Re: Johns 66
 

Dadgum, that's looking great!

Re: Johns 66
 

John sent me a clock from a Chevy Nova II to put in the gauge cluster I am restoring for him. Unfortunately, it didn't work, but I got it working last night...Not exciting, but here is a video of it running. I ran it for an hour today and it kept good time also!

Re: Johns 66
 

Well was a beautiful day today so worked on the bed...I figured I needed to install everything before I tore it apart to start finishing....GLAD I did

The last pic was just a real dry fit with the end bolts finger tight on the rear cross panel; and since I put in the crossmembers in the wrong order really couldn't do it...until today....Took all the wood out, swap the cross members to the right position and started installing the bed. at first the holes toward the rear lined up but the closer I got to the front...not so much...the new head panel holes were completely off...or so I thought. I rechecked the bed square, checked the board cuts for square but something was off.

FINALLY I realized that the rear cross member and the new (Repop) head panels were slightly bowed...….Here is the issue with that....when I started cutting the wood for length I started in the middle, measured, checked the edges and determined that GMC Pauls bed wood lengths were incorrect....actually they were right....so I cut the wood 1/8th shorter and in rough mock up it looked fine until I started adding bolts.

To make a long story short...I guess originally the bed wood was 1/8th short to allow for expansion and in my infonaut wisdom I cut the wood 1/8th shorter than that, only to realize the header panel was bowed inward.... so instead of a 1/16th on each end I now have whatever is between 1/16th and 1/8th.....I will have to redrill three holes in the header panel bottom so that the bolts will fit....once the header bolts are put in I can simply space the wood evenly between the front and rear....doesn't look too bad...just irritating.

So Ill get the cross braces took out, cleaned up and POR-15 them....Gonna get a coat of 50/50 poly and thinner applied to the bed wood to seal it up until I completely finish them.....

I did get the vent windows completely finished, rivets installed and the upper pivot rivet installed....so they are now complete...YAY!!!!!

Im gonna do a little work on the bed wood edges...gonna cut a rain channel in them...shouldn't be too bad......But lesson learned on the bedwood length.

Re: Johns 66
 

Man that sucks with the bed wood. I did a goof on mine too. On one board, I measured once and ended up cutting it a little short... Turned out that the tape measure had hooked on to the end of the wood where the metal end mounts, rather than at the metal end (don't know what the chrome piece at the end of the measuring tape is called). I try to cover that up with a chair, cooler, or anything else in the bed when I go to a car show lol

Re: Johns 66
 

Its not bad looking...just the thought that I didn't pay attention well enough sticks in my craw a lil bit...Honestly if I didn't tell people they would probably never know it...But I do...I don't think most people will notice less than an 1/8th inch once its all painted and put together

Re: Johns 66
 

You are doing a great job. I doubt many if any will notice other than you...but I know how it is. You aren't building it for other people, you are building it for you. Just chalk it up to live and learn and we aren't building a show truck, but a truck that we will use as a truck. It is hard for most people to distinguish between 1/16 and 1/8 of an inch...as long as they are even on both ends, most will think that is how it is supposed to be.

Re: Johns 66
 

I don't think most people will notice it either. On mine though, it is very noticeable because there is one board shorter than the others :lol:

Re: Johns 66
 

Thanks Guys....I know the finish will have some slight build up and will help with that...I Think I was wanting it to fit tight originally but probably not a good idea so this will help with expansion and contraction

Re: Johns 66
 

Lil Update for today.

Bryan sent me pictures of the rocker on the drivers side door.....also had to change the hinge pin...said it was sagging just a bit and was better to be safe than sorry.

Did a test piece of finish on the wood today...I tried Teak Oil, Danish Oil and Spar Urethane.....while the wood wont stay white no matter what finish I put on it the Spar was the closest....It has a very slight light tint to it...lighter than a honey color. I placed some white paper beside it and I think it will look really good.

Also went by the paint store today....pretty interesting to say the least and got some great advice. They were very encouraging and I spent about an hour with them talking about ole girl and her need for some fresh makeup.

So I have a gallon of epoxy primer and a gallon of hi-build, tar and grease remover, Also got a tube of seam sealer and a tube of glazing putty plus some strainers, sticks and mixing cups. I was going to purchase a gun but they told me the best thing to do especially for the primer was to buy a cheap gun because most of the primer would be sanded off anyway...no need to buy a high quality gun at this point....made sense to me....Plus my good friend Andy has offered me the use of his gun when the time comes to spray the base and clear...Eastwood has a gun...Contour Gun set for 359.00 but it will go on sale for about 290.00....may think about that at some point.

But based on the numbers I got today to include the primers I bought I am looking at 2k for the paint job.....I have the sand paper...all but the wetsand paper, Evercoat filler....Besides paint...will need some tape and paper

Re: Johns 66
 

Looking good buddy! I am about ready to put clear coat on mine...in the next month...then can send you my gun. For a cheap gun for the primers...I would look at harbor freight...can get one for pretty cheap especially with a coupon.

Re: Johns 66
 

I ran by there today and picked up a cheap set...Had to get the 49.00 set because it was the only one with a 1.8 tip....
This should be interesting....Kinda excited to get started on it. I know it will not be perfect but at least I can say that I did it myself and it sure beats paying out 10 to 15k.

Re: Johns 66
 

Remember what we always say..."we aren't building a show truck"...I am sure it will look great. I painted under my hood today and it wasn't perfect, but good enough for now. Some things I want perfect...some I don't care as much.

Re: Johns 66
 

You are so right...and a wise man once told me that water sanding and buffing can fix lots of stuff;)

Re: Johns 66
 

I heard ice cream fixes stuff tooooo.

Re: Johns 66
 

Amen Brother...Amen!!!!

Re: Johns 66
 

That rust repair is looking good! I can't wait to see how it turns out :metal:

Re: Johns 66
 

Dang it! Now I'm craving ice cream...

Re: Johns 66
 

Couple more update pics from Bryan......The gaps look really good...He reinstalled the front fender and cowl piece and it all looks pretty good. I know pics are hard to see but looks pretty good to me.

The wood is the bed wood....I have notched some drains on the edge of the wood to allow rain or wash water to escape...Im hoping it will help preserve the wood since no water is trapped and can freely get out...fingers crossed.

Started putting Spar Urethane on the few board I have notched and sanded...Only 5 more to go..lol

Re: Johns 66
 

Everything looks awesome John! The cab looks great...and the wood is going to be awesome finished. I like the idea of the drains.

Re: Johns 66
 

I had some ice cream after all the ice cream talk. :D

Re: Johns 66
 

It's looking good John!

Re: Johns 66
 

liking at how the cab is coming along ....

are you having a butt weld on the corner of the cab or an overlap ?

Re: Johns 66
 

They are gonna butt weld it.....Scribe the panel and cut it and leave a slight gap that they are going to fill with the weld

Re: Johns 66
 

Another Update from Bryan.....The piece you see that he made and tacked up was originally pretty beaten up....it had 1/2 of bondo in it...had several holes...probably from previous poor body work....in essence it was messed up...So he made a new piece and replaced it....Least I know what the other side will look like because it is the same way...not sure how that area got beat up but its getting fixed now.

Re: Johns 66
 

Nice work, looks like the gas tank is staying in the cab??