To get access to the lower firewall/trans tunnel area,I ended up removing the front sheet metal again,and pulled the motor/trans. With the drivetrain out,I put the truck back up on the jack stands for easier access to the areas I need to work on Was going to finish welding up the under side of the cab corners,and needed to clean off a little more filler.......got a little carried away....ended up stripping the filler off the rest of the cab. I had noticed a few small bubbles in the filler where the top chop seams are.Dug at them a little and found some rust starting,so I thought it would be better to dig it all out to be safe. I haven't found any signs of rust on the doors yet,so I just sanded them down a little to see what they looked like.I going to inspect them VERY closely before I do any work to them. Now I can get back to finishing up the welding.........
Finally got the bottom of the cab corners welded up. Boxed the bottom of the cowl extensions. Did some more welding on the fire wall/trans tunnel Rebuilt the front cab mounts. Cleaned up the fire wall and dressed the welds. Finished boxing the frame rails where the motor was in the way before. Dropped the front suspension down to box in the spring clearance notch. Cleaned up the remainder of the front frame. Added some paint. The front suspension will get color later,being that some parts are going to get powder coated and some will get paint. Finished cleaning up the inside of the cab.Sealed up the joints and seams. And painted. Added the fist layer of insullation(sound deadener) to see if I had enough,(I did not).So it looks like I will be getting some more in Columbus.Putting it in at this point means I just will have to be a little more careful working around it.
I would suggest a thermo barrier too. I end up using two layers of dynamat on the firewall and the floor and a layer of dynaliner over everything. What a differance it made in the cab not just for sound but heat.
I have a couple move layers of insulation to add when Im closer to doing the interior.Got a pretty decent thermo barrier too.Im trying alot of this for the same reasons,trying to help the heat and sound in the cab.
Got a few things I needed at Columbus.Finished the first layer of sound deadener. Picked up a 2 lever release set up/w cables,and a 2 latch kit. The levers are actually for a hood/trunk combo,but Im gonna use them for a dual hood latch release.The actual latch set up is for a hidden release for a tail gate,consisting of 2 mini bear claw latches and an install kit and hardware. Mounted the levers ,and ran the cables into the engine compartment. Mounted the latches in on the side panels,and to the side panel supports. Added a couple of door poppers,that also act as bump stops. Add some plate to the front bottom edge of the hood and tacked the striker mounts on. Built a front hood support to help keep everything stable.Made it so it bolts in. With the hood opening/closing and latching and braced,I moved to the outside again. The prior owner had peaked the hood with brake line,which parts of it are almost ground thru,and I had to remove a section when I modified the hood. I just ground off the tubing and welds. Used a solid rod to repeak the hood.Welded it solid(the tubing was just tacked here and there).Then ground the welds. Now the hood was pretty warped up when I got it,and I did it no favors by cutting it in to 6+ pieces.So I decided to try and heat shrink some of it to tighten every thing up. I have not do much heat shrinking,the first time that I really had it work was on the tailgate of this truck.So doing the hood was going to be quite the adventure.Made some mistakes,took a lot of time but I think I got it to a point I can work with it. Cleaned it up for now,and sprayed some rattle can etch on it.
I found the thread and read it start to finish. Great build, and a lot of great ideas- and I LOVE the grill! Keep it up. Subscribed.
Just wanted to post some updates for those of you that have been following this build.....Started making the interior panels.I am doing this now,because on my last build I waited till the truck was painted and it made it much harder to do the work, always having to watch out not to scratch the paint. Im using some panel board from the local diy store,and wood left overs from other projects. rear cab panel: Door and kick panels: Arm rests: Center console and behind seat storage: All the panels are just roughed out.They will get fine tuned/trimmed when I get to the actual uphostery part of the build.The upper console between the seats will get a solid cover to hide the access door/lock assembly.I also got a new steering wheel for the truck. Got to work on the bed over labor day weekend,did the filler work and got the first round of primer on it.still need to go back and do some touch ups and block and re-prime it again. Spent the last few days,working on the cab.Got the first round of filler/primer on it.Still need to do all the detail work,door jambs,dash and interior sheet metal.It easier to see what still needs to be done now. Finally feel like Im making a little more progress,can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel..........
