The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk pure foolishness?

hey all. as you make know, i'm one of the younger members of the board at 18, leaving me currently in high school, being a senior.

now, so far, my senior year has been great, with a good year of football, and good classes, etc etc.

but, i want to put the topping on the cake, and thats where my truck comes in.

my ultimate goal is to have it done..or atleast driveable, liscensed, and halfway presentable, by April 29th. that would be the day of Prom.

so, how can i make my time in my currently freezing shop most productive?

my situation right now consists of a 1969 K20, with no bed, no front clip, and a semi solid cab. semi solid meaning patches in place, but needs to be welded more.

currently, its runs, and drives. i have all of the parts...its simply a matter of assembly. well, aside from trying to make a '67 front clip fit on a '69 radiator support.

is this a reasonable time frame to get the truck on the road?

your experiences are an invaluable resource, as i can sort of base my time line off of it, all things going well.

thanks guys!

.sam.

should be no problem,,,,,,,,depends on how hard you work, do you have any helpers and how many,, do you want to farm any work out?... good luck...Fred

Sam,

As joker said it sould be no problem. This is my first truck restoration too but I have done many other big projects. The key is to organize your plan and focus.

I am in the northeast and it gets pretty cold here. I usually work in the garage for a while and bring parts in for work in my basement where it stays above 55 degrees. I find that cleaning parts is best out in the shop but I can do some minor paint and rebuilds in the basement ie: carb rebuilt, starter and generator refit etc.

The key is really to organize your work and stay at it. Don't be moving form one end of the truck to another and back. That is a recipe for delay and disaster. Good Luck

Rich

Hey Sam,you can do it!As Joker said,get some help and Get R Done.Many,Many years ago I took my girl(now my wife of 33 years)to my high school prom in my 1952 Chevy five window two tone green pick up.I told her to sit real close to me cause the pass door had a habit of flying open at any time.Hey it worked(:-

*** I told her to sit real close to me cause the pass door had a habit of flying open at any time.Hey it worked ***

i love it. im gonna have to try that....no wait. im to old.

Sam,

What do you want your truck to look like when done? Perfection will be hard to do by April.

Hauling the GF to prom by then is workable, but, Honestly, unless you work on this thing A LOT, April 29 is going to be tough...

It sounds like if you just put it all back together, you have a lot of stuff in the works that would require taking it all back a part to finish it off.

Finish the weld job and body work on your cab.

Do the body work on the clip and then install the clip.

Do the body work and then put on the bed. In a pinch, you could toss on a flat bed made of wood just for prom. It would cost you...but could be done.

Our winter has been so mild, you can get away without heat in the shop until you start working with body filler and paint. Then you need somewhere warm and toasty. If you decide to spend Friday and Saturday nights working on the truck, you should be able to get a lot done!

Go for it...

thanks alot guys!

i really apprciate the positive responses, they're sometimes hard to come by with the friends and such.

too old.
too rusty.
too 6.

but. the fenders need minimal patching and such. anyone know off-hand a good gauge steel to use for cabrs and such? lol. and as far as the bed..it'll be basically an unbolt from the donor, clean, and prime/paint situation. simple on paper. not in steel.

but, alas. i have been doing alot of work in my basement. well, i've taken some time off since my bondo grinding turned into a dust storm...parental units told me to do it outside. haha. oh well.


but, i'll keep you guys updated as i make more progress. its's come a long ways since its day of almost losing her roof to become a baja-buggy.

well, back to my studies. 3 weighted classes are kicking my butt this term, so, until the books are hit, my 'bolt is cold and lonely. only more incentive to study harder..or..siomething like that.

.later days.
.sam.

hey man, i think that you can do it. if you work hard enough and spend the time. if i were you i would break the work down into a set of projects per week. that is how i have found it works best. figure out how many weeks you have and then divide the work as evenly as you can into the weeks. start with the big stuff so that you can spend the last few weeks fine tunig and tinkering. good luck man.

Put the education ahead of working on the truck. A good education and good work habits will lead to far more time and money for trucks in the years to come.

If you don't mind a rough and unfinished look I don't see why you can't put it back together in time.

Good Luck!

I think it's doable. You might not get the bodywork and paint totally done, but you can get it back together and back on the road with a minimum of muss and fuss if you work fast.

Just don't let those classes slip!

they are right...school first, but i still think that you can do it.

