47-55.1 1953 3100 "Honey-do"

[rnrdthefox]

Thanks for everyone's comments. They are much appreciated. This will be my last update for a few months as I just had rotator cuff surgery and will have several weeks of rehab and PT before I can get back at it. These updates are mostly incomplete and still have work to do but wanted to get a few pics up anyway.

I was looking for a windshield wiper motor that had high, low, and parking functions. I ended up pulling one from a 90s s10. I will have to modify things so that the wipers still sweep a 90deg pattern with a 360deg rotating arm from the s10 motor. I have an idea about how to tackle this but need some time mocking things up. Has anyone used this motor with the stock wiper arms?

The size is larger than I wanted but think I can fab an under-dash bracket to make it work. The other thought that I had was to use one of the vendor after-market motors that they sell for our trucks but wasn't sure if they were wired for H, L, Park, Gnd. Does anyone know?

I've tested the motor in the electrical harness and get all the options from the steering wheel pod (high, low, variable delay, mist, washer, return to park) as they are all controlled with the BCM.

[rnrdthefox]

Next up I wanted to add and third brake light. I really wanted to add it the cab roof, but only could find an aftermarket version that was body-worked into the sheet metal. It was low profile (depth wise) but would still require me to cut into the inner roof and I didn't want to do that. So, I took the advice from others and put it just below the belt line.

This is from the trunk of a Chevy Impala. It has almost the right curvature of the truck cab and it can be modified to work. Also, the size seemed to be about right. I cut the whole thing out of the donor trunk. It has a LED board, inner diffuser, and outer lens. I put the outer lens on the bench and reduced the curvature with a heat gun. The donor metal tacked in well and conformed to the truck. Still needs final welding and to tabs for holding it in place inside the cab. I was pleased with how it turned out so far and should be watertight.

[rnrdthefox]

Finally, I wanted to get the final placement for the steering wheel, seats and center console figured out so that I could start looking at the under-dash valence for the a/c vents and cleaning up the transition between the steering wheel and dash, and console to dash and floor. These are just cardboard mockups, but you get the idea. Ideally, I would like to do this in metal, but I'm not sure I have everything I need to do this and make it look the way I want it to look. More to come on this.

The console is out of a CTS-V. The shifter allows for sport mode, manual shifting, and normal P, R, N, D. The plan is to remove the shifter stalk from the steering wheel. Tow/haul function is just another transmission shift strategy and would equate to Sport mode. The manual shifting up and down from the stalk would equate to the same manual function on the CTS-V shifter. The third mode is just normal driving function. More details on this later down the road when I get to wiring and programing.

[gsinon]

Great project

[rnrdthefox]

Originally Posted by gsinon

Great project

Thanks much appreciated.

[Father&son56project]

That's a lot of good progress. Reshaping that Impalla lens with a heat gun was a clever idea (I didn't realize you could do that with the plastic in the factory lenses).

[dsraven]

nice work, take your time and don't get too ambitious. this is advice coming from a guy who has had 4 major rotator cuff surgeries. concentrate on getting better with time spent in the gym on your exercises. the physio therapist doesn't make you better, they just check your progress and give more involved exercises as you are ready. the getting better part is up to you. best of luck with the recovery process, oh, and your project too. lol.

[Father&son56project]

That was a lot of fiddly work to get that cable to the correct length and routed properly. Good job! As for a slight adjustment to the tail of the tranny requiring a whole new tunnel, isn't the Domino Effect just a treat on these old trucks? I swear that half of my build time is altering/removing/extending/adjusting stuff after visits from my dear old friend, Mr. Domino

[8man]

Nice work. I like the 3rd brake light, and man is it tight in there.

[rnrdthefox]

Originally Posted by 8man

Nice work. I like the 3rd brake light, and man is it tight in there.

Thanks.

