'69 C10 - Black on Black

[1971Stepside]

I was wondering when we would get an update! Looks great. Those grills will really fight you.

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by 1971Stepside

I was wondering when we would get an update! Looks great. Those grills will really fight you.

I know...I will go weeks without pictures and then BAM! Front end assembled.

I've gained even more appreciation for factory parts in working on this truck - the combination of aftermarket fenders and grille has made it challenging. Aftermarket parts are rust-free, damage-free (most of the time), but the fitment and quality aren't always there.

[rodstored-72]

Originally Posted by MDPotter

I know...I will go weeks without pictures and then BAM!... Aftermarket parts are rust-free, damage-free (most of the time), but the fitment and quality aren't always there.

preach on brother!!

[Low Elco]

I have a oval carbide burr in a die grinder- Known by all as the "hole stretcher". It gets a workout upon front end assembly. Lookin' good!

[MDPotter]

That tool and a dremel have came in handy.

[72Teeroy]

Beautiful work and very nice truck

[MDPotter]

Making good progress despite the heat.

Had a local metal fab shop bend up a piece of aluminum to secure the top of the electric fans.


Also applied filler to the hood. Nothing too major, except the two big circled areas that are oil canning and are currently huge low spots. If I put my hand underneath and lift gently, it looks pretty good. I've done a little research and heard of guys adding braces to add some structure to these hoods, but I'm open to any suggestions. Also considering replacing the pads between the braces and hood skin, but that might not address these low spots and lift up the spots under the braces too much.



Also rebuilt the vent windows, loaded the doors, and installed the head unit and ignition.

[sfont66]

Again, nice work, and great progress. at the rate you are going you will be driving it before winter comes!
Will this become your wife's truck? So much hard work put into it, i would hate to see you sell it now!
The recent photos certainly show that you have a good size shop to work in, well equipped too.
Keep up the good work, your progress is very motivating to the rest of us.

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by TA_C10

Looking great man. Normally for oil canning you would shrink the metal to tighten it up but if it's low then hmmm, that would make it lower right? Interested to see how you tackle this one.

I have used the heat shrink technique before. Definitely an amateur at it, but it has worked to eliminate oil canning. I want to explore other options first though - I don't want to make it worse. If I could figure out a way to push up the metal and hold it in place permanently, I would be happy.

Originally Posted by sfont66

Again, nice work, and great progress. at the rate you are going you will be driving it before winter comes!
Will this become your wife's truck? So much hard work put into it, i would hate to see you sell it now!
The recent photos certainly show that you have a good size shop to work in, well equipped too.
Keep up the good work, your progress is very motivating to the rest of us.

No, not a truck for the wife or for us to keep. Just a project for us - I'm sure we'll find someone that will enjoy it. But yes, the goal is to have it done this fall. It's my dad's shop and it's been such a great place to work on various projects over the years.

[Grumpy old man]

This may help .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Tx...8nzAgT&index=6

[TA_C10]

Looking great man. Normally for oil canning you would shrink the metal to tighten it up but if it's low then hmmm, that would make it lower right? Interested to see how you tackle this one.

[TA_C10]

Sorry to hear about the hood man but sounds like you got a good plan.

[MDPotter]

The hood showed up and doesn't appear to be damaged. The quality level is about as good as you can expect. The spot welds on the back edge are raised so I'll have to do some hammer & dolly work on those. Lots of sharp edges. Fit is okay, except the overall width at the back. The gap between the fender and the hood is almost an inch at the back. What we're thinking about doing is drilling out the spot welds where the rear structure attaches to the skin and then try to bend that brace outwards or put some kind of shims between the two.

You'll see that the grille isn't aligned with the driver side fender in the picture - we took it back off and fixed that as it has been bothering me and it will make the hood/grille gap go away.

[MDPotter]

Also got the bedsides into their last round of epoxy. I had previously put on 3 coats of 2K and they blocked out very well - I think I spend more time with filler and glazing putty and less time with primer/surfacer than some guys because I was expecting another round or two of blocking. But it came out great so I put on 3 more coats of epoxy for final sanding prior to paint.

