It looks good in the pics. Do you think you'll paint it this year?
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It looks good in the pics. Do you think you'll paint it this year?
My goal has been to paint in the fall. We'll see if I make it. I still want to mount my running boards and also have to do the bodywork on the bed sides.
Here's a tip on painting it together without the paint laying over or essentially bonding the panels together like you're worried about. I learned this from a top notch Mopar restoration shop. Let's start with your fenders/inner fenders. Get some longer fasteners. Let's say they are 5/16" like in the case of my 40 Ford. Get some 7/16 or 1/2" nuts. Mask off the inner fender area you don't want body color on. Have a helper help you hang a fender and use nuts to space the fender away from the body and then bolt it on in as many holes as it takes for the fender to be firm and not floppy during prep or sanding.
The doors I remove the latch and tape off or remove the striker. Just be really careful when opening/shutting the door to not push it in to the jamb if that is possible. I've seen guys make a short stopper to go in the striker hole that would contact the striker plate or striker to hold the door firm but out a little to not contact the jamb etc. You'll need to or want to open and shut the door to get the lower hinge covered and access the jambs.
I'm currently in the boat of I need to paint my front clip and fenders after I shot the body. Luckily for me I screwed up the rear quarters so I will be re shooting them so hopefully my metallic lay out is the same. I have very little space like you said so it takes planning and a lot of cleaning. :LOL: Fall is a great time to paint with less humidity usually, and less bugs. I hung fly strips up all over and I actually started late in the evening because the kids were inside and not coming in and out all the time. I'm no pro painter but I like learning and I need to learn as I have a lot of projects and they all need painted. I can see so many flaws in mine that I want to re shoot the entire thing. Everyone tells me to just get it together and worry about that later. I've been passing fliers out at a lot of shows lately and I notice several of the top winners at these shows have several blemishes or things I feel awful so I figure my friends are probably right and I just need to get it together and off the wooden stands. :LOL: PS, mine is another 10yr + build on here so don't feel bad. Haha
Thanks for the tips Ryan. I have been trying to get my head around doing something like that. There are so many mating surfaces on this thing that will need to be painted.
Made my running boards and modified some old m mounts to work with the Ford frame. Went with a more stealthy look. I've been getting the truck ready for an attempt at licensing so I have all my lights and horn working, gauges working.
The lights and gauges..
just read this post Wow what a nice job.
Love the gauges, are they OEM?
Thanks! I have details about the gauges on page 16Quote:
Originally Posted by 34_40
3 - 10 - 19... no wonder I'd forgotten about them... rotflmao! Time does fly by right!?!?!Quote:
Originally Posted by v8nutz
Took it around the block today!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFhdOYH9JWc
Very cool!! Congratulations!
Thanks, a pretty big day. It was quite a rattle trap with no rubber anywhere. Seemed to shift ok. Power steering wasn't working, not sure what's up there. Engine feels like it's missing, I'm going to have to do some diagnosing, ran some codes but want to run again since I ran it out of gas that might have influenced the lean bank 1 and maf codes.
Almost ran through the neighbors fence because my throttle is too close to the brake, I'm changing that today!
Even with the minor hiccups I'd wager that was a tremendous buzz to get it out on the road and running.
After all this time of thought and labour you've thoroughly deserved getting it out on the road and having the thrill of it actually running.
To use a Kiwi praise phrase: 'She's beauty like a tip-truck!'
And you'll get it even better...
:) :) :)
Always a milestone when you go for that first ride! Well Done, good for you! It was good to see the smile on your face. 8-) Congrats
Thanks! I did a re-shape of the throttle pedal arm yesterday so that should be better. I'm going to run it for a while today and try to do some more diagnostic work on the engine, see if it really has trouble codes. it's always felt to me like it has a cylinder not firing, unless LS motors just sound a little choppier I don't know. I don't get any misfire codes though.
Cleared my codes and ran it up to temp and checked for codes again. Just a P0171 lean bank one. Checked the vacuum hoses and sprayed some starting fluid around the intake and various fittings-no change. Seems likely it's a vacuum leak but I'm not finding it. I suppose it could be an injector plugged up but I would think that would give me a misfire code. I checked my fuel pressure a while ago, it's a new pump too, and new fuel filter. Kind of stumped right now.
Do you have a shop around you that can clean and test injectors? There was a place near us that would let you watch each injector run in a clear tube and then they would run a cleaner solution through them and you could see the results for yourself
I don't know about a place to clean them. I did externally clean them when the engine was apart. I ordered a basic smoke tester today, so I will check the intake and exhaust for leaks, should be a handy tool.
I was thinking about your injectors and in a search I found this. I agree with the host that having this done professionally is a better choice - but still.. the "bad"side of me thinks this looks like fun! HAHAHA.. Anyway- have a look - I couldn't help myself.. And this is cheap entertainment!
Awesome, congrats. I thought the site had died it's been down so long. It was a pleasant surprise to find it and your Stude up and running.
I think you left out a link.Quote:
Originally Posted by 34_40
I got my smoke machine today. I wish I had always had one of these, it is so cool. Didn't find any vacuum leaks but did find a couple exhaust leaks, one right above the O2 sensor, so that is probably my lean bank one code. I put ultra high heat silicone on the joints and will recheck with smoke again tomorrow. These new fangled cars with O2 sensors don't tolerate exhaust leaks like the ole carb did.
Well I fixed the exhaust leaks but the lean code remains. Really thought I had found the problem. Next plan is to switch injectors from left to right and see if the code bank follows.
Took the injectors off yesterday and found one on the lean bank with a chunk of debris in it. They all looked dirty so I ordered a remanufactured set. Hoping this will do it, fingers crossed.
