68 Second Chance

[landarts]

So today was able to get the truck ready for the Utech paint spraying which will happen on Sunday morning. Was doing touch up glaze on few areas around the cab corner and rocker. Also got one more coat of primer on the interior floor cab corner that needs to be sprayed also.

While that was drying I started to reassemble the bench seat that I cleaned up and painted. Added new burlap material, cotton batting and had to do a few small foam repairs on the driver side area of the seat. After getting everything looking and feeling like it should I went ahead and install the seat cover. Only thing left to do on seat is install the seat mount brackets, slide bar linkage and pull the sides tight and put a few hog rings to hold them in place. This will help line up the upper welting to the lower section welting like it is intended.

Photo 1 - one of the areas that needs foam repair
Photo 2 - lower section after new burlap and cotton batting
Photo 3 - getting ready to trim of extra materials and install cover
Photo 4 - seat covers installed, still need sides fasten down and go over with heat gun to get a few of the wrinkles out
photo 5 - Cab corner ready for paint in the morning

[landarts]

Started off this morning around 6:30 am getting the truck ready for paint. First items was to use the new 3M seam sealer 08367 that needed to be applied to the area where the rocker meets the cab corner. This went on relly easy and smoothed up real nice. Per the instructions it would be ready to prime or paint after a 30 minute wait time. So I decided to seal up the tube in hopes of possibly using it again in the near future. I tried sealing the end of the tube with a hot glue gun and seemed to really do a nice job. I guess time will tell when I go to use it next time.

Then I moved onto prepping, cleaning, taping off and wiping down multiple times with wax and grease remover. About 45 minutes later I grabbed the SEM high build primer and shot over the area where I had laid down the seam sealer to seal that up and give the paint the same surface to grab onto. Then reset the garage thermostat from 70 degrees up to 75 and went back in to do a few items while the primer flashed off. Came back out a few hours later and grabbed the Utech spray can of matched single stage paint to read the instructions and get this paint party started.

Here are the steps to using the paint:
1- shake can for 2 minutes
2- remove red button and place on bottom of can, push down hard to puncture bladder filled with hardener
3- shake can for another 2 minutes
4- spray at a distance of 10"
5- you have an approx. 24 hour window until the can hardens and is usless

I followed the instruction, strapped on a respirator and began to proceed with a tack coat. The paint sprayed out really nice and the fan pattern was a really nice mist that I had not ever had on any other type of aerosol spray paint.

Photo 1 - 3M black seam sealer 08367 that I used for the first time
Photo 2 - Utech single stage paint matched to truck in a aerosol can
Photo 3 - shows the bottom of the can where you put the red button to puncture the bladder
Photo 4 - button in place and bladder punctured

[landarts]

Here are a few of the first tack coat.

[dmjlambert]

Looking fantastic. How do you repair that seat foam?

[landarts]

Originally Posted by dmjlambert

Looking fantastic. How do you repair that seat foam?

I cut out the section that was worn or missing and glued in new high density foam, then used a cotton batten over the whole pad.

[landarts]

This afternoon I will pull all the paper from the painting yesterday and clean up the work area. Then start getting the interior ready to go back together while paint is still curing under the heated garage. I will first remove the rubber floor mat and insulation and give the floor a good scrubbing and wipe everything down so that it is clean inside. Then I will install the new underlayment and the new carpet kit from ACC. I like to get this part done first so I can lay on the floor and install the dash pad and the heater controls without the seat in the way. On my last project I took the Buddy Buckets in and out at least six times installing and removing items in the new interior.

Interior items in order:
- floor underlayment
- run speaker wires under carpet to behind seat for future buyer if they decide to add a radio
- carpet kit (been out of box relaxing out all the folds for 2 weeks)
- door sills
- dash pad
- heater controls
- oil and speedometer hook up to gauge cluster
- gauge cluster
- glove box cardboard insert
- glove box door
- seat and seat belts (will need to use heat gun to get the last few creases out of cover)
- clean and buff the door panels while they are off, then install
- window and door handles
- wipe rubber and plastic items down with a microfiber towel and Duragloss 233 vinyl and leather dressing

Once the paint is good and dry I will need to work the three areas starting with 800 grit wet and dry and work toward 2000 to get rid of any tape ridges since I did not back tape. It will also need a few areas worked to make those areas not look so perfect and match the patina. Once I am satisfied with that process I will buff it out with the machine and compound, then some polish and hopefully it will look the part.

Short list of items left to do:

1. install interior
2. wet sand and buff new paint
3. buff the rest of the truck
4. reinstall the bed - need new bolts
5. reinstall the front bumper
6. new tires
7. shop truck logo or pinstripped
8. possibly new Artillery rims using existing hub caps
9. possibly 3/5 static drop kit with shocks, relocators, panhard bar etc
   

[landarts]

So finally got around to wet sanding and buffing out the areas I did the rust repair on. I let the truck sit for a week before I attempted to do the wet sanding and buffing.

