Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window

[hopped up]

Really dig the two tone
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[hopped up]

I've been leaning toward white with green ,or green two tone
.I'm sure Ito look good whatever you decide
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[Dan in Pasadena]

No question all new wiring would have been better than repairs on an original harness. Fortunately mine looked as though it had largely been swapped out through the years. At least all the long wiring to the head & tail lights. Henry swapped a number of others and I specifically told him to change out anything that was cracking or questionable, so I'm happy with where mine is now.
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[hb32]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

No question all new wiring would have been better than repairs on an original harness. Fortunately mine looked as though it had largely been swapped out through the years. At least all the long wiring to the head & tail lights. Henry swapped a number of others and I specifically told him to change out anything that was cracking or questionable, so I'm happy with where mine is now.
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Was not meant as a criticism and more for those in a similar situation. $200 was a bargain at todays shop rate. Also have been following your updates and will steal a few ideas for my resto.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Orrie, So far I've had real good luck with my chrome paint. It doesn't REALLY look like chrome but I do think it cleans up some things nicely. If you're painting inside light fixtures it's going to run unless you put it on in many extra light coats because they're concave. The bottom of the "hole" is farther away from the spray tip than the perimeter!
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[Dan in Pasadena]

hb32, We're good. Even if you HAD meant it as a critique I'd be fine with it; cause I agree! I got a bit burned by my own stupidity when I had my '46 rewired and didn't nail down a price in advance-dumb. It ate up my then pretty limited budget resulting in my doing very little to that truck for quite awhile. When someone came along and offered me good money for it I let it go. Kinda regret that buy it worked out cause a '55 big window is my dream truck. I just didn't want to make the same mistake twice!
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[hsdropout]

Those door panels look cool............better than original which was rather bland.
Did you get your light switch removed? Can I ask how?
I am still struggling with that darn thing..........'bout ready to break it!
Funny how I can get hung up on little things like that........duh.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Actually no I didn't but your timing is excellent. I was thinking about it on the long-ass commute into work this morning and it struck me what a friggin MORON I am! I have the new one in a box, why not take it out and study it and that will show me how to get the old one out, duh!

Thanks for the compliment. I went back and touched up where I'd messedi t up a bit pulling the masking off too soon and while at it I decided the inset dark green needs to be held back from the edge of the panel or it looks kinda weird with the light green/dark green edge showing at the "chrome" bullet points. It looks better (to me) withthe light green wrapping around the edge of the panel about 1/2". I'll post an update later.

[hb32]

If you are talking about the head light switch, pull to park light position, there is a button on the backside very top of the assy opposite to where the wires plug in, push it and pull the knob all the way out. Then turn the nut attaching the switch assy to the dash. May take a bit of fiddling to get it out.

[LDO]

Yeah it takes a little wiggling as that release button has a sweet spot.

Once you figure it out, its a piece of cake.
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[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by hb32

If you are talking about the head light switch, pull to park light position, there is a button on the backside very top of the assy opposite to where the wires plug in, push it and pull the knob all the way out. Then turn the nut attaching the switch assy to the dash. May take a bit of fiddling to get it out.

Thank you VERY much. I'll still practice with the new switch so I can see what I'm doing for when I haveto do it blind behind the dash. This REALLY helps me a lot!

[hsdropout]

Yes, thank you very very much, I was wondering what that little (hard to see) button was for........knew there had to be a trick involved somehow.
Cab will finally be completely gutted now.
Not sure if that is a good thing or not.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Bit by bit Gentlemen, bit by bit.

Nothing too exciting to others:
Painted cab roof (no pic, boring anyway).
Touching up around engine compartment and inner fenders.

I got carried away (natch!) and took the hood off to sand the interior and paint. No pic yet, still more touching up to do.

Took the cruddy, nasty hood hinges off and spent an hour (so far) on the wire wheel cleaning 55 years of crud and rust off, then painted Rustoleum semi gloss black. Spring in chrome paint. Not sure I'll leave that but I was noodling around
Hood Hinge - BEFORE (Yuck)

Hood Hinge - AFTER

Painted the glove box door. Not too exciting but, "bit-by-bit"



Of course that happened because I got distracted from priming the exterior and went to the interior, then distracted back to the outside again
I guess it doesn't matter since it's my toy to play with any way I want.

Feel free to comment. I don't have a picture of it but painted the hood interior gloss black only because I already had it. Shoulda been smei gloss but I think the gloss will "die down" after awhile exposed to the heat. At least I'm telling myself that.

[Daze57]

dats the way it comes out alright !

[FFredo]

Looking good Dan, Those little details will make the diff. I cant wait till I get to the paint stage. Heck I still dont know what color I'm picking, so you got me beat there.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Nah, I still don't know what color I'm doing either! I just went with a two tone green in the interior because I used green primer on the exterior. And I only used that because everybody uses light or dark gray or red oxide. It was a spur of the moment decision and to anyone else thinking of using it; it works fine but it doesn't cover nearly as well as the others so plan on using a lot more of it.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Updating this old thread just to complete the story on the instrument cluster refurb I did last year. I've been doing NOTHING on the truck for months and finally got back to it this weekend.

Here's a couple follow up shots from today to show I did get the cluster installed:


Others of the glove box - cheap cardboard liner but at least its new and fits. And of course the door with new bump stops.



After about 5 months sitting, the truck started right up and idled smoothly...well, NOT smoothly...it's got a rumpety-rump cam, despite the FRIGGIN RATS nest I found on the intake manifold!

[sgtusmc]

Wow Dan, The dash looks really great man.

[ChuckDriver]

That dash really looks great Dan!

[Rude Dude]

Dan get a big glass jar with white vinegar and put all your bolts, washers into the jar it will take a week or so but the rust will be gone. You can use Navel Jell on the big parts but remember it contains acid, another alternative is get a container that the parts fit into such as a kids plastic pool get molasses available at feed stores and mix one part to nine parts of water and submerge the parts. After it soaks a couple of days wash residue off this process is bio degradeable so you can pour it down the drain.

Molasses and water rust remover converter -...

[Kim57]

Looks good. You need to keep at it.
Kim

[Dan in Pasadena]

Oh thank you guys. Coming from you with the kind of trucks you have the compliments mean a lot. It's just rattle can junk to make it presentable while I do all the mechanical stuff I want to get done. But i really so like the color combo. Surprising given the colors come
From two different companies.

I've got a lot more to do in the cab - more sanding, priming, painting. Putting door rubber, window tracks & anti ratyle strips. But also some minor rust repair - FINALLY buy a bottle & MIG gas later today. I'll be practicing (& hurting myself? Lol) starting this weekend.

First more major thing after that is getting the tank out of the cab following ChuckDriver's method. JJ, if you feel you'd "do it differently now" please tell me how?
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[bondobob]

Nice job and a nice choice of colors. Keep up the good work.

[ChuckDriver]

Dan, I don't think I would do it any way different. It works great and looks nice and tucked up from behind. But there are many ways that other have done it that look good too! The early mustang/cougar tank install looks very straight forward.

Keep up the good work!

[YahamaR1]

Very nice thread Dan..
Nice clean truck you have..
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