51 Ford pickup

[wfo guy]

I worked on wiring today. About 80% of the firewall forward has been modified. The lights are hanging loose still. The master fuse panel and the relay module will be attached to the inner fenders after the front is installed. I removed the rest of the door lock and anti-theft from the rear harness. It's hung with adel clamps. Tomorrow I work under the dash and try to run everything through the firewall. I don't know if 1 day will be enough to do that.

[Gojeep]

Must be getting hard to find a spot to mount everything under the hood now.

[wfo guy]

The master fuse panel will be on the left inner fender close to the radiator and the control relay box will be on the right inner fender not to far from the firewall. Ac and heater hose plumbing is left and the cruise control module needs to be mounted. I think I'm going to be better than I expected. :) I will relocate the air filter but I don't have that planned out yet. After the front end is on, space will probably make that decision.

[wfo guy]

I decided to run the harness through the trans cover. I spent enough time filling holes on the firewall that I don't want to put any back unless it's absolutely necessary. The ecu is mounted on the right side firewall. I left enough clearance in the bracket to put insulation next to the firewall. The inside fuse panel will need a bracket to hold it under the dash on the left side. The coiled up wire in the middle is extra circuits from the maxi fuses and relays to be used with the ac and stereo. The wipers will be run from the inside fuse panel. It's the middle of the afternoon and I quit. I'm brain tired. :) Once the wiring is in the best place to work around the evaporator, I'll build a cover to seal all the wiring off from the engine bay.

[Gojeep]

Not surprised you are brain tired after dealing with all that coloured spaghetti!

[wfo guy]

This surely won't surprise some of you. I have redone the radiator hoses for the new engine so there isn't restrictions. I let it run long enough to find out that I have a problem with the cooling fan coming on and the speedo and the tach have problems. After doing some research, I see that it is common for a Mustang cluster to have a double speed tach and a speedo that shows nothing. The fan may not be related to the rest of the panel but I quit before investigating that. Aftermarket gauges are starting to look better. :) The Mustang donor hasn't proved to be as useful as anticipated.

[wfo guy]

This evening I installed the COP harness and removed the coil pack units. I noticed the right rear wheel had runout. I removed the wheel and found a bent axle. I never thought to check the axles while rebuilding the rear. Old parts are interesting. :)

[wfo guy]

I had 2 gas filler necks, one from the mustang and one from a 83 tbird that was a donor for a 53 chevy pickup years ago. The bends on the tbird one suited my goal better. It had the rubber hose inside as Frank had posted a pic of. I cut a few degrees out of a bend and connected it with gas hose. I now have a hole in the rear fender so I can put fuel in without removing a fender. :) I'm pretty sure I cut a part of the mustang's quarter panel out to have the recess for the filler door. I haven't found it yet. I drilled the left side of the intake for the second coolant sensor. After doing some research, I wasn't confident that the one in the block in the new engine would replicate the readings necessary to run everything needed for the ecu. I started working on the bed floor before I quit. At least it's not cold now.

[wfo guy]

Here's a pic of the bed floor without the filler strips. I took a short drive. :)
https://youtu.be/1BEnZP_QIEw

[wfo guy]

Today the wiring for all the lights on the rear was finished. I made 32" extensions to run the harness' out to the fenders. The wiring for the wipers is completed. I couldn't make the turn signal control run both speeds on the wipers. The broken electronic control is what makes the factory wipers have 2 speeds and the interval wiper functions. It was high or nothing so I used the switch that came with the Newport kit. I had to make some connectors for the backup switch on the trans. The new axle is installed in the rear. I'm going to let it sit over night before I fill the rear.

[wfo guy]

I'm done with the bed floor until the decision on how to finish it is made. I'm not thrilled with the battery access panel but I haven't had a better idea. It is split under the unpainted divider strip. I wanted to be able to remove the battery with out removing the strip but I didn't want the strip to be multi piece. I filled the rear end up and gave it a test spin. The axle run out is gone. I put the old axle in the lathe and checked it. .018 run out. I'll probably cut the flange off and use it for a punch or pry bar. I'm taking a break but I'm not sure I'm going back to work. :)

[wfo guy]

I had a short conversation with the Vintage Air tech department today. After talking to him, I ordered a new ac compressor. I was planning on using the compressor from the Mustang. For those of you that have followed this thread, you know my used parts success % is pretty low. Rather than take a chance and loose all the new parts, I ordered the pump. Just a little more money. :)

[brawls43]

Yeah, I thought about piecing together an AC system, but I'm leaning towards just doing an Vintage Air kit. Keep everything matched and good parts, vs questionable used parts.

[Crestronwizard]

Coming along nicely :)

[wfo guy]

The new compressor was installed today. I spent hours trouble shooting the factory relay module that runs the ecu, fuel pump, two speed fan and the ac. I have narrowed it down to ecu or the project devil is hurting me. :) I had to order spring lock fittings for the compressor. I thought the local shop had them. Miscommunication between them and me.

[wfo guy]

Today I have the horn mounted and wired. When I removed the anti theft, I broke the circuit. I now have inside door handles. I used the Mustang hardware. I will have to make some surrounds to cover up the mechanism. The handles will get painted flat black when the interior gets finished. I cut off the coil pack mount of the left side of the engine. I kept the part that mounts the power steering reservoir.

[wfo guy]

I'm taking a break. I've been bent over sideways for a little too long. :) Light switch is mounted. Fuse panel is hung. Progress on the rest of the inside harness. All the coiled wires are extra feeds that I believe I will need to finish the ac, stereo, windows, dome light, and whatever else I have forgot.