Interested in finding out about the fuel injectors, I've got a 2003 Toyota MR2 Spyder, whick is my daily commuter, which has dropped from 32-33 mph to 28mpg. Even though it's old it still has less than 145K on it, and I have been wondering if they could be problem, off track on this thread, but on subject. Your Truck looks great!
Could be your maf, if you have a scan tool you can check it while running and see. Maf seems to be a common problem along with cracked hoses causing vacuum leaks, or intake gaskets (on the chevy) going bad.
Got my new injectors put in and the short term fuel immediately went to negative so that was the problem. No more codes on the scan. Working on the registration this week, wish me luck.
That's great news
Good news on the injectors! And good luck with the registration, and dealing with the California Coddington Curse!
I used a registration service that specializes in old cars and it is as good as registered, I just have to get a certified weight for the DMV and it's done! What a relief, I was nervous after almost 10 years of work. Now I have to decide if I'm brave enough to drive it 10 miles each way to the scale or rent a trailer.
Where's your spirit of adventure? In 1964, with the help of friends a sbc was installed in the 36 Ford 5window coupe I bought while at home on leave. Everything was together on a Thursday evening, I blew 2nd gear the first time I drove it, ran around a bit on Friday and left for California Saturday morning. Somewhere in Oklahoma the battery bit the dust so every time I stopped it either had to be on a slope or have help to push the car to start it.Quote:
Originally Posted by v8nutz
I got to Camp Pendleton on Tuesday with a few hours to spare.
So it rather amuses me to hear of people with brand new builds who are afraid to drive them across the street or around the block.
Congrats on getting it registered!!
Ken, I hear you and understand, but I also know that I did LOTS of things in my late teens & early 20's that I wouldn't do today. Older and wiser? Maybe not, but older and more cautious for sure!!Quote:
Originally Posted by NTFDAY
That said, I'd probably do a few laps around the block to get comfortable with the way it handles and responds, and drive to get it weighed, too.;):cool:;)
Ideally I planned on short trips around town to reveal any issues/leaks. I have a temp pass to go to the scale so if I do any extra trips it's not really legal. Looks like I can rent a uhaul trailer for 6o bucks so I might do that. I know a tow home would be pretty expensive.
Ya' gotta stay in your comfort zone, and consider your knowledge about your local law enforcement guys and how they feel about hot rod projects. Here, I would have no problem with a trip down the road & back, then if all was OK go around the block, and if all OK then around a few blocks to shake things down, knowing that as long as I'm not pushing it and drawing attention the Deputies are understanding. That said, I trailered both of mine for the final DMV inspection, knowing that if they decided there was a problem they could impound my car until I resolved the problem to their satisfaction rather than allowing me to drive it home. Do what makes you feel comfortable with the process, I'd say!Quote:
Originally Posted by v8nutz
This post may be a little late, you possibly have already made your decision and hopefully have the truck registered.
First drives are always a crap shoot. On the one hand you can save the rental and hassle of loading and unloading the trailer. On the other hand, it sucks leaning on your ride waiting on a flat bed ($) to get your car back home.
Most of my first drives went well, but there is always the exception to the rule. One of the most memorable was the first drive of the cad powered El Camino. It was Christmas day and the wife was working (she always loved the Holiday pay), so I was home alone. I made it about a 1/4 mile when the truck stopped moving. Hardest part was just figuring out who to call with a tow rope to pull me home (yup used up a big favor that day......plus had to live down the ribbing I got for the next couple of years). It turned out the guy who had set up my 3rd member had slipped a 31 spline side gear in one side rather than a 28 spline gear. Basically the the 28 spline axle was just free wheeling inside the gear. The only reason the truck even made it the 1/4 mile was the new clutches in the POSI. Once the clutches broke free on a turn they instantly smoked and I was left walking. Funny story now but as I recall I was not really amused at the time.
Anyway I guess the best advice I can give you is just go with what your gut says.
.
These builds with more modern drivetrains leaves a lot more that can go wrong compared to a basic small block with a 4 speed. My plan is to rent a Uhaul car trailer for 60 bucks, going to try to get it done today.
I tracked down a couple problems already. My fuel gauge was reading half when the tank was about empty so had to pull the dash and take the needle off and reposition it. The temp gauge wasn't working and I found out I hadn't tightened one of the wire connectors. I was too excited when I drove it and didn't notice if the electronic speedo was working, I may have to do calibration on that. I drilled a tiny hole in the dash so I can poke a paper clip in there to reset the trip, that's how it's calibrated.
My power steering isn't working and that I haven't figured out. I had installed a shim kit that's supposed to reduce the chevy pressure to work with the ford rack. It's also leaking at the pressure fitting on the pump. It's almost impossible to get to the fitting with it all together so may have to put up with the leak until I tear things apart for paint.
I haven't been able to offer any help due to
A = the sites been down
or
B = we've smoked 2 computers in about 10 days and that results in mucho stress with accounts and usernames and passwords.. etc etc etc..
sorry the link didn't stick in my last post but no matter, you've made progress without me slowing you down! And I've got a new laptop I'm trying to figure out!! 8=}
Trailered the truck to the scale yesterday (3240 lbs), it was fun driving it around. Should be officially registered soon! Strangely the power steering started working and feels great, just the right amount of assist. Must have been some air bubbles in the lines that had to work out. The electronic throttle pedal is still kind of uncomfortable, I'm going to mess with it some more and see if I can get it lower. I wish it could be a floor mount. Would have been easier with a cable throttle body probably. It seems to be running good and when I goosed it a little it felt like it wants to go.
Got my lap belts mounted and did some more Killmat. The truck is now registered and insured! What a relief! Took it out in the wild to gets some bolts from Home Depot for a trailer hitch I'm building for it.
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