Above 1200 Sq/FT Blackbyrds Basement

[madison069]

16 years, i bet it feels like it flew by but at the same time was forever!
Congratulations!!

also, let us know how the pressure washer goes. I've been thinking of something more compact and easier to use then the gas pressure washer I currently have for car washing. I wouldn't get rid of it, but I would like to reduce the work involved with washing the cars!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Happy anniversary!

 

[zmotorsports]

Happy Anniversary and here's to many more.

 

[zanyad]

Congrats, happy anniversary!

 

[cccoltsicehockey]

An actual garage update for once..... Friday last week my wife and I celebrated 16 years of marriage. While she got a lovely necklace she's "subtly" been showing me. I got a new pressure washer for my detailing kit, I'd had it on my list for a while but kept putting it off.

I got it hooked up but havnt used it yet, so I'm excited to see how much of an improvement the active 2.0 is over my Harborfreight cheapo.

I initially thought I'd be hanging it on the wall, but at the moment this is pretty clean. We will see? I've debated moving all the cleaning stuff to the adjacent wall so that would free up some space if I wanted to hang it, but it's pretty compact as is.

Congrats on 16 years.

Nice pickup on the Active2.0. I love mine. If you have been using an HF electric and not gas it should be a huge improvement in the amount of GPM as long as you have the right nozzles. I think it might only come with a 3.5 or 4.0 so you might need to get a 4.5 or 5.0 I forget which to get the most GPM. It really does make a huge difference in using it to rinse the car off compared to the cheaper ones and it makes a ton more foam with the right cannon.

 

[Cdubu52]

Congrats on the anniversary and the Pressure Washer. I think Im using the standard nozels and I havent had any issues on mine. For the foam cannon, I am using the MJJC S V3 and their soap. It does great. I also us Adam's Mega Foam. I know some folks use a different foam cannon, but I really like the results.

https://www.amazon.com/MJJC-Thicker-Technology-Connector-Pressure/dp/B0D1CNSMBR/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Blackbyrd]

Thanks for the kind remarks all!

@cccoltsicehockey

Yeah I'm excited I've got a hose reel setup with an upgraded gun and use the griots boss foam cannon. Though I will have to swap the orifice inside it I had to change for the electric pressure washer I was using which was a claimed 1700psi unit like a greenhouse unit.

I've made good foam with it over the years but I'm looking forward to the higher GPM and hoping rinsing is a bit easier. I'd be happy if the foam output stayed the same, but will be excited if it gets thicker and clings to the vertical surfaces longer. Current foam level for posterity

 

[madison069]

I've made good foam with it over the years but I'm looking forward to the higher GPM and hoping rinsing is a bit easier. I'd be happy if the foam output stayed the same, but will be excited if it gets thicker and clings to the vertical surfaces longer. Current foam level for posterity

My foam cannon wasn't doing all that great when it was positioned with the bottle on the bottom side. But if I turned it upside down it projected a really good thick foam on the car! Probably not correct but it worked.

 

[Bob Heine]

@Blackbyrd, Happy Anniversary. Congratulations to you and condolences to your wife! [JK]

 

[Swanny1953]

Congrats on the anniversary!

 

[Blackbyrd]

Thanks guys! I appreciate it

@Bob Heine it is mutually assured destruction hhahaha

 

[Blackbyrd]

Update on the pressure washer

Massive improvement! Of all the things car related I love, detailing is actually my favorite. I enjoy workinf on them too but i geek out on perfecting cleaning. The process, the tools, the equipment. Anything that improves that experience im in! Rinse time was cut in half and the foam was super thick. Usually I feel like i have to rinse pretty quickly cause the foam thins out and starts to dry. Not this time dwell time was great, the lower pressure made for a more pleasant experience with the hose also. I didn't have to fight with It as much which just made the whole process so much more enjoyable.

So I wrapped up something on the 2nd gen that led to a decent clean out of the garage. I'll update in a follow up post. I really have to get the wheels sold and junk outta of here.

 

[Blackbyrd]

Now the meat and potatoes!

So in true me fashion I ran out of shielding gas for the welder so I couldn't finish the patches. I had a small debate but ultimately decided I needed to prime the rest of the trunk. I'll get a new tank this week and finish out the job. But this gets almost all the interior primed.

