Green Gus the 68 shortbed convert

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by hewittca

Just wanted to update my thread to mention that I have had the title changed to better represent the project through the title.

I saw I had posted in this, and was like, I don't remember this one...

[hewittca]

While getting sidetracked with transmission/engine repairs, I started to catch the engine building bug and decided that I want to eventually put together a little something to liven Gus up a bit. I wanted to stay small block to remain very budget conscious, so a 355 it is. Equally as important as power is the look of the motor. It has to look like a worn old small block that could be the original motor. With that in mind, I started experimenting on some of the parts that I have collected already. I started with Duplicolor Chevy Orange-Red but it was too red, so I went with Duplicolor Chevy Orange instead which was a much closer match to the original paint on my 307. After that, I lightly misted black over the parts and quickly wiped as much off as I could with mineral spirits. This gave my freshly painted aluminum performer intake and Chevrolet script valve covers the look of an original top end. I'm happy with the results, so I will use this technique on the remainder of the engine. Now all I need is a block and heads!

[hewittca]

Aside from playing around with paint on some engine parts, I was also able to paint something else, namely, the bed! I had my dad help me with this because he's been painting for over 40 years and has a bit more experience than me. We decided it would be easiest to pull the bed and create a mini paint booth in his garage.





For the booth, we set up a fan in a window outside the booth blowing air into the garage, and a fan inside the booth blowing air outdoors. With a few small holes in the plastic, it created a nice flow of air through the booth and negative pressure inside. This technique worked extremely well. I could stand right outside the booth while my dad painted and could only smell a hint of paint.



First, we had to lay down a final coat of black primer/sealer because I am trying to mimic the original paint process as close as possible for my eventual faux patina procedure. Since the team my dad works for is sponsored by Sherwin Williams, he was able to get me a really good deal on paint. You don't hear too much about S-W automotive paint, but it's actually some pretty respectable stuff. My dad said it's some of the nicest material to work with that he's used. The sealer/primer we used was called Undercoat.



Next was the moment I've been waiting for, color! We used single stage S-W Dimension urethane. Two coats and it was done.





The paint laid out really nicely, almost too nicely to scuff up. If it wasn't for all the dents I left in the bed, I would seriously be considering just going ahead and painting the whole truck.







The next step is to put the truck back together and hit the paint with some abrasives! I have practiced my procedure and am confident it will be convincing enough to not be noticeably fake. Now I just have to wait impatiently while I let the paint cure for a week. It's probably a good thing I'm off to the beach this week or else I might have ended up screwing something up.

[rusty76]

Man that looks awesome. Love the eventual look of the engine. It's really going to set your truck up and away. A 355 huh. I knew you'd need a little more oomph.

[GR8-68]

Glad to see some paint going on it, those dents look great

[hewittca]

Originally Posted by rusty76

Man that looks awesome. Love the eventual look of the engine. It's really going to set your truck up and away. A 355 huh. I knew you'd need a little more oomph.

It's funny how with everyone doing an LS these days, the small block seems to be the one that's a cool oddity to build up again. For what I'm doing, I can't justify the expense and time it would take to go LS, plus I just love the look of a simple small block.

Originally Posted by GR8-68

Glad to see some paint going on it, those dents look great

Don't they? And I haven't even gouged the paint out of them yet...

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by hewittca

It's funny how with everyone doing an LS these days, the small block seems to be the one that's a cool oddity to build up again. For what I'm doing, I can't justify the expense and time it would take to go LS, plus I just love the look of a simple small block.

Looks awesome!

Same here. My truck has been set up over the years with A/C, OD, etc and it all works with a SBC. It would almost be stupid for me to move to an LS with all the time and $ I have into it. I also have a brand new GM 350 crate in the garage dressed up and waiting to go in. Someday, right?

You know you want to add the 1968 CST trim now...

This is a recent pic of an event with my truck club. No joke, 7 out of 10 trucks in the pic are LS swapped. My 67, the orangish 68 and the white squarebody are the only ones that aren't.

[GR8-68]

Exactly why I am staying with my sbc

[hewittca]

So I know I said I was going to wait but... the paint was dry enough after one day to put the bed back on, so last night I packed up the family and headed over to my dad's house to reclaim the truck. My kids were thrilled to get the truck back. So much so that we had to settle a heated dispute over who would get to ride home with me (my daughter won, can't you tell?).



We made quick work of throwing the bed back on, and in no time we were headed back home. Pictured here is everyone who helped in some way with getting this shortbed conversion done. From left to right, my dad, my wife, my son, my dad's wife, and my daughter.



After getting home, it was my son's turn to take a ride. We also stopped to snap a few new photos.











Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone and my impatience got the best of me after getting the truck back, so I started testing out my fauxtina process. I started by knocking the shine off with red scotch-brite, and then slowly worked the paint with wet 400 and random sanding patterns in common wear areas. It takes a fair amount of elbow grease to finally cut through to the primer. My front fenders only have a small amount of fade through, so I'm not going too crazy on the bed. After I'm satisfied with the fade pattern, I hit it with wet #000 steel wool to bring back a little shine, wipe it down with mineral spirits, and it's done.



The color is just about spot on. I got lucky with that because I just used the 505 code to get the paint mixed, instead of having it matched. The original paint has darkened ever so slightly over the years, but after the faux patina process you can't tell. With the same sheen on the new paint, it's virtually indistinguishable from the original paint, which is exactly what I wanted.







