69 long fleet- First build

[mcbassin]

Hey man, I feel your pain, I haven't got room for our project in my shop either. At least you got your chassis inside. All I have to do is get rid of more stuff and re-arrange shelves then I should be able to get it inside too with about 12" on either side (dang boat in the way!). Good progress!

[my67chevytruck]

nice progress... keep at it!

[0331grunt]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Hey man, I feel your pain, I haven't got room for our project in my shop either. At least you got your chassis inside. All I have to do is get rid of more stuff and re-arrange shelves then I should be able to get it inside too with about 12" on either side (dang boat in the way!). Good progress!

I might have a place for that boat at my house...

[0331grunt]

Well, hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and got what they wanted... I got a cool sign from my boys and some time to work in my little shop! Found an interesting spot on my driver side front fender... guess I get to learn some body work after all! Hard to see in pics, but the bondo was almost 1/4" thick in some areas!! It must have been there before my stepdad got it, because I sure don't remember any of it while we had it... Got most of the suspension loose and ready to take off to clean/paint. Slow progress but here are some pics...

[JohnC]

Man I don't know how I have missed your build thread man. It was great meeting you yesterday. Like you said it's always nice to put a face to the name. The progress on your truck is coming along nicely. As for the rust in the doors, and the speaker cutouts you may talk to beechd. He picked up a parts truck that is the same color orange as yours. Can't remember what the doors looked like though. I think it's great that you are getting your kids involved. My dad isn't really into cars the way I was growing up so I didn't get that same experience. That and don't have anything passed down with some history like you have here. Keep it going man, and I'm subscribed now so now I can keep up.

[0331grunt]

It was nice meeting you, too, John. I will be sure and keep in touch and am anxious for the Spring... may just have a trailered frame, but it will be something (and will probably pull with the Tahoe and not the Dodge ) Hopefully I will have something to update............. or not

[Chevy-Art]

Nice. What year did these trucks come with front disc brakes?

[mcbassin]

Originally Posted by Chevy-Art

Nice. What year did these trucks come with front disc brakes?

Disc brakes started coming on these in 71.

[my67chevytruck]

great sign! keep at it....

[ripdog28]

Are you doing any work? All i see is your own kids working on it.

[JohnC]

[0331grunt]

Originally Posted by ripdog28

Are you doing any work? All i see is your own kids working on it.

Yeah, I am actually.. just hard to take pictures of myself working on it ... Besides, it's cheap labor

[0331grunt]

I got a little bit done over the weekend. Got the front suspension off and started cleaning on the control arms, spindles and all that.. gonna go back with original parts (with new bushings, bearings and seals of course), but clean/ paint them. Also got the trailing arms and rear end off truck (no pics of that).. I have some more cleaning and prep work, long week at work and supposed to be cold this week.. maybe next week I can get some more done. (Thanks JohnC for the help with uploading stuff!)

Front suspension gone

Looking better

My "workbench"

[mcbassin]

Looking Good! Guess you got it worm enough to work in there

[JohnC]

Originally Posted by 0331grunt

..... (Thanks JohnC for the help with uploading stuff!)

No problem man. Happy to help with anything I can.

Progress looks good man. Bet your glad you got that garage cleaned out with this weather. Even with no heater, it's still not out under the tree.

[0331grunt]

Ok.. here is a question. I am gonna paint, not powder coat, my frame. I like the look of the hammered finish (like VA72C10 is doing), but I want it to be durable enough to take driving ALOT. Should I go with something like a sprayable bedliner (not my favorite), something like Eastwoods' Chassis paint, or just lots of coats of rattle can? I like the different color idea as well.. black, silver or gray, and some orange and chrome for good measure
And it HAS to be reasonablely priced (read-CHEAP!!).. sooooo.... any suggestions?

[VA72C10]

I'm sure the most durable would be the bedliner stuff....but that hammered finish has proven to be pretty durable. Dropped the bare painted frame about 18" off jackstands and it slid 3ft accross concrete floor. One small scratch I fixed in about 2 seconds with some more of the hammered spray.....I like the fact that it covers minor imperfections in the metal and is more durable than std paint because of the high build. Not the cheapest spray option as it's 5-7per can (walmart has been cheapest) and you'll use 8-10 cans to get three or four coats on it. But to me is by far the most durable spray bomb option other than bedliner in a can. Prep is important as the surface has to be clean and I added an etching primer to make sure it'd bite into the metal. Was a rust preventative as well so I shouldn't ever have a rust problem w/ the frame. And if I get damage from driving it I can touch up spray that area...where I touched up the one scratch you cannot tell at all...

[JohnC]

Sounds like the route I would take as well.

[Slick67]

Lookin good Grunt!!! I did the POR15 then basic automotive spray straight outta the can from O'Reilly. I think it's a little smoother than what you are wanting but it is durable. Hey thanks for the kudos on the drawings, and I think you're right about a future Chip Foose!! Looks great!

[0331grunt]

Thanks for the response guys... I think I will go with the same idea as VA72C10 and do the hammered rattle can. If I get it chipped, it will be as easy to repair as anything else. Plus, I am not going for the smmoooth look as Slick67 mentioned.

I hope to have it painted soon, if the weather ever warms above freezing

[oldblue1968chevy]

whats the exact brand and name of this stuff I will be doing mine shortly..

[0331grunt]

Originally Posted by oldblue1968chevy

whats the exact brand and name of this stuff I will be doing mine shortly..

I think it is Rustoleum Hammered finish (several colors available) and the primer is rattle can Rustoleum Rusty Metal (can has a brown lid). Wally World sells it at a decent price ( $5- $7/ can) VA72C10 said it should take 4-5 cans primer and 7-8 cans of the paint, depends on how thick you want it. Check out his build and he has some good info on it. Thats where I got the idea...
(Thanks, Jonathan!)

Thanks for looking

[JohnC]

Originally Posted by 0331grunt

.....I hope to have it painted soon, if the weather ever warms above freezing

Well from the looks of the weather you won't be doing it this week!

[0331grunt]

Originally Posted by JohnC

Well from the looks of the weather you won't be doing it this week!

No kidding.. my little space heater is screaming at me

[JohnC]

I bet tomorrow if you try and use it you'll get one of these