Do you have the vent windows for both sides and would you be interested in selling them thanks. Jeff You can also reach me at [email protected]
Got some more done to the truck.Finished up the body work on the interior and jambs and got the first round of primer on it. I really hate block sanding primer,so I worked at it off and on while I was working on the inside.Got the cab and front end blocked out the first time now.Did some touching up here and there and prepped it for the second round of primer. I always like the '48 hood side trim so I wanted to put it back on.I used some regular 1/4" bolts and panel bonded them to the back of the moldings. Drilled some new holes,the prior owner welded up the originals,and fit the moldings to the truck. Finished more of the bodywork touch ups and got the second round of primer on the outside of the cab and front end last night. The first round was a sprayable filler,and the second round is a 2k primer. Im using the motor that was originally in the '70 chevy truck when it was up and running.It was originally built in 1995. Its a basic hot rod sbc: .030 4 bolt main truck block steel crank,forged pistons,balanced 292 comp cams cam and valve spring kit erson gear drive angle plug double hump heads 2.02/1.60 stainless steel valves screw in studs,guide plates,roller rockers The truck was tore up in a hail storm in 1998,so the motor has been in storage mode ever since.I wanted to repaint it,and open it up to make sure it was still all right,then re-seal it before it gets put back in the '48. I took it to work about a week ago,so I could mess with it on my off time(works been a little slow).I stripped most of the paint off it,then started to take it apart. I was really surprised to see how nice it still looked inside.Only had a little dust/debris from having the valve covers loose in the garage. Used some rags and a bit of carb cleaner to remove a little carbon build up.Most all of the parts look like they were brand new. The guys at work could not believe that the motor was built 15 years ago.
It's lookin better & better all the time! Keep up the great work!! oh, and lucky break on the engine. I'm always paranoid whenever I open up an engine...(just ask me why ) I did wanna ask you what your seats came out of?? They look really comfy!
The only thing I don't like about this build is the complete feeling of inadeqaucy it gives me about myself. Great Work.
I have to admit that when I started reading this thread I expected an unattractive truck. I have never seen a fender-less 48 that didn't look patched together and unbalanced before. Yours looks good. Congratulations.
I stated earlier I'm not really into modified vehicles, I prefer stock but this build is really awesome. Usually some one will just strip parts off, channeled the cab and call it done. I think what does it is the way the body is enclosed, it shows a great deal of detail and makes for a good transition. I think adding the hood trim really adds to the overall design. Great work. One suggestion I would like to add; I think the truck would look nice with a set of motorcycle fenders covering the front wheels. Just thought I'd throw that in but from looking at the pictures I'm sure you have it all figured out and whatever you do next will be the correct and only enhance it.
Caught this post today and went from start to now, great job, truck looks good. Keep us wanting more.
One thing I really wanted for this truck was a 3x2 set up.I ended up getting one from So-Mo Speed Shop. Everything I needed came with it.The only thing I thought was that the intake manifold itself needed to be "brighter".I talked to a local powder coating shop,and ended up getting it ceramic coated with a clear top coat. Having it coated gave it the look I wanted,and also will keep the intake from getting stained by gas,oil,or chemicals.Its also easier to clean,its actually smooth now. After ceramic coating. I have been block sanding for a while now,(I hate block sanding). In an effort to keep myself motivated, I finished sanding the front sheet metal. I had some paint sprayed on the parts to see if all the blocking is worth the effort. They are not perfect,but I pretty happy with how they came out. Now I just have to finish the rest of the truck........ Hood: Side Panels: Lower Grille Shell:
This is a great thread, thanks for all of the updates and your work is very good, thanks for the detailed pictures and descriptions etc.
The progress slowed a little during the holidays but didnt stop. Got the bed,tailgate,and floor compartment doors primed.Also,primed the interior console and behind the seat storage unit. I have been slowly putting the motor back together at work in my spare time(which there is very little of right now....). Finally got a chance to put some color on it and set it back together to give my self a better idea of what it will look like.Its not completley finished,still need a water pump,balancer,pulleys,rebuild the distributor,etc. But you cant get the idea of what Im after. BEFORE: AFTER: Now all I have to do is figure out how to get it home and installed in the truck with out scratching it all up......
The Jalopy Journal
