47-55.1 Long Time Coming......

[-Dan-]

Nice work. Are you willing to provide any more detail on how you made the reveals (gaps) so consistent?

[Rickysnickers]

Nicely done.

[gsinon]

Originally Posted by -Dan-

Nice work. Are you willing to provide any more detail on how you made the reveals (gaps) so consistent?

I was wondering if anyone would care enough for me to go into depth with how I do it. Ince I get a little further along in the gapping process I will post up an in depth tutorial.

Originally Posted by Rickysnickers

Nicely done.

Thanks!!!

[gsinon]

Another one of the little details that I tend to do on many of my builds is to shave the drip rails. However, rather than go completely smooth and not have anything, I weld on round stock on the gutters place. Once fully welded and then body worked it will have a nice molded look to it and leave a nicer looking detail than the factory gutter.

In these pics I already cut off the gutter, which is only spot welded on the inside of the door jamb area. I then cleaned up the surrounding area with a 80 grit Roloc disc on an angle grinder. I then ran to my local supply house and bought two 6' lengths of 1/4" round stock. To form the curve at the top rear of the cab window I heated up the bar and bent it around my welding gas bottle. The radius was very close to what I needed.

Slowly I heated the rest and bent it to match the other curves. I then tack welded it in a few spots on the rear most vertical area, and then continued all the way around and down the A pillar.

Now that I'm happy with this I will weld her up solid and grind the welds smooth. After the cab goes into epoxy I will body work the area for a super smooth transition.

[gsinon]

It is funny how sometimes when you go out into the shop with a plan, you have to pivot and do something different for one reason or another.

In order to do the final gaps on the truck I need to rebuild the hinges. So I went out yesterday with the intention of removing the passenger door and taking out the hinges and rebuilding them. I got the top one done without any issues. The bottom one fought me tooth and nail. No matter what I tried I just could not get the pin out of the hinge. That fight will live on for another day.

While the door was off and on a scissor stand though I decided to make the best of it. I made a small filler patch and then proceeded to weld up the hole for the door lock. With that made and fitted nice and tight I tacked it in place, then fully welded it. Then ground the welds smooth on the outside.

[gsinon]

With that small job done, I decided to go a little further and make the mounting plate that you get with the Altman latches fit flush and welded it in place rather than bolt on. This to me will give a better look after blending in with body work and make it look as though it came this way from the factory and not look like just a bolt on.

[6DoF]

props on the sheet metal work, that stuff is tough. what wire do you use?

[gsinon]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

props on the sheet metal work, that stuff is tough. what wire do you use?

Thanks, I use the .030 wire.

[gsinon]

I don't have much to show this week for progress. However, I did want to share this pic of the products that I received this week from PPG for my truck.

Any guesses on the value of whats in this picture at retail?

From left to right:

One gallon of DAS3057 dark grey sealer and its corresponding hardeners.

One gallon of F4921BK black epoxy and its hardeners. This is a thin epoxy that I will use to go over the bare metal after stripping everything. From PPG's Delfleet line, this is by far their best epoxy. Throw away any DP-LF you have and switch to this. It's way better.

Three gallons of DT895 high temp reducer.

Two gallons of D8152 glamour clear from their Global line and the related hardeners. I was part of field trials with this product when it was first released back in the mid 2000's. Only clear I have used since. Show car quality every time.

One gallon Deltron DBC basecoat of the color. Another 1.5 gallons of this not pictured.

Not pictured is two gallons of the primer surfacer I already put away. I also have a full gallon of the tan color for the interior as well as six quarts of the D8115 and D8117 matte clears from PPG for the interior.





.

[57FleetsideC4]

Originally Posted by gsinon

I don't have much to show this week for progress. However, I did want to share this pic of the products that I received this week from PPG for my truck.

Any guesses on the value of whats in this picture at retail?

From left to right:

One gallon of DAS3057 dark grey sealer and its corresponding hardeners.

One gallon of F4921BK black epoxy and its hardeners. This is a thin epoxy that I will use to go over the bare metal after stripping everything. From PPG's Delfleet line, this is by far their best epoxy. Throw away any DP-LF you have and switch to this. It's way better.

Three gallons of DT895 high temp reducer.

Two gallons of D8152 glamour clear from their Global line and the related hardeners. I was part of field trials with this product when it was first released back in the mid 2000's. Only clear I have used since. Show car quality every time.

One gallon Deltron DBC basecoat of the color. Another 1.5 gallons of this not pictured.

Not pictured is two gallons of the primer surfacer I already put away. I also have a full gallon of the tan color for the interior as well as six quarts of the D8115 and D8117 matte clears from PPG for the interior.





.

I would guess a easy 3500.00-4000.00 Materials are crazy price wise. Steve

[dsraven]

no clue what it's worth in Canada, but more than USD for sure.
this ties in well with another thread about removing old paint and rust. thanks for your comments there as well as the actual pics of the products here.

[gsinon]

Originally Posted by 57FleetsideC4

I would guess a easy 3500.00-4000.00 Materials are crazy price wise. Steve

Originally Posted by dsraven

no clue what it's worth in Canada, but more than USD for sure.
this ties in well with another thread about removing old paint and rust. thanks for your comments there as well as the actual pics of the products here.

This definitely does tie into that other thread. At the end of the day this stuff is ridiculously expensive, and labor isn't cheap. Even if doing it yourself your time has to have a value. That's why I cringe when I see what some people are willing to do and the corners they are ok cutting. I'm not saying everyone needs to spend the mega bucks when it comes to products either. But wrong is wrong and will have short term life span if not done right.