[wfo guy]

Towards the end of yesterday, I started working on headlight wiring. The mustang had been messed with some and I was converting to halogen sealed beams to retain the look of the 49 front end I'm using. I didn't end up with the desired results. This evening I disassembled the steering column. My multi function switch might be referred to as no function. I ordered a new one. One more mustang failure. :)

[Gojeep]

You have not done well at all with the donor!
Guess that is always a problem with a high mileage one. I bought mine as an insurance wreak and was only a year old at the time with low mileage.

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, you are correct. Today we have some ac hoses. We also have the engine cooling fan operating. The pic will show that space was a problem. If I would have had tubing of the correct sizes, I would have relocated the compressor outlets. It still would have been close.

[wfo guy]

The last part of the cooling fan circuit was solved tonight. I wanted to have a manual override to turn on the fan for "parade mode" as it has been referred to. That circuit has been isolated and test connected with the desired results. I hope this isn't the only accomplishment for the upcoming weekend. :)

[wfo guy]

I loomed up the headlight wiring, removed the coil pack to cop connectors and replaced them with weatherpak. The underhood wiring is as good as it will be unless I decide it needs to be dressed up somehow. I have the evaporator connected to the compressor pulling vacuum checking my manifold mod for leaks. So far, so good.

[wfo guy]

This is today's task. I'm pretty sure these mustang parts are going to work. :) I'm thinking about welding small rod around the openings to give it a finished look. I'm thinking of using some black rubber in between the metal and the lenses for an interface. This will provide tail, turn, stop and backup lights.

[Gojeep]

Glad some part of it worked right first go. ;)

[wfo guy]

Today the tail lights were finished up. I put the front end on but it needs work. This is a 3/4 ton fender unit. The openings are larger than 1/2 ton. One fender appears to be longer than the other. I'm going to need to do more measuring to be sure of what's not correct. The air filter is going to be relocated but I haven't thought about it's destination yet. I put my tag on and drove it to the gas station and put a few gallons in. I modified the original front marker lights for a 2 filament bulb. The old gaskets for the cover fell out in pieces. I'm about to get enough of a list of oem parts to place what could be the last order. :)

[Motown 454]

It looks great out in the sun shine!

[wfo guy]

Those of you with a good sense of humor will enjoy this. The reason the headlights don't work is (insert drum roll) the mustang switch is defective. Chalk up another one for the donor. I hope organ donors do better than this. :) I don't remember having to replace a light switch my whole life. I purchased the Ford EVM manual last week. It arrived today. I was unaware that there were separate manuals available. Had I known this was available, I would have purchased one early on in the wiring process. $24 is going to look like one of the best expenses on the project. I still have the front turn signals to make operational and all the original wiring will be complete.

[wfo guy]

self explanatory.

[Gojeep]

Cool.

[wfo guy]

One of the pics is where I mounted the cruise control module. If anybody knows if this is a bad place, I'd like to hear about it. I put the hood on so I can drive it. The hood is warped and the hinges haven't been rebuilt yet so there is lots more work. I put about 5 miles on it this evening. My machine shop owner friend and I went for the ride. This goes around corners without body lean and it stops well. He's ridden in my 32. He said, this isn't as powerful but everything else is way different. :) Tomorrow, back to work.

[Gojeep]

Really getting a picture of how it will look now.

[Dave B]

Looks awesome!

[wfo guy]

I worked all weekend but you can hardly tell it. :) Saturday I spent hours working on a 51 hood that I bought that came from a field. I welded up the cracks around the lower flange and the rear of it. Some of the hood hinge fasteners have froze up and ripped the fasteners loose from the support brackets. I will deal with that later. I relocated the air filter and inlet tube to alleviate the space problems on the right side of the engine bay. I don't have the correct hose and elbows to finish it yet. I messed with front end alignment some. I'm going to make some tools as per a thread I found that looks like the answer for those of us without a good front end shop nearby. I've also been driving it. It's going to be fun. :)

[wfo guy]

I just came from the scales. The truck has a half tank of fuel. Here's the rest of what is missing:
running boards-42
running board supports-10
ac-heater-18
stereo ,amp, speakers-20
more sound deadener-14
Low e insulation-2
misc. bolts and wire-10
Finish interior with abs and rubber mat or dynadeck for the floor-?
The truck weighted 3080 lbs.
The known items-116 lbs.
total-3196 lbs.
I suppose that a person could add another 100 lbs with finishing the interior and paint. I'm also guessing the rust thats left in the fenders is an equivalent to good metal. :) It's 300 lbs. lighter than my original estimate. :)

[wfo guy]

Taking a break. I installed tail pipe hangers today. The bracket is nutserted into the crossmember for a 3/8" bolt and the rod is welded to the pipe. I didn't set the fuel tank on fire. :) I have the ac lines finished and the heater hoses run but not connected to the engine. All this has to come back out to allow the installation of sound deadener and insulation on the firewall. I installed sound deadener in the doors today also.

[wfo guy]

Today I made one more seat bracket. I shot some paint on all of them. I spent hours installing sound deadener on the floor and firewall. The next item is insulation on the firewall and the wiring back in place for the last time. I ran out of energy before getting that done.

[ONDSKAN]

looking good man!

[Gojeep]

What is the accelerator like to use as looks quite high in that last shot?

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, I run it with the ball of my foot. It is higher than a passenger car but I don't have to raise my foot off the floor and I don't have big feet. :)

[wfo guy]

I put insulation on the firewall, back of the cab and under the seats. I ran out of material, again. :) The firewall is patchwork appearing. It has 2 layers on most of it. I can't install a large area by myself around objects before the contact glue takes a set. I can now install the wiring, ac-heater and the rest of the dash items for what should be the last last time. :)

[wfo guy]

Making a little bit more progress.