 

[Blackbyrd]

I fought with the qtr all night Friday.... had a really hard time lining up the wheel house and the skin lip. I didn't put the drop down in yet, I'm thinking I'm gonna need to get the qtr lined up first and adjust that to fit after the fact. My cuts weren't lined up after I got the excesslss out of the way. I still have more to do under side markers just to make an easier seam. I'll keep tweeking from here.


In other news I've got to stay off marketplace.....

I felt like I was driving someone else's truck with those other wheels. They were sooooooooo not my style or taste. These are more my speed.

 

[madison069]

But you won't find any of the deals without searching marketplace!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Wheels are definitely an improvement in overall aesthetics!

 

[zmotorsports]

Wheels are definitely an improvement in overall aesthetics!

Agreed. Very nice transformation. The little details can make pretty big changes in a vehicle's personality, as I'm sure you already know.

 

[Blackbyrd]

Agreed. Very nice transformation. The little details can make pretty big changes in a vehicle's personality, as I'm sure you already know.

Absolutely! Wheels are one of those crucial appearance mods. Defines the "look" of any vehicle. Now it looks a bit more muscular.

I wrapped up the trunk patches finally, now it's time to get the drop down put in and than it's quarter time!! I'm ready to work on the outside of the car for once haha.

 

[Blackbyrd]

I've been un motivated this week.... had plenty of time just no drive. So I cleaned the top of my tool box. I got a set of black lugnuts for the truck and didn't even have the desire to do that. I think it's the time change?

Need to do the same to the back bench. Once I start stitching in the qtr I'll dig into that. I've got a bunch of scrap metal I'm holding onto till the body is in primer.

 

[madison069]

I've been un motivated this week.... had plenty of time just no drive. So I cleaned the top of my tool box. I got a set of black lugnuts for the truck and didn't even have the desire to do that. I think it's the time change?

Need to do the same to the back bench. Once I start stitching in the qtr I'll dig into that. I've got a bunch of scrap metal I'm holding onto till the body is in primer.

It happens, so just take a break and do what you want or rest.

Unless your wife is like mine and can’t stand to see me not working on a big project, then just drink beer and hammer a piece of wood/metal for effect in the garage.

 

[loganb]

Don't worry, you weren't alone in the "no motivation boat" this week!

 

[bj383ss]

I've been un motivated this week.... had plenty of time just no drive. So I cleaned the top of my tool box. I got a set of black lugnuts for the truck and didn't even have the desire to do that. I think it's the time change?

Need to do the same to the back bench. Once I start stitching in the qtr I'll dig into that. I've got a bunch of scrap metal I'm holding onto till the body is in primer.

Just this week? I have been dealing with that for several months now.

Bret

 

[Blackbyrd]

It happens, so just take a break and do what you want or rest.

Unless your wife is like mine and can’t stand to see me not working on a big project, then just drink beer and hammer a piece of wood/metal for effect in the garage.

Ha! No she has been outta town most of the week, but yeah I've been pushing hard.

Don't worry, you weren't alone in the "no motivation boat" this week!

Just this week? I have been dealing with that for several months now.

Bret

Misery loves company hahahahahaha

Appreciate it guys glad I'm not the only one.

 

[Swanny1953]

Been dealing with lack of motivation since I came home from PDX with a head cold 3 weeks ago!! Got to get going . . . . . .

 

[Blackbyrd]

@Swanny1953 well I finally got back in gear. How's the head cold?

I stripped the rest of the underside minus the wheel tub. Most of it is gonna get cut out when i minitub it. Got the rest of the trunk and the inners under the qtr in epoxy primer. I didn't get to spot weld the drop down in, I ran outta time after leaf blowing and a little incident at the family business. Security gate malfunction locked my brother in.


So I'll spot weld this week sometime and than move onto the qtr I'm so ready to be working on the outside of this car again!

 

[Blackbyrd]

I got sick as a dog Monday.... and didn't get to finish until over the weekend. Drop down is squared away, roughed and primed.

I didn't take pics, but I spent 3 hrs with a buddy getting the qtr lined up trimmed and ready. I'm gonna have a battle with the door side of the lower qtr. The body line and panel gaps are perfect, but the whole panel runs away from the door and wheel house and when you try and stretch it to close the gap it buckles the panel out. May have to cut a relief and work on the part above the body line than worry about the other afterwards? Probably doesn't make sense without pics.