Also applied epoxy to the front bed panel and tubs so they can enter the filler work phase.

Really starting to see the light on this truck - it's all coming together and it will be a complete truck in the next few months.

[TA_C10]

Nice work. And that hood seems a lot less work than a beat up old original. I guess they all end up needing help in the end.

[sfont66]

I am very interested in the tricks and tweaks needed to fit the aftermarket hoods. I have 2 original hoods to choose from, but both have some issues, I am likely a couple of years before needing to address this area on my project, but I am following along to see how and what needs to be done for a good fit, with the aftermarket hood , if I need to go that route.
You have a lot of skills, and a ton of ambition, keep up the good work, its very motivating/ inspiring to the rest of us!

[Ol Blue K20]

Looking good!

[1971Stepside]

Great work as always!

[MDPotter]

We successfully modified the hood to make the gaps acceptable. By drilling out a few spot welds where the outer skin attaches to the rear brace, the outer skin easily moves. You can see that we pulled it out almost an inch. Then we bent the flange on the brace outwards to make contact with the skin and welded it back.




I also decided to sand down the bedsides and reclear. Too many imperfections that would need to be sanded and buffed. And a couple spots were on edges so I just sanded it down and will spray 3 more coats.

[TA_C10]

Nice work on the hood. Repop right? So much work to get those right...

[Gregski]

that's some quality work right there, and appreciate your honesty about the runs in the sealer, often time we just see perfect build reports every time, ha ha

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by TA_C10

Nice work on the hood. Repop right? So much work to get those right...

Yep, the original hood was too far gone. Or, at least, too much for our skillset.

Originally Posted by Gregski

that's some quality work right there, and appreciate your honesty about the runs in the sealer, often time we just see perfect build reports every time, ha ha

Bodywork is a love/hate thing for me. Somedays I'm frustrated, other days I feel accomplished. But when it's something you only do as a hobby, the learning curve is steep. But I'm constantly improving my techniques and learning.

[MDPotter]

It finally looks like a truck. We have the bed all put together and the hood is on. After putting the hood on the first time after painting, we discovered that the skin needed to be stretched away from the brace at the other back corner and ended up repainting it because of it. I want to let the clear cure a little longer before applying the tailgate letters.

Just need to put the windshield and back glass in it, install the seat, do a little wiring and top off the fluids and it should be on the road. That, and a couple days of cutting and buffing. Apparently I reached the pinnacle of my spraying technique on my last truck as this one has been a struggle getting a satisfactory finish straight off the gun.

[69GMC2004]

Originally Posted by MDPotter

It finally looks like a truck. We have the bed all put together and the hood is on. After putting the hood on the first time after painting, we discovered that the skin needed to be stretched away from the brace at the other back corner and ended up repainting it because of it. I want to let the clear cure a little longer before applying the tailgate letters.

Just need to put the windshield and back glass in it, install the seat, do a little wiring and top off the fluids and it should be on the road. That, and a couple days of cutting and buffing. Apparently I reached the pinnacle of my spraying technique on my last truck as this one has been a struggle getting a satisfactory finish straight off the gun.

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It’s looking pretty good!
Posted via Mobile Device

[sfont66]

Originally Posted by MDPotter

It finally looks like a truck. We have the bed all put together and the hood is on. After putting the hood on the first time after painting, we discovered that the skin needed to be stretched away from the brace at the other back corner and ended up repainting it because of it. I want to let the clear cure a little longer before applying the tailgate letters.

Just need to put the windshield and back glass in it, install the seat, do a little wiring and top off the fluids and it should be on the road. That, and a couple days of cutting and buffing. Apparently I reached the pinnacle of my spraying technique on my last truck as this one has been a struggle getting a satisfactory finish straight off the gun.

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Very nice work!
Huge amount of progress in a short amount of time.
Sorting out the fit on the hood is great to see , I took note of how the rear brace and hood skin needed to be separated , pulled out, and welded back.