85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"

[N2TRUX]

Still shopping for a truck for Chris. In the interim we spent the day working forward from where we left off last. We pulled the fender liners, and lowered the tail of the transmission to gain more access. Once again I was pleased to find absolutely no rust but plenty of dirt. We cleaned and prepped everything.

[N2TRUX]

After a full clean and prep process we got the floor pan covered all the way to the bottom of the firewall. Tomorrow I will paint the frame rails and transmission. Then I can get the crossmember in place.

Ignore the big run at the top of the pan. It's from the factory seam sealer, and I'm going to remove it even though it can't be seen when the liner is back in place.

[N2TRUX]

We found a truck to go check out but we had some time to kill waiting for the owner to get home. I finished the prep work above the transmission. We wrapped the tranny up and blasted the pan.

EDIT- Apparently I failed to get finished pics. I will add those later.

[SKT]

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Amazing how rust free this truck is.

Always enjoy reading your attention to detail refurb threads - appreciate the time you spend to share all the details!

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[aggie91]

Since you are doing the cleaning in the shop and I don't see water all over the floor in the pics, can you describe your cleaning process?

Your results look great.!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by SKT

Amazing how rust free this truck is. Always enjoy reading your attention to detail refurb threads - appreciate the time you spend to share all the details!

I searched for weeks looking for the "right" candidate for my latest build. I have learned that rust repair and paint work add the largest cost to a build. If I can start with a rust free truck that has quality paint then I am miles ahead.

Originally Posted by aggie91

Since you are doing the cleaning in the shop and I don't see water all over the floor in the pics, can you describe your cleaning process? Your results look great.!

I usually do the degreasing at the local Coin Op Car Wash. I spray everything down with Gunk Engine Brite then use the degreaser feature to get it as clean as possible.

Once its in the shop we use various size wire brushes to start the clean up. To minimize dust I sometimes wet it with a spray bottle. Once we have the loose dirt off I blast it with the air nozzle. I also use a battery powered leaf blower to clean up my work area.

I have tried various solvents for the final prep but they can become cost prohibitive and easily wasted. We discovered that Walmart brand brake cleaner on folded paper towels uses minimal product and dries quickly with no residue. I toss them in my recycle bin so we are enviro friendly.

I buy the cheapest paper towels that Sams Club offers and they work great. They are virtually lint free and cost much less than the blue towels. I may use twice the amount, but its still cheaper.

The end result is we almost never have any fish eye or chemical reaction when we apply undercoat or paint.

[aggie91]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

...
I usually do the degreasing at the local Coin Op Car Wash. I spray everything down with Gunk Engine Brite then use the degreaser feature to get it as clean as possible.

Once its in the shop we use various size wire brushes to start the clean up. To minimize dust I sometimes wet it with a spray bottle. Once we have the loose dirt off I blast it with the air nozzle. I also use a battery powered leaf blower to clean up my work area.

I have tried various solvents for the final prep but they can become cost prohibitive and easily wasted. We discovered that Walmart brand brake cleaner on folded paper towels uses minimal product and dries quickly with no residue. I toss them in my recycle bin so we are enviro friendly.

I buy the cheapest paper towels that Sams Club offers and they work great. They are virtually lint free and cost much less than the blue towels. I may use twice the amount, but its still cheaper.

The end result is we almost never have any fish eye or chemical reaction when we apply undercoat or paint.

Thanks for sharing this info. Its these methods/products that the masters like yourself have developed that make for great results. Learning this stuff can be costly if you have to learn this stuff the hard way without some guidance from people like you.

I've been doing this for a good long time too, but I still learn new things all the time and like to see/hear what the others do for the challenges these old trucks give us.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by tintbox

Thanks for sharing and taking time to post. Always informative!

My Pleasure

Originally Posted by aggie91

...I've been doing this for a good long time too, but I still learn new things all the time and like to see/hear what the others do for the challenges these old trucks give us.

I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent person. Despite that I often find myself doing some really dumb stuff. Upon reflection, I realize that the stupid things I do are usually because I got in a hurry or chose to try a short cut.

I try to learn something new or see things from a different perspective every chance I get despite what my wife may tell you.

[mcbassin]

Another Killer N2TRUX project. Looking forward to seeing where this goes. Hard to beat these old squares. I love them. I need to add another one to my stable eventually.
subscribed....

[tintbox]

Thanks for sharing and taking time to post. Always informative!

[N2TRUX]

Unfortunately no progress to report. My wife and I are hosting a family gathering for the 4th of July so my time was spent in the back yard. Since the decision was made late in the game I went with bagged mulch rather than bulk delivery. We spread 24 bags and planted several flats of ground cover.

I sanded and painted a bench and table. I got one section of the wrought-iron fence sanded and primef before the rain shut me down. My buddy is coming to pressure wash the deck tomorrow and I will be ready for the family to enjoy a day at the pool.

[aggie91]

Its good to relax and enjoy time with the family on the 4th. Owen and I will be in the Appalachia mountains on a Youth Mission trip for church. We leave on the 2nd and return on the 10th.