[wfo guy]

The ac and heater are operational now. The pic I posted shows 35 degree air coming out of the center vent. I had just enough black abs plastic left to do the rear of the cab behind the seats. I shouldn't have to remove them after this go-round again.

[Gojeep]

What did you use to fix the ABS sheeting to the cab wall? Also do you need to heat it to bend it around the corners?

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, this is the 1/16" thick material. It is screwed to the braces that run horizontally on the back of the cab. That made this very simple. I use 2 heat guns when making more complex shapes with this stuff. I use 1/8" for flat rigid areas. You can use abs pipe glue to glue parts together. If you want low maint. washable interior panels, this is a good choice.

[wfo guy]

Taking a break. Kick panels have been cut and fitted. Former radio hole in dash is now useful. The Mustang clock, cooling fan override, wipers and the window switches have a new home. :)

[wfo guy]

I have the insulation on most of the floor and roof of the cab, now. The area around the 2 harness openings is what's left.

[wfo guy]

On the list of fun and games for today, I started out with shimming a right side door hinge. The flat head bolts had already rusted up! I lived through that and the door is aligned better. I worked on the hood some so it will open without hitting the cowl vent. The new hood latch is only partially finished. The hood release cable has been run and fastened. The window wiring has been run and power run to it. It isn't completely finished but there isn't alot left. The front speakers are mounted in the kick panels. The seat belts are mounted. I hope tomorrow is more productive. :)

[Motown 454]

That ABS looks good in there, I like the way its coming out. Nice job.

[Rhine]

X2 on that. At first I wasn't a very big fan of the ABS, but now i have come around after seeing the other panels. It looks simple and clean. I love this project!

[wfo guy]

I quit mid afternoon today. The brain was tired. The speakers are mounted at 4 corners. The amp is wired. The tan console has been turned black and a bracket made to install it. The rear speaker mounts and the console are nutserted. I decided to run new wiring to the front speakers so the kick panels will have to come out again. I bolted everything back up and it went outside. I cleaned the garage up some and went for a ride. I went 18 miles and didn't have to walk or call the fire department. :)

[Motown 454]

"I went 18 miles and didn't have to walk or call the fire department"

That's always a good sign! Nice work.

[wfo guy]

Taking a break, today I have run the wiring for the dc plug in the console, the wiring to the dome light and installed both door jamb switches, and finished the new wiring to the front speakers. Last night I started building a panel to hold the stereo unit in the glove box. I'm embarrassed at how long that took. It's as finished as it will be for a long time. The metal has some of the black abs plastic covering the bracket as much as possible. The hinges are tall and wide so there's ugly cutouts. Good thing is that the glove box will be closed most of the time. The stereo has a remote but I don't know if it will operate with the door closed or not. I had to get 2 90 degree elbows to run the ac drain back into the wiring cutout on the trans tunnel. All the wiring to the back of the cab is finished unless I build a power operated bed cover. There is a rocker switch in the console that would work well for that. I'm about to remove the seats again to install floor mat and fab a headliner. I want to do the headliner in one piece and that may not be within my skill level.

[wfo guy]

The pic of the box is 2/3's of the wire I removed from the Mustang harness. The next is ready for tomorrow. :)

[Gojeep]

Good to see you are still going on with completing the project. To often I see people give up once it is running and just drive it around like that for years!

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, once the interior and all mechanicals are completed, progress will slow up. I will do body work as time allows this summer. I have some small projects that have been pushed back while this has been worked on. I do enjoy driving it. :)

[wfo guy]

Break time again.

[wfo guy]

Back together and back outside again.

[wfo guy]

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a cable operated hood latch. I purchased a cheap autoloc unit because of space problems. I'd be very selective on what I would use this on but it's satisfactory for something that doesn't incur large amounts of lift on the hood.

[wfo guy]

I worked on the efi system today. I had a cel so I started doing diagnostics. After eliminating the most obvious that checked to be within the operating voltage ranges, I ended up swapping out the injectors. I have 3 sets of 19 lb. units. I have a set from an explorer that had about 70,000 miles on them. I removed the egr valve that had been disabled. I put a plate on to make sure there wasn't a vacuum leak. I've driven through several heat cycles. No light, yet. I'm not positive that it's all correct but I'm gaining.

[wfo guy]

I think I'm about 30 hours from being finished on the abs for the headliner. :)

[wfo guy]

This is the stopping point until I get more velcro. When it arrives, there will be more trimming. I'm searching for the dome light to go on the original mount and look like it belongs there.

[Gojeep]

Looks like it will be easy to look after too.

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, I used this on the 32 also. I'm one of those that runs down the highway with the windows down. Cleaning splattered bugs from this is simple. :)

[Motown 454]

It looks great nice job.

[wfo guy]

I wasn't satisfied with all the numbers from the scanner in live feed on the efi. I replaced all the sensors and now the numbers look better. I don't know that I have everything 100% but I'm optimistic. The velcro I ordered arrived and the headliner is stuck down in the loose areas. I installed weather stripping under the bed floor panels. I'm expecting no rattles when I finish. I painted the 2 panels from the bed floor and the shift lever this afternoon. The 2 divider strips for the floor are left. I didn't think I had enough time to prep them before it got too cool to paint. The weather forecast says that I shouldn't have to worry about that after tomorrow. Smile

[Motown 454]

Glad to hear it was just sensors and its all set.

[wfo guy]

In the spirit of spending too much time to do something, I used a leftover 7075 t6 motorplate from the top fuel car to make a mounting ring for a shifter boot. This is 1/4" alum that I machined in the lathe to the desired outer and inner dimensions. I put it in the mill and used a radius cutter to profile the inner and outer edges. I bored and countersunk the mounting holes. I dug out the sewing machine that hasn't been used for months and tried to remember how to use it. :) I used some left over black vinyl for the boot. I went out to make a video of driving it. It was too shaky so I went out to do better. The fabulous mustang donor bit me again. I now need an alternator. :)

[Gojeep]

The donor curse strikes again!

