Projects 1948 Chevrolet fleetmaster

did alittle bit of work today, prepped for paint





tomorrow is going to be a very productive day, jumping one big step forward. also cleaning these up, before pics



and straightened this up, was all bent up when I would use it as a step to get to the roof. now I just need to clean it up and prep it

 

cool car.......rich

 

I dig it!

 

Amigo, you did purchase a high quality paint mask with canisters, didn't you? Please say you did for all the family and friends that love you.

Regards,

Cosmo49

 

thanks for the concern yes I did, learned about isocyanide or whatever you call them. no joke when I painted the hood and fenders I felt drunk, but not a feeling I was enjoying more like if i was spun in a chair. never again, i was told i was being intoxicated and poisoned. i bought a 3m one with interchangeable canisters a half mask. whats the need for the full mask though? or the space suit? i don't really see that much harm in it getting on your skin its not like im dipping my hand into the can and i shower within the half hour after im done.

got one question guys, cosmo you seem to know about paint so hope you can tell me. after spraying flat urethane (no clear), how long till its dry and able to get wet so i can wash the dust that settled on it? or if a bird shits on it thankfully it hasn't happened but incase. i heard some people say you need months to let your paint cure, but this paint was dry to the touch in minuites, and since i painted the roof for the last few days the temperature here in so cal is over 100 degrees each day, i cant even pick the parts up for too long theyre so hot cause i let them sit in the sun. in that situation, how long till the paint is cured? thanks guys

 

hey 49styleline i like how your car looks, is it bare metal or is there something sealing it or is it a gray that looks like bare metal? either way its bad ass. ive heard of guys just clearcoating the bare metal, does that work?

 

Gallogiro,

I know very little about paint. I did work in a pulmonologist's office performing pulmonary function tests. Protect your lungs, as you breathe air it is transferred into the bloodstream in the lungs on a microscopic level, paint fumes, smoke go directly into the blood. Wearing a cheap Tyvex suit is a good idea too, you can't protect enough, remember, everything you do has a cumulative effect.

Regards,

Cosmo49

 

I get you cosmo, luckily as of today im done painting only thing that's left is the dash and window moldings =D

 

I know I need to wash it, get the dust that settled off but im waiting a few days before I wet it to be sure the paint cured. so ingnore the dirty windows and tape, got the antenna put on



painted the chevy logo off the hood ornament



more work tomorrow, but as of today body and paint is done =D

 

did a few things today, put moldings, ornament and tail lights on





getting started to put the front clip together to put back on in one piece

but thought id throw these on for now to get them off the ground. I know, car is dirty but im not going to wash it for another few days to make sure the paint cures so it has dust settled on it. its flat paint so im not worried itll wash right off. but here it is with fenders and door caps on

 

I wasn't going to chrome the grille or bumpers, was going to fly it as is kind of a patina look to make the car look extra old

but cleaned up pretty good, not chromed new but will do for a very nice driver grille =)








not perfect, but im happy with this especially since my paint isn't glossy its flat. im not building a show turntable car im building a car that can be used as a daily driver and wont be sensitive

 

The grill looks real nice. What method did you use to clean it?

 

I painted the inside reflective surfaces of the turn signals front and rear a bright arctic white. really helps with visibility.

Keep going man, she's looking good. I went with an off white (Bombay Ivory) for my top as it reflects heat from the sun, central Virginia, no a/c.

Regards,

Cosmo49

 

thanks, the grill was pretty bad it actually had thick rust built ontop of the chrome in some spots where I was worried the rust ate right through the metal. on those parts I took a metal file and lightly scraped away. the rest I took a scotch brite pad and some 3M chrome polish and lightly (as to not put more scratches or haze on the metal with the pad) stroked the 3M polish into the metal then wiped off with a clean rag. its this polish

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-Chrome-M..._Automotive_Tools&hash=item20d487b91d&vxp=mtr

on surfaces where theres no rust, I rubbed on with just my finger and it gave it a great shine. if its just stained or looks like a rust haze It removed it almost instantly with just a few rubs with my thumb. the stuff works better than I expected and you don't need a lot just little pea sized amounts each time. im doing my bumpers today which are just as bad maybe worse but ill show you how good the stuff is and its perfect for moldings, emblems and hood ornaments. when I bought it the guy told me be careful cause its pretty aggressive not chemical wise like itll burn your skin but abrasive to where I can go right down to the nickel or that copper plating under the chrome plating if I rub too long. he said when I use it im pretty much taking a thin layer off the chrome and that's what polishes and removes the scratches

 

thanks cosmo. and good idea on the turn signals, these cars aren't known for being very bright since they use original bulbs. most new cars are now led lights. also went and got new headlights, regular whites. I could have gotten t3's which light up yellow instead of white. looks good but visibility is bad. and I didn't think of the heat when I painted the car but you got a good point. guess now ill have to use peel and seal patches on the inside of the roof

 

only issue I am having now is on my 59 Im using 2 amps mounted in the trunk for a kick ass sound system and the trunk is big I can hide away the amps and no head unit itll all be powered off my ipod so no need to try to hide away a head unit in my car. but on my 48 there is no need for a loud kick ass system just a regular one heard from the inside will do so theres no need for amps. so im going with head unit, but don't know where to put it since I have plans for the glove box. that's what im going to try to figure out today and no way ill I gut my original radio hole to put a modern radio in the dash

 

Thanks for the info on how you cleaning up the grill. A HUGH difference. I can't believe it's the same grill. As for your radio, why not get one of those tissue dispensers and and place the unit inside.

