Sooo, I finally got me an old truck - AKC's 1968 C30

[AKC]

Originally Posted by RINC

I have the same tyre's on my 69 that you bought. They are worn out so they are high on my Must Do List.

I only need 4 so I will only partially feel you're new tyre pain.

Yeah, the Goodrich's are great tires. But they ain't cheap...

Originally Posted by Katrina/10

I think the wheels you have now look great. It's always cool to want shiny new stuff, especially if it's a really good deal.

Yes, they do. I needed to remind myself of that.

It is, and, it is.

It's just so hard when one goes galavanting across the forums and sees stuff like Hillbilly Deluxe, Vic's super-sano anything, and countless others with really cool ideas, skills and talents. Makes it hard to focus on what one's own original vision was.

Oh look! A squirrel!...

[AKC]

Alrighty! New ubolts for the bed...

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5/8" G8 steel. $87.50 for all of them. I'll probably swap out the nuts for nylocks, and I'm working on some new tie plates. I decided to add a couple around the mid point. (they'll be just in front of the rear axle bumpers)

I was coming up with all sorts of ideas for tie plates picking up existing holes in the frame, incorporating other uses and mounting points for various items and it just got to the point where I said "to heck with this" and invoked the KISS principle - "Keep It Super Simple".

And ya know what? It don't get much simpler than ubolts...

[AKC]

Nothing big today, I did actually use 'Anela as a truck however.

I had offered a couple of patio chairs and tables for my buddy to use in his shop if he wanted them. And I had an old patio umbrella that was kinda fried, an old rug, and the awful green astroturf that was glued down to the postage-stamp sized patio I have.

Tossed it all onto the bed and lashed it down, took a little trip out to Ventura. The rope hooks work well, everything stayed put. I wasn't exactly flying. It is a C30 after all...

"Hey Johnny! Can I use yer dumpster? Thanks!" And silly me, I didn't even take a picture. (I think there may have been a little embarrassment involved)

Picked up some G8 nylock nuts and washers for the bed ubolts and my push-on door seals arrived yesterday. I'm trying to decide if I want to go ahead and put them on tomorrow or not. If I wait, Wes'll never get his review. And the drivers side is kinda falling off already, so it should be easy to remove.

Believe it or not, as "well-worn" as she looks, 'Anela's doors close rather well. It'll be interesting to see how the new seals affect that.

[notsolo]

68 is looking Great , you are making good progress....What happens if you sand the white with 600 grit....and how's the chrome on the center grill besides having white paint over it, any chance of taping off the white sheet metal and removing the paint from the chrome.. Beautiful rig ..carry on.

[AKC]

New door seals are installed. I decided not to wait. I'm not doing a full resto here...

It is my considered opinion that welding is overrated, they should've just used weatherstrip adhesive on the assembly line...

Drivers side wasn't too bad, as it was starting to fall out already. Did I go all anal on removing all the adhesive? No. I just wanted new door seals, so I removed the old seal and as much of the remaining seal/adhesive as I could.

Removal involved the use of a plastic scraper I had, but that gave up the ghost halfway through the passenger side. It had survived the "Battle of Dside" and initially engaged the "Pside". But the adhesive was a powerful adversary and it died in the thick of battle, it will be missed. Remaining removal was with my trusty sharpened long/small tip Craftsman® screwdriver. (Carefully!)

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Here's the old drivers seal;
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The new seal presses on quite easily, I started at the mitered corner and did the top working towards the back, then down to where that piece ends, right in front of the seatbelt bracket, just after the bottom curve. Then I worked down the forward edge and along the bottom. The ends mated perfectly, with no gap nor was any trimming required. About the only thing to watch out for is the "inner seal" behind the primary bulb, you want to make sure it doesn't get tucked into the channel as you're pressing it on.

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You can check for this by pulling down the primary bulb. If it is tucked under, I found you can get it "untucked" by gently pulling down/out on the primary bulb and it should flip up into place. Be careful, you don't want to tear the primary bulb.