[wfo guy]

When i started this, I was unaware that the donor was cursed. :)

[wfo guy]

The new alternator is on and I have 14.5 volts steady. The check engine light came on after driving around for about 15 minutes. I'm down to the last item to check. Fuel pressure. Holy cow! I have 70 and it should be 40. New regulator is about to be ordered. That will surely be the last time. :)

[Gojeep]

Lets hope that is the end of it.

[wfo guy]

The first pic is of a flare union in the return line. I found an area where a bend had collapsed for some reason around the center crossmember. I removed that and spliced in some replacement tubing. That lowered the fuel pressure to 48 lbs. I got to measuring the unions and found that they were smaller than the id of the line which is 3/16". I bored each union on the lathe to 3/16". Then the gasket on the schrader end of my fuel gauge came apart so I don't know if I'm where I need to be yet. The bed strips are painted and in. Foot prints are free. :)

[wfo guy]

This morning the brain engaged and I decided that the o-ring kit I have was the answer to the fuel pressure gauge. When I got home, I found an o-ring that was close to the size of the Schrader valve and tried it. Success! The fuel pressure problem has been fixed. I still have something going on but I haven't come to a conclusion as to what is causing it yet. I'll try not to be boring until I have the answer at which time I will post it. Note that I'm positive that I will find it. :)

[wfo guy]

What I thought was a piece of hose in the fuel return line near the tank with factory connectors turned out to be a piece of plastic hose with rubber sleeve. It was kinked at both ends. I now have the correct fuel pressure and believe I have solved all the efi troubles. :)

[Motown 454]

glad you found it. That's different

[Gojeep]

That would be great of it the last of the efi problems. :)

[wfo guy]

Short video. Window down, I'm operating the camera while driving. The last of it is hands free on the wheel.
https://youtu.be/Xq2KETfvlWM

[Gojeep]

Must start feeling all the effort has been worth while. :)

[wfo guy]

I realized if I didn't quit driving it that it would never get finished. :)
This morning I got started early. I'm sure someone appreciated the noise. :) I spent 5 hours doing hammer and dolly work. I'm not good enough to make it good but now the plastic will be thin. I rolled the openings for the tail lights and fuel filler hole. I blasted them one more time and hit it with the da. I'm ready to weld in the panels where the running boards bolt on and then it's time for bondo.

[Motown 454]

Nice job on the light and fuel opening they look good. The motor sounds good in the video.

[wfo guy]

2 more rust panels installed. I'm tired of rust!

[wfo guy]

Threw them in the vat one more time and epoxy primed. Body work is next. There's not a straight place on either fender.

[Gojeep]

Getting there though which is the main thing. I been removing small dents and creases from panels the last few weeks too to get them to a metal finished state if possible.

[wfo guy]

I don't think I would ever get to metal finish with the skills I have right now. I don't have something like a shrinker disk. There are a lot of stretched areas.

[Motown 454]

I'd be screwed I can't do a flat panel, which is what a round panel looks like when I'm done with it.

[Gojeep]

Flat panels are the worse and doing them right now. We are not talking low crown, but straight edge flat on the Willys Truck hoods I doing right now. And then I have to cut the two to make one wider longer one which will have 4 full length weld joints to metal finish perfectly flat! Will see it from the underside when it is up if I take any short cuts.

[wfo guy]

I spent all day working on the rear fenders. I'm on the second coat of plastic. This isn't fun.

[wfo guy]

I replaced the cracked passenger side window today. Then I went back to work on the rear fenders. It's almost 6 pm and they're starting to look like fenders. I intend to get them in primer still this weekend.

[wfo guy]

This is the "mobile fender relocation device." My plan was to get them into primer today but there were too many spots that needed more work.

[wfo guy]

Finally in primer. :)

[wfo guy]

Early this morning I finished sanding the fenders and put the 2nd coat of high build primer on.
So you have bent bed rails? You need the Tool Time bed whacker 5000! This is what I made to repair the bed rails. I started disassembling the box. That will be tomorrows project.

[wfo guy]

How do you like my new flatbed? :lol:
Box is all apart and ready to be repaired.

[Motown 454]

It looks sweet! Good idea on the bed tool but Binford won't be making it but you might see it on Eastwood's web site if they see it works well! lol

[Dave B]

I saw a truck like yours, yesterday, instantly made me think of your project. Awesome as usual.

[wfo guy]

I've spent the day working on bed parts. The sides and tailgate were vatted. I worked on the stake pockets and bed rails. There is welding to be done and then blasting. My plan was to sand with an 80 grit disc but it isn't going to be good enough. I'm aware that none of what I'm doing is cost effective. :lol: :lol:

[wfo guy]

For those of you that care, I just spent almost 2 hours sanding 1 rear fender by hand. I bought a mess of Durablock sanding blocks last year. They work better than an airfile or a da but they're hand operated. I've come full circle. I'm now doing the same things as when I was 16 years old.

[Crestronwizard]

Tons of fun. Reminds me that I need to sand on the 53'. Keep up the hard work.

[linkstar69]

Great effort

[wfo guy]

Thanks for all the comments. :)
3rd application of primer. Stake packets filled one one side. Front end of bedrail capped. Most cracks welded up.

[wfo guy]

Another day working on bed sides. I capped the front of the bedrail and radiused the rear. None of this was good enough to metal finish. With the spot welds and cracks I welded up, there will be bondo work.

[wfo guy]

1 down, 2 to go.

[wfo guy]

3 of 3 . I'm done blasting for the day. 6 hours start to finish.

