Time flies. I’ve built three other off topic trucks since the last update. Sold two. Spent about a year on the rare 72 c10 I kept. But I haven’t totally neglected the 55. I’ve mainly been working on the interior and some mechanical stuff. Trying to button that stuff up currently so I can get ready to paint it. I’ll try to break down what’s happened in the last couple of years… First, and sadly, I had to take off the US Royal Master tires as one of the fronts finally started to come apart. I have some painted steel wheels with radials on it currently. I’m getting ready to drop off the chrome reverse wheels that were on it to get rechromed. More to come…
In case nobody remembers, my dad had a 57 back in California in 1959 and this is something of a tribute to his and to him.
The engine and trans is running great. I have been having some intermittent ignition issues with the mag spark and transformer. Trying to figure that out currently. I would get a stumble at low speed part throttle. Ended up checking the points and the gap was way too small. Adjusted them and it ran perfect again, but it seems to come back. Now that bubba is gone, I don’t really have an expert to ask. But maybe it’s burning the points? I thought about wiring the points together and trying a traditional coil to see if it clears up. I really want to keep the transformer if possible because it looks so cool on the firewall. But everyday reliability is big with me too. And then with the trans, it has been running and shifting great, but was leaking at the pan, so I put a good new gasket in that from caddydaddy.
Since Moriarity asked, I’m still running the 1959 Cadillac 390 with the Cadillac trans. Just recently got an old chrome from the 60s batwing air cleaner for it. I was using a louvered gto air cleaner. I got a good quadrajet on there from a pro in place of the carter I ran forever. I will probably end up switching this out for a 4gc from the same pro, just because.
I had previously (years ago) fixed both doors that had rust in the inner and outer bottoms. But the drivers door had some other issues. The inside panel had been cut up way back when and some tabs were missing that attach the inner upper door trim. I could have spent a long time making a patch panel, but honestly the door was kind of extra beat. So I got a new driver door and then shaved the door handle and mirror mount holes to match the other side. I gutted both doors and put all new glass, vent window assemblies, window regulators, latches, handles, rollers, hardware, and window felts. Chrome frames around all the glass. Glass run felt was NOS GM.
The truck hasn’t had a tailgate for years. It’s hard to find a decent original so I got a new one with some new chrome chains. This is pretty much the extent of what has gone on on the outside.
Biggest changes are in the interior. I added some fresh black carpet (although this will likely change later). New firewall pad for under the dash. I sectioned the stock steering column 12” so I could add the 1961 oldsmobile steering wheel. I sanded and painted the steering wheel, steering column, and dash top tropical turquoise in single stage. That’s a factory Chevy color from 56-57 bel air. Still waiting on the paint to get hard to put the steering wheel back on. And dropping the horn center parts off today for new chrome.
That’s pretty much up to today. There have been a hundred other small things done. But all boring. I have started prepping the under dash for paint. That will be single stage ultra white, same color as the firewall, a ford color from 2001. Hope to have that done next week. To go along with that will be all new chrome knobs in the dash, and hopefully the steering wheel horn parts back from chrome. I’ll probably chrome the glove box door as well. Once the dash is dialed, I’ll paint the a pillars, roof, and back of cab the same ultra white. Along with new sun visors and chrome rear view. That’s the immediate future. A little further off is to paint the inside of the doors and jambs the ultra white. Also, make a new longer shifter like my dad’s. Flush and bleed all the brakes, it’s time, the fluid is old. And finally go see these Russians to see if they can do a seat cover like Eddie martinez did in lil nugget with a headliner to match.
The horn parts are at chrome. They will maybe be back by next Friday. I’ve got the dash stripped of everything not needed to drive. In the next day or three, I’m going to start sanding the lower dash and get filler on one spot where I patched a hole years ago. Then paint. But this is what it looks like with the wheel back on.
Dash is empty. Ready to sand and paint. Forgot how much of a pain it is to get these gauge clusters out.
Well that was a lot of work. Gotta get some stuff to put the dash back together- new gauge bezel, new floor vent cables, and some new knobs. I’m going to have to sand that steering wheel and give it another couple of coats. Some small cracks are showing through the paint and I’m going to fill them.
So, is the Truck going to be turquoise and white too? for some reason I thought you were originally going to paint it pink like the engine?
I was originally going to do candy purple like that Larry Watson Chevy that was pink and purple. But I don’t think I realistically have the skills for a full candy paint job. And I sure can’t afford to pay someone the way things are nowadays. So I’ll do base clear with the tropical turquoise with some pearl. I’ll do some test panels soon with gloss and satin clear.
Got the dash all back together except the speedometer cable. While I had it all apart, I took apart the gauge cluster and cleaned out the speedometer mechanism. You wouldn’t believe the amount of gunk that came out. It had never worked since I got the truck. Spins freely now. I am going to have to sand and respray the steering wheel. I did activated single stage in a spray can for the turquoise and the can I used on the steering wheel must not have had the button pushed enough to fully release the activator. It’s still sticky a week later. Live and learn. I’ll get that fixed tomorrow. Steering wheel chrome parts should be back Friday. I’m going to hand over the glove box door to the chromer when I pick up those steering wheel parts.
I got the speedometer cable hooked up and the glove box in. I also sanded and repainted the steering wheel. So next up is to get the rest of the inside of the cab and doors ready to paint. At some point during that operation, the windshield and rear window are coming out. The windshield is cracked and the rear window rubber needs replaced. And there’s a few small things to do maintenance wise.
I finally replaced the flexi upper radiator hose that has been bugging me for years. Best thing I did this weekend. Waiting on the chrome so I can put the steering wheel back on for good. But she is up and driving again after repainting the steering wheel. I also fixed two pinholes in the hood that had popped up some time ago under the primer. I body worked those and body worked where I shaved the mirror mount and door handle on the new door and got those spots in primer sealer. Two small issues with the dash redo to work out. The speedometer isn’t working. I unhooked the cable and it spins as the truck is moving. The speedometer spins by hand freely and works the needle. I hope the square hole where the cable goes in isn’t wallowed out from the speedometer being stuck for so long. But maybe the cable wasn’t seated properly, I’ll hook it back up and find out. But I’m not eager to take the cluster back out to replace the speedometer. Also, the turn signal indicators aren’t flashing, they light up constant when the headlights are on. So maybe I got the sockets in the wrong holes. Nothing really exciting but progress nonetheless.
The Jalopy Journal