I started with 800 grit, 1200 and finished with 1500. After that I thought I would try using the buffer on the first area I sanded to see if it was going to do the job removing the rest of 1500 sanding and I was surprised how well it looked after a little buffing. So I worked on all three areas and completed the buffing in the areas that did not get buffing the first go around because of the rust. You can really see the difference in the color of the truck where it was oxidized on the lower passenger front fender apron compared to the sprayed paint. The third picture is probably the best representation of this.

So again this is the first time I have ever used the 2K single stage paint that was matched to my fender with a digital gun and put into a spray can that has a bladder full of hardener that you activate. I would do this again and highly recommend this process. Super satisfied the out come and the quality of the paint. The pictures do not represent the color 100% because of the lighting in the garage and all the reflections.

[SRU1436]

That looks really awesome, great job!

[landarts]

Here are a few before and after pictures of the repairs done on the passenger side of the truck. The other items that are not shown are the rocker, inner floor turndown to cab corner and the rear cab support repairs. Still need to go back under the truck and seam seal those areas and shoot some 3M undercoat on the new repair areas. That should wrap up the rust repairs and allow me to move onto putting the new interior in this week and get the bed put back and bolted down.

[landarts]

Had some time today to get the floor rubber mat, tar paper and the white foam pad removed. After getting that removed and swept up into the trash can I grabbed the Shop Vac and got the rest of the debris. Mixed up some Simple Green concentrate and sprayed it down to soak in for a few minutes. Hit it again with another spray down of Simple Green and started scrubbing with a stiff brush to get fifty years of dust and dirt cleaned up. Then grabbed a bucket of hot water and started mopping up the mess with microfiber towels.

Now that it is clean I moved onto applying the foil and foam insulation that I get from Home Depot. It is used for wrapping air ducts on HVAC systems. The insulation is very affordable, easy to work with and does a great job. I just use a razor knife to cut it. I have used the material on a few trucks and can tell the difference in the trucks that do not have insulation, especially here in Idaho when the snow falls.

Anyways once I got that done I grabbed the carpet that I had laid out in my office to get the folded wrinkles out. Made the cut for the gear shift and got it into place. Still need to pull out the solder gun to make all the holes for the gear shift boot screws, seat mounts, door sill screws etc.

[69Tom]

Originally Posted by landarts

Here are a few of the first tack coat.

TIP: Back mask your tape on the paper. This way you don't end up with a hard paint line.

[landarts]

Originally Posted by 69Tom

TIP: Back mask your tape on the paper. This way you don't end up with a hard paint line.

Yes that is a good tip and normally I would have done that. I mentioned in post 81 about not back taping the truck. Probably should have, but I was always going to rough it up a little and expose some of the primer to go along with the rest of the truck natural patina. Those three areas stuck out not so much from the tape line as it did looking like new paint.

Again you are right with the back taping technique and I probably should have done it that way, it would have opened up other choices for the patina matching. Hard to tell from the pictures but on a few of the spots I painted over chipped areas without proper prepping knowing that I would expose that area again.

Thanks for the tip and dropping in!

[68bowtie]

Looking great! The before and after is quite a change.

[landarts]

Originally Posted by 68bowtie

Looking great! The before and after is quite a change.

Thanks 68bowtie!

This is part of why I love this hobby, the diversity of what we can do with these trucks is never ending. Here is a picture of the day I picked it up.

[landarts]

Did not get much done over the weekend do to the kitchen remodel. I have finalized the shop truck logo for the door. I printed out the last version in a tiled format so I could tape it together and see how it fit for size on the door (Photo 1). After seeing it on the door I decided to make a few changes by dropping the Star Idaho portion of the logo and increasing the overal size of all items in the logo. Easy to do in Adobe Illustrator since this is a vector file I just group all items and drag to the size I needed on the inch rulers on the screen. Then I exported a transparent background png file and overlaid onto a image of the truck to see if the changes were the right direction (Photo 2). So the next step is to print this out one more time with the changes and if it looks right then start rounding up materials.


So I pulled the vinyl cutter (Photo 3) out of the back of the shop where it has been covered up with a tarp for the last 7 or 8 years and blew it off with some compressed air and brought into my home office inside the house. Next I will need to order some new transfer tape and paint mask material, Gerbermask or Oramask which are both low tack paint mask stencil materials that I can run through the plotter and get a really nice cut on. I have all the Oneshot paint colors and brushes I need, just need to order some Oneshot 4003 clear to thin down the paint to give it a more transparent look that helps show brush marks. So once we get those items on the table I will be doing a test on a spare door that I have first.

