Another day, another truck

[Ron in Indiana]

Dr Pepper, 57-60 frames are basically the same in the 100-200's We are looking for an original PS set up to keep the truck original. A friend in Texas, Jeff Thomas did a swap using a 90 1/2 ton Dodge set up on a 58 PG. He has pictures of how he did his. It involved using a rag joint in the steering shaft. Unfortunately the truck was destroyed in a fire. I'll see if can reach him to offer his help in your swap. I tend to stay original with my restorations.

[DrPepper]

Thanks, sorry it burned....

I know what you mean by trying to stay original. I have a struggle to balance the feelings "it should stay stock/original" with the desire to be modern enough to use unleaded gas and be comfortable.
Had a reality check when I ran some numbers on MPH / Engine RPM with the stock 4:89 axle gears and a 29" tire. 60 MPH = 3400 RPM, that was considered the road gear for this vehicle. Oh boy..... LOL !!!
Thanks again,
DrPepper

[Ron in Indiana]

Passed a milestone today

It's been some time since I've updated this thread. Progress has been happening on this project I just haven't posted until now. Today I got some much needed primer on some of the sheet metal. I've never had a furnace in my shop until recently so now I can work all winter in comfort. I sprayed the bed sides, doors, rear bumper and the bed cross members which is a big milestone around here in the winter. Now to wipe down the cab and front fenders for primer, then I can start block sanding to prep for color. Once that's done chassis is next. We call this truck the Ranch Hand.

[MrMarty51]

What kind of a furnace did You install,Mine`s gas and I`d be afraid to even try to paint in My shop/garage with that open flame a burnin.LOL

[Ron in Indiana]

It's a 90% LP gas furnace. I shut it down while I was spraying. I have a 60 x 80 metal building and the painting area is closed off from the rest of the shop. Trust me I was concerned about the possibility of explosion but the heat is piped into the spray area. Once I had the fumes cleared I started the furnace again.

[MrMarty51]

AHHHHhhhh,so thats how You do it.LOL

[Ron in Indiana]

Huge day in the shop

I never thought I'd get done what I did today. The temps got to 61 outside which meant it was nice and toasty in the shop. Enough so that I primed 16 pieces of the truck. It took 2 hours to clean and prep all the parts which didn't get all of them. I ran out of room in my makeshift booth but I got a lot work done. Now to block part, bodywork a few others then finish priming the cab. Things are looking good.

[74w300uteline]

what does block mean?

"Now to block part"?

[Bruce]

Block = Sanding

Block sanding is a criss-cross sanding style, usually done w/ a long board, now they sell rigid foam boards, much more forgiving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9MhXvC-rE8

Just one style or version, the results are very impressive.

[Ron in Indiana]

Bruce is correct, I guess I should have explained the term. In order to get a panel arrow straight a long board or the longest that will work is used to flatten the primer. This will show the last highs and lows in the surface. Lows will show up as dark untouched spots with highs as bare metal if to high. It also takes out the "orange " peal of the primer. The smoother the better to allow the paint to be the same. I use Dura-Blocks which are foam blocks. This is the time consuming tedious part of bodywork. The Canyon Rose crew cab is ready for block sanding followed by another round of primer once the lows have been touched up.

[Bruce]

Lan-Lape

Ron, Do you use either of the guide coats, I have used the spray, only becauce I could not find the dry?

[74w300uteline]

OK makes sense

Now I get it. if you used your hand, your hand would follow the peaks and valleys. good news/ bad news on The Canyon Rose funding. border patrol= sold. 2 dirtbikes= sold. M880 sold but Craigs list buyer backed out. 74w300 sold but ebay buyer backed out. lesson learned, insist on a deposit!

[Ron in Indiana]

Ron, Do you use either of the guide coats, I have used the spray, only becauce I could not find the dry?

Bruce I've used rattle can spray paint with less than stellar results. I got a can of dry guide coat from Eastwood which is like spreading graphite on your panels. It does a good job and sands with out clogging your paint the way paint will. On initial blocking the primer is my guide. I sanded the hood a bit today just to try it with 220. It should be good by Saturday. This afternoon I got the bright idea of making a cab rotisserie so I started scrounging for scraps. If this works like it should I will indeed be working smarter, not harder.

Andrew sorry the deals feel through. Deposits are money in the bank regardless if they pick them up or not. Lesson learned. We bolted the hood on today just for kicks. I'm trying to work another angle on painting. More on that later.