The new drivers seal;
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The passenger side was a little more involved, mainly because someone glued the !%$#ing crap out of it. Cleaned it up and installed the new seal as before.

The passenger seal;
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The seals fit well, the channel is a tiny bit loose in a couple spots, mainly around the middle of the back edge. But it isn't coming off by itself. This may be attributable to differences inherent to 'Anela. Overall, I'm pleased with the results.

'Anela's doors previously closed quite easily, with no rattle. But obviously the old seals had to go. The doors now require a good push to latch fully. I suspect the bulbs will flatten some over time and they'll close more easily. It's by no means a bad thing.

If you want a set, I highly recommend them. Probably one of the better $55.00 + shipping that I've spent. On anything.

You can get new push on seals here...

Thanks to Classic Heartbeat & Wes! And to Precision for making these!

I reinstalled the old sill plates. I have new ones, but they're just too dang shiny. And their fit needs to be massaged a bit. And they're too dang shiny.
I did kype the screws the new ones came with though...

[AKC]

Originally Posted by notsolo

68 is looking Great , you are making good progress....What happens if you sand the white with 600 grit....and how's the chrome on the center grill besides having white paint over it, any chance of taping off the white sheet metal and removing the paint from the chrome.. Beautiful rig ..carry on.

Whaddya know? There is chrome under that white paint. I hadn't even noticed.

I took a look, I think it's best it remain covered. Maybe someday down the road.

Thanks!

[Katrina/10]

Nice work, the seals look great!

[Precision Parts]

New door seals look great. If they feel a little loose for any reason, you can pinch together the U-channel section and then press it back on the pinchweld.

[AKC]

Originally Posted by Precision Parts

New door seals look great. If they feel a little loose for any reason, you can pinch together the U-channel section and then press it back on the pinchweld.

Thanks! That's what I'm going to do, and believe me, the looseness is VERY slight and only in a couple of spots.

Thanks for a great product!

[cooperhw]

Originally Posted by AKC

I have to reiterate here - I have NO shop space, and when I acquired the spot in the RV storage lot, I was able to determine exactly what type of maintenance I was allowed to perform here.

I can get away with quite a lot, actually. But major teardowns, yanking engines, major painting, etc., are out of the question. That includes in my own garage. It's not like 'Anela would fit in there anyway. (she would, but it'd be awful tight)

Such are the pains of living in a retirement community with an association. It's a nice place, but I still wonder what I'm doing here. It was a good move for the benefit of my wife at the time, but now that she's gone, I'm questioning staying here.

I have access to the auto hobby shops at Mugu and Hueneme, but unfortunately even there it's best if you're reasonably self-supporting. And if I can't get the job done in a day or two, storage fees start kicking in.

I have a former co-worker who's retired now, is a motorhead (I think he still has something like a dozen *#&!'s) and has a small setup not too far from home. I need to see what his situation is there.

So I have to be satisfied with what I can accomplish on my own, no matter how small the job.

Heck, I'm happy if I get a rusty fastener replaced and that's it...

You might look on your local craigs list and see if there isn't some kind a "backyard builder" who you could maybe use when you need to. You could schedule a day and go to "His backyard shop" and both of you work on your truck. at the end of the day (or weekend) you hop in your truck and drive home. You would be surprised at the amount you can get done in a day with two guys going at it. Win win for both parties. I know a guy here in Phoenix who has many customers that do this exact thing at his place. Most of them are snowbirds who go back home at the end of winter before it gets too hot.

[AKC]

Originally Posted by cooperhw

You might look on your local craigs list and see if there isn't some kind a "backyard builder" who you could maybe use when you need to. You could schedule a day and go to "His backyard shop" and both of you work on your truck. at the end of the day (or weekend) you hop in your truck and drive home. You would be surprised at the amount you can get done in a day with two guys going at it. Win win for both parties. I know a guy here in Phoenix who has many customers that do this exact thing at his place. Most of them are snowbirds who go back home at the end of winter before it gets too hot.

