E-tek Restorations: PROJECT THREAD

[Omphaloskeptic]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

E-tek,
What's that saying? - 'Painting: 99% perspiration/preparation + 1% application = 100% satisfaction!'

It looks like you buy your consumables for bodywork in bulk? Any recommendations?

Hope you and yours had a great Christmas!

 

[thomfr]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

As for speed....What you've seen here has been about 150 hours of work!

I know, but you really keep a good pace (in going on for hours and finishing parts of the job). I know very well how easy it would be to stop "just for a few days" during this dirty and sometimes boring work.

Respect.

Thom

 

[e-tek]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

E-tek,
What's that saying? - 'Painting: 99% perspiration/preparation + 1% application = 100% satisfaction!'

It looks like you buy your consumables for bodywork in bulk? Any recommendations?

Hope you and yours had a great Christmas!

I just buy at the same places bodyshops do. Whether I was in Vancouver, or here, I talk to a few shops, find the best outlet and set up an account to get it at wholesale (15-30% off). Having said that, I've been seeing so much about Eastwood's lately that I think I'll be trying more of their stuff.

I know, but you really keep a good pace (in going on for hours and finishing parts of the job). I know very well how easy it would be to stop "just for a few days" during this dirty and sometimes boring work.

Respect.

Thom

Thank you sir! I don't like stuff sitting for too long...

 

[NJHandyGuy]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

looking good my friend

 

[e-tek]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

9 HOURS in the shop today....makes about 25 for the week.....

First coat - sanded off...

Time to fit up the box....

A little tweaking here and there....check out the box side to end-gate fit. That'll need some work with the BFH! Better now than after paint!

...and voila (spelled correctly!)...it's a truck!

I'm aiming to get the second coat of primer on today.....but wait...what's that I see...a spec...a pinprick of a friggin pinhole....what's that?

It's RUST - ARRRGGHH! Talk about throwing a wrench in the works....Oh well, better now than....

Nurse- SCALPEL!!

Clean er up. I used POR15 everywhere I could reach.

This is why I save all the scraps that get trimmed off repop'd parts. They have this super-epoxy coating on them that is perfect for the undersides of patches becuase a lot of times you can't reach the back side to poperly seal new metal.

Top side gets ground clean and I used a screw to hold it in place...

Wait another minute.....why is my foot so hot......wait, now my leg is warm.....did I piss myself no....

FIRE - FIRE!!!! For eff's sake, the paper wheel cover is one fire!!! What an idiot!!!

After stomping out the fire and having every scary scenario run through my mind (there's a LOT of flammable sh!t in here!!), I moved the fire extinguisher closer and finished welding the patch...

A little grinding...

a little more...and no filler!

So, after getting that out of the way - plus another 4 hours of finding little spots to fill and sand out, then cleaning everything again (vacuum all dust build up, blow out all crevasses, wash and wipe entire truck and all parts with pre-paint solvent), I finally got to mixing up more high build and spending 2 hours spraying it on...

And I'm done (for tonight!!)

 

[jerseywild]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Excuse my ignorance but I have a question about the weld patch. The welding looked a little rough. Did you use mig and did you weld spots to prevent the panel from warping? The truck is looking great.

 

[4StarCstms]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Lookin good E-Tek!!

 

[e-tek]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Excuse my ignorance but I have a question about the weld patch. The welding looked a little rough. Did you use mig and did you weld spots to prevent the panel from warping? The truck is looking great.

No worries - I love questions. To keep the panel from warping did turned the heat down - so lots of it was sitting up high, which isn't as pretty as a fully penetrated bead..... I always tack (spot) weld, but since I had lots of primer on and it was already blocked, I wanted to be sure to use as little heat as possible. After the first grind down, I touched up a couple spots that weren't welded right through. Then I ground those down to what you see.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Looks good, e-tek. I'll have to get caught up on this thread.

You need to finish the truck so you can get to those Galaxie floors!

 

[ddawg16]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

I guess the wife and kids are back from the in-laws......do we have to wait until next Christmas to see how it turns out?

It just dawned on me.....your truck is as old as I am.....

 

[e-tek]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Looks good, e-tek. I'll have to get caught up on this thread.

You need to finish the truck so you can get to those Galaxie floors!

No doubt! I take on projects like this and then ***** (to myself) that I want to be doing my stuff!! Oh well, I think I'll still get time before spring (summer?) rolls around...

I guess the wife and kids are back from the in-laws......do we have to wait until next Christmas to see how it turns out?

It just dawned on me.....your truck is as old as I am.....

No no - it's going to be painted by February, then we'll be re-assembling!

You're OLD!!!(kidding, your a classic!!)

 

[e-tek]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Todays episode: Sanding, sanding....and - you guessed it ....more sanding...