Hey Wise Sam!
I bet you are having the time of your life finishing up school and working on that great old BOLT. So my question to you My young fellowBolter
is this.... What are you planning to do post High School? College? Work?

When I finished High School me and my best friend pooled our money and drove from Texas to California and then to Florida. WE had the best time.

Best of luck

Cliff59

Haste makes waste. In a project like this it can mean expensive mistakes. That being said you may and can do it with the right help. But plan for the worst and you cant be disapointed. Good luck on getting American Iron back into traffic.

Sam,

Hit the books. The steel can wait..Come top think of it though, Senior Year was the best 3 years of my life! (Kidding)

If you get it running, take it "as is" to the prom. Be sure tow hook up both the Pioneer Super Tuner FM/Cassette deck and the ole 8 track. That way you can play all the music you own, not just what you have bought since the cassette stereo's came out.

whoops...senior moment there.

Good luck Sam!

my first prom "vehicle" was a 1949 ford that used more oil than gas, no heater or radio or back seat for that matter. flat head 8 hitting on at least 6 and had to park on a hill so i could roll down it to start. I used "beach" towells to cover up the seats. it was two different shades of blue and rusted out from the passenger door back to the bumper plus it was missing one rear shock and i was using a piece of bailing wire to hold up the piece of pipe that i had fabricated for an exhaust system. we made it to the prom and back (5) miles one way and she never complained. must have been my charming personality.

my first prom "vehicle" was a 1949 ford that used more oil than gas, no heater or radio or back seat for that matter. flat head 8 hitting on at least 6 and had to park on a hill so i could roll down it to start. I used "beach" towells to cover up the seats. it was two different shades of blue and rusted out from the passenger door back to the bumper plus it was missing one rear shock and i was using a piece of bailing wire to hold up the piece of pipe that i had fabricated for an exhaust system. we made it to the prom and back (5) miles one way and she never complained. must have been my charming personality.

I'd recommend doing a worklist table in Word and prioritize each item and add notes as you go along. Budget was a significant drawback in getting my truck passed safety inspection. I need my truck for nursery and tree seed harvesting so I prioritized each item that required fixing before certification. Break hoses before weather stripping, etc. I investigated each item and had 1-3 items on the go at anytime until all items were checked off. Last few items (gas line replacement & reverse lights) were left to a shop to finish up within required time. I had my truck on the road by New Year.

I'm driving the truck and using it as I require but I'm still working on other issues that remain on the work list ie. new Kingpins, weatherstripping, rear shocks, etc.

Good Luck & keep focused (school & truck)

My 2cents, Just wonder with all the hard school work, and everyone telling how to budjet your time on the work projects, Will you still have a girlfriend?

I always had 'crashers' and so did my buds. Any old $200 car we could afford and we naturally spent time trying to keep em going. You can do it. My best suggestion is to make sure you can spend each day doing one thing - small or large depending on your time. Then it will get done. Even if its just welding a seam or sanding it a bit. I did fine in HS and could manage my time.

hey guys, thanks so much for the support. it really means alot to a younger guy, just trying to get it on the road.

i've been trying to do the little bit every night, sorta thing. almost doing it like a "homework assignment", if you will.

and no worries. grades aren't slipping...or, atleast i hope they're not. haha.

i'll be sure to keep you all updated. there are pics of my baby somewhere in this forum...but yeah. hah.

once again, thank you.
your knowledge has been indispensible.

.later days.
.sam.

Here's some advice from a girl - make darn sure your date is going to WANT to go to the prom in your 'bolt. If the floor is nasty (or even dirty), it is going to raise heck with her dress.

Also think about how tall your truck is from the ground - your date does NOT want to be hoisting her gown up to her armpits to climb in. Getting in a truck while wearing any skirt or dress can be tough. If her gown is close-fitting, it will be very difficult if not impossible to get in or out in a lady-like manner. Most young women at Prom don't know how to handle themselves confidently in a formal situation, but they want to try - don't make it any harder.

Prom is one of the first times your date will make a substantial investment in a single-use garmet. Women make a huge deal out of the whole affair, from hair to makeup to shoes (this means her friends, mom, grandmother, neighbors, and aunts will all be involved in some way). As something that is so important to most women, the date sometimes can be forgotten and treated like an accessory (Yes, it stinks - No, it shouldn't happen, but it can).

I am NOT saying you shouldn't drive your truck. It would be really cool if you both want to do it. I am saying that you should discuss it with your date to make sure that the Prom is a good experience for both of you. HAVE FUN!