The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop 54 Chev 'Stabilize' old paint?

Hello all- great board, psyched to be here.

I just got another old chevy, it's been a while. I grew up with the things out west, but have been in NYC for the past 10 years. Now, thanks to ebay, I got a 54 chevy pickup from down in NJ.

I put up some pictures at 54-che

Anyways. My question is this: I really love the way the truck looks right now. I want to keep it looking old and rough and show off its history, but how do I preserve the outside and keep it from dissolving totally?

I need to get the loose paint off, maybe wire brush and light sanding? Followed by a rust stabilizer, followed by a clear coat? Maybe semi-gloss instead of shiny?

Or am I just plum crazy?

The frame, inner bed, inner cab, etc. will all get new paint. After some patching and reworking. The new cab corners and lower outer cowl pieces will also require an 'aesthetic' treatment to match the rest of the truck- but I think I know what i want to do with them.

I just ordered a ton of stuff from chevyduty, patch panels, suspension rebuild, brake rebuild, etc... should keep me busy through the winter.

Thanks,

Quill

Let me fix that URL:

link to truck pics is 54 Chevy pics

Lots of fun!! There are a ton of ways to get that "old" paint finish, but I think you should probally "practice" on some old metal and tinker with different spray outs to see what effects you like.

Get that bad boy running and drivable!!!

Find the November issue of street rodder and check out the pickup they did. Probably more than what you want to get into, but its cool, check it out and maybe get some ideas....Dale

My god man, I just looked at your pictures. That truck has patina alright. Are you sure you want to fix this one up? It must be easier to start with one a little less far gone.

I know I am spoiled but I don't think they make patch panels big enough for those holes.

It is a rare automatic and if it runs maybe a nice new cab and fenders etc would help. A nice parts truck maybe?

I know it can be done but that looks like a lotta work. Good luck with what you decide.

ya i would take the drive train out and find a different frame and cab and start OVER if you want it to look good some time down the road thats what you should do and i bet a few people agre

The truck looks way worse than it actually is. It's just really really ugly.

I got the front end all apart (the sheetmetal anyway). Wirebrushing up a storm. Good fun.

I'll put up some more pictures soon.

-Q

The biggest problem I see is the damage to the floor where the back of the cab is supposed to be attached. I doubt there are patchpanels for that.

Anything can be fixed and if you can weld you can do it.

If you are thinking of removing the cab you will have to really stabilize it. It might just fold up otherwise. I would probably patch the cab completely even before removing it.

That first picture that comes up of the front end has alot of artistic value!!!

Quill, don't let these guys scare ya. You got some good metal under those scabs, but it's going to take some serious effort to keep it alive. There's rust everywhere, which I find more worrying than if it only had holes in the cab corners. It's going to die of cancer if you don't completely disassemble it and get rid of every trace of rust you can find. Most of the sheetmetal will have rough "scars" from the rust, but you can fill that in or leave it ugly. If you want it to look weathered, don't pull any dents out, don't use any body filler, and use a rattlecan or a brush to paint it. The important thing is to get the rust off before any more of that truck disappears.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing. I've had my share of rusty cars! The key seems to be to get all the scale off, get it clean, and seal it tight with corroless. That worked pretty good on the datsun, anyway. It continued to rot where I couldn't get at both sides- so yeah, disassembly is key. Thankfully these trucks are darn easy to disassemble!

And it's true that there's lots more cabs and fenders and beds out there, but this is the one that's here in the shop. And it's also true that there are trucks that look new, but that ain't the goal here. In fact, the funkier it looks, the happier I'll be.

I can weld.

And a patch panel for the back of the cab? How 'bout some aluminum road sign? Not that I'd steal a road sign or nuthin' but you get the idea.

Now, if I could just quit my darn job and work on this fulltime, that would be fun...

You can weld aluminum to sheetmetal?

The surface rust worries me the least. It is the structural problems with the cab. You will have fun. Keep us posted.