[landarts]

Still getting a few things checked off the list during the kitchen renovation. Had some spare time waiting on cabinets to dry again so I went out and was able to get the bed put back on the frame and few other items. Backed it out into the driveway to do a needed clean up of garage. The bonus is that it was raining and the truck really needed to get all the grinding and sanding dust of it. So this morning on my way to work I took a quick snapshot of it and a few of it in the garage.

Look like I will have time this week to move onto the assembly of the interior. Need to mount the gauge bezel, install heater controls, glovebox, seat and door panels. then for the outside, mount front bumper, finish CLR treatment, buff hood and drivers side then address the shop logo door. Last items will be the static drop then tires and wheel combo.

[68Gold/white]

Where did you purchase the seat cover and foam???

[landarts]

Originally Posted by 68Gold/white

Where did you purchase the seat cover and foam???

I purchased the ACME Auto seat cover from RockAuto. It was like $205 I believe. Here is a link to that seat cover. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...lstery,1001572 The one I used was the Madrid vinyl with Oxen vinyl inserts.

I had left over foam from a previous project. I had purchased the foam at a local upholstery shop. The cotton batten I purchased from Walmart in the isle with all the sewing materials, I have also bought foam at Walmart and had good success.

[68Gold/white]

Thanks for the info. Buying seat foam and covers can be expensive!!!
I live about 20 miles south of where Sam Walton was born!

LOL, you might advertise your old tires here, for sale, they have a lot of patina go'n on!!!

[landarts]

Well this was an interesting weekend to say the least. The 68 Second Chance will be going to a new home here shortly. Someone made me a really great offer on the truck the way it sits unfinished. I made a deal with them but told them that I wanted to finish putting the interior back in and buffing the other side so I could see it finished on my end. Take it for a ride up to the mountain behind my house and take a few pictures at a spot I like to take truck pictures. I also purchased a Mavic Pro drone a while back and would like to do a 360 video around the truck to see what it will produce. I have done this with other subjects and it is amazing quality.

I really wanted to do the shop door logo on this truck but that is not going to happen. So I think I will drag in my C20 that is all original paint that have had for about eight years and give it the door treatment and freshen up the drivetrain with a LS swap and few other items. This truck does deserve some attention, it is a true survivor from the Idaho Farm fields. It was purchased from Edmark Chevrolet back in 1967 Nampa Idaho right next to where I live. It is a running and driving truck and the only thing on it that is not original are the tires and rims which were like that when I got the truck. Has the Protecto plate, manual, purchase papers and the Chrome cowl emblem from the dealership. This truck has always started and got me where I was going and back and never left me stranded. It does not go over 55 miles per hour and if you are going up a any hill of any sort you have to shift down because the motor is just plane tired.

I will be back on the this thread in few days with completion pictures before it goes on to the new owner. Glad I could be the one that gave this truck a Second Chance. It has really been fun working on the old girl and breathing life back into her after a 19 year sitting period. I will also be sending pictures of the truck to the people I purchased it from, my promise to them was that I would bring this truck back to life and get it going down the road again. I think they will be happy to know their dads truck is still alive and making memories for someone else. This is one of the reasons I really love this hobby.

Pict 1 is how my 67 C20 the truck looks now
Pict 2 is a possible drop and rim change
Pict 3 with a shop truck logo

[best view]

Ok now can u go finish the 69 k10 and stop bouncing around

[landarts]

Hey Kenny that is the plan, and once the 69 K10 is done I will get in it and go bounce around. How is your K20 coming? Take care!

[best view]

Still out there I trust them enough so I sent all the money bad time of the yr to ship anything from there but we’re getting closer

[landarts]

Originally Posted by best view

Still out there I trust them enough so I sent all the money bad time of the yr to ship anything from there but we’re getting closer

Have you tried DAS Auto Shippers? I have used them three times and went well and affordable.

[landarts]

Was able to break away from the kitchen remodel and start getting the interior back together. Ran into a few items that are giving some issues. Had to extend the wiring on the wipers to move to the right side of gauge cluster. The gauge cluster I am using has lights on top left and wipers on top right. P.O. had a manual choke installed on top left so deleted that since I don't need because the new Edelbrock carb has an electrical choke. Then when I went to plug in the speedometer cable it would not go in, the center portion that turns is sticking out to far and I can not seem to get it to go back enough to get the nurl nut on.

Items left inside interior:
- fix the speedometer cable
- light switch and screws for the gauge bezel
- one seat belt where I did the cab and floor rust repair
- door panels
- burn holes with soldering iron for seat bolts and manual shift boot plate
- gas pedal
- bench seat

Pict 1 Bunch-O-Stuff laid out on hood that are going back in the interior
Pict 2 Progress show, installed dash pad, radio delete, ash tray, heater controls, glove box, glove box lid, partial bezel installed