This picture and these products right he, plus two gallons of primer surfacer and their associated hardeners came with a sticker price of just shy of $5k. And that's with a 25% discount as well. Now I am more than grateful that I didn't pay for it, thank goodness for relationships and having people respect what you do and want to support my project.

.

[vintovka]

These prices may signal the end of the hobby for all but the wealthy.

[gsinon]

Originally Posted by vintovka

These prices may signal the end of the hobby for all but the wealthy.

You aren't wrong there! Honestly if I had to pay for all this stuff I'm not sure I would be choosing these exact products. I'm fortunate for sure.

These are all in the Premium category for PPG. However they, like all paint companies have what I would good, if not very good Value line products.

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by gsinon

You aren't wrong there! Honestly if I had to pay for all this stuff I'm not sure I would be choosing these exact products. I'm fortunate for sure.

These are all in the Premium category for PPG. However they, like all paint companies have what I would good, if not very good Value line products.

Not just paint products but everything needed for restoration. Already seeing both manufacturers and consumers suffering. Lots of unfinished projects popping up.

[gsinon]

Originally Posted by vintovka

Not just paint products but everything needed for restoration. Already seeing both manufacturers and consumers suffering. Lots of unfinished projects popping up.

Well again, you aren't wrong. This hobby is not for the faint of heart. Honestly if I had to pay someone to do all the work I do, well I wouldn't able to afford this hobby the way I do. Labor isn't something I have to pay for thankfully.

[dsraven]

well, if your friends and sponsors are looking to support another candidate.....haha
nice when things work out.

[Getter-Done]

Originally Posted by gsinon

Well again, you aren't wrong. This hobby is not for the faint of heart.

Nuff Said

[gsinon]

Sometimes life gets in the way and you have to take a break from the project. I'm usually pretty good about getting in some time out there each week or so. But this break took longer as I have not been in the shop since April 15th. School is now out for the summer and I will have a chance to make up for lost time.

Monday I walked into a mess and couldn't take it. Ever heard the comment, "Sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses"? Well, this to me was a car guy's version of that. "sometimes you have to stop and clean the garage"

I pulled everything that was easily mobile outside into the driveway. I swept, scrubbed and cleaned. The I washed the floor and after it was dry I moved the chassis from its spot against the wall to now in an open bay and up on stands to plumb it.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[youngrodder]

Definitely helps to stop and clean along the way. The mess tends to grow otherwise. Looking forward to updates.

Marc

[vintovka]

Looks good. No matter how i clean up my shop it magically returns to its former cluttered self.

[8man]

Glenn, the shop is looking good.

[gsinon]

Originally Posted by youngrodder

Definitely helps to stop and clean along the way. The mess tends to grow otherwise. Looking forward to updates.

Marc

Originally Posted by vintovka

Looks good. No matter how i clean up my shop it magically returns to its former cluttered self.

Originally Posted by 8man

Glenn, the shop is looking good.

Thanks for following along guys. With the shop clean and some other house projects done I am now able to spend some shop time on the project. This summers off thing really is nice!

I sold the old bed that I had. With the change of directions going from a patina build to goiing deep I decided it would take far too long to make the other one right for my plans. I did keep the tailgate from the original bed and decided to make a wall hanging out of it. It has a cool vive and has lots of history so I didn't want to let it go.







The guys at Apicella Design made me a good deal on a new Mar-K bed and with it I got a few things that Apicella makes for the bed. They make this cool filler piece that finishes off the inside of Mar-K tailgate and boxes/frames the Chevrolet script.

As it comes.....





And with the filler panel......





Today I decided to start on some little projects that all need to get done prior to stripping the cab and priming it with epoxy. I wanted to figure out a way to mount the Painless wiring harness. So I used some poster board and made a template. I then transferred it to some 18g metal I have. I drilled some mouting holes and welded some nuts to the back side for the fuse block.










I then took some thread couplers and stacked a pair and welded them together, I also cut a couple short. The bracket now bolts to the couplers with four 5/16's bolts.





I then found the spot to put it that was clear of everything and tack welded the couplers to the firewall.







With the bracket removed I was able to fullt weld the couplers to the firewall.





And here is what it will look like when the harness is finally installed. Up out of the way and slightly angled down for easier access to fuses when the need arises.

[gsinon]

Sometimes I go down the rabbit hole.....


I started working on the door gaps yesterday. It was during this that I started looking at the way the new rotory door latch panels fit the door and the cab. I decided I didn't want it to have that bolt on look, so I cut out the diir jamb area and made a panel to replace it. My expectation is that when all down, molded in and painted it will look as if this is how Chevrolet made the truck and not as an afterthought.

Working on gaps...



The plate we have all seen that comes with the Altmen latch kit.



Not liking that bolt on look I removed the bracket and decided there had to be a better way. So I cut this area out and prepped it for welding.





Using posterboard I made a template and then fabbed this out of some steel I had around. I then welded the panel to the jamb and ground the welds smooth.

[gsinon]

Now it was time to do the same to the door. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with having these panels as a bolt on, I wanted them to blend more. Since I have the tools and abilty this is my route. I sprayed some aerosol primer around the edges so I could know exactly where to trim the door to.




Once the area was trimmed I was able to prep it for welding as well.




And with the welds ground and smooth it looks as though GM made the door this way.