[rnrdthefox]

I've been busy, just not a lot to show for it. I decided to try my hand at some bodywork. I started on the passenger side door first and then moved to the driver side. In all, I spent about a week on each door including the inner and outer window trim. I think I will get faster (and better) with time as I was finding my way at first. I plan to do a couple coats of high build polyester next. Anyway, here are some pics.

[rnrdthefox]

Originally Posted by Father&son56project

That was a lot of fiddly work to get that cable to the correct length and routed properly. Good job! As for a slight adjustment to the tail of the tranny requiring a whole new tunnel, isn't the Domino Effect just a treat on these old trucks? I swear that half of my build time is altering/removing/extending/adjusting stuff after visits from my dear old friend, Mr. Domino

Thanks. Fiddly is a good word for it. I tend to do to much head scratching before I actually commit and dive in. I only had to make the cable end twice since I didn't measure properly the first time. Luck for me it was on the long side.

[rnrdthefox]

Originally Posted by dsraven

nice work, take your time and don't get too ambitious. this is advice coming from a guy who has had 4 major rotator cuff surgeries. concentrate on getting better with time spent in the gym on your exercises. the physio therapist doesn't make you better, they just check your progress and give more involved exercises as you are ready. the getting better part is up to you. best of luck with the recovery process, oh, and your project too. lol.

Thanks for the advice. I'm not going to ask why you needed 4. That has to be about a year and half combined of your life doing rehab!

[dsraven]

looks pretty good. when applying the filler it is good if it goes over the primer with no bare metal. the filler is like a sponge and holds moisture so the primer is the seal between that and the metal.
for long straight things, like doors, I try to use a long stiff sandpaper holder and some of those long narrow sanding strips available at the body shop supply. actually, I use a piece of 3/4 plywood for the sanding board and simply staple the paper to the top side after bending around the ends of the board. with little pressure applied, so the metal doesn't spring away, the panels will come out very smooth and straight. there is also stuff called guide coat that is handy. it is a darker color than the primer and sands easy so it will show up any high spots right away when sanding.

[rnrdthefox]

Originally Posted by dsraven

looks pretty good. when applying the filler it is good if it goes over the primer with no bare metal. the filler is like a sponge and holds moisture so the primer is the seal between that and the metal.
for long straight things, like doors, I try to use a long stiff sandpaper holder and some of those long narrow sanding strips available at the body shop supply. actually, I use a piece of 3/4 plywood for the sanding board and simply staple the paper to the top side after bending around the ends of the board. with little pressure applied, so the metal doesn't spring away, the panels will come out very smooth and straight. there is also stuff called guide coat that is handy. it is a darker color than the primer and sands easy so it will show up any high spots right away when sanding.

Thanks for the comments. I currently just have a durablock set. But today, ordered a few more blocks for the toolbox. I haven't been using guide coat for the filler. It makes sense though.

[e015475]

Just a couple of suggestions for you-

- dsraven's guide coat suggestion is a good idea if you're not doing it. Get the powder type. This is the one I use- little pricey but saves money and time in the long run.

https://www.amazon.com/Mirka-9193500.../dp/B00GTYHCGG

- dsraven's suggestion for a long board is good too. I have Durablocks, but my favorite is a piece of balsa about an inch thick and 12" long. For smaller detail work I usually just cut up a paint stick or find some object in the shop to fit the contour (I have a few brooms with short handles now)

- I like the Featherfill G2 spray-on polyester filler. I usually go through a few rounds of spraying-blocking with 80 grit before coat of epoxy primer to make sure things are perfectly flat

- Looks like a MarK bed. Now's the time you want to decide if you want all the spot welds to show through the top coat. If you don't, you should fill them and block them flat, followed with some etch primer then some spray/block with Featherfill G2

- The two rivet heads in the middle of the rear fender tend to move around and crack the top coat. You might think about removing the center brace and welding the holes shut to side-step that future problem

- Now is also a good time to decide if you're going to use fender welt between the bedside and the fenders. If you are not going to use welt, it pays to give some attention to the bolt flange/fender edge on the fender to make sure it is crisp and flat and the gap is even. The MarK bedsides are pretty flat, but a fender with a wandering flange will make them wavy when you bolt them up

- Your wheel tubs look very similar to mine with a flanged edge. You might want to check where the carriage bolts go through the bed and make sure the lip of the carriage bolt head doesn't interfere with the tub flange.

