I had a free afternoon last Sunday, so I thought I'd put in a few hours of work on the truck. I started looking at the patch panel, then Will came over to help out.
We moved on to removing the old wiring that powered the brake and tail lights. Its hard to believe how many splices were in just a few feet of wiring. The wiring at the back had been put in with those blue clip-on type connectors, which typically are a problem waiting to happen. All of that is going to be replaced with the new wiring kit anyway, so he just cut the old stuff out. I saved the old wiring though- the wires are shot and make no sense at the back, but I'm going to snip off and save the old connectors, labeling them in case I need to reference or re-use them.
Then we decided to try to remove the window from the driver's door. This did not go so well, as you will see. The video is a lot of just removing bolts and pulling on things, but some of the dialogue made it worth keeping. What I didn't mention in the video is the reason behind dismantling the door. When I start in on the floor, which will probably happen in the spring, I want to be able to get everything lined up right- the door, the front fenders, the floor, the rocker, and all the other pieces. Since the door opening near the top is really the only area not structurally affected by rust or the accident, I'm going to use that as the starting point for aligning the rest. This is going to involve frequent removal and installation of the door, so by removing its contents, I'll make it lighter and easier to deal with. It may be worth noting here that I plan on rebuilding the door hinges before I start the floor to ensure proper alignment.
Once we gave up on getting the window out, we decided to try to remove the passenger side door panel. This went about as well as the window removal. Two of the bolts that hole the panel on just spun in their holes, so they had to be drilled out. It turns out that those bolts were hardened steel, so I'm now down a few of my few remaining good drill bits.
And now, our feature presentation:
Of course, I couldn't just leave it alone, so a few days later I decided to take another whack at it.
So now, our encore presentation:
I'm planning to do my next video on the passenger window, in hopes that it'll be better composed than this one. I have yet to find a decent video on YouTube for this operation, so I'm hoping it'll be helpful to someone out there.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Friday, November 30, 2012
What's this thing
As time goes by, I try to learn as much as I can about this project, be it restoration processes, assembly methods, techniques, anything. One of the more difficult things to wrap my head around, however, is literally what's sitting in the garage. That's right, I'm talking about the truck itself. Sure, I know generally how it works and what it's supposed to look like, but the truck is made up of a lot- a whole lot- of non original parts.
Some things I knew already, like how to decode the VIN number (that info is in the front of the LMC truck catalog) and that the rear fenders came from a '68 (or at least the side marker light on them did, as the year is stamped on them). There's also secondhand information. I was told (or heard) that the engine in the truck when we bought it came out of a '76, and the engine in the parts truck was a '72, and that when dad had it rebuilt, the top half of the '72 was mounted to the bottom of the '76. I have no idea if that's true or not, but that's the assumption I've been going off of when looking at parts. I've tried finding the casting numbers and looking them up before, but I don't think I ever found anything conclusive.
With any older vehicle like this, which many, many people have had their hands on, it's important to figure out just what is under the hood before buying parts. Of course, there are no records at all of what happened to this truck before my dad bought it in 1997. I have actually been able to find out some things, though.
I replaced the distributor rotor a few years ago, but the old one had "86 Buick" hand written in sharpie, which was a good clue. I looked up the numbers found on different parts, and this seemed to be consistent. This is very different than what was in the truck originally- this one has the coil built right into the cap, delivers more spark power then the original system, and does not use the old style points. These are good improvements, so I plan to keep this distributor. There's even a place I can hook up a tachometer if I so choose, and indeed I will someday! I was able to take the old one into the parts store with me, so that was helpful.
The transmissions I have were a bit more difficult to identify. I had to go largely off their appearance to figure out what they are. I'm pretty sure the parts truck transmission is a Saginaw 3-speed (a unit that has synchromesh gears), and the one in the truck is a Muncie, which doesn't have synchromesh, and I'm not sure it has gears anymore. It seems that putting the parts truck unit in would be an improvement, but I don't know exactly what I have, and the casting number search is inconclusive. (There's too much grease and grime on the one in the truck to read the numbers. My asssumptions are based on what I found at this site and ones similar to it.)
(To see how a 3-speed transmission works, watch this video - you may want to skip to 2:52 if you already know how levers and gears work. And then this video about synchromesh- this one takes a few views to really get, but it's the best explanation I've found.)
The case is similar with my alternator. When I replaced a bad one back in 2007, I upgraded to one with a higher amperage output. Unfortunately I had no idea what it was, only that it worked. Turns out that it's a 12SI internally regulated 78 amp unit. What that means is that the new voltage regulator I put on with the new alternator is redundant. The new wiring kit which will eventually get put in will take care of that. Here's something I didn't know before- those fans on the front of alternators pull air through the unit from the back instead of the other way around. Something I never really thought about before.
The differential / rear end is so coated with grime that I couldn't find any numbers where they should have been. At all. That's going to need a thorough cleaning once the bed comes off. It leaked when we got the truck and it still leaks now.
So now that I've thoroughly bored you with parts of the truck you don't care about (and admittedly, I've written about them here mostly for my own record), I'll share with you one more bit of info I've uncovered. The info plate on the drivers side kick panel has been painted over a few times, and probably can't be restored. However, I was able to read the original paint code. The truck's factory color was:
Light green. Not that I'm going to abandon my blue and white scheme, but it's interesting to know that.
One more update: I cleaned up that flywheel cover from the last post, but I failed to take a picture of it before I put it in the attic. Maybe another time.
Some things I knew already, like how to decode the VIN number (that info is in the front of the LMC truck catalog) and that the rear fenders came from a '68 (or at least the side marker light on them did, as the year is stamped on them). There's also secondhand information. I was told (or heard) that the engine in the truck when we bought it came out of a '76, and the engine in the parts truck was a '72, and that when dad had it rebuilt, the top half of the '72 was mounted to the bottom of the '76. I have no idea if that's true or not, but that's the assumption I've been going off of when looking at parts. I've tried finding the casting numbers and looking them up before, but I don't think I ever found anything conclusive.
