Johns 66

[roll_the_dice]

Oh the rust repair sounds promising also. Good luck!

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by roll_the_dice

That's great news...Their pictures look nice...I would love my grille, headlight and parking lamp bezels along with my bumpers done....Can't wait to see what you think!

I found this thread from years ago, looks pretty good. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=495482

I contacted Ruben from El Paso Electroplating...His price to have my grille chrome was extremely reasonable...while others were wanting upwards of 1500.00 just for the grille and 275.00 each for the bezels, Ruben was nowhere near that. If I remember correctly he said factory bumpers were less that 300.00 each.

[Johns 66]

Well got a little bit done on the truck today.....We decided to re adjust the valves ….they hadn't been adjusted since it was built and originally set.

So we backed them off and then readjusted them, we also backed off the timing just a little bit and it seemed to wake the truck up.....It actually spun the tires for as long as I wanted to stay in it...which is a GREAT improvement...Tranny is still shifting a lil quick for my liking but I think adjusting the TV cable will alleviate that.

Got the grille taken out and ready for the fab guy to weld the tabs on it and weld some studs on the Chevrolet part so that it can be removed. Along with that I got the bed completely taken apart....Someone had tack welded the back floor brace on so has to grind the welds off so it could be removed. Will take this Monday to the shop.

Also gathered up all the small pieces I want chromed gathered up and boxed up so I can ship them out to be chromed.....Ill get that shipped out on Monday

All in all it was a productive day.

The last 2 pics are of my Uncles truck...a 52 5 window...John Deere Yellow and Green....He bought it that way many years ago...It has a 54 inline 6, supposedly a lil bigger motor, and I guess the previous owner put different doors on the truck and changed them from push button door handles to twist door handles, Got to spend Thanksgiving with them yesterday and of course I made him pull it out and we went for a ride. And yeah I have been politicking for this truck for awhile...maybe one day he will sell it to me.....

[Johns 66]

Well had a pretty interesting day today....I took my bed to the metal fabricator in Atlanta...His name is Bryan Fuller. He has been on TV and has worked for and with some of the big guys like Foose etc...and worked on Overhaulin' so that was cool....He has agreed to do the metal work in stages so that I can do a little as I go. After he looked at both sides he basically said it would cost way more to repair it than it would to just buy a new one...The drivers side had a lot of holes in it from rust and evidentially someone drilled a lot of holes in it and filled it with bondo….Even though I has sanded it..once it was blasted it revealed way more than I could initially see...But I am grateful that Bryan just didn't take my money.

Secondly if you have watched Iron Resurrection you will certainly know "Cato" the interior man...Phil has moved from Texas to Atlanta and will be working with Bryan doing interiors...He is such a cool guy, really down to earth. He is getting his shop set up right now and was currently doing some wiring etc...BUT he did sit awhile and talk to me about different options on my interior.....He knows that this truck will not be a show queen and I am gonna drive the wheels off of it once done...so he made some suggestions that I can do at home to help save some money.

Once the bed metal work is done I will take the truck over and let them fix the rest of the metal that needs to be replaced...rocker panels, cab corners and 2 small spots on the doors plus a spot on the passenger side floor board...as usual no one can tell what the inner rockers will look like until the outer ones are removed.

Once the metal work is done I will be able to drive the truck and try my at body work...I tried welding and realized I was just a hole burner,,,But the body work is a little more forgiving ...I hope...lol at least you can sand it off...lol. Once Bryan has the metal work done and the body panels aligned my hopes are that I can get it close until I can get it sprayed.

So as I have been piddling with my truck trying to get it to run better I was able to get the valves adjusted, TV cable adjusted but still doesn't seem to be performing like it should so I had a couple of ole hot rodder guys look at my truck...told them what was going on...what had been done and both said without hesitation that my stall converter is way too low. The cam that was put in to increase the horsepower....They both suggested that I need a 3000-3500 stall and said itll run like a raped ape...So now I gotta find one.

So I got the drivers side bedside and front panel ordered...The front panel was really beat up from use and wasn't even worth trying to straighten it out.

All in all a pretty productive day...just cool to meet Bryan and Phil Cato......

[roll_the_dice]

Sorry to hear about how the metal was after blasting, but you are right...at least he didn't just take your money like you said! It is nice that there are still good shops and people out there.

What are you going to do on your interior? My wife and I are debating that right now. I need to take my seat out...I can't get it to slide at all right now.

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by roll_the_dice

Sorry to hear about how the metal was after blasting, but you are right...at least he didn't just take your money like you said! It is nice that there are still good shops and people out there.

What are you going to do on your interior? My wife and I are debating that right now. I need to take my seat out...I can't get it to slide at all right now.

Cato and I talked about it today a little bit.....He said the original seats are really tough to work with and to get some semblance of comfort...He said he uses a frame and then builds it out of foam....said he normally tries to mold it to the owner for better comfort and then covers it however the owner wants....I think I may try to use the original looking material and leather where the vinyl originally was....I kinda like the 1992 seat...I had a 92 C1500 and Loved the seats...they were very comfortable

He then said that on the carpet he makes it...not sure how he does that but Ill trust his judgment...He said normally the carpet kits you buy that are pre-made tend not to fit like they should and kinda look like an after thought since they didn't come with it.