[dsraven]

funny, I have some broom handle sanding sticks too. also a variety of office erasers, some big and some small. they fit a slow contour and work great for wet sanding plastic headlights before buffing them to be crystal clear again. I also have a set of durablocks, theyre great too. doing a cross hatch pattern will keep you from making a sanding mistake in the same place, like always sanding a certain way over a body line or slow curve. going at that area in a different direction every once in awhile will stop a mistake from happening where the crisp body line turns into a slow sagging looking body line.
wet sanding and using a damp rag to wipe down will work the same as a rag of wax and grease remover.

[rnrdthefox]

Originally Posted by e015475

Just a couple of suggestions for you-

- dsraven's guide coat suggestion is a good idea if you're not doing it. Get the powder type. This is the one I use- little pricey but saves money and time in the long run.

https://www.amazon.com/Mirka-9193500.../dp/B00GTYHCGG

- dsraven's suggestion for a long board is good too. I have Durablocks, but my favorite is a piece of balsa about an inch thick and 12" long. For smaller detail work I usually just cut up a paint stick or find some object in the shop to fit the contour (I have a few brooms with short handles now)

- I like the Featherfill G2 spray-on polyester filler. I usually go through a few rounds of spraying-blocking with 80 grit before coat of epoxy primer to make sure things are perfectly flat

- Looks like a MarK bed. Now's the time you want to decide if you want all the spot welds to show through the top coat. If you don't, you should fill them and block them flat, followed with some etch primer then some spray/block with Featherfill G2

- The two rivet heads in the middle of the rear fender tend to move around and crack the top coat. You might think about removing the center brace and welding the holes shut to side-step that future problem

- Now is also a good time to decide if you're going to use fender welt between the bedside and the fenders. If you are not going to use welt, it pays to give some attention to the bolt flange/fender edge on the fender to make sure it is crisp and flat and the gap is even. The MarK bedsides are pretty flat, but a fender with a wandering flange will make them wavy when you bolt them up

- Your wheel tubs look very similar to mine with a flanged edge. You might want to check where the carriage bolts go through the bed and make sure the lip of the carriage bolt head doesn't interfere with the tub flange.

Thanks for the comments about the rivets. I wondered about that. Now I need to take a harder look at that. So you are saying remove the brace entirely and just weld up the holes, right? No need for the brace to keep the fender more rigid?

Good comment on the spot welds. Was thinking about leaving them as they fit the style of the truck.

Was thinking about welting on the fenders as I think it gives a cleaner look. I've spent some time straightening the metal flange on the fender. Could use a little more work though. Right now the fender only has three bolts holding it on.

[dsraven]

it may be an idea to use some sort of home made spreader bar on he back side for the fender attachment bolts in order to avoid some of the waves that may come when tightening the bolts with no welting. that would spread the weght over a longer area and attempt to make both parts conform to the shape of the spreader bar. something with some heft to it would be best I suppose, instead of just the sheet metal from the fender flange.
the old fashioned sticky backed sandpaper discs used on the da sanders work great for using on the home made backer boards, just cut the paper to size and stick it on the broom handle or whatever you have made, be that a broom handle, office eraser or chunk of wood you have custom shaped. also, drawing the sander across at an angle and doing a cross hatch pattern will help to keep from digginhg a hole or pathway into the high build primer or body filler or whatever you are sanding

[e015475]

So you are saying remove the brace entirely and just weld up the holes, right? No need for the brace to keep the fender more rigid?

That's what I did, but you need to make sure the rear brace is there. I watched an AD truck enter the freeway and the back of the fender fluttered back and forth a couple inches without the rear brace.