[wfo guy]

Mission accomplished. Primer applied

[wfo guy]

After 2 applications of high build primer, most of the scratches are filled.

[Gojeep]

Great to see you are progressing along and taking your time to do a good job. No point rushing it now and having to do it again later.

[wfo guy]

I worked on the bed sides all week after work. I have them in primer again but I can see they need more work.I'm pretty sure I used to be faster at this. :)

[wfo guy]

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have some color! The good news is that the bugs didn't arrive until after I finished. It will have to be sanded and buffed so the bugs are not a problem.

[Gojeep]

Well done. :D

[linkstar69]

Good result

[69X22]

Good looking project. This is my 52, my original bed was in decent shape so I repaired it and used it. I was okay until the painter asked me which side of the bed side do I want straight. I ended up carrying the interior over into the bed then bought a aluminum power toneau cover from No Limit Engineering (very fine piece) to call it done. In the end I could have bought 2 brand new complete beds (minus fenders) for what I have in this bed. Hopefully you and you body guy are better than the one I used. The outside of mine did come out nice and straight.

[wfo guy]

Thanks for the comments, guys. Tony, the body guy and I are the same person. Not buying new bed sides was one of the worst decisions I've made in a long time. The crating and freight were as much as the parts. I didn't like that fact. Call me a dumbass. :)

[69X22]

Thanks for the comments, guys. Tony, the body guy and I are the same person. Not buying new bed sides was one of the worst decisions I've made in a long time. The crating and freight were as much as the parts. I didn't like that fact. Call me a dumbass. :)

Please don't take what I said wrong, I was sharing a bad experience that I had. I welded wheel tubs in which made it even that much worse for the body man.

[wfo guy]

No offence taken, Tony. I was just relating to how I caused myself all that extra time because I didn't buy bed sides. Nobody makes hoods but they do bed sides. That should be a short discussion at the beginning of most truck projects.

[wfo guy]

Last night I sanded the rear fenders. The bugs didn't sand out of the clear. Back to repaint land.

[wfo guy]

Fenders without insects. Orange peel will be dealt with later.

[ekmxryda]

Looking good! Don't you hate those bugs?

[Motown 454]

They look good.

[Gojeep]

Glad you got there in the end. Looking good.

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, I checked out your build for the first time in months. Looking good!

[c91x]

You're making me question my decision to keep my bed sides. I don't have much time in them besides sand blasting so maybe I should quit now

[wfo guy]

How do you like my heated outdoor paint booth? :lol:
Maybe the last coat of primer.

c91x, without a doubt, I would recommend new sides unless yours only need a little work. Mack Hills or Dan Carpenter are my recommendations for good panels. Markay used to be good, also. If the front panel is rough, I'd buy it too. This is hindsight on my part. :)

[Gojeep]

Gojeep, I checked out your build for the first time in months. Looking good!

Thanks mate. :)

[wfo guy]

I won't tell you it's real good, just real white. :)

[wfo guy]

Back to nekkid again. Going to respray the cab. Part of the clear has yellowed.

[Gojeep]

Any idea why so it wont happen to everything else just done too later?

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, I believe it was some activator that had aged. All that stuff is stored in a temp. constant room. Because this truck is going to sit outside all the time, I purchased HOK clear for it. I'm expecting the clear to last for years under normal conditions but we all know the cheaper products don't.

[Gojeep]

With all the paint 'systems' now a days, incompatibility can happen at any stage of the prep and paint too. Glad you have something that doesn't require a full strip back.

[wfo guy]

Anyone thats done rusty bolt removal understands these pics. I give credit to the old days, though, not 1 of these 5/16" fine thread bolts broke! :lol:

[blade]

Truck is looking great can't wait to see it all in paint!

[wfo guy]

Fresh from the engine vat. After the cab is resprayed, metal work will be next.

[wfo guy]

Almost ready for tomorrow.

[Motown 454]

I hope those bugs stay away for you.

[wfo guy]

The cab is white. There was one bug that landed on the top of the passenger door. He's not a problem. It needs sanding and buffing but it's going to wait a while.

[keepat]

Looks awesome! Great build!!!
Pat

[Motown 454]

Looks awesome! Great build!!!
Pat

Agreed!

[Gojeep]

Glad the effort paid off.

[wfo guy]

Happiness is a good refection! :lol:

[Motown 454]

Looking good!

[wfo guy]

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the milk truck, coming to see you soon. :lol:
Little more progress.

[69X22]

Looking awesome!!

[wfo guy]

I just finished replacing the steering R&P that failed after about 300 miles. The good news is that with the front fenders off, it wasn't too bad.

[wfo guy]

I've been working on the front sheet metal the last couple of evenings. The grille has been straightened but not finished. The pics are of the upper fenders after the inners were removed and the rust spots removed. I'm going to throw them in the vat before I do anymore cutting.

[Motown 454]

That looks great together! Nice job!!

[wfo guy]

More rust removal. This is on the lower front fenders. Off to the vat and maybe blasting before anything else.

[Gojeep]

Great to see it came up well with the paint done again. :)

[wfo guy]

Fresh from the vat and ready for about another 100 hours of work. :lol:

[Rabidus]

It's looking really good! Keep the updates coming. :)

[cbpldc]

Your location shows SW KS. I'm in Garden City. It looks like you're in a neighborhood in Ulysses?

Chris

[wfo guy]

Once again I'm embarrassed by how slow my progress is. I have 4 of the 8 repairs done on the front fenders. The pics are of the lowers. Because of the reinforcement panels on the back side, it was difficult to do a real good repair.

[wfo guy]

Both uppers are patched. I sanded on them some with a 240 grit disc and then an 80 grit in some areas. I think I'll have to blast them to have them real good.