Have fun and be safe!

[GAc10boy]

Nice progress on the truck and the backyard! Looks like a fun place to be with family on the 4th.

[SKT]

Originally Posted by gac10boy

nice progress on the truck and the backyard!

Looks like a fun place to be with family on the 4th.

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X2!

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[N2TRUX]

With Chris in a fresh ride and Independence day close we focused on the yard and the deck. I stripped and repainted a bench and table for my wife which made the wrought-iron fence really look neglected. We sanded and painted 28 foot of fence by hand.
Meanwhile I got up early every morning and swam laps. After my exercise my wife and I spent an hour planting, pruning, and detailing the yard around our pool. I know its not truck related, but this is what we have done in preparation for the 4th of July.

[GAc10boy]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

With Chris in a fresh ride and Independence day close we focused on the yard and the deck. I stripped and repainted a bench and table for my wife which made the wrought-iron fence really look neglected. We sanded and painted 28 foot of fence by hand.
Meanwhile I got up early every morning and swam laps. After my exercise my wife and I spent an hour planting, pruning, and detailing the yard around our pool. I know its not truck related, but this is what we have done in preparation for the 4th of July.

Absolutely beautiful. You should feel a sense of accomplishment. And great progress on the truck!

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

With Chris in a fresh ride and Independence day close we focused on the yard and the deck. I stripped and repainted a bench and table for my wife which made the wrought-iron fence really look neglected. We sanded and painted 28 foot of fence by hand.
Meanwhile I got up early every morning and swam laps. After my exercise my wife and I spent an hour planting, pruning, and detailing the yard around our pool. I know its not truck related, but this is what we have done in preparation for the 4th of July.

Beautiful yard!

[N2TRUX]

I rarely take a weekday off but this was time with family so I wouldn't trade it for nothing. Unfortunately my work still has to get done so the short week that followed was very hectic.
Combine that with a buyer for my 2013 Sierra came along. After he saw how clean the truck was, he was anxious to close the deal. I spent all of Saturday showing the truck then driving 48 mile to his Credit Union and signing papers. We wrapped things up and I have one less truck in my driveway.

That means I can focus on Scarlett once again. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the transmission needs serviced and painted. Since the pan gasket was leaking and I had no idea when it was last serviced I wanted to change the fluid and filter. I have no idea why GM doesn't put a drain plug in the transmission pan but I do know it's a guarantee your going to make a mess when you drop it.
The bad news is we made a big mess even with two drain pans. The good news is I discovered that the transmission had been recently rebuilt. Based on a new torque converter, filter, and gasket I was able to search and find it was a fresh build.

[N2TRUX]

With the rear of the transmission lowered as far as I could go, I managed to squeeze in and prep the case for paint. It took some creative masking and spraying but I eventually got a good coat of cast iron color on the case.

[N2TRUX]

With the dust cover removed we got a good look at the rear seal on the motor. It's obvious it's been leaking for a while based on the build up of grunge. I also noted the creative spacers used on the starter. This doesn't surprise me based on what I found so far. The transmission bushing bolts were finger tight, and once again the bolts for the dust cover were not correct or matching. I replaced the mismatched bolts with stainless button heads. We installed it till we need to access the rear seal so it doesn't get scratched up.

[mcbassin]

Nice work as always Ken, Not too sure about those starter bolts.....I did the exact same on my old 70 model when I was around 17 years old. Sometimes, necessity is mother of invention.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Chaplain

Wow...very thorough update. You've been busy. Confession: we've been to tending the yard prepping for family as well. I actually enjoy maintaining the yard. I'm grass cutting three times a week to keep that putting green height but when it came to painting our fence I really pushed back and complained about it. I showed my wife your pics and she said, "See there..." You're a good man Charlie Brown.

I have been putting off the fence for a season or two. After I painted the bench I had no choice. The yard is always on going. We were blessed with so much rain this year I am just now turning on my sprinkler system. That means I had to do a test and tune on the entire system. With 12 zones and 8-10 heads per zone its a bit of a task.

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Nice work as always Ken, Not too sure about those starter bolts.....I did the exact same on my old 70 model when I was around 17 years old. Sometimes, necessity is mother of invention.

Dont get me wrong, I have done some questionable repairs in my life too. It seems what I have found here is someone was spending money in the right places but whoever was installing all the parts didnt really care what it looked like as long as it worked.

No worries though, it will be right when I get finished.

[gringoloco]

Great work here, all around

[N2TRUX]

It's been really hectic at work and Friday we worked late again. Saturday morning we ran errands but got back in the shop mid day. After doing a complete freshen up on Chris 01 Sierra core support we installed all new lights and got it buttoned up.

With that done it was time to show Scarlett some love. We are ready to install the transmission crossmember but decided to get another section of the frame cleaned and painted first.

Once again we noted how clean the rails were once we removed all the oily dirt that was serving as a protective layer. After cleaning and prep we were able to paint all the way to the shock mounts.

Drivers side...

[N2TRUX]

And here's the passengers side. Tomorrow we will install line clamps and get all the fuel lines looking tidy.