I got the replacement axle shaft installed in the new rear end along with new brake guards and a new differential cover. I'm going to wait on doing anything to the rotor/drums until it ready to go back on the truck. I got the tar out of the fenders with a little help from a torch and a putty knife. It didn't take all that long. They look pretty solid. Now to finish taking the dents out and getting them filled and primed. I've got a mystery. As seen in the pictures I have a large black knob to the left of the gauge cluster that I can't identify. I can pull it and push it back in. The cable goes straight back, is armored but has been cut off at the firewall.
I have two 51s sitting in my driveway and neither one has a knob in that location. On this one you can see a couple of toggle switches that were added by a previous owner. My guess is that it is an owner add-on.
While I was hoping for it to be some unusual option I figured it would turn out to be something mundane like that. I've been thinking about it and I can't come up with anything that it could control. Its only bidirectional. I guess it will remain a mystery. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
We've been lax about posting pics lately. Lots going on getting ready for the winter. Anyway we've been working on the front fenders at class. We stripped the paint off then pounded out the dents so that they are smaller more manageable dents. Next we hit them with some self etching primer and a non sanding epoxy primer by PPG to help keep them from rusting up again. Boy is that stuff expensive. Our instructor swears by it. He said we could use filler over it and also weld through it. that turned out not to be the case as I had to scuff it to fill the fender I was working on and Janelle had to sand it away to weld some pin holes on hers. I can say that I'm not really impressed with it. It seems to flake off easily at the slightest bump. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them. I was thinking that from here on out we'll be using the self etching primer only until we're ready to have it prepped for paint. Here is what they looked like after Janelle stripped one of them of the paint. Both after priming. And here we are working at the school shop. Best looking welder EVER! Here I am doing my best to smooth out the MarGlass I put on.
Here is something that the wife and I have been talking about since or last body shop "class". The instructor has said that a good deal of the body panels will be covered in filler and that we'll be shaping it rather than just filling in the last bits of the dents. He suspects that a good 80% of the truck will have at least a skim coat of filler. The burning question is, how have you all approached that? Whole body coverage or spot filling? I didn't think that the fender I was working on was all that bad. I had found a few low spots and had started to fill them in when he told me what I "should" be doing. I will admit that the part I have covered now looks pretty dang good. I do want it to look good when the paint gets put on it but I am hesitant to continue to cover parts of body panels that I see as not needing to be shaped, contoured or filled. I'll post a few pictures after the next class so you can see better what I am talking about.
Do what makes you happy. I've seen that the professional shops will often put a skim coat on the entire piece - possibly saves time in the long run. But if I did that I would be afraid of leaving too much on.
Yeah. That's where he is coming from. He's got 35+ years in the trade working most recently for one of the best shops in the area. Decisions. Decisions.
it all depends on what you want. do you want a show truck? do you want to sand body panels for 3 weeks? there is 15 different ways to do it, from buyin new stuff to skim coatin the whole truck. me? id put it together and drive it and work in it doin a panel at a time. im an ex-bodyman and sandin gets old after a while. youll find out why it cost 8gs for a good paint job. haha
With winter now firmly entrenched I'm limited to doing research and making lists of parts we'll be needing. I am looking for some input from everyone. If you've ordered aftermarket body panels who have you purchased from? I have catalogs from LMC, Brothers, AMD, Mill Supply and Obsolete Chevy. I'd like to get something made in the US. I didn't see anything that pointed me in that direction though. Another consideration would be how close the part is in fit and thickness. I'd love to have them match the OEM specs. Any guidance would be helpful.
I got a lot of panels from Car and Truck shop, and the firewall and floor from LMC. Classic Parts too. My bed parts came from Mar-k and are made in OK, much nicer quality wise. The other stuff work, but had to be fit, with the floor and firewall being the exception. Overall I am happy with the quality of the parts from all those I listed.
Thanks. I hadn't heard of the Car and Truck shop, my paper catalog request went in today. I'll add it to the others in my growing collection.
Score! I found a pair of OE inner fenders for $100. We are heading to Massachusetts on Saturday to grab them along with a set(brake, clutch and starter) of pedals.
Not a lot going on with the truck recently. We've been too busy working on the house. We're trying to get it all spruced up so that we can sell it and move to someplace warmer. This past winter was way too long and hard. What we did get done on the truck is the fenders and hood were gone over by the kids at the local Vocational School. They are smooth and primed. All for the reasonable price of $0. I also bought the cross member and motor mounts for the 283. I am having some difficulty with finding any info on how to properly position and install the cross member so if anyone can point me in the right direction that would be most appreciated.
To position the motor (and trans) mount crossmember, I like to do it like this: bolt the trans onto the block, put the engine/trans assembly into the chassis and set it so that the water pump fan blades are about 1.5-inches away from the face of the radiator, and centered on the radiator in both axis. Assemble the engine mounts to the engine and crossmember. Then check where the trans shifter comes up through the floor. Make small adjustments until you're happy where it all lines up, make sure that the intake manifold carb base is level to the earth, check it all again and again, and when you're thoroughly satisfied with it all, weld the cross-members into position.
Well, it's a sad day. After much discussion and thinking we've decided to sell the 51. Many factors went into the decision, but it boils down to money, time and limitations of skills. We haven't given up on the idea of owning a classic truck and will keep our eyes open for something else. This has been a learning experience. The biggest thing is that doing a frame off restoration isn't for everyone. I've posted it here in the classifieds if anyone is looking for another project.
Aww man!! Sorry to hear that...did y'all ever move? Well be sure and come back if you change your mind..
Yeah we made the move to South Carolina last November. I'm still going to be kicking around the boards and following what others are doing. Plus there are few better places to find classics for sale.
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