57 Build: Beverly

[kaycee]

That is a nice looking truck, but in my opinion I would ditch those wheels

[duwem]

Originally Posted by kaycee

That is a nice looking truck, but in my opinion I would ditch those wheels

I agree, might look decent if it was lowered some.

[57 Jimmy]

Originally Posted by kaycee

That is a nice looking truck, but in my opinion I would ditch those wheels

Put them back on the hay wagon they came off.

[LDO]

Hidden Tailgate latches. By far one of the most complicated (read scary) mods I've done. Only because of the measuring and round surfaces involved but I will say this for Mar-K, the instructions are spot on. Here are the finished pictures.








Ext Trans Cooler Installation:

B&M, the biggest one they have with an external fan. This thing will pick up small children! Well, prolly not but it's pretty strong and it's hidden well by the front bumper to protect it but not block air flow. I used a steel bed frame and some of that strap material from Lowes for my mounting brackets. I also mounted it on some shock mounts I found at PepBys that are actually for a wiper motor mount.

Disregard the shroud on the pusher fan, it's gone now. It blocked too much airflow!

[LDO]

Bed Wood:

Before:



In work, initial wood mock up:



I ended up using the router on the ends of the boards that slide under the angled bed side pieces. Figured it should be a tight fit but not so tight that it would mess up the finish on the board. I kept adjusting the router until the boards were snug.
I kept the garage closed to try and avoid dust/pollen and little love bugs that seem to love hanging out on my freshly stained wood. Don't worry, I used a respirator & stuff.

I started by sanding each board until it was smooth to the touch. One coat of stain on the boards then 4 coats of laquer on the back, 4 coats on the front, then on the front of the boards, I sanded with 1800 grit before the 5th and final coat. 6 hour drying time between every coat.

Stained:







Shiny:



Then put everything together after it dried completely sitting in the sun for about an afternoon.



Here's my reward:



If you didn't guess, I also installed a 19 gallon aluminum tank under the bed with a bed fill. Pretty much a no brainer on the install. Filling up the tank isn't that bad either.
Diggin the checkerboard reflection though! hahah

[LDO]

Before and after of engine bay. It was a mess, somewhat functional but messy and prolly a fire hazard. The wiring inside the cab looked like a monkey on crack put it together!

[LDO]

New taillights and all new ss hardware for the bed.



New Bumpers front and rear, new turn sigs, headlight buckets, seals and bezels.

I like to use rubberized undercoating inside the bumpers. Gives it a more finished look and it keeps it cleaner longer.





Grille had lots of overspray on it and so did the wheels. I used this stuff called Colonel Brassy from when I worked on choppers. Works good at taking tar off the shiny pipes and it does wonders on cleaning up chrome without scratching it.



I don't have a finished picture of it but believe me, the grille turned out great!

[Rude Dude]

Nice 57 Good Job!