Thread: 1954 Chevy COE Hauler Build

Tweet

Inspiration.......................

Thanks for the pics and tips guys! I have been following the COE thread on the HAMB for a while. Definitely some cool stuff on there! I saw these 2 black ones on google too. Everytime I see a stretched cab I think I want one. I keep telling myself to leave it alone so I can work on other stuff this winter too. Haha

I decided to list the truck on the local CL to appease my other half. I had a guy come look at it but it's more of a project that he wanted to tackle. My wife brought my youngest to the shop and he kept trying to climb the driver's side running board so I opened the door and threw him on the make shift seat. I couldn't get him out of it. That isn't good.




I have a donor truck coming for this now. It is a 1992 Dodge 2wd 1 ton dually with a cummins and auto trans. I will be able to use all of the powertrain in this truck. I have been thinking of making a dump box for it as I already have a car trailer, actually 2. But I do not have a tilting anything. It sure would be handier with a dump bed and 2 axles in the rear to haul some weight.

A dare devil in the making

A friend of mine has a similar COE Chevy, and he was headed down the road to adapt the body to a 2005 Dually chassis but stopped short anddropped the power train into the original frame. I haven't seen it yet, but he tells me it's nearly drivable now.

Great picture, BTW. Mama says, "...and so it starts..."

Now that is how to raise them Ryan, what age is that young fella, 2 or 3 ? And he knows what real toys are about already. Good on you Sir for starting him on the right track. Glad you have decided to keep the truck and continue the build as parts and the funds allow as we all can relate to the family coming first and then the toys and you seem to have such a cute little guy and a lovely wife to take care of so we will patiently follow along with your builds. On condition that you post photo's of that little man up every now and then for us blokes who never had children and now realizes that I have missed out on so much joy that children can bring.

Looked at the pictures again, and about the only thing missing is an old license plate cobbled into the driver's floor. (You are going to have fun)

Originally Posted by rspears

A friend of mine has a similar COE Chevy, and he was headed down the road to adapt the body to a 2005 Dually chassis but stopped short anddropped the power train into the original frame. I haven't seen it yet, but he tells me it's nearly drivable now.

Great picture, BTW. Mama says, "...and so it starts..."

Roger, That sounds like an awesome project. If you see it please snap some pics of it for me.

Mama told me I stole another one from her now.

Originally Posted by Whiplash23T

Now that is how to raise them Ryan, what age is that young fella, 2 or 3 ? And he knows what real toys are about already. Good on you Sir for starting him on the right track. Glad you have decided to keep the truck and continue the build as parts and the funds allow as we all can relate to the family coming first and then the toys and you seem to have such a cute little guy and a lovely wife to take care of so we will patiently follow along with your builds. On condition that you post photo's of that little man up every now and then for us blokes who never had children and now realizes that I have missed out on so much joy that children can bring.

Mark, he is 15 months old. He is almost as big as his 29 month old brother. My wife wasn't real fond of the kids riding on an old tractor but is good with it now. When the kids would come to the shop I'd let them set in my 72 so now they always want in it. They sure are great fun. I'll post pictures along the way for sure.

Originally Posted by Scooting

Looked at the pictures again, and about the only thing missing is an old license plate cobbled into the driver's floor. (You are going to have fun)

Yes sir, you're right. I did squire another cab for patches and I have a plan I'm going g to try to execute. I want to cut the roof skin in the middle and above the drip rail and follow it down about as far behind the doors as I can before the sheet metal rolls to go around the cab. On the other cab I want to cut it right at the door opening. Doing this I'm hoping to gain a few inches of extra cab room but keep it looking like an original cab. Plus it will fix half the problems with the cab. In theory.

Really cool project.

Okay guys, I want to ask your guys's opinion on this real quick. I want to paint the hood for my cab over to see if I like the look. What's the best way to remove the rust without warping the snot out of it and removing too much material? I'm thinking sand blasting will kill it warp wise. I feel sanding it with a DA and 80 grit won't really work either. Would using CLR and then sanding it be the preferred way?

media blast or walnut shells? something not as hard as sand

anything with a moh of 2.5 or higher will warp. basically if it leaves an anchor pattern it will peen the outside of the metal and stretch it. if blasted at a 45 degree angle it will not peen as bad. another option is soapstone . it is a phosphoric acid that works well. used by dairies it is mixed 5:1 with water. i use it straight to dissolve rust. after clean reapply and rinse well before it dries. you can get it at tractor supply .

If ya hit it very soft with sand at an angle with the thickness of that metal you should be OK. Just move around and just enough pressure to take the crude off. I use muriatic acid on the rusty stuff but don't tell anyone I do that because all the knowitalls come out of the wood work and tell ya how it doesn't work, blah,blah,blah, Eco this, Eco that, Gotta get it outa the cracks crap. Been using it for 40 years without issue but you know the INTERNET knows all the rules, and the ones that are forbidden. Personally I think your missing it by putting color on it... nothing in my eye quite as beautiful as the natural beauty of patina. Id send the body back into the earth one rust droplet at a time. Just my two cents... paint can wait ya know while you pray about this decision! Man I'm turning into a grumpy earthy old fart