Was thinking about welting on the fenders as I think it gives a cleaner look

Here's mine. Found some automotive vinyl that matched the color pretty well and had them sewn up at an upholstery shop



Good comment on the spot welds. Was thinking about leaving them as they fit the style of the truck.

I spot welded my tubs to the MarK bedsides to reduce the warpage as much as I could, then used seam sealer to make a fillet between the tub and the bed. Here's a foto of mine. I used polished carriage bolts to mount the fenders. You can also see my screw-up where the tub flange partially covered one of the bed wood bolts



dsraven said use some sort of home made spreader bar on he back side for the fender attachment bolts in order to avoid some of the waves that may come when tightening the bolts

Because I didn't pay enough attention to the fit-up of my front fenders to the body, this is exactly what I had to do - even with welt you could see the gap was wider in one place. I made some 1/4" plates to distribute the load and pull the flanges together, it worked, but was a PITA

I haven't been using guide coat for the filler.

I can't get a panel flat and straight without it. "Bad Chad" on Youtube has some good video on how to use Featherfill, guide coat and block sanding to get a panel straight. He's kind of a hack with mechanical things and his mannerisms drive me nuts, but his bodywork videos makes good points (but maybe that's just because that's the way I do it too) YMMV

[rnrdthefox]

Over the long weekend, I continued my bodywork and epoxy tasks. After much thought, I took the advice of e015475 and removed the rivets and brace from the rear fenders. I hated to have to rework the one fender that was body worked, but did it anyway. It wasn't that much more work, I just hate taking steps backward.

Also, took his advice and bought the suggested guide coat. I was always planning on using guide coat when I went to high-build but it seemed to make sense to do it now and save some work later. I spent some time on the fender that I reworked, and indeed I did find some low spots. I left a couple of the low spots to get a feel for the high-build poly and see what it does. I think it will fill them in, but we shall see.

I disassembled the bed, prepped it for epoxy. While doing this, the subliminal suggestion from e015475 about filling in the spot welds kept creeping into my thoughts. I finally caved and spent the time (a lot of time for ~ 250 spotwelds) grinding and filling in the spot welds. In the end, I know I will have a nicer product. But, in the middle of it, I was a little grumpy.

I've basically got the doors, bed, fenders, tubs, and rear bumper ready for high build. I'm waiting on a larger spray nozzle kit to come in that will spray the high-build. Hopefully, the next update will have all of that done and ready for blocking. Anyway, here are a few picks.

[rnrdthefox]

more pics. And thanks for everyone's comments. They are much appreciated and I'm learning the paint and body side of things, so all suggestions are welcome.

One other thing, I'm learning the proper gun setup and distance from the work piece. I'm trying to find the sweet spot where the epoxy goes on smooth and wet but doesn't run vs a dry rough texture. I'm starting to figure it out I think. The gas tank was smooth except for some cotton (trees are shedding right now) and dust with one run. I slowed the gun down and tried to keep it about 8" from the tank. Thx for looking.

[8man]

Nice progress!

[rnrdthefox]

Thanks, 8man. Maybe I will be where you are on your project one day. I can say that I'm getting tired of bodywork and I'm only halfway there.

Anyway, time for a small update. I've been moving along slowly over the last month mostly focusing on the doors, rear fenders, inner tubs, and rear bumper with high-build polyester. Most parts are taking 3 sanding rounds. It amazes me the time and effort required to get things "straight". I don't want to think about the hours that I have in the doors alone from metal work, fab work for power windows, Mita handles, body work, and final detail work with high build.

Complaining doesn't speed things up either, so I will move on.

I finally got the 2.3 nozzle that I needed to spray the high build and went to spraying. It sprays pink and sands gray with the pink acting like a built-in guide coat.

[rnrdthefox]

A few pictures of the first sanding round. You can see the low spots, most of which usually cleared up on the second round. I was mostly struggling with the lines that moved from one plane to another and tweaking the low spots and still keeping the lines.