Getting started on the choptop truck...

[Thunderfoot]

Hey Keith looking good!
Grate idea for the roll pan
Another thought on the tailgate mount... You could screw a stud into the lower bolt hole just about flush with the mount, then tack weld it in and weld a large washer to the top of that. Then just slot open the bottom hole in the mount so that all you have to do is just slide it on to the lower stud and bolt it on the top side.
This way you could make the roll pan fit nice and tight all around... Just my thought anyways.

[Robert]

hey keith thanks for the info and the pics

[rjewkes]

I know your not there yet but did you ever figure out how to mount the unity spotlight?

i only ask cuase i just picked one up for 23.00 bucks.

[customcrewcab]

paint updates?????????

[FORDification]

I'm ALMOST ready to finish the painting....had to finish up the installation of the rear rollpan first though, and I got 99.9% of that done today.

Here's a shot after trimming it down to the proper size and mocking it up for the first time:



I kinda impressed myself with how well it fit. It took a while, and I had some problems getting it to this stage, but I finally got it. (I'll elaborate on a project update page.) And here's a shot after it was welded in, the welds ground down and then stripping it down to bare metal:



...and here's a final shot taken as I was leaving this evening, after applying the body filler to smooth out the joints a little. Although it wasn't really needed, I also put a thin layer across the top, just to smooth it out a little too, after using a BFH earlier to help get things lined up. I say it wasn't needed since the top layer will be hidden by the tailgate anyway, but I figured I might as well...a few extra minutes of sanding ain't gonna kill me, and it WILL make it more presentable if I ever have the tailgate removed.



So all I have left to do now is sand down the rollpan filler, and the box will be ready to paint. That will be done on my next day at the shop.

I'm getting started on a project update page and will hopefully get that posted this evening. I'll have a few more pictures and a complete play-by-play of the day's activities. What a fun way for a guy to spend Father's Day...AND his birthday!

[wt4speed#2]

Looking good there "Old man" Happy B/day and Fathers day too

[FORDification]

Whew...it's after 1AM and I just finished putting together the project update page, showing how I constructed and installed the rollpan.

Constructing a Home-made Rear Rollpan

[RTG_RACING]

OK so here is somthing for you to try. Somthing I want to do but want to watch someone else figure it out. Use the same thing to build one for the front. That valance is begging to be filled and smoothed.

[jzjames]

NICE Kieth! That turned out beauty! Get that thing fired up!!!
jzjames

[flyboy2610]

Keith, the mark of a craftsman is how ell he treats the parts nobody will ever see.
Ya done good!!

[FORDification]

Thanks for the compliments. Yeah, I was actually kinda surprised on how easy this was and how well it turned out. Not all my endeavors have a happy ending.

OK so here is somthing for you to try. Somthing I want to do but want to watch someone else figure it out. Use the same thing to build one for the front. That valance is begging to be filled and smoothed.

I gave that some thought a while back, but decided against it, at least for now. I'm under a serious time crunch here...I have to get this truck finished up and out of the shop so I can get back to work on my '67. I'm losing my shop in a few months, and I've got a LOT to do and very little time to do it.

[RTG_RACING]

I gave that some thought a while back, but decided against it, at least for now. I'm under a serious time crunch here...I have to get this truck finished up and out of the shop so I can get back to work on my '67. I'm losing my shop in a few months, and I've got a LOT to do and very little time to do it. [/quote]

Thats a bad deal. Sorry to hear that. OK let me ask you this. Do you have a piece of scrap that you could compare to the front? I just want to know if it lines up like the back did. I think it should but I want to go check before I go to the yard and drag everything out to get a pice.

[rjewkes]

rtg, another member i'll look up the name later actualy use a bed side top rail for a bumper and filler panel replacement. it even has driving lights in it.

ok here is the pick it is member randle's truck.



IIRC it is a bedside top welded to the stock filler pannel.

[FORDification]

Well, I got to spend today in the shop...got some good progress done, but then hit a major brick wall.

I finished up the installation of the rear rollpan by sanding down the filler at the joints. Here's a shot of the finished rollpan with the tailgate installed, just to make a final check that there was no interference between the two.



Then I spent a good part of the afternoon getting the bed painted....same drill as before, two coats of POR-15 and then several very heavy coats of Krylon Flat black. Here's a view of the finished product:



I then rolled it outside into the driveway so I could get the shop cleaned up a little bit, since I'm basically done with all welding and bodywork. Here's a couple shots taken outside:





Don't mind the splotchy paint. I mentioned earlier in this thread that the whole truck is going to be sprayed with John Deere Blitz Black very soon. But at least now you'll have a better idea of what it's actually going to look like.

Anyway, since the bodywork is 99% done (still have to paint the tailgate and hood) I decided to get to work on the engine. The 390 I was going to use is one I bought several years ago as a rebuilder core for my '67. I've been stockpiling some parts for it, including a rear-sump 4WD oil pan, which I decided to go ahead and install today. So, I dropped the oil pan and got a bad surprise. There were some presents for me down in the bottom of the pan:



There's a small oil gallery plug, as well as what appears to be a couple piston wristpin keepers...which pretty much means that at least one piston is toasted. I hadn't heard this engine run when I bought it, but was told it did...and was really hoping it was in good shape. However, it's now appearing that the 390 is going to be going through a complete teardown to inspect the internal carnage.

So much for the project picking up momentum! I was thinking I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but it just took several LARGE steps back.

[Blue Cloud]

That's a bummer! Maybe you should go with the other engine, or is it as much work and time as this ones going to be?