With any older vehicle like this, which many, many people have had their hands on, it's important to figure out just what is under the hood before buying parts. Of course, there are no records at all of what happened to this truck before my dad bought it in 1997. I have actually been able to find out some things, though.
 |
| New rotor in foreground, old cap and coil behind |
I replaced the distributor rotor a few years ago, but the old one had "86 Buick" hand written in sharpie, which was a good clue. I looked up the numbers found on different parts, and this seemed to be consistent. This is very different than what was in the truck originally- this one has the coil built right into the cap, delivers more spark power then the original system, and does not use the old style points. These are good improvements, so I plan to keep this distributor. There's even a place I can hook up a tachometer if I so choose, and indeed I will someday! I was able to take the old one into the parts store with me, so that was helpful.
 |
| Parts truck transmission- Saginaw 3-Speed (probably) |
The transmissions I have were a bit more difficult to identify. I had to go largely off their appearance to figure out what they are. I'm pretty sure the parts truck transmission is a Saginaw 3-speed (a unit that has synchromesh gears), and the one in the truck is a Muncie, which doesn't have synchromesh, and I'm not sure it has gears anymore. It seems that putting the parts truck unit in would be an improvement, but I don't know exactly what I have, and the casting number search is inconclusive. (There's too much grease and grime on the one in the truck to read the numbers. My asssumptions are based on what I found at this site and ones similar to it.)
(To see how a 3-speed transmission works, watch this video - you may want to skip to 2:52 if you already know how levers and gears work. And then this video about synchromesh- this one takes a few views to really get, but it's the best explanation I've found.)
The case is similar with my alternator. When I replaced a bad one back in 2007, I upgraded to one with a higher amperage output. Unfortunately I had no idea what it was, only that it worked. Turns out that it's a 12SI internally regulated 78 amp unit. What that means is that the new voltage regulator I put on with the new alternator is redundant. The new wiring kit which will eventually get put in will take care of that. Here's something I didn't know before- those fans on the front of alternators pull air through the unit from the back instead of the other way around. Something I never really thought about before.
 |
| Disgusting. |
The differential / rear end is so coated with grime that I couldn't find any numbers where they should have been. At all. That's going to need a thorough cleaning once the bed comes off. It leaked when we got the truck and it still leaks now.
So now that I've thoroughly bored you with parts of the truck you don't care about (and admittedly, I've written about them here mostly for my own record), I'll share with you one more bit of info I've uncovered. The info plate on the drivers side kick panel has been painted over a few times, and probably can't be restored. However, I was able to read the original paint code. The truck's factory color was:
Light green. Not that I'm going to abandon my blue and white scheme, but it's interesting to know that.
One more update: I cleaned up that flywheel cover from the last post, but I failed to take a picture of it before I put it in the attic. Maybe another time.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Still Making that Patch Panel
Correcting a small error in fabrication, then fixing another one.
BONUS! As a reward for reading my blog instead of just watching the YouTube videos, you get exclusive content! This time, it's a picture of the greasy flywheel cover I pulled off the bottom of the truck!
I realize that photo isn't much of an incentive, but I felt like I had to do something, since I haven't written a whole lot for the last couple of posts.
BONUS! As a reward for reading my blog instead of just watching the YouTube videos, you get exclusive content! This time, it's a picture of the greasy flywheel cover I pulled off the bottom of the truck!
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| Don't touch it. |
I realize that photo isn't much of an incentive, but I felt like I had to do something, since I haven't written a whole lot for the last couple of posts.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Clutch Still Broke and Fender Repair Continued
Last Saturday, I tried "adjusting" the clutch some more to get it to work, to no effect.
So then I started working on that patch panel for that '68 stepside fender.
I learned some things. First, I learned about thr necessity of providiong additional lighting whebn shooting video under the truck.
The second was stuff to look for when bending a patch panel- which I'm still trying to work out. I'll post my conclusions when it's all done.
Man, it's really greasy and gross under that engine/transmission!
So then I started working on that patch panel for that '68 stepside fender.
I learned some things. First, I learned about thr necessity of providiong additional lighting whebn shooting video under the truck.
The second was stuff to look for when bending a patch panel- which I'm still trying to work out. I'll post my conclusions when it's all done.
Man, it's really greasy and gross under that engine/transmission!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Follow Up to Last Saturday
In the aftermath of shifting everything around in the garage on Saturday, I've spent a good deal of time this week starting to clean up and organize the garage. Again. As those of you that know me well can attest, I've got my hands into a lot of different things. And of course with those things come, well, things. Parts, equipment, tools, and just stuff. And you also know that I have a hard time throwing stuff away that might still be of use. It just seems wasteful to get rid of something for the sole reason that i just don't need or want it anymore. Now being married has forced helped me to start to see that this really isn't always optimal. Now, maybe if I lived in a huge house with a six car garage and a dozen sheds and a barn, or something like that, It wouldn't be an issue. Though it probably would. It doesn't take long to expand enough to fill the space you occupy.
That being said, I've started talking a good hard look at some of the things I've got in the garage, on the porch, and in the house. And not just truck stuff, but all sorts of things. If I'm going to get serious about this project, I'm just going to have to make some changes and try to gear toward that. Of course I need to hang on to all my tools- most of them will (or might) come in useful for the restoration, but I also still have a house to maintain and improve, boats to build annually, and I'll be moving on to other projectsif when the restoration is done. I also sort of need clean clothes, and since the garage is the only really suitable spot for the appliances that make that possible, I guess those won't be going anywhere. I've got a large amount of wood- scraps, boards, panels- that probably should get sorted through. How much lumber am I ever going to use? Always more, since I seem to keep having to go to the store for it, but I digress. I guess it's just a case of having the size and shape I need. The same is true for the pile of metal I've accumulated.
Enough about that. Suffice to say, I'm rearranging the garage and storage areas to prioritize the restoration project.
So let's actually talk about the truck. I spend most of my available Sunday mornings searching craigslist for truck parts, before the wife wakes up. This week, I struck gold. Check it out:
I picked up this brand new, never used replacement gas tank and sending unit for $75! Those were some of the parts I had on my list that I've shopped around for, so I can tell you that I would have paid $200 for this setup from the different parts vendors. The tank still had the coating of rust-protectant oil on it from the manufacturer! I'm going to maybe toss some of those silica gel packets in it or something and probably put it in the attic for safekeeping.
A lot of people that restore these trucks mount aftermarket gas tanks under the bed and block off the hole where the fuel neck was. I'm sure a lot of folks do it for the convenience of the extra space behind the seat. Other people are scared to be riding around with up to 20 gallons of volatile liquid in the cab with them. While the extra space might be nice, I'm not afraid of the gas tank, since it's been there all this time (in my truck and so many others) with no problem. That being said, that may make unloading my old tank a bit difficult, since replacements are readily available and people like to move them. If any of you are interested, though, let me know.
The same guy who sold me the tank also had this:
If you take a look at my last post in September, I show where the louvered cowl piece behind the hood had some damage. This guy had one that came off a '60. Two of the little dividers are a bit bent out of shape, but that's a much easier fix then what I was looking at before. I'm pretty sure you can't even buy these aftermarket, so I was pretty happy to come up with one.
