The Stovebolt Site Forums Project Journals Project Journals 1955.1 Chevy 3600 - 5 window frame off

If it’s hard to do then it’s the right thing to do.

Looks like you are making great progress!

The cab is ready for epoxy primer. 4 rusty lower cab corners replaced, floor replaced, kick panels too. Removed and repaired rusted belt line. In order to repair the hidden belt line the back window inner panel had to be removed. It too needed repair and replaced the bottom lip of that inner panel. Did the hammer and dolly work on the back wall most of which was above and below the back window and some dents on the roof above the front window. Did some metal shrinking, I used the 9" shrinking disk and to my surprise I found a way to shrink metal Well worth the $70.00 dollars. My next step is a bath. Remove the cab from the rotisserie and move the rotisserie outdoors, remount the cab and wash the cab. Which brings me to my next step. Washing. I have searched this next step, washing bare metal, and I am no closer to moving forward to the bath then I was 2 days ago when I began this search. No search revealed bathing the entire cab, just panels one a time with a wax and grease remover. It is a large task to take on and I could use some help to understanding the dos and don'ts. Specifically what cleaning product is fundamental and cost effective. In other words, can I use soap and the garden hose? I would use the leaf blower and compressed air plus towels to remove all the water every where.

The drivers door had multiple issues. Gaps were small and large. There was a big difference in the bottom latch side of the door. To solve the gap problems wasn’t that hard. I removed the edge of the door to in large the gap and added weld to the doors edge to widen the door. Now to the issue with the bottom of the door. The door apparently was twisted or was it. The picture shows the 1/4” gap at the bottom of the door. My first attempt was to force the door with ratchet straps and blocks in strategic positions to tweak the door into alignment to the latch post. The door did not cooperate. So I cut the hinge post. See the picture to see were I cut the post. After I removed enough material I welded the post.

It rained last night. Knocked down the pollen. It's time to prime. Temperature in the shed is 58 degrees and the humidity is at 70% in the shed. Went and got the small propane heater so I could lower the humidity. It also raised the temperature so I waited till after lunch I figured the temperature would come down a bit being it was 60 outside. So I waited until the inside of the shed was at 68 degrees and the humidity was at 50 %. We don't get to many chances in late spring here in Maryland. The heat and humidity come on fast. So I made today the day Ito epoxy the cab. Its kind of strange really, I have spent a lot of time with the cab. I know priming is just the beginning and there a lot of hard work in front of me but I cant help but feel lonely. I am happy to show some pictures. Take look.

Priming the cab is a hugh milestone. Next thing you know it will be driving down the road!

10/4 on that WICruiser I began stripping the doors today.

I did get the cab to primer and I began to block sand. After a while, months later, I primed for the last time. Here are some pictures of the primed cab and some pictures of the Lizzard Skin I put under the floor and the back wall.

Love the super attention to detail and finish work.

Your paint job is going to be awesome!

I’m assembling all things before I disassemble all things. Just to make sure all things fit. Since my last post I have been working on the cab, got it to primer. The interior has been fitted with carpet and seat. I was able to find a 410 ring and pinion got that swapped out. Engine has been ready. Here are some pictures.

Did you paint your carburetor?

It has been over 2 1/2 years since my last post. I have never stopped working on the truck. When I posted last back mid 2023 I had just finished applying epoxy and hi build to the cab. The flat black hi build look is why I choose Dead Rat Black single stage. Applied Lizzard skin to the underside of the floor and on the inside of the fire wall, the back wall and under the dash. Next, door glass, carpet, seat, steering, pedals, shifter, E-brake, gauges, gauges are in original working order. I finished the interior except for the windshield and back glass. All the electric is done but the rear tail lite. The truck starts and stops, horn and lights work. Stirring box works light new. Shift great. You get the idea. So lets move to right now in real time. BED, Got the panels striped. Began hammer and dolly, my first filler coat. Sanded and filled a couple more times. Sprayed my epoxy and hi build. Block sanded and stopped for Christmas.

Welcome back! I moved your Journal back into the active ‘Project Journals” forum. Great progress and looking forward to your next post!

Looking good, it is great to see that you are continuing to move forward.

Just finished the bed walls and tailgate.

When the weather breaks I will back her out and take some pictures. The bed is assembled and the fenders are on. Next are the running boards and filler panels. Aligning the boards to the fenders took awhile. Removed the reinforcement plated at each end of the boards cleaned the rust out applied some stove black paint and made 2 new plates for both boards to be installed. The boards will not be painted because of the abuse that the boards will go through. On the top side will be Lizzard Skin and the bottom is a rubberized under coating. You can see in the 4th picture how much bondo the previous owner applied to the running board. One last thing, I threw in a picture of me prepping the chrome bumper for paint.

I'm curious what your procedure is to prep the chrome bumper for paint. I need to do the same to my rear bumper.

Just sanding a chrome bumper to paint it is probably going to guarantee that it'll rust in the typical rust pits that chrome gets. If I were to paint a previously chromed bumper, I'd soak it in rust removal (like evaporust) then sandblast. It would be best to grind ALL the chrome off, as the rust also creeps underneath. I had a previously painted front bumper powder coated, and when I asked the coater about it, he asked if it had been chromed previously. I'm thinking he would have bumped up the price to strip the chrome off. I used a "chrome-like" color and it looks OK, but not truly like chrome. I also have some chrome vinyl wrap that I may experiment with.

Running boards do take a beating. I used bedliner on mine.

Sand the bumper with a DA and 36 grit. Sand blast the bumper and then apply epoxy and then apply paint.

The bumper and tail light are done. Running boards are done. I used Lizzard Skin, durable and anti slip. Got my tags today. The moment I dreamed of 7 years and 7 months ago. The windshield and the three back glass need to be done and then the bed floor.

I'm curious why you decided to install your rear bumper upside down.

Your tag would still be visible with it right side up. It just needs to be moved up a little higher.