[Motown 454]

Any progress is good!

[wfo guy]

I spent the evening sanding on the front end parts. A couple of days with hammer and dolly will make them way better. Yecch!

[Gojeep]

Getting there my friend. Thanks for showing your progress.

[wfo guy]

I spent 2 hours with an assortment of hammers and dollies on the lower fenders this evening. The dents are more like ripples now. :lol: I don't think I will be able to metal finish them. I'm moving on to the next step in the operation.

[Gojeep]

Ripples are often a sign of excess material from stretching from the original damage or using a steel hammer on steel dolly to remove it. I find using a nylon headed mallet against a steel dolly will allow them to be flattened without adding more stretch. Sometimes I use a dolly made from wood or lead filled rubber with a steel hammer for the same purpose. One face or the other has to have some give so the metal has some where to go without being thinned and stretched even more. That and doing it all off dolly as much as possible. Any extra left can be removed with a shrinking disc. I know you said you didn't have one, but cheap enough to buy and find even the small 5" one from Wray does a good job. http://www.proshaper.com/product/5-diameter-shrinking-disk/

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, I think I'll order one. I'll look at the info later and see what size will be the most useful. Thank you.

[ekmxryda]

I used the back side of a fine grit 4 1/2" fiber backed sanding disc for all my shrinking, worked pretty good but I am sure the real shrinking disc would be easier.

http://www.use-enco.com/1/1/13111-00051144776016-3m-coated-medium-120-grit-aluminum-oxide-fiber-discs.html

[wfo guy]

I started playing with shrinking disk repairs. I'm working on the lower fenders. There are spots I made good progress and areas that weren't so good. One more skill to learn! :lol:
Eric, I'm trying your method because that's what I had available in short order.

[Motown 454]

From what I've seen you do so far, you'll get it.

[wfo guy]

Blasting away! What could be more fun on a nice fall afternoon. :) The shot of the fender is in progress. I should get the rest of the front sheet metal blasted today. In case anyone is curious, I have purchased 60 bags of blasting material. I think I have enough to finish the hood. I don't want to let anyone think I know much about blasting so I maybe wasting as I go. I did shrink some areas on the fenders. Some more progress. :)

[wfo guy]

I ran 8 bags today. I'm about to be tired. :)

[Gojeep]

Glad it is working out for you. :)

[wfo guy]

I've spent the last 2 evenings welding cracks that I didn't see before blasting and pounding on dents. I need another month of warm weather and I'm pretty sure that isn't going to happen. The hood has 2 rust spots that arrived after blasting. I'm going to make plates to fill the openings at the front. Just more work.

[wfo guy]

Just in case anyone thinks I'm not working. :lol: Notice I didn't say "making progress".

[Gojeep]

Easy to spend a lot of time on things that are not photo worthy. Doing that now too, just stripping paint and fixing minor damage!

[RaceFace]

I ran across this thread yesterday afternoon and have read the whole thing. You have done a great job with this build!! Sorry to see the donor car ended up being more of an issue than a help. Keep up the great work! I'm soooo keeping my eye on this thread now!!

[wfo guy]

Break time. Front of the hood filled and the 2 rust repairs on the brace area.

[wfo guy]

Epoxy primer wherever I could shoot it. This is rust preventive. Some of the parts will have to be flipped in the next day or so and the other side shot.

[wfo guy]

TLU! (totally lackluster update), I primed the other side of all the front end sheet metal this evening. Ho Hum.

[cbpldc]

Some progress is better than no progress!

[brawls43]

^^ agree with that. My project needs even some lackluster progress to happen!

[wfo guy]

I wouldn't tell you this was a good decision but this is what I did. The grille and inner fender panels have been shot in gray. The grille will have to be redone next year when it warms up. The rest of the front sheet metal was in white epoxy primer. I have some left over clear that is the less expensive kind I've used. I wanted to seal the primer from moisture and fingerprints so I shot clear over the primer. I'm reasonably sure this will protect the parts till next year when all the body work will be completed. I will be doing double work but I didn't have any real good options. I needed at least 1 more month to do the work on the front and then paint it. The temp is cool enough at night that the paint won't completely cure. I caught a warm day and shot everything. The truck is going back together very soon.

[Motown 454]

It sucks when mother nature chases you out of the garage with the cold. At least its protected. Good idea.

[Gojeep]

What sort of temperatures can you spray at before it becomes too cold?

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, I spray at 70 and above but the urethane needs at least 8 hours above 60 degrees to fully catalyze. When it gets below 65 in the garage, I get real nervous. If the temp gets to low, the paint will dry but not have the chemical reaction. A guy could have a real mess to remove and start over.

[cbpldc]

On my Riviera (which I bought in Ingalls, btw) I'll be going with a matte white and I'll be blacking out all my Chrome trim, like it appears you're doing. If you need an extra set of hands, give me a couple days heads up and I'd love to come out and help you.

[Gojeep]

Gojeep, I spray at 70 and above but the urethane needs at least 8 hours above 60 degrees to fully catalyze. When it gets below 65 in the garage, I get real nervous. If the temp gets to low, the paint will dry but not have the chemical reaction. A guy could have a real mess to remove and start over.

Thank for that.

[Happyfunballs]

A lower temp hardener will cure that problem and have you painting for another month.

[wfo guy]

It was time to put the truck back in the shop this evening. I had noticed an oil leak on the left valve cover. Out in the sun, I found this crack. I cleaned, sanded and repaired with Evercoat plastic epoxy. This is the same stuff I used on the right cover. I'm guessing the salvage yard people got a little careless with the chains when removing the engine. I'll keep my eye out for valve covers but the used stockers seem to bring at least $75. I'd like to spend way less than that.