 

[madison069]

I've never replaced a rear quarter panel so I can't offer any advice on that. I know several folks had to message those panels to get them to fit properly. Maybe there's a thread on Nastyz28.com forum?

 

[Blackbyrd]

@madison069 likly so, but i have a friend whose a body guy, helped me with the roof swap. I'll get his input before i stitch it in.

The last pic at the bottom of the door, see how it runs away from the cut even though the body line is near spot on? Now one thing it may need is for it to relax onto the wheel house lip a bit more than may flattener out and close that gap some. But all in all it's lining up really well.

 

[bj383ss]

You might just have to add some metal to that lower part once it is fitted. A lot of the panels for the 64 c10 require this. A common thing people use is welding rod as it's 1/8" thick.

Bret

 

[madison069]

Got to remember that those panels were stamped with old stamps that’s worn down probably. Along with camaro was never known to have tight lines so they were all over the place in how everything lined up. So you will have to add metal to fix any gaps along with making those lines crisp. I didn’t mind the gaps in the doors and fenders so I didn’t go that far in aligning panels.

 

[Blackbyrd]

Oh you ain't kidding! The gaps I've seen are kind of hilarious.

 

[Blackbyrd]

The "farm truck" got me to Clarksville and back with no
issues thankfully. Hooskers traveled okay (first long trip since she was a puppy for my youngest) hang out in the father in laws shop, fried some Turkys with ****** Mary's and of course talked about cars.

 

[zanyad]

Ooh, I haven't had a good ****** Mary in a while. I'll have to fix that soon!

 

[madison069]

I used to drink ****** Mary, and when I did I would nurse it and fill it back to the top with some beer each time I took a drink. Also added green olive juice to it every once in awhile. Usually take 4 beer to finish a ****** Mary. Haven’t had a ****** Mary since I was in Texas, so 14 years at least!

 

[Blackbyrd]

Ooh, I haven't had a good ****** Mary in a while. I'll have to fix that soon!

I used to drink ****** Mary, and when I did I would nurse it and fill it back to the top with some beer each time I took a drink. Also added green olive juice to it every once in awhile. Usually take 4 beer to finish a ****** Mary. Haven’t had a ****** Mary since I was in Texas, so 14 years at least!

Its kind of a tradition for my wife's side of the family we fry turkeys and have ****** marry's. I've always liked them but truth be told I hardly ever think to drink them other than when they fry turkeys for thanksgiving and Christmas.

There's a few exceptions, but I'm generally more of a beer guy. My sister inlaw got me a growler of my favorite stout from the local brewery in their town.... I drank the whole thing that afternoon when we got in town haha.

 

[zanyad]

There's a few exceptions, but I'm generally more of a beer guy.

Same here!

 

[madison069]

I tend to float from beer to whiskey depending on the mood. But I do keep beer stocked in the garage and a bottle of whiskey is stashed somewhere in the garage at all time.

 

[Blackbyrd]

I like to keep some Bourbon on hand for celebration purposes/personal milestones. Yuengling is the staple of the garage fridge, but some different craft beers come and go through the year. I like stouts and porters so winter they start to take over haha.

 

[Blackbyrd]

So I'm done with work for the year and have the next week to myself.

So I'm hiding in the garage from christmas....

The dash pad has been patched started to strip the rest of the pad.

Trim holes on the doors have been welded in, and I'm starting on the rear window tray patch. I'm waiting on a second set of hands to finish the qtr skin.

The list of sheet metal "repair" is getting a lot shorter.

 

[Blackbyrd]

Trim holes all cleaned up and stripped a bit more kf the dash.

Passenger side window tray had some rot so made some patches, so that's all squared away.

Back on the driver qtr area, I'd started to pull the drop down out to see how much of the lower outer skin I could save. Pulling the drop down off with the skin still on........ was akin to assembling an engine through the tailpipe.....

But it was worth it! The patch panel for the outside just needs to be a bit bigger than the hole i already cut. Should be able to wrap this up and all thats left repair wise is the qtr and tail panel and whatever awaits me under the t top trim.

Everything else is modifications aside from repair work. I still have to strip the rockers but I've not seen anything that leads me to believe they need much help. I'm on pace weather permitting to be able to prime the back half ofnthe car and potentially the doors. By new years.