I told myself I wasn't going to mess with the truck until I got the garage cleaned up (and a list of other household projects that have been waiting for me). But yesterday I went out to try a little test. If you'll recall, Saturday when I tried to roll the thing out, I could not get the truck into gear. I haven't crawled up underneath to pull the flywheel cover and take a look, but I thought that maybe, just maybe the clutch plate is just stuck to the flywheel or the pressure plate.** So I thought, maybe I can break it loose by putting the truck into gear, holding the brakes, and hitting the starter. I put the truck in first and turned the key. Then I put it into reverse and tried again. I rocked it back and forth like that a few times. Sadly, it didn't work. I guess that means a trip underneath. Fortunately, in cleaning up I assembled my new creeper. It was still in its box from a few Christmases ago, but I needed the shelf space for tarps, so I decided to hang it on the wall instead.
So, sorry to ramble on about more personal kind of stuff, but I thought it would give you some insight into where the project is at right now. Hopefully my next post will have more actual content.
Oh, my Christmas list went out to my family this week, can't wait to see how that works out!
**- If you have no idea what I'm talking about, rather than re-invent the wheel, there are several videos on YouTube that explain the components and workings of the clutch. I recommend these three:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BaECAbapRg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfjGohWy-OU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd-XHCTS0iY
That being said, I've started talking a good hard look at some of the things I've got in the garage, on the porch, and in the house. And not just truck stuff, but all sorts of things. If I'm going to get serious about this project, I'm just going to have to make some changes and try to gear toward that. Of course I need to hang on to all my tools- most of them will (or might) come in useful for the restoration, but I also still have a house to maintain and improve, boats to build annually, and I'll be moving on to other projects
Enough about that. Suffice to say, I'm rearranging the garage and storage areas to prioritize the restoration project.
So let's actually talk about the truck. I spend most of my available Sunday mornings searching craigslist for truck parts, before the wife wakes up. This week, I struck gold. Check it out:
I picked up this brand new, never used replacement gas tank and sending unit for $75! Those were some of the parts I had on my list that I've shopped around for, so I can tell you that I would have paid $200 for this setup from the different parts vendors. The tank still had the coating of rust-protectant oil on it from the manufacturer! I'm going to maybe toss some of those silica gel packets in it or something and probably put it in the attic for safekeeping.
A lot of people that restore these trucks mount aftermarket gas tanks under the bed and block off the hole where the fuel neck was. I'm sure a lot of folks do it for the convenience of the extra space behind the seat. Other people are scared to be riding around with up to 20 gallons of volatile liquid in the cab with them. While the extra space might be nice, I'm not afraid of the gas tank, since it's been there all this time (in my truck and so many others) with no problem. That being said, that may make unloading my old tank a bit difficult, since replacements are readily available and people like to move them. If any of you are interested, though, let me know.
The same guy who sold me the tank also had this:
I told myself I wasn't going to mess with the truck until I got the garage cleaned up (and a list of other household projects that have been waiting for me). But yesterday I went out to try a little test. If you'll recall, Saturday when I tried to roll the thing out, I could not get the truck into gear. I haven't crawled up underneath to pull the flywheel cover and take a look, but I thought that maybe, just maybe the clutch plate is just stuck to the flywheel or the pressure plate.** So I thought, maybe I can break it loose by putting the truck into gear, holding the brakes, and hitting the starter. I put the truck in first and turned the key. Then I put it into reverse and tried again. I rocked it back and forth like that a few times. Sadly, it didn't work. I guess that means a trip underneath. Fortunately, in cleaning up I assembled my new creeper. It was still in its box from a few Christmases ago, but I needed the shelf space for tarps, so I decided to hang it on the wall instead.
So, sorry to ramble on about more personal kind of stuff, but I thought it would give you some insight into where the project is at right now. Hopefully my next post will have more actual content.
Oh, my Christmas list went out to my family this week, can't wait to see how that works out!
**- If you have no idea what I'm talking about, rather than re-invent the wheel, there are several videos on YouTube that explain the components and workings of the clutch. I recommend these three:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BaECAbapRg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfjGohWy-OU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd-XHCTS0iY
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Kick Start- Sort Of
It's time to get this project into gear! Yesterday I had some friends over to help get moving again. The plan was to get the garage cleaned up a bit (which I tried to get done in advance, with some success), start the truck, pull it out, then clean everything out of the truck. Also on the schedule was to pull out all the parts I've collected and make a complete list. Feeling ambitious, working on the rear fender from my last video was also tentatively on the schedule.
So We moved everything out of the garage necessary to get the truck out. it started right up with no problem . . .
But then I could not put it into gear! Any gear! It was acting like the clutch wasn't working at all. We tried to adjust the clutch linkage- the clutch has a mechanical linkage (as opposed to cable operated or hydraulic)- but the adjusting nuts were frozen onto the rod. So we came up with a creative solution-
Using a ratcheting tie-down strap, I pulled the pivot arm back far enough to get the linkage rod out, shoved a pile of washers onto the end of the rod and put it back. This significantly improved the feel of the clutch pedal, but unfortunately didn't fix the problem. I was going to add more washers, but the linkage happens to be right next to the exhaust pipe, so we decided to move on to the inventory while everything cooled off.
We started cleaning out the truck, and after a few minutes pushed the truck out of the garage to clean everything out of it. Once the truck was cleaned out, we went over it to kind of look at what was wrong with it.
After this video, we finished up the inventory and called it quits. We came up with a list that's three pages long! Turns out I have a few duplicates, so I can get rid of some of it to save space. We also laid out the new floor pieces I've collected so far to try to get some idea of how they go together.Still missing a few pieces, but Christmas is coming!
Overall, we managed to clean out the truck, inventory all the parts, break the truck, make a video, and manage to have some fun doing it. A pretty good day, I'd say.
Special thanks to you guys who came out that day- Mike, Bryan B, and Gabri
So We moved everything out of the garage necessary to get the truck out. it started right up with no problem . . .
But then I could not put it into gear! Any gear! It was acting like the clutch wasn't working at all. We tried to adjust the clutch linkage- the clutch has a mechanical linkage (as opposed to cable operated or hydraulic)- but the adjusting nuts were frozen onto the rod. So we came up with a creative solution-
We started cleaning out the truck, and after a few minutes pushed the truck out of the garage to clean everything out of it. Once the truck was cleaned out, we went over it to kind of look at what was wrong with it.
 |
| Mockup layout of floor panels. More metal here than in the actual floor |
After this video, we finished up the inventory and called it quits. We came up with a list that's three pages long! Turns out I have a few duplicates, so I can get rid of some of it to save space. We also laid out the new floor pieces I've collected so far to try to get some idea of how they go together.Still missing a few pieces, but Christmas is coming!