Once my truck goes over we can look at door panels....not sure I want to make door panels for it...kinda like the stock look but Im limited in my imagination...since he has been doing it awhile Im sure he has some ideas that I haven't thought about.


Oh...Forgot to mention I sent a box out to El Paso for chroming...I sent the head light, tail light, park lamp bezels, custom side panels, deluxe horn ring and horn button.

Bryan seems like a really nice guy and honest....Its better to know up front about the bed side...I think whomever did it before just drilled holes for the bondo to attach to.....plus they used some brass brazing instead of welding..kinda weird. He also is fabbing up my C60 Grille....gonna be trick.

[jimmythompson1964]

Just read your truck story...funny how just pulling the motor for cleaning and seals can transform into a restoration. You will never regret doing it right and you are making life time memories. Keep up the good work and keep all of us updated this is good stuff.

[roll_the_dice]

I was going to ask about sending the parts out to get chromed then I forgot. Can't wait to see what they look like. I am going to send some out soon as well. I told everyone in my family I want cash to get bumpers and my grille chromed....maybe I will get $50 haha

Will be interested in the interior...I am like you. Mine will be a daily driver, so nothing fancy inside...but comfortable would be nice with an original look....did he mention pricing? PM me if you want.

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by jimmythompson1964

Just read your truck story...funny how just pulling the motor for cleaning and seals can transform into a restoration. You will never regret doing it right and you are making life time memories. Keep up the good work and keep all of us updated this is good stuff.

Thanks Jimmy....It is ironic that you really never know what is beneath the paint...If there is a silver lining it is that I found it before it got really bad. Once the metal work gets done I am gonna drive it, while attempting to do body work and see how that goes.....I am pretty sure I can get the body lines adjusted, doors etc to more of my liking but these trucks never came from the factory with great gaps. Mine is not really bad but they could be better.

I think the good thing is I will know every little detail in the truck once I am done.

Originally Posted by roll_the_dice

I was going to ask about sending the parts out to get chromed then I forgot. Can't wait to see what they look like. I am going to send some out soon as well. I told everyone in my family I want cash to get bumpers and my grille chromed....maybe I will get $50 haha

Will be interested in the interior...I am like you. Mine will be a daily driver, so nothing fancy inside...but comfortable would be nice with an original look....did he mention pricing? PM me if you want.

Andy - I emailed Ruben yesterday to let him know they were on the way, they should arrive on Thursday. Im not sure how well the aluminum is going to take chrome but we will see. He said he would inspect the parts and then shoot me a message. Ill have to figure out how to paint the black back on the areas that need it, like the horn button and sail panels.....Ill leave it up to Ruben if he thinks it will be better to just polish them to a mirror finish or chrome them.

Cato and I really didn't talk price yesterday except he did tell me the new seat frame is around 500.00...so Im "Guessing" maybe 1500.00 for seats and carpet...The are setting up his work area now and were putting in LED lights...Caro knows I want driver quality and not some show truck and best I can tell is that he isn't gonna do any shotty work because his name will be on it....As they say...Money and time.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Johns 66

Got the grille taken out and ready for the fab guy to weld the tabs on it and weld some studs on the Chevrolet part so that it can be removed. Along with that I got the bed completely taken apart....Someone had tack welded the back floor brace on so has to grind the welds off so it could be removed. Will take this Monday to the shop.

The rear bed cross sill for wood floors is welded @ the very back. It should have short 1-1.5"L stitches that have to be cut through. Steel floors are welded similarly in the same area.

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

The rear bed cross sill for wood floors is welded @ the very back. It should have short 1-1.5"L stitches that have to be cut through. Steel floors are welded similarly in the same area.

You learn something new everyday...Thanks so much for sharing that with me.....Im thinking that this was a re do since it was braised with brass.....But again I am not sure about that. Maybe its to keep it square IDK....

[roll_the_dice]

I watched a video last night on reupholstering the seat. It didn't seem too bad. I need to take my seat out and work on the brackets...they aren't sliding. Then I will probably buy a reupholstery kit off of Etsy I liked...but I want to get some real world feedback on the quality. Here is the link...they have tons of colors and designs and for $400....I can live with that if it does look that good.

[roll_the_dice]

John--you get the parts back from having them chromed?

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by roll_the_dice

John--you get the parts back from having them chromed?

Hi Andy...I recieved a call from them today and they were shipping it out today...so hopefully in 3 or 4 days I will get it back.
I have been out of the country on a mission trip and will be back early next week which will work great!!!
I will for sure post some pictures when I get it back.

[roll_the_dice]

Thanks John, can't wait to see them! Awesome on the mission trip, sounds rewarding!

