer. I got a little sanding to do. No biggy, but lesson learned. I also learned a little more about my spray gun. There was a part I did not remove for cleaning because it just wouldn't budge to remove it. While spraying tonight it was clogging every so often. Nothing serious for primer work, but still annoying. So I put a little more muscle into it and got it out and found a bunch of old dryed primer in there. I also found that an air channel had cast flashing blocking the hole. So I cleaned it out and learned another lesson.

Hopes these lessons help someone else out.

Todays progress: both fenders primered inside and out. Cowl panel primered on the back side. Inside of cab and firewall primered a second coat. It's looking pretty good. Have a couple small things to fix on the cab yet. Will need to do a second coat on the outside of one fender, clean up the topside of the cowl and prime. Next big jobs will be the doors, still waiting for parts delivery for those.






Here is where I filled 3 holes that were drilled for something. The welder worked great. There were 2 others on the wheel arch I filled also.

[lyrikz]

HGS, a REALLY good tip someone told me about on cleaning a gun. You put your cleaner in and spray it out like usual. Now take your cap that is on the tip of the gun and loosen it. Thats right. Loosen it up. Make sure its on by 2 or 3 threads but really looose. Now, put your cleaner in the gun, and pull the trigger lightly. Make sure the cup is covered because its going to gurgle in the cup. It back flushes the gun. That way you can get the other stuff your missing without takeing it apart.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by lyrikz

HGS, a REALLY good tip someone told me about on cleaning a gun. You put your cleaner in and spray it out like usual. Now take your cap that is on the tip of the gun and loosen it. Thats right. Loosen it up. Make sure its on by 2 or 3 threads but really looose. Now, put your cleaner in the gun, and pull the trigger lightly. Make sure the cup is covered because its going to gurgle in the cup. It back flushes the gun. That way you can get the other stuff your missing without takeing it apart.

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that out.

Brown truck stopped by today:


I'll have to dive into door rebuilds now. Also got the new door hinge pins and bushings today. And I have a trailer lined up for hauling the bed to the sandblaster.

[hgs_notes]

The bed is at the sandblaster. Might be done tomorrow, but I won't hold my breath. It's going to need some work on the bed floor. The front edge is half gone where it meets the front panel. There is some rust in the rear corners also. The back couple feet are dented down some and I might try and pound it back flat, but I don't know how much success I'll have with that. The pass side wheel well has some rust on the front edge where it bolts to the floor. The bedsides are solid. We'll see what shows up after blasting though.

Once I get it back I plan to just spray it with primer to seal it up good, then set it on the frame. I have a lot to do on the back half yet with the gas tank fill and vents, exhaust, shock relocators, and I want to change the gas tank mounting straps, etc. The bed will probably come off a couple times yet to do the rust repairs and the other odds and ends.

I need to keep my focus on the doors though. I need to remember to order sound deadener so I can do the doors while I'm rebuilding them.

[hgs_notes]

Got a couple more hours in the garage tonight and sprayed primer on the other side of the cowl, a second coat on the driver side fender and the glove box door. The cowl panel is the only one that did not get any body work done to it. I have a small sample of paint that I want to try on the glove box door to make sure I like the color.

[wancosc356]

Everything is looking great man! I'm gonna have to come back and review your thread once I get into doing body work on mine.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by wancosc356

Everything is looking great man! I'm gonna have to come back and review your thread once I get into doing body work on mine.

Thank you. Remember to check out the Paint & Body section of the board also. There is a lot of good info there and if you post a question, you will get a good response fairly quick. A lot of good body guys frequent there.

I also bought a book and a DVD for body and paint before I started. I talk to a local body guy for tips, and there are some guys at the paint supplies store (Napa and Auto Value for me) that have been helpful. The more of it you do, the easier it gets. I'm not making nearly as many mistakes now as a couple months ago.

BTW, I like your bike.

[wancosc356]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

Thank you. Remember to check out the Paint & Body section of the board also. There is a lot of good info there and if you post a question, you will get a good response fairly quick. A lot of good body guys frequent there.

I also bought a book and a DVD for body and paint before I started. I talk to a local body guy for tips, and there are some guys at the paint supplies store (Napa and Auto Value for me) that have been helpful. The more of it you do, the easier it gets. I'm not making nearly as many mistakes now as a couple months ago.

BTW, I like your bike.

Will do. Im gonna need all the help I can get. Haha. Practice makes perfect huh? From what I understand is that its not really "hard" per say, just tedious and time consuming and tiring. Sounds hard. Haha.

Thanks for the compliment on the bike.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by wancosc356

just tedious and time consuming and tiring.

Thanks for the compliment on the bike.

Exactly right. I'm liking the results so far though.

One of the first "builds" I was ever involved with was helping my dad rebuild a 1971 Honda CB450. Completely dismantled and rebuilt it. I was in Jr High at the time and loved it. My first bike was a 1981 Kawasaki 750 LTD. What a blast.

[wancosc356]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

Exactly right. I'm liking the results so far though.

One of the first "builds" I was ever involved with was helping my dad rebuild a 1971 Honda CB450. Completely dismantled and rebuilt it. I was in Jr High at the time and loved it. My first bike was a 1981 Kawasaki 750 LTD. What a blast.

Good deal man. Me too!

Very cool!

[hgs_notes]

Nothing ever comes back from the sandblaster better than you expected. It's got a little more rot in the bed floor along the edges than I had hoped. I'm going to get some steel cut into strips and put some 90 degree bends in. That will work for most of the rust. The bed floor itself is fixable with flat pieces except for the back corners, which was expected. Not sure how I'm going to handle that yet. If anyone has patched these corners by the tailgate, please post some info.

Front left corner.


front edge



right wheel well


left rear corner


right rear corner


On another note, I've been having problems with my spray gun. It's a cheapo one, but worked ok the first couple times. The last 2 times it loses flow every few seconds for just a bit. Long enough to leave gaps in coverage as your moving. I thought it was partially clogged, but did the same thing after cleaning. I sprayed water through it to try and fiddle with the adjustments and I can't get consistant flow. It also had air bubbles going into the tank while spraying. I got rid of that with some adjusting.

The other gun with a paint tip on it sprays just fine. Not sure what to do with it.

[lyrikz]

I had a similiar issue with my expensive gun. The cap you put on top of the cup has a tiny vent. Well, my tiny vent was completely plugged and it would spray like you said... I would open the cup and look an dthen it would spray good for a second. ahah... I finally figured it out and pocked the hole in and it sprayed great.

[hgs_notes]

I had thought about that, but the vent is large, and it did the same with the cap off. I think it might be leaking air into the chamber behind the tip, where the paint flows into. Might need to tighten something up more.

[nuke1]

coming along great, Question, you are into the optima challenge, i read that elsewhere. When i went to SEMA, I went to the dinner for the challenge, but had to leave Friday nite, argh. I have met/know a few of those guys, great group of ppl, they are who insipered me to build my truck the way I wanted it.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by nuke1

coming along great, Question, you are into the optima challenge, i read that elsewhere. When i went to SEMA, I went to the dinner for the challenge, but had to leave Friday nite, argh. I have met/know a few of those guys, great group of ppl, they are who insipered me to build my truck the way I wanted it.

Before this year when I watched it on the HDTV channel, I had never heard of it. I just read some about it in Hot Rod also. I loved the cars that were in it though. That Cobra is awesome and I have wanted to build one since I was in high school. My first born is named Shelby. I've been thinking about selling my 2wd Blazer project to make room for a kit car.