Overall, we managed to clean out the truck, inventory all the parts, break the truck, make a video, and manage to have some fun doing it. A pretty good day, I'd say.
Special thanks to you guys who came out that day- Mike, Bryan B, and Gabri
Friday, September 21, 2012
Checking the Hood- Accident Damage
I was messing around in the garage today on another project, and it bugged me a little bit that the hood didn't quite sit right on the truck. Now all the body panels are going to be adjusted into place once they're put back on after refurbishment, but I wanted to see if something was messed up. The most noticeable thing was that the hood seemed to sit a little higher than the cowl vent behind it. Was the hood domed somehow? was the cowl too flat? The hood came off a different truck, a 20 series (mine is a 10 series), could that make a difference? I adjusted the hood and managed to get it this close:
The cowl is bent downward. Looks like I'll need a new one of those, then. Maybe this one can be straightened, but I'm not sure I wouldn't be better off just replacing it.
I'm not too worried about it right now, but at least I have an idea where the problem lies. That accident all those years ago really did a number on the passenger side of the cab. I'm not sure I've ever described the damage in this blog. My intent is to make a video blog entry with a thorough assessment of all the truck's problems, so I won't get into much detail here.
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| The accident kind of caved in a bit of the firewall on the passenger side, mostly where it was weakened due to rust. |
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| Hard to tell in the photo, but this rocker panel is slightly buckled, making the door opening slightly smaller. Probably one reason the door doesn't close properly. |
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| This is the back of the cab. At the moment of impact, either the cab jumped back or (more likely) the bed jumped forward to cause this bit of damage. The bed isn't secured to the frame particularly well. |
Fender Follow Up- A Few Words About Paint
In my video post, I mentioned "compatibility problems" in reference to the self etching primer. Some primers and top coats don't get along well, as something in their chemical makeup will cause the top layer not to adhere to the bottom layer. The self-etching primer in a can, from what I've been told, does not have this problem, so any future primers will go over it and not fall back off.
I probably could have used any primer to protect the metal, since it's probably going to get sanded back off in the future anyway.
I did some investigation of the fender you saw in the video. As I mentioned, those fenders came from a '68 truck, so their history can only be discovered by what's under their paint. I sanded down a small spot just to see what was there. I went all the way to bare metal. Here's what I found, from the metal all the way up to the blue paint my Dad had put on:
Black primer
White (probably the factory color)
Grey (primer)
Blue (pretty familiar)
Red Primer
Green (a thin layer- a scratch coat perhaps?)
Red Primer
Grey Primer
White (paint job at time of purchase)
Blue (no primer beneath blue- inexpensive paint job)
So that's ten different colors. Adding a new color on top of an old one usually isn't a big deal, but if the paint layers get too thick it can make them crack, split, or more susceptible to chipping. I'll need to evaluate the cab and see how much paint is on it. Looking at the truck's number plate, it was light green when it rolled out of the factory. Who knows how many layers are on top of that. For this fender, I may or may not go back to bare metal, but I think for the parts that end up on the truck, I'll strip it all the way down to at least the factory primer, should it prove sound.
I probably could have used any primer to protect the metal, since it's probably going to get sanded back off in the future anyway.
I did some investigation of the fender you saw in the video. As I mentioned, those fenders came from a '68 truck, so their history can only be discovered by what's under their paint. I sanded down a small spot just to see what was there. I went all the way to bare metal. Here's what I found, from the metal all the way up to the blue paint my Dad had put on:
Black primer
White (probably the factory color)
Grey (primer)
Blue (pretty familiar)
Red Primer
Green (a thin layer- a scratch coat perhaps?)
Red Primer
Grey Primer
White (paint job at time of purchase)
Blue (no primer beneath blue- inexpensive paint job)
 |
| This fender has a rich color history. |
So that's ten different colors. Adding a new color on top of an old one usually isn't a big deal, but if the paint layers get too thick it can make them crack, split, or more susceptible to chipping. I'll need to evaluate the cab and see how much paint is on it. Looking at the truck's number plate, it was light green when it rolled out of the factory. Who knows how many layers are on top of that. For this fender, I may or may not go back to bare metal, but I think for the parts that end up on the truck, I'll strip it all the way down to at least the factory primer, should it prove sound.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Video Blog Test
I shot and edited this video last night as a test to see how a video format is going to work. I'm not sure I like the idea yet.
Check it out, and please let me know what you think in the comments section here.
Your opinion counts. Too long? Too Detailed? Not enough background information? Need more music? Too Boring? Should I give up and stick to the traditional text and photos?
Do NOT be afraid of offending me. If you hate the video and will never read my blog again because of it, at least let me know why so I can improve in the future.
Check it out, and please let me know what you think in the comments section here.
Your opinion counts. Too long? Too Detailed? Not enough background information? Need more music? Too Boring? Should I give up and stick to the traditional text and photos?
Do NOT be afraid of offending me. If you hate the video and will never read my blog again because of it, at least let me know why so I can improve in the future.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
A Long, Hot Summer
 |
| Courtesy of RockAuto |
 |
| They are actually the same length. |
The rocker panels I bought at the auto swap came in, and Nick was kind enough to pick them up for me. Some odd optical illusion causes one to look longer than the other in this photo.
So I've started thinking about working on it again. Sure the days are getting shorter, but what good are longer daylight hours when either it's too hot to breathe or the mosquitoes are swarming?
Since I've taken a long break, before I get started again I stepped back and took more of a big picture view of things. The last relevant thing I was working on in earnest was getting the garage cleaned up. I made a lot of progress at that time, but the state of the garage has been in constant flux, as projects have ebbed and waned over the course of the spring and summer months. I'm now back to having the place pretty clean again, and this time the back porch is in pretty good shape too. That's important since I use it for storage.
So the big picture view. I've been watching a lot of videos on YouTube, and in the process got a feel for the number of manhours this sort of thing takes. I believe that, if I started now and put in all of my available spare time, that I could be "done" in close to two years. I sort of doubt that I'll be putting that much time in just based on past experience, but it's something to shoot for. Maybe I'll be "done" in time for the truck's 50th birthday.
I've got a few more projects with October deadlines in front of me, so the plan is that I'm going to start again in earnest at the beginning of November.