Once again: new primer with guide coat

Today, the owners SIL (Trent), who's spear-heading the restoration project, came over to lend a hand with the sanding. He did the diificult interior and floor portions, while I got the body panles done again.

He also brought over a set of Eastwood's Durablock sanding blocks to use. Apparently they're the "Perfect Blcoking Tool" - says so on the box! We'll see about that!

Jury's back with their verdict: these blocks ARE good. Being a little Old-school, I still use a wood sanding block (not quit a 2x4, but close), with handles, but the Durablocks have just the right stiffness yet give a little, so they gouge less and follow contours better. Plus they're extremely light, making them easy to hold onto to. You use them with adhesive-backed 3" paper, available in rolls, which wasn't an issue as that's what I use with my sander as well.

Again, we sanded with the blocks until we saw either metal or filler. If you see filler, you can still go a little further, because it's a high-spot that you can sand-down some more. But if you see filler and/or metal all the way around a low spot, it's best to stop and either repair the area with hammer and dolly, or fill it so that you can re-block it later:

Below, I'm holding the dolly under the low spot, bumping it up, then holding pressure on it to bring up the low spot, while tapping down around it with the hammer. I swear these fenders where either used to heard Buffalo - or maybe they just took a good ol' Saskatchewan sh!t-kicking over the years....

As for time-lines, once this is blocked and the last rough-areas repaaired, it'll get one last (?!) coat, which will then be wet-sanded with shorter blocks in 400. A final (thinned) coat of primer and it'll be off to the paint shop. We're guessing 2-3 weeks from now!

 

[gsport]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

looking good E....

 

[Motown 454]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Its looking great. Thats good news about the sanding blocks I bought a set last summer. Now I just need my car to use them on.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Did you say what color its going to be? I apologize if you mentioned it already and I somehow missed it.

 

[4StarCstms]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

I have a set of those, and love em. Did your kit include any of the round ones? great for doing the rolled parts of body lines.

keep up the good work!

 

[e-tek]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Did you say what color its going to be? I apologize if you mentioned it already and I somehow missed it.

Going back the original seafoam green! I think there's a photo of a finsihed truck near the beginning of the thread.

I have a set of those, and love em. Did your kit include any of the round ones? great for doing the rolled parts of body lines.

keep up the good work!

It was a complete set, but the owner left them back in his shop. I've just ordered the set for myself and I'm interested to see if they're better than radiator hoses! !!!

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

e-tek,

I'll bet the owners are amazed at your progress thus far. At this stage of restoration, they are probably wondering why they didn't get the truck to you sooner. Keep up the great work and of course, keep us posted!

Checked out your New, Improved 'E-Tek Restorations' website. Glad to see the family picture. It was good to see the boys working on their future race car (just like Mom's - almost). Working in Dad's shop; building great cars and even better memories! Keep it FUN for them and you'll never want for good helpers.

 

[dkcase]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Great.
Keep them coming. I read all the updates.

I enjoyed the "...voila (spelled correctly)" jab at the "WaLa" or "WahLah" attempt in some threads. Or the musical "viola."

.... but then I got to the "crevasses". Ouch. Crevices ?

 

[Nighttrain]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Nice work, makes me want to redue an old truck. (what am I saying? that's way too much work).

Thanks for posting such detail pictures and comments.

 

[z28snksknr]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Looking forward to seeing more and more of this. Great source of info (and inspiration) for us 1st timers.

 

[Mark H]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Just read this from the start.Great project,great thread.Thanks for taking the time to post,and in such detail too.
I'm thinking of using POR15 for the frame and suspension components on my build.How does it hold up in use,i.e. stone chips etc?
Truck's going to look sweet.Good luck with the rest of the build and thanks,
Mark.

 

[e-tek]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

e-tek,

I'll bet the owners are amazed at your progress thus far. At this stage of restoration, they are probably wondering why they didn't get the truck to you sooner. Keep up the great work and of course, keep us posted!

Checked out your New, Improved 'E-Tek Restorations' website. Glad to see the family picture. It was good to see the boys working on their future race car (just like Mom's - almost). Working in Dad's shop; building great cars and even better memories! Keep it FUN for them and you'll never want for good helpers.

Good things come from good input!

Great.
Keep them coming. I read all the updates.

I enjoyed the "...voila (spelled correctly)" jab at the "WaLa" or "WahLah" attempt in some threads. Or the musical "viola."

.... but then I got to the "crevasses". Ouch. Crevices ?

Thanks!

"A crevasse is a crack in an ice sheet or glacier (compare to crevice, which is in rock). Crevasses often have vertical or near-vertical walls, which can then melt and create seracs, arches, etc.; these walls sometimes expose layers that represent the glacier's stratigraphy." from the WikiDictionary
Remember - everything is MUCH colder up here!!