Thanks. That's why I need to go check out my buddy's situation. He has a lift and such, and I do have access to the automotive hobby shops at the local Navy bases.

But that is something else to consider...

[AKC]

Came home to a couple things Thursday after my all-expenses-paid trip down to Yuma and back... (I get to do that every so often. Yay.)

The new front springs and a set of black visors from the 'bay. (With starting instructions and clips, no less.) Yeah, that was me that hit "Buy-It-Now" in case anybody else here was watching them. Sorry.

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And here they are installed in place of the funky turquoise ones.

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Annnd, a little souvenir of Yuma, picked up at a Love's while fueling up and getting road supplies for the trip back home. It was (and is) cheap. More just for covering the seat than actually sitting on. If I can ever catch GNG Surplus in Oxnard open, they have really nice thick ones.

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I'm going to hold off on doing the springs/shocks/swaybar until I can build up the parts to replace everything suspension-wise in the front, I fully anticipate there being a need to do so...

It's raining right now, 'Anela's down at the lot.

[Katrina/10]

Some nice purchases, keep up the good work.

[flashed]

Looks good ,like the seat cover.

[AKC]

Picked up some fresh screws for the visors/clips and put them in last night. Of course there's one hole that's close to stripping out because the screws in there were a bit larger.

How does one shrink a hole?...

[A1971Blazer]

Originally Posted by AKC

Picked up some fresh screws for the visors/clips and put them in last night. Of course there's one hole that's close to stripping out because the screws in there were a bit larger.

How does one shrink a hole?...

heli-coil.......all day long....
been watching your progress........nice!

[AKC]

Originally Posted by A1971Blazer

heli-coil.......all day long....
been watching your progress........nice!

Thanks!

But heli-coils don't work in sheetmetal. A riv-nut would, but not for this application.

I'll tink of sumpin'...

[A1971Blazer]

sometimes you can take a small punch and lightly peen around the outer edge of the hole and shrink it enough to hold a screw......

[AKC]

Didn't even touch 'Anela this weekend...

Saturday I was an absolute slug.

Sunday involved a trip down to Orange County. The SIL and her partner wanted to take me to a show and I had suggested Shen Yun. Off to the Segerstrom. (of course, the day I have to go it's 90° out... )

Shen Yun is very pretty, the dancers were highly skilled, the costumes gorgeous and the orchestra was fantastic. I could, however, have done without the thinly veiled political statement and mild proselytizing. Just Google "Falun Gong" (nee' Falun Dafa) to get my drift...

I felt like Taggart in the fake Rock Ridge when he realizes "We've been suckered in!" (I did almost shout that out!) and apologized to the girls for dragging them to a Sunday service. I felt bad, I'm sure the orchestra seating wasn't cheap.

So be forewarned, if you go to see it, be prepared for some politics behind the pageantry.

But the brunch was good, and I get that the SIL is trying to keep me socialized. The drive down the 10/405 wasn't too bad, going back kinda sucked until I got to the 10.

The PCH however, was fine going down and back up, and I'm glad I wasn't going south on the way back up. There had been an accident just south of the Getty Villa, and traffic going that way was backed up for miles.

I did get to hang out next to one of these for a bit at Zuma. (no big surprise on the PCH) Then he had to stop for gas at Trancas. (another surprise)

Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, 700hp, 0-62 in 2.9s, 18mpg hwy, must suck to have to run 91 in it...

He did get a chance to open it it up a little when a truck turned out of the way. I wasn't about to try to take the hole with my measly 300hp. It was $#@!ing quick.

I had a long pull on my chocolate shake from the clown in Malibu and smiled...

[AKC]

And another weekend goes by without touching 'Anela...

Friday consisted of running around and doing the hunter-gatherer thing, and recuping from another trip down to Yuma and back. Did take the 111 all the way this time, both ways. It's two-lane blacktop all the way and considerably smoother than the 86. No, I did not stop at Slab City...