I put some thought into the order of operations. Rebuilding the floor would be easier with the front body panels and the bed removed. Cleaning up the engine and swapping the transmission would be a lot easier with the front body panels removed. None of this would be a problem if I had a lot of storage space, but as always, room is at a premium. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but I have two sets of correct rear fenders for the truck, and one set from a '68, and between them they take up a lot of space. So the plan is to work on them first, maybe patch them up a bit so I can sell them. That would free up some space and add a bit of money to the truck budget. After that, I'll pull the front end and do the engine/transmission work, and put the body panels in the bed (those which will fit). By then I might be able to source a new place to store things, so I could pull the bed and move everything out of the way. Otherwise I'll make do and work around as I can.
As I said, I'm planning on starting this in November. I'm considering switching over to a video blog instead of this. I feel like I can include more information in a video blog. Plus I've been having some trouble with this one, and I'm pretty much sick of HTML editing.
So stay tuned.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Winter Extravaganza
Last weekend was the big annual Winter Extravaganza Swap Meet over in Webster. Having gone through and made a complete list of items I need for the truck's floor, I knew exactly what I wanted, and how much I was willing to pay for it. I drove over to my parent's house the night before so I could try to get an early start.
My Dad and I got there somewhere around 8:30 or 9:00. The place was full of vendors, selling old parts, new parts, aftermarket parts, tools, vehicles, and on top of that, just about everything else you might expect to find at a flea market. After walking what could be considered aisles for about an hour, Dad headed back to the car. Of interest, I found two separate vendors that sell the aftermarket body repair panels that I need. One of them had the outer rocker panels and one inner panel that I needed sitting there on his table, but he wanted too much for them. The second guy I found didn't have the parts on hand, but he could order them for me, and was about $5 cheaper each for the rocker panels than I could get online. I put a deposit down, and he's going to order them for me. He's based out of Lakeland, so I'll pick them up on my next trip through, or try to get someone to grab them for me.
I spent about three hours total walking around by the time I decided to call it quits. I kind of haphazardly bounced around the last three "aisles" on my way back to the parking lot. Oh, and I also picked up some center caps for the truck's wheels- for half of what I would have paid online. So at least I was able to save some money. Now back to begging for parts for my birthday.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Do Something
Valentine's Day. My wife and I are both sick. I've spent most of the day in bed. When she came home from work, she went to bed, too. I've had better Valentine's Days.
There hasn't really been much to report in the way of progress- most of my efforts have still been going toward cleaning up the garage. The Auto Swap Winter Extravaganza is this weekend, so there should be something to report there.
However for today, I woke up at about 4:00 and felt like actually doing something. In my weakened state I went to my project list to pick out the easiest thing I could find (that did not involve disturbing my sleeping wife). The choice was between fixing a sticky door and installing a new ignition switch in the truck. Hardly a choice! As a stopgap solution I had, for years, been starting the truck in essence by hotwiring it. I don't even know where the old ignition switch has gone at this point- the one I put in came with that rewiring kit I bought back in '07. With a little work and a little patience, I managed to get the connectors on the ends of the three necessary wires to hook to the switch.
There was also the mystery of the "BRIGHT" indicator on the dash to contend with. It was always on as long as the battery was connected. The power to burn it is supposed to come from the fusebox, to the headlight switch, to the dimmer switch, and up to the dash. There are at least three places where the circuit was open (the headlight switch is missing and the dimmer is disconnected, for example) but it still lit up and caused a drain on the battery. I simply removed the bulb, so now my circuit tester tells me there is no more drain on the battery. Now I don't have to disconnect the battery cables every time I'm done running the truck. All of this is of course "temporary," since all of the wiring will be replaced eventually. But for now moving my truck out of the garage will be a bit easier.
Time to take come cold medicine and go lie down.
There hasn't really been much to report in the way of progress- most of my efforts have still been going toward cleaning up the garage. The Auto Swap Winter Extravaganza is this weekend, so there should be something to report there.
However for today, I woke up at about 4:00 and felt like actually doing something. In my weakened state I went to my project list to pick out the easiest thing I could find (that did not involve disturbing my sleeping wife). The choice was between fixing a sticky door and installing a new ignition switch in the truck. Hardly a choice! As a stopgap solution I had, for years, been starting the truck in essence by hotwiring it. I don't even know where the old ignition switch has gone at this point- the one I put in came with that rewiring kit I bought back in '07. With a little work and a little patience, I managed to get the connectors on the ends of the three necessary wires to hook to the switch.
There was also the mystery of the "BRIGHT" indicator on the dash to contend with. It was always on as long as the battery was connected. The power to burn it is supposed to come from the fusebox, to the headlight switch, to the dimmer switch, and up to the dash. There are at least three places where the circuit was open (the headlight switch is missing and the dimmer is disconnected, for example) but it still lit up and caused a drain on the battery. I simply removed the bulb, so now my circuit tester tells me there is no more drain on the battery. Now I don't have to disconnect the battery cables every time I'm done running the truck. All of this is of course "temporary," since all of the wiring will be replaced eventually. But for now moving my truck out of the garage will be a bit easier.
Time to take come cold medicine and go lie down.
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| New switch making everything else look bad |
Monday, January 30, 2012
Cleaning Up Shop
Those of you that know me well are probably aware that I sometimes have a hard time getting rid of things. And that would be those of you that just laughed at that statement. But guess what? I am, in fact, getting rid of some things. It's not easy, but I feel like it's become necessary. Due to my recent marriage, I've had incentive an opportunity to work out some of these issues with not only truck parts, but various other piles of junk lying around the house. Though not directly related to truck progress, I thought I would share some of the things I have learned.
1. Just because I've had something for a long time isn't necessarily a good reason to keep it. There has been more than one occasion where I've looked at something and been forced to wonder, "why do I still have this?"
2. I don't like throwing things away that don't necessarily have anything wrong with them except that I don't need them anymore. Fortunately, my wife has no such qualm.
3. You're never going to fix that old vacuum. You just aren't. Why would you, when you already have plenty of perfectly good vacuums lying about? Take it apart, save anything useful, and get rid of it.
4. It's surprising what people will take when you list it on cragislist for free. And that vacuum power head attachment will do more good being used by someone else than it will collecting dust in your closet.
5. There are some things that, although I didn't really want to get rid of when I was done with them, I don't care about at all anymore and would much rather just be rid of.
Despite all that I still have a lot of stuff lying around, but things are getting a bit better. Last week I made the decision that it's time to get rid of some of these extra pieces lying around. The first item on the chopping block was the rear bumper I bought at the auto swap three years ago. Since the rear bumper on there now has a nicer shape (in my opinion), I plan on repairing that one and have listed this one for sale. A bargain for someone at $35.
Oh, and of course that Porshce fender is out, too. I had someone contact me about it over the weekend, which is good- all it's doing is taking up space in my office.