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by roll_the_dice

Thanks John, can't wait to see them! Awesome on the mission trip, sounds rewarding!

Hi Andy.....Trip was so very rewarding and heartbreaking at the same time....My parts were waiting when I got home...Next post will show them.

[Johns 66]

Well got my parts back from El Paso Electroplating. As you will see I had the headlamp, park lamp and tail lamp bezels chromed, also had the custom side pieces chromed as well as the deluxe horn ring and horn button chromed as well and basically it was 60.00 for each part... I asked for these to be show chrome even though my truck will not be a show truck. I just wanted to see what their show chrome looked like. So in total I spent 638.09 to have this chromed and this includes shipping.

To give you an idea I had estimates from other chromes shops that ranged from 175.00 to 275.00 just for the head lamp bezels and the other parts were 175.00 each.

With all that being said the only parts that are flawless are the headlamp bezels. I can see what looks like a golden color on different places, specifically the horn ring and the sides of the custom panels....I do not know what that means but I will be contacting them to see if this can be corrected...on their dime of course.

At the price I paid I do not expect perfection but am concerned with the golden color I see. Just want to make sure it isn't going to rush or peel. I think it must be a lot harder to chrome the aluminum parts because that is mainly where I saw the issues. It is hard to photograph with my phone and it will not stop me from using them on the grille.

My estimate for chroming my C60 grille is 325.00.....the cheapest quote I got was 1400.00 and after driving it for a bit and washing I think itll be just fine.

[Johns 66]

Here is the deluxe horn ring and button. The center of the button really isn't noticeable put the little pitted areas in the groves couldn't be gotten out.....

[Johns 66]

One more pic

[roll_the_dice]

Looks good John..definitely the right price! I will definitely be sending mine to them.


Glad the mission trip was rewarding....I have never done missions, but I can imagine on the heartbreaking.

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by roll_the_dice

Looks good John..definitely the right price! I will definitely be sending mine to them.


Glad the mission trip was rewarding....I have never done missions, but I can imagine on the heartbreaking.

Talked with Ruben earlier today and he said just send the things back that I had an issue with and he would make them right...Cant beat that for sure.

The mission trip was to a couple of places in Montemorelos Mexico...We had Christmas for the Childrens home there...mainly orphaned kids. Then we took some battered women and children to town and let them shop for Christmas at Walmart.....while there Ben and I shopped for the "River People" Met an old couple who were bed ridden and needed supplies, so we bought all Walmart had, plus they had some food boxes that we purchased and delivered to the families who live on the river....trust me this is not water front property like we think here in the states...they do it out of necessity of having a water supply.

Lastly we went to San Juanita,,,a dirt road town....that my Uncle had physically built the church building years ago before he passed, and we handed out gifts to the church....and we were able to give them a monetary gift as well for the church.

It is so rewarding when you can help people, plus through our interpreter we were able to witness to the children and battered woman. Just so sad at the living conditions and the amount of money they make...…..

[roll_the_dice]

That's great Ruben is going to make the chrome right! Can't complain about that...well we could, but what's the point?

That is AWESOME you were able to witness to the children and women...Sounds like a great trip. Hopefully some of it stuck!

[The Rocknrod]

Man those chrome parts look great. The gold is the copper they plate it with before chrome, the chrome wont stick to aluminum so they copper plate it first. Just didn't leave it in long enough. Wow I'm going to have to do that to my hood lights for sure. Thanks for the info on El Paso plating.

[roll_the_dice]

I am envious of your steering wheel John! I haven't found a good one yet and I am not sure I am up to the task of restoring one.

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by The Rocknrod

Man those chrome parts look great. The gold is the copper they plate it with before chrome, the chrome wont stick to aluminum so they copper plate it first. Just didn't leave it in long enough. Wow I'm going to have to do that to my hood lights for sure. Thanks for the info on El Paso plating.

Thanks......and I appreciate the information on the chroming process..Im such a newb on that. I sent the parts back yesterday and marked the places with blue tape so that they could see what I was talking about...hopefully it makes it easier to see what I was talking about......In all honesty I don't think it will be hard for them to notice. I have always wanted to have the park lamp bezels chromed and since it was a lot cheaper at Electroplating of El Paso I decided to try them out, Once the grille is finished I will be sending it to them as well.

Originally Posted by roll_the_dice

I am envious of your steering wheel John! I haven't found a good one yet and I am not sure I am up to the task of restoring one.

Andy are you talking about the steering wheel or the deluxe horn ring? My actual steering wheel has some cracks in it as well so I will be attempting to fix them...I was "Told" that you could use an epoxy resin type thing but have never tried that before.

Found out from the fabricator guy that the wont be able to take my truck till the end of January or first of Feb......Kind of a bummer but understand since he is getting his new shop arranged and set up.

Im hoping by summer that all the metal and body work are done on my truck...after that I can paint it at anytime......just want to get it running and drivable and back together so I can DRIVE IT!!!!!!


Also got my AAW Classic Update wiring Harness in.....That should be interesting when I start that..lol