[wfo guy]

Chip, I appreciate the offer. I'll get in touch sometime and see if we can meet.
Tiny bit of progress today. I removed a little bit of ugly in the brake dept. This was the first time to use my OTC metric bubble flair tool. I'm really happy with the bubble flairs. :) I bolted on the fenders and the grille. If this is the milk truck and the front is still in primer, does that make it half and half? :lol:

[Motown 454]

It looks good all together.

[Gojeep]

Nice shot in the sunshine there. :)
What is the round hole for in the door?
Might pay to support the proportioning valve too if not in the plans already. :)

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, the hole is a black lock tumbler. The way the window channel fits against the rear of the door, there wasn't anyplace to install it. The rod from the latch to the tumbler is bent in several places to clear all the obstacles.

[JayinMI]

Nice shot in the sunshine there. :)
What is the round hole for in the door?
Might pay to support the proportioning valve too if not in the plans already. :)

Weird. I've been lurking your build thread on 4wdaction.com.au for a while now, checked in a few times last week while you were on holiday and you show up over here! lol

Anyone who wants to see something cool, check this out:

http://www.4wdaction.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=108215

This man does some sick metal work. I bet he'll only need high build primer to get it perfect before paint!

Oh, and Sorry for the hijack, the truck looks good in white. Is that your plan for a final color or did you just do it because you had it left over?

Jay

[wfo guy]

Stopping point for the day. Running boards installed. They are Dark Highland Green which was the first color choice I had. The wiring in front of the core support is cleaned up a little.

[Gojeep]

Weird. I've been lurking your build thread on 4wdaction.com.au for a while now, checked in a few times last week while you were on holiday and you show up over here! lol

Anyone who wants to see something cool, check this out:

http://www.4wdaction.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=108215

This man does some sick metal work. I bet he'll only need high build primer to get it perfect before paint!

Oh, and Sorry for the hijack, the truck looks good in white. Is that your plan for a final color or did you just do it because you had it left over?

Jay

Ha ha, thanks for the comments Jay. :)

[Gojeep]

Gojeep, the hole is a black lock tumbler. The way the window channel fits against the rear of the door, there wasn't anyplace to install it. The rod from the latch to the tumbler is bent in several places to clear all the obstacles.

On my white Jeep I swapped all the black locks and handles etc for chrome ones so they blended in more. Colour coding would be even better but not as hard wearing for a lock.

[wfo guy]

Sanded and buffed on the doors this evening. Needs more work. :lol:
There's a profile shot without obstacles and a shot of the door without enough light to see everything.
Gojeep, the buffer and I removed a lot of the black from the tumbler. It was too dark to take a pic to see the difference.

[Crestronwizard]

Lookin good

[Gojeep]

Nice and smooth! :)
The Jeep black key lock just needed the black polished off too and was chrome underneath. :)

[Motown 454]

It looks good nice job.

[KB Camaro]

awesome build, i love threads like this.

[cbpldc]

Stopping point for the day. Running boards installed. They are Dark Highland Green which was the first color choice I had. The wiring in front of the core support is cleaned up a little.

I love the Highland green. That's the factory color for the 01+ Bullitt Mustangs, I think.

Chris

[wfo guy]

The last 2 days after work, I removed the running boards and sanded them. My wife told me to paint them gray so that's the plan. The weekend weather might be good enough to get them done early enough for them to dry properly. :)

[wfo guy]

Running boards and rear fender braces turned gray. I killed 5 flies and 1 yellow jacket before starting. I called that a beginning. I don't think there is anything but some dust in the paint.

[wfo guy]

Stopping point today. I worked on the hood some more. I'm going to have to cut out the previous repair to make it useable. I shot some epoxy and a coat of clear on it and threw it on the truck. Nothing has been adjusted so it fits even half close. The rear fender braces are installed and the running boards are back on. If winter arrives wednesday, I'm as ready as I can be. :)

[Dave B]

Inspiring as usual.

[Motown 454]

It looks good , glad you got it together before the cold set in.

[brawls43]

Looking great. Just out of curiosity, what size tires are you running front and rear?

[wfo guy]

The tires are 215-70-15 and 235-65-17. If I had this to do over, there would be 17's on the front also. The original wheels that I purchased were too deep of backspace for the front end.

[brawls43]

I'll have to check, I think that's the same size rears I was planning to use. Trying to decide if I want the same size tire, or a little rake.

[wfo guy]

Minor update. My brake is 48". To make a roll pan, I would need at least another 2 inches. I was out of sheet metal and the supplier 50 miles away was also out. I ordered a roll pan and this pic is the roughed in shot. I hope to have a painted pic by sunday night. :)

[windows]

Your truck is looking real nice. I feel your pain with the brake. Mine is even worse, as it's only 36".

[wfo guy]

Most of today's work is self explanatory. :) Thanks for all the comments!

[Motown 454]

That dressed it up !

[wfo guy]

Ho hum. More white parts. Not clear coated yet.

[wfo guy]

I think I'm done painting until spring. :D
More boring white parts.

[keepat]

Roll pan and tailgate look great, nice job! What is your plan for the license plate?

[Gojeep]

Nice!. Does that have the clear coat on it already as looks pretty deep?

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, it has clear. Pat, I have an underneath mount in my mind. By the end of the weekend, I should have pics up. Depends on how many prototypes it takes. :)

[wfo guy]

Honey, does this make my b**t look big? :lol:

[wfo guy]

Break time. I had some race car parts left over to use.
I spent way too much time on this. The plates were all machined to length in the mill. The round extensions on the tabs were 3/8" nuts that I turned down and bored. They're shot with spray can paint to avoid rust.

[keepat]

Cool tailgate latch!
Pat

[wfo guy]

Thanks, Pat!
I have the tag back on and a temporary light. Tomorrow I plan on installing the outside mirrors. I'm back to drivable!

