Well, it has been a couple of weeks since I last wrote anything. I've been at a stand-still since the last part of July. Because my birthday was coming on 08/15, I couldn't buy anything since I had asked for truck parts. Also, the sheet metal was still at the blasters.
August 15, 2003
Okay, this has been a great day! I got a call and was told the cab was ready to be picked up. Jim and Sarah went down to pick it up and had it home at lunch time. Rich, Jim and I unloaded it then. (Sarah took pictures of Jim hauling it).
This stuff looks great! Ray (the blaster) had the cab done, along with the tailgate, grille, doors, and door panels. He did a great job blasting and putting the primer on. My only complaint is that he dented the inside of the cab (where the headliner sealer goes) while using the forklift to load it on the trailer. But don't worry, I got out the trusty rubber mallet and hammered it back in place. I don't think you will be able to tell once the headliner is in... Another minor piece of bad news is that the rust on the passenger side, lower door hinge bottom screw plate, was worse than what showed. A little welding should fix her up. You can also see where a previous owner had cut some metal away under the rear window, which will also need to be welded.
Since this was my birthday, Sarah and her mom got me lots of needed parts for putting the cab back together. Mostly this is stuff like seals, weather-stripping, and grommets.
August 16, 2003
I was so excited about getting the cab back, that I spent the entire day in the garage. I have decided, in the interest of finances, that I am going to paint all the "under side" metal and the cab interior myself. I plan on painting the truck a pearl or metallic white, so a glossy white should work well on the under side and in the interior. This way, I can bolt Rusty back together and then get a professional paint job when I can afford it.
I started the day off by sanding the dash board and then I taped off the lower dash and then spray painted the dash with some metallic gray paint (the interior will be white and gray). I am very pleased with the way this looks. All it needs is the clear coat, but I am waiting until I paint the rest of the interior for that.
I pushed the cab over onto the firewall and painted the underside. I gave it two light coats and then flipped her back right-side up and then applied a coat to both sides of the firewall.
That's all I could do until those sections dry.
August 24, 2003
I spent the day applying a second coat to the areas worked on in the above section and a first coat on the inner ceiling. It is starting to take shape! Once that was done, I disassembled the heater thingy that resides under the dash. It got a thorough cleaning and applied a coat of that metallic gray. Same goes for the steering column and box.
I also was able to work on the parking brake. I had purchased replacement cables when I did the rear suspension, but never put them on. From what I can tell, I will have to pull the rear wheels to get to the part that hooks into the drum. Also, I sanded and painted the little parts that make up the front section. Bolting those back on will be a snap. Now, I just need to buy a lug wrench that fits that truck!. Oh, and I couldn't find the hand brake assembly - you would understand if you could see my garage.
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