Build thread for the 72 GMC, finally. Thanks John!

Thanks!

I got almost an hour yesterday evening so I cleaned the back 12" of the inside of the bed with a wirewheel. I didn't consider it before, but I have to figure out how to do this without climbing into the bed.

Thanks!

I got almost an hour yesterday evening so I cleaned the back 12" of the inside of the bed with a wirewheel. I didn't consider it before, but I have to figure out how to do this without climbing into the bed.

Stand it up on end.

I could not stand it up on end since I had no real way to put it back on the workbench by myself.

At any rate I took the day off today to get something done. Stripping the bed took a while, but it was very satisfying to get rid of the last of all of the ugly black rattle can. 

I found some other little holes that I had ignored or not seen previously, and I welded them up. Then I proceeded to paint the inside of the bed with the very last of the epoxy primer. Sadly I am now out of primer, and I didn't do a great job, and it's really hard to cover the entire inside for a second coat without stepping on or knocking into the primer from the first coat.

Anyway it's done now, and now only the inside of the cab remains. Happily, it's all GM blue, so I can just scuff that. This marks the last of that awful black paint job a previous owner did.

One additional anecdote, I was a little dismayed that I was unable to get between the wheel well and the bed floor, and then I had to take off the wheel well to do some patching anyway. It was then that I noticed I had done a very good job of coding the inside and outside of everything with chassis saver paint before reassembling the bed, so I didn't have to worry about it. It's nice to look back upon past me and be pretty pleased with what I've done.

I can't find it on my phone, but I remember taking a picture when I was finally able to sweep the bed clean years ago after removing all of the garbage in there, and then documented it on the build thread as a real step I had taken.

I've come a long way, after a long time, from an era when sweeping the bed was major progress.

This restoration thing is a lot of work ain't it!?

If you knew back then what you know now?.....

Well, I wrote this in 2014:

I feel that I can contribute a piece of wisdom to those wishing to take on such an endeavor. Don't. Don't ever do this.

However, it has been fun. Sort of. I might do it again, but differently. Painting has not, thus far, been fun at all. It is rewarding though.

I finally got some money and time, so last night I did the filler/sand/filler/sand/filler/sand routine a bit. No pictures, because that's dusty and messy work. I'll say that the EvercoatRage Ultra is amazing stuff. It's smooth, mixes easily and fast, and is ready to sand way sooner than I am. I alternated between using a board and the DA and using the DA on orbital mode, and wow. It's all very good. What I have found is that 120 grit on the DA is almost comically easy and fast, the orbital mode allows me to spend more time on corners without getting flat spots, and the board is very nice as long as I get to the spots fast enough. I went around the truck three times (which is challenging given that the bed is next to the cab in the garage), hitting previously worrisome spots on the bed and cab, and honestly very little filler made a drastic improvement.

Since I have no pictures, here's a time lapse I took way back, and I haven't yet figured out how to do a voiceover. It's boring, but it does show just how much ugly nasty work it was to strip the truck. Happily, that greasy thick black paint is all gone now. It's all gone.

tuna55 said:

Well, I wrote this in 2014:

I feel that I can contribute a piece of wisdom to those wishing to take on such an endeavor. Don't. Don't ever do this.

 

However, it has been fun. Sort of. I might do it again, but differently. Painting has not, thus far, been fun at all. It is rewarding though.

I don't know as I would give the "don't do it" advice. It is a journey with a start and an end, and you will learn a lot about yourself along the way.

I spent a lot of time over the past weeks, just as I had time, getting the drivers bedside right. Basically the last bit of knocking and moving the metal around where I welded the fuel filler in. It took forever, but I am really happy with how it looks now. I have a bit more work to do on the rear part of the drivers bedside where I got bumped driving to work (Really minor stuff left) and then to the tailgate. The tailgate is tough and may require some stud puller action in the negative space since I don't want to use filler where I don't need to.

No pics, no huge update, just know I am still working on it.

Looking forward to it.

I ended up buying a tailgate for my '61, as the original is torn, re-welded, re-torn, bowed, and bent, and I can't figure out an easy solution.  Well, I did.  It was called Visa.

My original, in all its patina glory, will become wall art.

SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) said:

Looking forward to it.

I ended up buying a tailgate for my '61, as the original is torn, re-welded, re-torn, bowed, and bent, and I can't figure out an easy solution.  Well, I did.  It was called Visa.

My original, in all its patina glory, will become wall art.

What did you get? I have not been impressed with the aftermarket tailgates, but it's indeed struggling.

I spent an hour or two sweating and sanding last night again. Add filler, sand 90% off, add more, sand 95% off, etc. The bed is getting really nice now.

Awesome! 

Do we need to take up a collection for a machine that takes pictures? 

NOHOME said:

Awesome! 

Do we need to take up a collection for a machine that takes pictures? 

it's just so boring! It looks like a bedside with varying colors of white for the filler and the epoxy with some shiny steel poking through. Use your imagination. 

Seriously it's so dusty and sweaty in the garage that I don't have much impetus to grab the phone.

That was great! Even better than pics.

What is the contraption made from a Dewalt vacuum cleaner? Gravity race car?

Thats looking really straight. Keep it up!!!

NOHOME said:

That was great! Even better than pics.

What is the contraption made from a Dewalt vacuum cleaner? Gravity race car?

Kid #2 made it from a broken vacuum with a bit of help. Yes, it's a gravity cart... thing...

Dusterbd13-michael said:

Thats looking really straight. Keep it up!!!

Thanks! I am pretty pleased, and with the nice epoxy on there it's easy to see and handle the trouble spots. There are only a few left and then to the inside of the truck and everything gets epoxy again.

I sprayed Slick Sand all over the problem areas of my '61.  It's a Sprayable Filler (You'll want a 2.3mm+ tip). Sand until you hit the epoxy, and then at least you don't hit bare metal and have to epoxy again.  I used black epoxy and gray Slick Sand.

Slick Sand was stressful, because it was curing in the gun within 10 minutes, but it did made smothing out imperfections quick and easy.

Another downside is it was $181CDN per gallon, and I sprayed two gallons.

Paint! Paint! Paint!

SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) said:

I sprayed Slick Sand all over the problem areas of my '61.  It's a Sprayable Filler (You'll want a 2.3mm+ tip). Sand until you hit the epoxy, and then at least you don't hit bare metal and have to epoxy again.  I used black epoxy and gray Slick Sand.

Slick Sand was stressful, because it was curing in the gun within 10 minutes, but it did made smothing out imperfections quick and easy.

Another downside is it was $181CDN per gallon, and I sprayed two gallons.

Paint! Paint! Paint!

I'm going with another epoxy coat after I am "done" here. Next a high build 2K, then lots of detailed sanding. I expect at this stage to see myself in a wet surface. Then epoxy again as a sealer.

I think the high build is similar to what you did, but perhaps some less thickness. I am pleasantly surprised at most of the truck, especially given how bad it was when I began.

You had asked what tailgate I got.

I bought from Summit Racing, by MAR-K. It fit fine with zero issues at all.  Quite pleased with the quality and fitment. I confess I was somewhat anxious about how it would be.

SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) said:

You had asked what tailgate I got.

I bought from Summit Racing, by MAR-K. It fit fine with zero issues at all.  Quite pleased with the quality and fitment. I confess I was somewhat anxious about how it would be.

I like those MAR-K folks, that's where I got the bed front from. On their site, a gate for my truck says "made overseas" which is unusual for them. Was yours as well?

I am just going to keep working with what I have for now. I can always replace the gate itself later on if needed.