The harder decision was which pair of rear fenders to keep. I came home from the auto swap three years ago with this set that had come with some bed box sides, and another set I picked up because they looked better. This past Friday night I threw both drivers side fenders into my truck and headed to a local "cruise in" in hopes to get some free advice. Most of the people I talked to agreed the brown one was better, but a professional panel beater had a look and declared that the, um, green and pink one was better, for the main reason that it had less interior surface rust and therefore was thicker. And I'm sure if I was any good with a hammer and a dolly I would agree with that. But if the Porche
fender is any indication, tin bashing isn't really one of my skills. While I'm sure I would get better with practice, I'd rather not practice on something I care a lot about, so I chose the less dented brown fender. My welding skills are probably better than my hammering skills, which isn't saying much about either of those.
In the case of the passenger side fender, both would be about an equal amount of work. I chose the brown one again, this time because it had less surface rust on the top.
Therefore, it was time to separate the fender from the box side it had been attached to since I bought it. Not as easy as I thought- they were bolted together with something called "clutch head" bolts. Evidently these were common fasteners for body panels through the '40s and '50s, but had fallen out of favor by the time my truck was made, which indicates the panels I have may be much older. I briefly considered whether to put the fenders back on with new clutch head bolts, but decided against it, since this truck probably didn't have them originally. I went looking for a driver for this thing, but none of the auto parts stores had one, nor did Harbor Freight. If you ever do run into one of these bolts, you can order the driver bit for them online- I know Classic Industries sells a set- or you can do what I did and use a specialty bolt remover tool. (Around the shop it's usually referred to by its common name, angle grinder.) Once the pieces were separated, the bed of the truck was finally cleaned out, which means throwing more stuff away or piling it on the welding cart. The brown fenders went into the bed, and the others went to the back porch for storage. And I'm not going to hang onto them for years on end this time, I'm going to make an attempt to sell them once I decide on a fair asking price.
Today's progress was mostly cleaning up the garage and the shed. To make a long story short (why start now?), I moved some things from the shed to the garage and some things from the garage to the shed. A little sorting and arranging, a few shelves, and it'll all make sense again.
1. Just because I've had something for a long time isn't necessarily a good reason to keep it. There has been more than one occasion where I've looked at something and been forced to wonder, "why do I still have this?"
2. I don't like throwing things away that don't necessarily have anything wrong with them except that I don't need them anymore. Fortunately, my wife has no such qualm.
3. You're never going to fix that old vacuum. You just aren't. Why would you, when you already have plenty of perfectly good vacuums lying about? Take it apart, save anything useful, and get rid of it.
4. It's surprising what people will take when you list it on cragislist for free. And that vacuum power head attachment will do more good being used by someone else than it will collecting dust in your closet.
5. There are some things that, although I didn't really want to get rid of when I was done with them, I don't care about at all anymore and would much rather just be rid of.
Despite all that I still have a lot of stuff lying around, but things are getting a bit better. Last week I made the decision that it's time to get rid of some of these extra pieces lying around. The first item on the chopping block was the rear bumper I bought at the auto swap three years ago. Since the rear bumper on there now has a nicer shape (in my opinion), I plan on repairing that one and have listed this one for sale. A bargain for someone at $35.
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| 1963 "Dealership" Rear Bumper |
Oh, and of course that Porshce fender is out, too. I had someone contact me about it over the weekend, which is good- all it's doing is taking up space in my office.
fender is any indication, tin bashing isn't really one of my skills. While I'm sure I would get better with practice, I'd rather not practice on something I care a lot about, so I chose the less dented brown fender. My welding skills are probably better than my hammering skills, which isn't saying much about either of those.In the case of the passenger side fender, both would be about an equal amount of work. I chose the brown one again, this time because it had less surface rust on the top.
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| "Clutch Head" Bolt |
Today's progress was mostly cleaning up the garage and the shed. To make a long story short (why start now?), I moved some things from the shed to the garage and some things from the garage to the shed. A little sorting and arranging, a few shelves, and it'll all make sense again.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
The cleaning up of the garage to try to make a viable workspace continues.
I started out trying to clean up the shed a bit more, when I had a thought- rather than try to haul these front end panels up to the attic, why not just fit them back on the front of the truck, at least temporarily? It's not as though it would take up that much more garage space, and the shed space can be much more effectively utilized. It took me a while to get the truck out of the mess that had accumulated around it (an important step toward that cleaner garage I've been going on about), but I pulled it out into the driveway for some work space. Literally- I pulled it out by hand while it was in neutral.
I hauled all of the front panels around- the fenders, the grille, that piece that goes behind the grille (grille support?), and those cowl things that go above the fenders. I was immediately faced with a decision- which grille support to use? I had picked an orange one up last month with a pile of parts, and I also had the blue one I've had for years. The orange one was straighter, but it had more surface rust underneath and had a piece cut out on the lower right. The blue one had less rust but was bent by a tree branch falling on it in storage many years ago. I decided to use the orange one- it fit up to the truck better, and the blue one didn't really seem to want to bend back into shape. I'll toss the blue one into the attic and maybe someday either attempt to straighten it, or cut a repair section out of it to weld to the orange one.
Once that was settled, it was a relatively easy matter to reassemble the front body panels. Since this is "temporary," I only put the pieces on with a few bolts each, and didn't tighten the bolts very far (except for on the front bumper). I figured out why I had taken them off and left them off for all this time- if the right fender and cowl are installed properly, the passenger door rubs on them and won't close (or open). This is most likely due to some deformity caused by the accident. I'll have to work this out when I redo the cab floor. For now, I just loosely installed them with a few bolts to allow for enough play for the door to operate. I also discovered (or maybe re-discovered?) that the grille is easier to bolt on before the fenders go on, for ease of accessing the bolts.
Once I had all the panels on, I fired it up. I cleverly put a fan under the passenger side of the truck to blow the exhaust away from the garage and house this time. Fortunately I HAD in fact remembered to disconnect the battery after the last time, but it was still a hard start. I brought out the battery charger and had the engine going after a few tries. A little while later, I pulled it out of the driveway, messed around on the street in front of the house for a while, and then put it away. I'm not sure putting the panels on have helped its looks, frankly.
Hopefully I'll be able to keep the garage cleaning momentum going. There are a few panels sitting out in front of the garage, which I'll have to address pretty soon. If I intend to do a frame-off restoration, then putting things back on could be seen as a step in the wrong direction. Though it is supposedly only temporary.
