The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Should you make it look better than the factory did?

Obviously this is personal preference, but working on the door of the 48 2 ton made me wonder.

The doors are straight and rust free. A little sun burn and some surface scratches.

Getting them ready for paint I noticed some shallow creases near the front edge of the edge of the door. They were made when the door skin was originally installed. You couldn't see them in the oxidized pain, but when sanding you can feel them. With hi gloss paint, standing in the right spot, you could notice them.

Also noticed some of the spot welds on the inside door panel and around the door frame were made too deep razing a sharp ring around them.

Do you start skim coating an otherwise good door to remove factory tooling marks? Or, it was good enough for the factory......

Opinions?

That's completely your decision, I think. Some restored trucks look "too smooth" to me, but if the owner likes it that way who am I to say it's wrong?

Are you building for selling, or enjoying? I've pondered the paint and body question numerous times. And I'm by no means a pro at either. Right now, my 52 sits in flat black primer. Love the stuff! While I'm working on it, I don't ever worry about scratching anything up. Even if I do, hit it with the primer again. I have hopes of maybe a satin finish one day, but glossy will make me think twice about driving and enjoying it.

It's all about you Jim. I think the answer lies in what your plans are.

If you are going to leave the truck nearly all stock leaving the body in its OEM state would be logical.

If you are updating drive train, braking, etc. and want the truck to also reflect an upgraded body, then have at it.

At least that's my 2 cents. IMHO it's all good.

John

I agree with these guys thoughts. Mine has 3 different colors including 2 shades of green and enough rattle can spray paint to make it an ozone hazard. But, it's my truck.

Do what you like.

I leave mine Au Naturel (spot welds and tool marks) - as they looked when GM sent them out the factory.

I know how you feel. I am contemplating going to the trouble of heating and dimpling the replacement outer cowl to create fake spotwelds at the hinge pillar. Or just leave them smooth.
Carl

Jim,

If factory production is what you are looking to achieve, then I would suggest you leave the tooling marks. It is easy to begin over-restoring if you are not careful. I think the die marks and spot welds add to the character and story of the vehicle.

Paul

My take on things: If you are going for 100 point show quality restoration, you need to leave things as the factory did them originally. However, any other purpose and do what you personally like. For me, I did a combination of both approaches. For instances on the tailgate: I left the spots welds visible from the outside, but got rid of them on the inside. I filled the spot welds on the top of the bedsides (at stake pockets). Same for inside skin of doors (where spacer was spot welded to interior door skin) and generally smoothed the door jambs. I also deleted the rivets at the rear fender braces.

It all personal preference, but I knew I was not going for a 100 point perfect restoration as I did my own painting and the simple fact is that I am good, but not that good.

Thanks for the comments, just wanted to see what some of you were thinking.

It's modified so it isn't going to a show as an antique, probably won't ever be at a local car club show either.

I will grind down some of the spot welds, some are actually bad enough to cut your self on, and fill the ones on the inside door panel. Going to a little higher level on the interior because of the custom leather.

The thing I am seeing (and maybe I am all wrong) is that as the generations progress, times change, the kids are now the parents, and they fantasize about these trucks more because they weren't actually there. What would a fantasy version of this vintage look like? Spot welds? Hello? So... not that I agree with it, but I feel that even at the most coveted show on earth, the cleanest, well done job will win. This would be a mismatch of factory vs what they expect from TODAYs factory.

I am hearing that at Pebble Beach, the judges are considering taking points off for using high tech Urethane. Your head would spin if you were trying to please everyone. Part of the coolness of all this is the PERSONAL presentation. What you do, without the opinions of others, makes your truck really yours. Be a man, stand up, do what your heart tells you to do, and accept the reward, consequences, whatever. If those spotwelds bug you. Fixem!

Around here, local show "judges' (loosely termed) show a bias against strictly restored to as-built condition. It is not intentional. It stems from their lack of knowledge of the vehicles which they are judging. If some of them do recognize a restored as-built vehicle, they have no idea about the extra effort it takes to create one compared to building a modified vehicle, and favor the snazzy custom. Meanwhile the crowds of people coming to the show, spend more time ogling the old as-built vehicles and ask a million questions about them.

I do antique mechanical restorations, mostly tractors and farm equipment, so the truck is an anomaly. Yes, it was a farm truck and it is going to be used to carry tractors, buy it is modified and customized.

Anyway, I do find a lot of clients have an idealized vision of Grandpa's tractor. They want all original parts, accessories and equipment, but then want the "fit and finish" of a Lexus. Those get all the ooh's and ahhh's at the local fair.

Jim, that is a pretty doggone good way to put it. Mmmmm, maybe there is a tat bit of me in that phrase too.

We're only caretakers for the short time that we are on earth, please yourself.

My two cents. When I started on my truck I refinished it to the best of MY ability. Not a lineman working to bust rump to keep up with the demands from the factory 60 years ago. I imagine those workers and for that matter I know I appreciate the extra hours to make the fit and finish of truck look as nice as I am able. "period correct" or not.

A truck, or for that matter any classic vehicle is ultimately a reflection of it's owner's personality in purest form. Whether you like it or not. We all want and try to do the right thing and there's usually a gut feeling that it's either right or wrong despite what others say or advise, a kind of balancing act which never ends. Patience. Probably best tool in the draw.
Deep huh. Someone get me sweet coffee.