 

jc marz heres better pics of the grille in the day, that cream works miracles







and as of today, dog house is ready, by this weekend my car will be one solid piece





























done for the day, off to see lone ranger =)

 

Hey Gallogiro, it's looking Good! How about mounting the amp under the front seat? (If your'e running the original seat).
I was thinking of doing that in my "47 Fleetline.

 

thanks roadster. I didn't think of that, but do remember that there is a spot inside the seat since it sits higher than regular seats. ill check it out =)

 

Black fenders make that grill !!POP!! Lookin' gooooooood.

 

I've just read each post and I wanted to climb on here and say "way to go" on your Fleetmaster build. These cars are so much fun and you're doing this one a huge service by putting her back on the road. Nice job on everything you've done, and I'm inspired (as others are) by your aggressive timeline. Kicking ass every day it looks like. Keep it up, and keep us posted. I can't wait to hear that its tooling around the streets of Fontana again!


Also if you have found out what its for, disregard. But this lever in your pic below...

That is your accelerator linkage. Your gas pedal has a hinged part with 2 screw going into the floor and then the top part has a little round rubber plug that 'pops' onto the little bulb on the end of the linkage. There's a bellcrank on the block and your secondary linkage goes from there to the carburetor. There should be a return spring on that too somewhere. It came with the Carter W-1 carb so if you're using the Rochester you may have to fab up something a little different but it should be close.

Keep up the great work on this build. You're giving me some motivation to tear into another 42-48 Chevy.

 

thanks bro and thanks for the info, now I can try to get it in and get it linked =) and yea these cars are fun, the build and the drive. and im glad im motivating too, its the whole point in my making these threads. its 4th of july, getting ready to start drinking and get the fireworks ready so yes there is progress every day but not today. all I did today was wash the dirt off my bumpers to get them ready to clean up and install. also did my best to flush out my radiator. checked, no leaks so im grateful for that but even though flushed it out as best I could with my water hose and don't see any particles flow out anymore, im still not happy with it I can rub some sticky grime off the walls with my finder by the holes and don't know how to get that out and I don't want that flowing through my block

 

WAY TO GO RAY . . . . HARD WORK AND DETERMINATION !!

 

I can't even tell you how inspiring this thread is. You basically gave us a tutorial in how to do a driver-quality driveway low-buck resto, but done right. This is what I needed to see, getting ready to tackle my 48 Plymouth. At first I was like "gaaah, too many pictures" but then i realized I can look closely and learn something about what you did or how you're doing it with EVERY angle. Bravo. Thanks for sharing this, the car looks GREAT and here's wishing you many many trouble free, WORRY free miles with it my friend.

I've read this thing twice through already. Happy 4th!

 

thanks archangel, and thanks guitard. and again its what im trying to show, a budget build that can be accomplished from home. in paint alone im in under 300 bucks for 4 quarts, two quarts of each color and I still have paint left over. sprayed with a home compressor on my driveway. baisic set of tools dropped and installed the motor. I mean this car was extremely low buck and I didn't have to cut corners but turned out pretty nice =) if youre really on a budget, you can go without doing the floors like I did, and scuff and spray the body just use body filler on some spots where it may need. other things you can improvise or skip as well depending on your budget. but thanks guitard, its what I want to hear from you guys and show, that anyone can do it from home. this thread is not exactly low budget as this one is because of all the chrome and accessories and little extras I put in it but shows more do it yourself tutorial on cutting brake lines, adjusting tranny lever, fixing window rollers, changing glass, and a few other things that this thread doesn't show but is still budget conscious when it comes to repair and restoration

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=809214

tomorrow I have some stuff to take care of but back on it sunday. hope to have the front end installed and bumpers put on. then the long process of polishing the trims. just glad it doesn't have as much as the 59. then during the week, woodgraint the dash, finish painting around the windows and start putting the interior back in

 

You, sir, are my hero. I just got 41 Special Deluxe, which will be my first resto, and this thread has been really eye-opening.

Thank you, a thousand times over.

 

thanks jefe, follow this thread, 41 is very similar to 48 so youll be able to do a lot of the exact same things I did to mine. youll save a lot of time if its still together if you skip taking the front end apart like i did mine. starting to realize I didnt have to do that but just glad its ready to go back on. this week im posting how to install the front clip back in, redoing the brakes, swapping out side glass and cleaning and greasing the window and lock mechanisms. nice 41 by the way, congrats. its a very good year

 

Great post, but i didn't see any body work or rust repair. Did you just remove old paint and paint over it?

 

thanks. and yea sorry I didn't post pictures on the body work or rust repair because I take the pictures with my new phone and don't want to get it that dirty. but definitely removed the old paint down to bare metal, no paint was going to stick to that stuff. if you have good old paint that's not rusted just dull or scratched you scuff and spray that, no need to go down to bare metal.the rust on the fenders and the old paint on the body and other parts I grinded off with a Makita grinder the small one and used this, works wonders just don't hold it on the metal too long its ok for it to get alittle hot but not too hot itll start to warp the metal. its not too aggressive that itll put deep scratches on the metal, but aggressive enough to get off anything on the metal with a few passes.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-3-in-Brush-Knot-Cup-48-52-5050/100020099#.Udm0wWbn_IU

lowes has one for 12 bucks, I use that one. after that its some body hammer and dolly work. light patch work with a 135 mig welder and I was done