My last errand was a few groceries at the local Vons, decided to pick up a couple pieces of chicken and potato salad at their "deli" for din-din. Bad decision.

Suffice it to say I spent the remainder of the evening and the better part of the weekend remaining in close proximity to my bathroom. Or the bed.

Took the packaging in today and asked to be recompensed for the cost of the meal. They apologetically complied and gave me a $15 gift card as well. Thank you.

I do have a piece of steel for the tie-plates for the ubolts, just have to round up someone to cut/drill it for me. I could do it, but I don't have the necessary tools. A coworker is in pretty tight with one of the local machine shops, we'll see how that pans out...

[AKC]

Here's what I got done last weekend.






ZIP!







That's right, nuttin'. Just didn't feel like it. I was still waiting on the tie plates for the ubolts anyway...


I did post 'Anela's front bumper on CL. Hadn't really expected to get any bites but wouldn't you know it?, had a fella from Reseda call up about a week later wanting to look at it. He came up Friday and took it. Got $125 for it. That'll do...


Made up for last weekend this weekend. Got the ubolts and mudflaps replaced today.


The old ubolts. Mostly a kluge, and a couple were a little loose. No big fight getting them off.
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The old mudflaps - Besides being butched from some larger flaps (and not very well) they were pretty fried, you could see daylight through some of the cracks. Don't really know what was keeping them together.
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The new ubolts - Like I said, G8 5/8" with G8 washers and Nylocks. The tie plates are plain steel 3/8"x 2", about 5 3/8" long, they did a really nice job on them.
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I had to hold off on installing the center ones, I hadn't noticed that the frame rail at the hump is a little wider at the top than at the bottom. It'll have to be notched to accept them. Later.

I was able to flip the installation on the front ones, so it came out pretty clean.
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The rear ones however, would also need to have the frame rail relieved at the bottom to account for the curve of the ubolt to install them flipped. Also later. They installed fine the other way. I had them further back, but realized they were going to interfere with the mudflaps, so they got moved forward a little.

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And, as you can see, the mudflaps are installed in those shots. I had picked them up at a local Franklin Truck Parts, 24"x 36". Some kind of hybrid, not quite rubber, but not totally plastic either. I'm thinking some kinda regrind/recycled thing is going on here...

These also required trimming down, and after some measuring, I determined that the "window", if you will, could be trimmed away, leaving me with the perfect size.

That was fun (not) but went well. They have the "anti-spray" texture on the back, which ended up stopping right at the edges of the "window". Just lucky, I guess.
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Once trimmed, I held them up against the underside of the wood, and to the outer edge of the bedside. Couple of smacks against the bolts welded in place gave me good marks to drill holes and installed them with the old hardware. I think they came out pretty good.
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All in all, a fairly productive day. I did notice that the bed is about a 1/2" to the right, if you look at the buckboard in relation to the rear window, you can kinda see it. I'll have to loosen all the ubolts some day and shove it over to the left a little. But not today.

Right rear wheel cylinder is leaking, looks like I'll have to make the rear brakes a priority.

Knew that was coming...

[flashed]

Mud flaps look great ,makes the whole truck look better.

[AKC]

And just in case anybody notices that I seem to be here a lot, it's most likely because I'm perusing pics I've taken, trying to notice things. (Or more likely, muttering to myself "what have I done?")

For instance, I would have been royally bummed to discover that I would have to remove the already removed push bar bracket to install the frame mount brackets for the sway bar bushings as it was using the forward bolt holes in the frame, had I gotten the sudden urge to do so. Which just goes to prove that removing it was a good idea.
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Sometime ya just gotta stare at stuff...

[RINC]

Man, those mud flaps need some Trucker chrome.

wOot !

[AKC]

Originally Posted by RINC

Man, those mud flaps need some Trucker chrome.

wOot !

Ack! No shiney stuffeses, please! I'm even thinking of swapping out the lugs for plain ones...