Well, it took me a little longer than I expected, but I got the A-arms, trailing arms, springs, and axle crossmember painted with POR-15. I have some black chassis paint that I bought at NAPA that I will put over it for UV protection. It went very well, except for the first coat on the inside of the axle crossmember. I wasn't planning ahead, and painted the outside first, and then got paint all over my arm trying to paint the inside.
Oh well, It's mostly gone now. We discovered some asphalt and tar remover that actually took it off pretty well, with a lot of scrubbing, as long as the POR was still tacky. It turned out alright though, and I am pleased with the outcome. I am going to use it on my frame and axle as well. Before I paint the frame, I am going to weld some patches on the cab mount brackets. I made them by taking some steel plate and marking out the holes for the cab mounting bolts, and then drilling around the perimeter of the holes with a 1/4" bit. I knocked out the centers and finishing them with a half-round file. I got the dimensions from a set of plans I found on the internet and measuring the intact mounts on my spare frame.
I think, after a long slump, things are finally moving again!
After I get the frame and suspension reassembled, I am going to reinstall the drive train. I plan on painting the engine (Instead of red, though, I think I will paint it the blue that the original engine would have been painted), and breaking into the transmission, just to check for any excessive wear and to replace anything perishable. I was thinking I would reinstall the radiator and core support, exhaust system, brake lines, and tail light wiring before I start working on the body. I may even run the engine. I would like to clean out the crud under the valve cover, if I can figure out a way to do that without a full tear-down. One thing I noticed was that I have a very odd oil fill cap. It's basically just a rubber plug, but all the ones that I can think of that I have seen are the metal, vented type. I need to replace it, the rubber is dried out, making it loose in the hole. I have not seen this style of fill cap for sale anywhere, and I like the vented style better anyway, so I'll probably install one of these, unless there is something special about my engine that prevents me from using one. I'll be looking into that. I am also starting to think about the wiring harness. The one I have now is a mix of the butchered and deteriorating original harness, and jury-rigged additions and modifications (I swear the headlights are wired with an old electrical cord!). I think I will replace the whole thing, but I am unsure what supplier to use. I am also unsure what supplier to use for the exhaust. I noticed that NAPA has the complete system for a reasonable price, but I am not sure how well it would fit. If any one has ever replaced any of this, I would appreciate any advice.
After I finish the chassis, I believe I will start with the bed, instead of the cab, as the body work will be easier and good practice for the cab and front sheet metal. one of the few modifications I would like to do to the truck is add a side mounted spare tire. I haven't decided yet whether to buy a fender with a cutout, or fabricate my own cutout, or just fabricate my own mount and forget about the fender cutout altogether (I have checked the dimensions with my current tires, and they will fit between the fender and the cab). My first choice would be to buy a fender, since the one I have now is pretty beat up (but not irrepairable), but they do seem to be expensive, so I guess I'll keep my eye out, and cross that bridge when I come to it. I did found out this week that there is a difference between fenders for an 8-ft and 6 1/2-ft beds, which I did not realize. Good to know. I am somewhat surprised that no one seems to make kit to install a cutout on a regular fender. It doesn't seem like it would be all that hard to do, but maybe I am underestimating the difficulty.
Anyway, that's my update for now, I'll try to be better about posting more often. I hope to get the patches welded on this week and get a coat or two of POR on during the brief warm spell that's coming through.
