Wow! Great old "Chevy"! I knew a guy who had one just like it (but different)! All kidding aside, you're going to have something unique. It will be fun to listen to the "experts" at your local car shows try to tell you what it is.
Yeah, I get that a lot already..."you musta got that from farmer Brown, I remember seeing it in his barn years ago..." I tell everybody else it's just an old pickup truck!
OK, it has been a while...but life sorta happened... My wife had surgery on her neck in December, and that put a hold on things through the winter, but I'd rather have my wife fixed than my toy fixed! I have been plugging away for the last few months, but nothing too exciting...I mean, we have all seen how to build brackets, braces and patch panels, so I diddn't want to bore you guys! I have actually put the build into high gear over the last couple of weeks thanks to the guys in the club. There is a show in Portage la Prairie,MB in June this year(yes, a couple of weeks away!), and this year they are not towing me in on a trailer. I thought I was off the hook! They meant I had to drive it! Peer pressure is a bitch, isn't it? So I have completely took things apart(since I know they fit now) and started all the "little" things...like rust repair and bodywork. I have the box and rear fenders finished and in primer, and have most of the windshield frame finished. Also, I think I have figured out how to build a visor.(my wife really wanted one!) I have taken a bunch of pics, but I am on dailup, and it takes a while to download them. (and it's geting late). And if you guys wanna see the "boring" stuff too, I will post them tomorrow! Oh, and Mink...the "A" grille was 20 bucks...it fit the budget!
OK,like I said, I got her stripped down again...and hopefully for the last time! Here is the frame with the Buick V6 all dressed up. The air cleaner lid is a hubcap from a 47 Chevy. I had a step of sorts that I use when I am painting cars(I'm short, so I have a hard time painting roofs!), so I tossed on some casters, and voila...a rolling cart for the body!
I have got 1 coat of primer on the box/rear fenders so it is looking pretty good! There will be wood in the box, but at the front, there is a steel lid to cover up a tool box. Instead of having a handle on the lid, I made a small lever on the pass side to ift the lid a little so I can open it. It is just big enough to hold a scissor jack and a few tools. I diddn't go right across with the box because the fuel tank is in the way, but at least there is easy access now to the fuel level sending unit!
As far as the boring stuff, these are some of the brackets, covers, panels, and stuff that were a pain, but had to be made. (please don't comment on my dirty floor!) This is a patch panel that I am actually proud of on the cowl. It took a while to figure out how to do it, but ended up making it out of 4 seperate pieces.I am no metal master, but I am happy with how it turned out.
Jantrix, my wife is doing a little better everyday...thanks for asking! OK, Photobucket just crashed on me, so I'll have to continue tomorrow...sorry!
OK, so I didn't make the show, but I would rather do it right than have to do it again! I have been plugging away straightening the body, making the doors work properly and getting some primer on it. If there was one thing that I could farm out to someone else, it would be bodywork...it seems like it takes me 20X longer to do that than everyone else! I take my hat off to all you body guys out there! The light at the end of the tunnel may be dim, but i know it is there!
I GOT SOME COLOUR!!! It literally took me 2 weeks to mix up this shade of green. I wanted a soft green that would be easy to whip up again, should the need arise. It went on very light, which scared me a little, but it darkened up after 4 coats and a couple days of curing. I sprayed the back half first, because it will be easier to move the box into the back shed while I finish up the rest. I just got so excited on how it turned out, I had to assemble it...and now you couldn't wipe the grin off of my face with a bat! It's a good thing I started assembly, because I realized I picked up the wrong size stainless bolts for the floor (1 1/4" instead of 2 1/4") Oh well...back to Fastenall... I am pumped now about getting this finished!!
The paint is a one off formula developed by Gene Winfeild and NASA as a high temperature coating on nuclear weapons. OK, honestly, it is rustoleum. 4 parts bright white, 2 parts dark green and one part yellow. I call the colour "flu-snot green". Cost me 60 bucks to whip up 2 gallons. It's cheap, tough and shiny...sort of like me!
Well, i just put in 34 hours in the shop over the weekend, and to the untrained eye, it looks as if I did nothing! What I actually did was finish off the body work...almost. A couplemore hours should do it. The doors fit sooo nice now! They are flush fit, and close with one finger! It would have drove me nuts if I had to slam the doors to shut them. I should be able to paint the cab later this week. I won't post pics right now, cuz it pretty much looks the same!
The Jalopy Journal
