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I purchased a '51 GMC 100 a couple years ago and I'm finally getting around to working on it. I'm getting some great help from this forum so I thought I'd start a project thread showing updates. I originally thought that I'd keep the truck for the occasional cruise around town or to the hardware store but I've managed to get my project list too large and will probably sell this truck when I'm "done". The reason I'm mentioning this is because it helps me decide how much to do to the the truck... get it roadworthy so the next owner can get a better idea of what they're buying (risk) and helps me put a little more in my pocket (I hope).
Thanks, I'm starting to get a little more time available for it lately. I'm going through the fuel system right now, replacing the hose under the tank and cleaning out the old fuel. It started on the fuel that's in the tank but it's old so I cleaned it out. Just got the hose over the weekend so I'll install it tonight. It ran long enough that I was able to engage the clutch a couple times. Looks like that's in good shape too!
Well today was productive! I went to the DMV and registered the truck and then at lunch I put fresh gas in the tank, started it up and drove it around the property. The clutch and brakes work great and the engine started running better as it warmed up. It runs rough, but I want to run it enough to know how it really runs before I start going through my "tune up" check list. More photos coming soon...
Creating a "patina" with the paint. Always wanted to try it and the paint on the truck is pretty lousy. I'm taking the paint off with acetone and a scrub pad and I like the effect. I plan on clear coating it when I'm done to be a little different, we'll see if anyone else likes it when I go to sell the truck. LOL
A little more time spent on the faux-patina. I soften up the paint and scrub it off with a scratch pad then sand it lightly with 180g to take the edges off without making sanding marks. I'll wet sand it with 400g before putting on the clear and see what happens. I started painting the wheels also. I decided to use rattle can paint on the wheels so they can be touched up easier in the future. Went for the brighter red thinking that it will tone down a little bit once it gets a little use but they look pretty dang bright. With the hubcap on it's looking pretty good so I guess we'll see.
One thing I forgot to add was a photo of the bead surface on the wheel(s). I'm sure this has been discussed here in the past but thought I'd include it since it's part of my project. Some old steel wheels will be pitted on the bead surface and tube-less tires have a hard time sealing. These wheels are in pretty decent shape in that regard but I've dealt with others in the past that needed help and I've had really good success running a thin layer of JB Weld along that surface and sanding it down smooth. One car is going on 7-8 years with no issues.