I'm off to the beach for the rest of the week, but I hope to finish off the fauxtina process once I get back. Then it's time to hit up a few local cruise-ins and actually enjoy just driving the truck a bit.

[GR8-68]

Wow !! That is going to look awesome

[67ChevyRedneck]

Oh noes, you ruined it!

Seriously, it looks like it's going to match quite close!

[hewittca]

Originally Posted by GR8-68

Wow !! That is going to look awesome

Thanks!

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

Oh noes, you ruined it!

Seriously, it looks like it's going to match quite close!

Oh I'm sure when I bring it out to the cruise-ins around here that I'm going to get a lot of, "You did WHAT to that paint!?"

[rusty76]

Looks great. It is amazing how something so simple in thought might change the attitude of the truck. I liked it. So when you going to paint it? Nah just kidding.

[hewittca]

Originally Posted by rusty76

Looks great. It is amazing how something so simple in thought might change the attitude of the truck. I liked it. So when you going to paint it? Nah just kidding.

Not the last time I'll get that question I'm sure. My reply, I already did!

[tinydb84]

Man that green looks good. Nice job blending it. Truck looks great.

[hewittca]

I had a chance this morning to knock out the patina process on one bed side. I've noticed that the color match really depends on the sheen of the finish. When the patina is roughed in with 400 grit the paint looks more like a standard green, and as I finish it further with 1000, 2000, and #000 steel wool, it really darkens up. I have it pretty close right now, but I did miss a few of the 400 grit scratches that stand out. I will probably continue to work it until I get it closer, but this is a good start. I also can't tell if I'm just over analyzing it because I know it's been painted, or if there really is a slightly noticeable difference. In some lights it looks perfect and in others I think I can see a difference.









I took it down the road to snap a few photos at one of my favorite spots just to see it in a different light.







A little before and after comparison.





And finally, I put the truck to work this afternoon hauling around a picnic table.

[rusty76]

It looks good. Hard to see any differences in the colors in the pics but the patina process is looking good. So many times when someone is doing a patina job they over work the paint. Patina itself is gradual and involves time. The trick is to get it close and let Mother Nature do the rest. Too many people want instant gratification and end up doing a ton of sanding and end up with an unnatural look. Your truck looks great and I'm sure in person it will be much nicer. Keep on keeping on.

[hewittca]

Originally Posted by rusty76

... Too many people want instant gratification and end up doing a ton of sanding and end up with an unnatural look. Your truck looks great and I'm sure in person it will be much nicer. Keep on keeping on.

I agree, and that was one of my worries with doing it. It's hard to make it look naturally random when I'm consciously working the paint. I definitely don't like the painted on patina finishes, those never look right to me. That's why I started fresh with new paint so I could mimic mother nature's process as closely as possible, just at a much more accelerated rate. I figured the fade is a combination of wear on the paint from use/washing and sun exposure. I tried to copy the wear, but I'll let the sun finish it off over time.

[GR8-68]

It is looking great !!! I love it

[rusty76]

Originally Posted by hewittca

I agree, and that was one of my worries with doing it. It's hard to make it look naturally random when I'm consciously working the paint. I definitely don't like the painted on patina finishes, those never look right to me. That's why I started fresh with new paint so I could mimic mother nature's process as closely as possible, just at a much more accelerated rate. I figured the fade is a combination of wear on the paint from use/washing and sun exposure. I tried to copy the wear, but I'll let the sun finish it off over time.

And too weathering here in NC will be somewhat different than in Arizona. The sun bakes stuff around here but not like out west. It does look good.

[hewittca]

I knocked out the passenger side last night, and overall I'm pretty happy with how both sides turned out. After rolling it out into the sun there are still a few small adjustments I want to do to the finish, but it's basically done. I also changed my process slightly. I found it was to hard to bring the sheen up to where it matches from a coarser finish, but much easier to knock it down from a finer finish. So after 2000 grit wet, I polished the paint with compound and a wool wheel. Then, I knocked the shine off with steel wool. This gives a closer match.





I also tried to make it look a little more authentic by replicating the scratch down the side of the bed. Someone ran into something and left a scratch down most of the passenger side, so I took a screw driver to the paint and extended the scratch down the bedside like it was originally.





I think that's enough updates on the bedsides for now! My next project is spindles and blocks but that will be on hold for a while. In the meantime, I plan to just drive the truck and use it to make sure everything is mechanically sound after all the work I did to it these past two months. That's it for now.

[Derek@AccuAir]

You did an amazing job! Just enough cut through to make it match the cab and in all the right places. Looks killer!

[rusty76]

Looks really nice. Good job with the screwdriver.

[hewittca]

Originally Posted by Derek@AccuAir

You did an amazing job! Just enough cut through to make it match the cab and in all the right places. Looks killer!

Thanks! I wasn't 100% happy with the results even after the updates above, so I did a little more experimenting last night and I think I finally perfected the technique. Because of this, I actually ended up taking off a bit more paint than I originally planned on but it still looks right I think, and the overall match now is dead on.

Originally Posted by rusty76

Looks really nice. Good job with the screwdriver.

I'm used to pampering the paint on my vehicles so it was a nice change to attack the paint for once and not care if it gets scratched up. Everyone who has seen it in person so far (mostly family) has questioned me about it like I was crazy. That's ok though, I like it. They just don't have the vision.

[MMcMasters]

I think you did a great job, and the screwdriver scratch was the perfect final touch