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| I'm sure there's a truck in there, somewhere. |
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| Oh, there it is. |
I started out trying to clean up the shed a bit more, when I had a thought- rather than try to haul these front end panels up to the attic, why not just fit them back on the front of the truck, at least temporarily? It's not as though it would take up that much more garage space, and the shed space can be much more effectively utilized. It took me a while to get the truck out of the mess that had accumulated around it (an important step toward that cleaner garage I've been going on about), but I pulled it out into the driveway for some work space. Literally- I pulled it out by hand while it was in neutral.
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| The two grille supports |
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| Orange Support- missing metal |
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| Blue support- bent |
I hauled all of the front panels around- the fenders, the grille, that piece that goes behind the grille (grille support?), and those cowl things that go above the fenders. I was immediately faced with a decision- which grille support to use? I had picked an orange one up last month with a pile of parts, and I also had the blue one I've had for years. The orange one was straighter, but it had more surface rust underneath and had a piece cut out on the lower right. The blue one had less rust but was bent by a tree branch falling on it in storage many years ago. I decided to use the orange one- it fit up to the truck better, and the blue one didn't really seem to want to bend back into shape. I'll toss the blue one into the attic and maybe someday either attempt to straighten it, or cut a repair section out of it to weld to the orange one.
Once that was settled, it was a relatively easy matter to reassemble the front body panels. Since this is "temporary," I only put the pieces on with a few bolts each, and didn't tighten the bolts very far (except for on the front bumper). I figured out why I had taken them off and left them off for all this time- if the right fender and cowl are installed properly, the passenger door rubs on them and won't close (or open). This is most likely due to some deformity caused by the accident. I'll have to work this out when I redo the cab floor. For now, I just loosely installed them with a few bolts to allow for enough play for the door to operate. I also discovered (or maybe re-discovered?) that the grille is easier to bolt on before the fenders go on, for ease of accessing the bolts.
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| Front body installed! |
Once I had all the panels on, I fired it up. I cleverly put a fan under the passenger side of the truck to blow the exhaust away from the garage and house this time. Fortunately I HAD in fact remembered to disconnect the battery after the last time, but it was still a hard start. I brought out the battery charger and had the engine going after a few tries. A little while later, I pulled it out of the driveway, messed around on the street in front of the house for a while, and then put it away. I'm not sure putting the panels on have helped its looks, frankly.
Hopefully I'll be able to keep the garage cleaning momentum going. There are a few panels sitting out in front of the garage, which I'll have to address pretty soon. If I intend to do a frame-off restoration, then putting things back on could be seen as a step in the wrong direction. Though it is supposedly only temporary.
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| Back in its spot. It's looking at you. |
Planning, and then Changing the Plan.
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| During this process I found that a squirrel had been caching acorns behind the siding. Somehow I felt that what I was doing was very much the same. |
So my brilliant idea was this: make a large hole in my house, and then fill it with truck parts. My wife seemed
Once the hole was made, the plan was then to get the pieces out from under the truck and put them up there, get the pieces out of the shed and out those up there, clean out the shed and move the lawn care stuff out there, and use the vacancy in the garage to set up a more permanent workbench.
As it turns out, moving things into the attic is a whole lot of work. Especially heavy or bulky or awkward objects. As I was beginning the cleaning out the shed phase of the operation, I had an idea- I have two pairs of rear fenders, but only need one pair. Rather than haul one pair upstairs for spares, it would make more sense to simply select the best pair and attempt to sell the other pair. (Someone will buy them- after all, I did.) The fenders in the shed got moved to the back porch for a later examination and comparison.
Often, people lie awake at night and think about things. This happened to me one night, and I was thinking about how to go about fixing the truck. Pulling off the hood, inner fenders, and radiator support to work on the engine seemed tempting, as I have some of the parts to do so. It would, unfortunately, result in even more body panels lying about that would have to be stored, a problem I'm trying to alleviate. The engine parts I have are pretty small and safely stored out of the way. Aside from the engine, I really would like to set to work on the cab floor, but I lack the repair panels (and the needed budget) to do so. I could work on the remainder of the cab, but it seems more sensible to repair the floor first. All right, I'll work on the bed then. I've got lots of big pieces for it taking up space, and it should be a relatively straightforward repair, relatively speaking. So that's the direction I'm going to go for now until I amass enough panels to start the cab floor.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Fiberglass Practice- Part II
This is following up my post of June 27, 2009, appropriately named "June 27th, 2009."
The fender in question was from an '83 Porsche 944 and ended up in the bed of my truck as a joke. I worked on it back in '09, and as part of my effort to get things cleaned up, I started messing with it again. The results: okay, it's harder than I thought. It looks kind of OK, but it's still bumpy and wavy, especially when you run your hand over it. I've decided to get rid of it.
The fender in question was from an '83 Porsche 944 and ended up in the bed of my truck as a joke. I worked on it back in '09, and as part of my effort to get things cleaned up, I started messing with it again. The results: okay, it's harder than I thought. It looks kind of OK, but it's still bumpy and wavy, especially when you run your hand over it. I've decided to get rid of it.
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| Before |
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| After |
Thursday, January 5, 2012
A New Year of Progress
There have been a few instances where months have gone by and no progress has been written about on the truck. The fact that there were several posts last month only prove that I've been at least thinking about the project again.Before I tell you about any progress, there have been a few things going on not directly related to the truck but still relevant to it.
I've done some crawling around the thing looking at the floor again. I had thoroughly researched this once before, but had since forgotten. A little time with a flashlight, a camera, and my LMC truck catalog gave me a list of the pieces I'll need. I had asked for (and received) some of the pieces for Christmas, but I decided I needed to make a thorough list. On the drivers side, I was reminded again that there is a lot of metal missing. The door hinge pillar isn't exactly connected to the floor anymore, as shown by this picture. The latch pillar bottom has gone missing too, and I'll probably want to replace the rear cab support as well. It's mostly there, but I think the end has rusted away, and there's a gaping rust hole in the middle.
Moving on to the passenger side, it's not nearly as badly deteriorated as the drivers side, for some reason. There are actually pieces of metal connecting everything together, for the most part. I'm not sure why there is such a disparity between the two sides, But I may not need to buy as many repair panels. More examination will be needed- I didn't pay as close attention because it was getting late and cold.
Having written that, I decided that there was no time like the present, and went out for some more poking around. and discovered some things. One was an old LMC Truck catalog stuffed under the seat turned to the floor panels page. The passenger side rear corner had some sand in it. And by some sand I mean buckets and buckets of it, possibly the work of past mud daubers. Most interestingly I found that, compared to the other side, the outer parts of the floor are largely intact. The hinge pillar is still relatively sound, as is the latch pillar. The inner rocker panel, which sits behind the rocker panel seen when the door is open, is still one piece. (On the drivers side it has literally rusted in two longitudinally, and is just hanging on by the proverbial thread.) The floor under the passenger's feet has sunken away from where it matches to the footwell, leaving a sizable gap. Back in the late 90's, this caused passengers to be sprayed whenever I drove through a puddle, so of course I did this as often as possible. Anyway, the long and she short of it that I won't have to buy pillar patch panels for that side of the truck. I wouldn't want to press my luck by re-using anything else in there, though. There are some signs of deformation from the accident. And of course rust.