[Motown 454]

Great Idea!

[wfo guy]

Today I removed the tag bracket and shot spray can paint on it. I installed the outside mirrors and gave it a bath. Paint and body is done till next year. I have lots of other stuff to attend to. :D I cleaned the shop some so I can start finding a place to store some of the stuff I've been using.

[Gojeep]

Looking good. :)

[wfo guy]

Today's projects: I redid the loom going to the rear of the truck. It was sagging between clamps so I added some reinforcement to it. I made some splash shields to protect the engine compartment from tire debris. I need some soft rubber to close up the gaps around the suspension still.

[wfo guy]

Too cold to paint but not to cold to change things you don't like. The first pic is of the lower radiator hose. Quick and easy. I wasn't comfortable with that many splices. I had a rubber reducer bushing in it also. When I cleaned up the shop, I found some 1.75" j-bends that I hadn't completely used up. There was enough material for me to replace the center section and remove the reducer bushing. One end is 1.5" welded to the 1.75". I think I'm headed in the right direction. :)

[Motown 454]

Keep picking away as the weather allows.

[wfo guy]

Minor update. My Speedhut speedo had some problems that I couldn't resolve. I sent it back and they converted it to gps. It's working as it should now. I was concerned about receiver location but I have it on the dash next to the windshield and it's working! It has a 1/4 time to show you how slow you are. :)

[wfo guy]

New tail pipes. These run under the axle.

[wfo guy]

Slow news day. Is that better than no news day? I have installed the gas springs for the hood. Sun visors are installed. Door panels roughed in. Lots of finish work on them left.

[wfo guy]

I worked on the door panels some more today. Unless I have a better idea, this is about where they will be. Low maintenance all the way. :) I made a new panel for the rear of the headliner. It may get some more work as time goes by. I put an emblem on the dash to mess with all the people that believe all hot rods have a 350 chevy in them. This is a clone of the fender emblem on AC Cobra's.

[Motown 454]

I guess you got some nice weather, your plugging away! It looks good.

[Gojeep]

Looks neat and serviceable. :)

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, I checked on your progress this week. The willys is looking good.

[Gojeep]

Gojeep, I checked on your progress this week. The willys is looking good.

Getting there slowly. Hope to start back on it again in the next few weeks once I have finished off the army trailer.

[wfo guy]

I've put a couple of thousand miles on this. I enjoy driving it but if I don't get to it, I'll never finish it. :) I'm redoing the hood repair. The hood was rusty and thin. I cut out way more than last time. I'm out of argon so I'm waiting for the store to open.

[keepat]

Nice metal work on your hood! Cool to hear you been out enjoying the truck!
Pat

[wfo guy]

Thanks, Pat.
End of the day. There is a brace that the hinges and springs attaches to that isn't removable. Not being able to work properly over it causes grief! I have some shrinking to do and some hammer and dolly work but it's better than it was. The small patch is a rusty area that I had decided to forget. I never expected this to be bondo free but it won't have any deep spots. The whole hood and front fenders are going to need bondo from one end to the other.

[Gojeep]

Glad you are enjoying driving it around and are still trying the finish it fully.
Should have coated the patch above the brace though so the rust doesn't return quickly.

[wfo guy]

Gojeep, you are correct. Guess who's out of epoxy primer? :) There's enough space to spray in there, just not real well.

[wfo guy]

I made a t-bar to bolt to some of the hood hinge pins and clamp to the front of the hood to facilitate holding it while sanding. I hammer and dollied some more areas and am ready to start sanding again.

[wfo guy]

I spent a lot of today working on the hood. I hammered and dollied on the last repair some more. I put the hood on the truck for a test fit. The brace at the back is bent some and I don't think I can bend it without causing more problems. It makes the hood wide at the cowl at the bottom. I started to fill the side vents by bending the metal back flat. That proved to be a poor idea. I ended up cutting out both sides and making panels to fill the area. One is tacked in before I quit today.

[wfo guy]

Today's work was finishing the side started yesterday and doing the other side. All the holes are filled and I believe after one more test fit, I'm ready to start bondo.

[Gojeep]

I just put louvers in my hood and you remove them! ;)

[wfo guy]

"One more test fitting". Did anybody just see the tooth fairy? How about 4 more attempts before I quit. I'm finally ready for bondo. :)

[Dave B]

Awesome as usual! I've had to take some time off, with a change of careers, but this makes me want to get back out to the garage.

[wfo guy]

Thanks for the comments, guys!
Mr. Bondo got started and quit. It's hard to find good help. :) :)

[wfo guy]

After an embarrassing amount of time, the hood is finished with bondo, sprayed with epoxy and the first application of high build primer. First of several. :) For those of you that like numbers, it was 104 degrees in the shop this afternoon.

[windows]

Lookin' good.

[Crestronwizard]

Very nice. Heat sucks, I am not motivated at all with it blazing.

[Gojeep]

You must have great cooling that extra heat under the hood wont bother you. :)
Looks like a fibreglass one now! ;)

[wfo guy]

2nd app. of high build primer after several hours of hand blocking. Really not very exciting. :)

[wfo guy]

Today's stopping point

[keepat]

Looks good! I was sanding primer in the heat today also, not fun!
Pat

[wfo guy]

Pitiful update. Bondo is close to the end on the fenders. Hood is ready for the next application of primer. I'm really slow at this. :)

[wfo guy]

Lunch break. This is the hood in the 3rd application of primer. I believe it will be the last. Meet Mr. Buck. This is one side of the wheel well opening extensions.

[Motown 454]

Any progress in that heat is great progress. The hood looks nice. I like the use of the buck it looks like it worked out nice.