Nice work, makes me want to redue an old truck. (what am I saying? that's way too much work).

Thanks for posting such detail pictures and comments.

Do it....what's 300 hours???

 

[e-tek]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Just read this from the start.Great project,great thread.Thanks for taking the time to post,and in such detail too.
I'm thinking of using POR15 for the frame and suspension components on my build.How does it hold up in use,i.e. stone chips etc?
Truck's going to look sweet.Good luck with the rest of the build and thanks,
Mark.

Thanks for looking! POR15 has to be the toughest product on the market - bar none. HOWEVER - it does have to go on ROUGH metal. It's great right over rust, or sandblasted or well ground metal, but it can actually peel off smooth new metal, or other paints. As well, you have to top-ocat it with another paint if it's going to be exposed to a lot of UV. For frames and inners, no, but inside a box, or on a bumper, yes. It will still work, but it can discolor.
I'll be spraying the inner fenders with chassis black when the truck is in for paint.

 

[Mark H]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Thanks for looking! POR15 has to be the toughest product on the market - bar none. HOWEVER - it does have to go on ROUGH metal. It's great right over rust, or sandblasted or well ground metal, but it can actually peel off smooth new metal, or other paints. As well, you have to top-ocat it with another paint if it's going to be exposed to a lot of UV. For frames and inners, no, but inside a box, or on a bumper, yes. It will still work, but it can discolor.
I'll be spraying the inner fenders with chassis black when the truck is in for paint.

Maybe not the best choice of paint for my application then(Hi-Boy roadster pick up).Thanks for the heads-up,much appreciated.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Congratulations on getting your garage featured in Car Craft magazine! I just picked up the latest issue today, and there it is.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Congratulations on getting your garage featured in Car Craft magazine! I just picked up the latest issue today, and there it is.

OH-OH E-Tek, time to beef up the security around the shop!

 

[4StarCstms]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Congratulations on getting your garage featured in Car Craft magazine! I just picked up the latest issue today, and there it is.

Which issue and what page/?

 

[Stuart in MN]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

March 2011, page 42.

 

[e-tek]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Thanks guys! Lots of people on here to thank for the ongoing inspiration!

 

[gsport]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

wooohooo... we have a celebrity in the house, congrats E...

 

[e-tek]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Here's the chrome bits from the truck. Owners will have to decide wether to replace with new, or have re-chromed. Some things are crazy expensive, some not: the large Hood chrome part and the 2 "1300" Fender spears together are $400, but a handle set (2 pces) are $35...

Super cool guage cluster!!! Can't wait to clean this up!!

 

[johno]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Just saw your shop in Car Craft, congrats.
I bet you could have gotten another page if you'd had Mrs E-tek out there, would have made the shop look better too.

 

[tdkkart]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Here's the chrome bits from the truck. Owners will have to decide wether to replace with new, or have re-chromed. Some things are crazy expensive, some not: the large Hood chrome part and the 2 "1300" Fender spears together are $400, but a handle set (2 pces) are $35

If I had OEM parts that were at all repairable I would use them, some of the aftermarket stuff is really questionable. I can almost guarantee you could polish up the old stuff as is, use it, and in 10 years it would look still better than re-pops.

 

[Flange]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

If I had OEM parts that were at all repairable I would use them, some of the aftermarket stuff is really questionable. I can almost guarantee you could polish up the old stuff as is, use it, and in 10 years it would look still better than re-pops.

X2.

As someone who has also restored a few old vehicles I can vouch for the inconsistent quality of aftermarket stuff.

However, it is the choice of the owner although I am sure e-tek will advise them of their options.

 

[larry_g]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

I did a quick look for the difference between a 1300 series pickup and a 3100 series. I find both exist and look the same. Can someone link to a site explaining the difference or explain it here?

Thanks

lg
no neat sig line

 

[e-tek]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

I did a quick look for the difference between a 1300 series pickup and a 3100 series. I find both exist and look the same. Can someone link to a site explaining the difference or explain it here?

Thanks

lg
no neat sig line

Far as I can tell Larry, 3100 is the body/chassis model number and 1300 is the trim style. Maybe someone knows more....

 

[djjsr]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

I know the 3100 is a 1/2 ton shortbed, at least in the USA. I'm not positive, but the 1300 may be the same thing only Canadian?

 

[HOTFR8]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

Some of that chrome work should polish up ok.

 

[onewaydave]

Re: E-tek Resto's 56 Chevy Truck

I wish I could answer and sound really cool, but if you go over to stovebolt-dot-com all your questions will be answered by the most knowlegable ....

Dave.