Having compiled a list of all of the repair panels I need, I've spent the last few evenings scouring the internet for the absolute best prices for them. I have nine different parts suppliers to search from, so it can be a tad time consuming. Once I make a list of that these pieces should cost, I'll know what to pay for them at the Webster Auto Swap Winter Extravaganza, coming up in February. Anything I don't find there (and I expect I'll be lucky to come out of there with anything more than rocker panels), I can then try to convince people to buy for me for my upcoming birthday. I mean, come on, I've already done the hard part of finding the best price, shipping included.
In other news, I've started working on the Porche fender again, which you may remember from body filler practice. It had accumulated a tiny bit of surface rust, which was simply sanded off. I'm going to try to make it somewhat presentable and get rid of it.
Yesterday I crawled around in the attic for a while trying to figure out how to make it into viable storage space for truck parts as they come off (plus the Christmas tree). I'm continuing to attempt to clear things out of the bed of the truck, and off the hood for that matter, but it's slow going at the moment.
I've been thinking again about what order to work on things. I would like to work on the floor, but it may take a while to amass the parts necessary. I could work on the engine, but to best do that, I would want to remove the hood and front fenders, and as of yet, I lack a place to store them. The roof, the upper portion of the cab, and the doors all need work, and those would be pretty good candidates. I wouldn't want to mess with the doors too much, as I'll want them available to use for fitting the cab floor and rocker panel work. The bed would be a good option too, since most of the extra pieces I have lying about are for that. In actuality, the best course of action I could take would be to continue getting the junk out of the truck and cleaning up the garage so it might appear to be a proper workspace. I'll decide where to go from there.
So, now for what you've all been waiting for, what is the latest progress on the truck itself? The fact of the matter is that there's none, really. In fact, it's probably slightly worse now, since I've been bending stuff and scraping off crud to examine some parts. Worse still, since theoretically the rusting process has not been halted. Slowed, yes, stopped, no. Also I think I forgot to disconnect the battery after the last time I ran the engine, so it'll be dead by now.
Here's to 2012- may we see a few months of actual progress this year.
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| Drivers Side Door Hinge Pillar |
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| Drivers Side Latch Pillar |
I've done some crawling around the thing looking at the floor again. I had thoroughly researched this once before, but had since forgotten. A little time with a flashlight, a camera, and my LMC truck catalog gave me a list of the pieces I'll need. I had asked for (and received) some of the pieces for Christmas, but I decided I needed to make a thorough list. On the drivers side, I was reminded again that there is a lot of metal missing. The door hinge pillar isn't exactly connected to the floor anymore, as shown by this picture. The latch pillar bottom has gone missing too, and I'll probably want to replace the rear cab support as well. It's mostly there, but I think the end has rusted away, and there's a gaping rust hole in the middle.
Moving on to the passenger side, it's not nearly as badly deteriorated as the drivers side, for some reason. There are actually pieces of metal connecting everything together, for the most part. I'm not sure why there is such a disparity between the two sides, But I may not need to buy as many repair panels. More examination will be needed- I didn't pay as close attention because it was getting late and cold.
Having written that, I decided that there was no time like the present, and went out for some more poking around. and discovered some things. One was an old LMC Truck catalog stuffed under the seat turned to the floor panels page. The passenger side rear corner had some sand in it. And by some sand I mean buckets and buckets of it, possibly the work of past mud daubers. Most interestingly I found that, compared to the other side, the outer parts of the floor are largely intact. The hinge pillar is still relatively sound, as is the latch pillar. The inner rocker panel, which sits behind the rocker panel seen when the door is open, is still one piece. (On the drivers side it has literally rusted in two longitudinally, and is just hanging on by the proverbial thread.) The floor under the passenger's feet has sunken away from where it matches to the footwell, leaving a sizable gap. Back in the late 90's, this caused passengers to be sprayed whenever I drove through a puddle, so of course I did this as often as possible. Anyway, the long and she short of it that I won't have to buy pillar patch panels for that side of the truck. I wouldn't want to press my luck by re-using anything else in there, though. There are some signs of deformation from the accident. And of course rust.
Having compiled a list of all of the repair panels I need, I've spent the last few evenings scouring the internet for the absolute best prices for them. I have nine different parts suppliers to search from, so it can be a tad time consuming. Once I make a list of that these pieces should cost, I'll know what to pay for them at the Webster Auto Swap Winter Extravaganza, coming up in February. Anything I don't find there (and I expect I'll be lucky to come out of there with anything more than rocker panels), I can then try to convince people to buy for me for my upcoming birthday. I mean, come on, I've already done the hard part of finding the best price, shipping included.
In other news, I've started working on the Porche fender again, which you may remember from body filler practice. It had accumulated a tiny bit of surface rust, which was simply sanded off. I'm going to try to make it somewhat presentable and get rid of it.Yesterday I crawled around in the attic for a while trying to figure out how to make it into viable storage space for truck parts as they come off (plus the Christmas tree). I'm continuing to attempt to clear things out of the bed of the truck, and off the hood for that matter, but it's slow going at the moment.
I've been thinking again about what order to work on things. I would like to work on the floor, but it may take a while to amass the parts necessary. I could work on the engine, but to best do that, I would want to remove the hood and front fenders, and as of yet, I lack a place to store them. The roof, the upper portion of the cab, and the doors all need work, and those would be pretty good candidates. I wouldn't want to mess with the doors too much, as I'll want them available to use for fitting the cab floor and rocker panel work. The bed would be a good option too, since most of the extra pieces I have lying about are for that. In actuality, the best course of action I could take would be to continue getting the junk out of the truck and cleaning up the garage so it might appear to be a proper workspace. I'll decide where to go from there.
So, now for what you've all been waiting for, what is the latest progress on the truck itself? The fact of the matter is that there's none, really. In fact, it's probably slightly worse now, since I've been bending stuff and scraping off crud to examine some parts. Worse still, since theoretically the rusting process has not been halted. Slowed, yes, stopped, no. Also I think I forgot to disconnect the battery after the last time I ran the engine, so it'll be dead by now.
Here's to 2012- may we see a few months of actual progress this year.
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