3 step bed painting Part Deux

[mrein3]

This is a follow on to 72 tigger's 3 step bed painting post from the first of the year. I didn't want to stomp on his post so I thought I'd start another.

3 steps? THREE STEPS?!?
How about more like 30 steps.

First let me say I hate rust. Here in Minnesota if it doesn't have paint on it there will be rust. You desert guys have no idea how easy you have it.
I found a reasonably priced long wheel base (LWB) bed with a metal floor on craigslist over in Wisconsin. Already disassembled. I like my LWB truck. I use it like a truck and haven't yet figured out why a guy would want to have a pickup without an eight foot bed. There really is no accounting for taste.

I bought the bed, hauled it across state lines, then started planning.
When these things were made by the general in the late 60s and early 70s, stuff was made way different than today. Where today's vehicle is assembled with galvanized steel, is dipped in epoxy primer, then painted, our stuff was assembled bare and what wasn't in view of the paint gun was left uncovered. Any non-galvanized metal in this state rusts. Period. You don't need to drive on a salty road to get rust on unprotected metal. Just the moisture in the air will do it.

Yes I filleted a bedside. I cut/drilled out all the spot welds, brushed off all the rust, patched a bedside hole, acid etched the metal, masked over what needed to be re-welded, then epoxied the inside. I know you guys that are more anal than me would have put color on top of that but I figured that was good enough.

I removed the masking tape, spray bombed the to be welded surfaces with weld through primer, then put the bed back together.
I know you're thinking crazy waste of time but I usually have more time than money and they hadn't yet started re-popping LWB bedsides when I did the first side. They were re-popping them when I got done with side one. Side two is a re-pop.

[mrein3]

Then on to the floor. I had one rusty cross sill. Of course this is the third from the front with the welded in pockets for the bed mounting bolts. I bought a new cross sill, cut the pockets out of the original, blasted them in my sandblast cabinet, acid, weld through primer and set aside.

The inside of the black coated aftermarket cross sill was sprayed with epoxy except for where I have to weld in the new pockets and re-spot weld it to the floor.

I also then raised the second from the rear cross sill in case I ever decide to put a Blazer tank under there.
Remove rust, acid etch, epoxy, color.

[mrein3]

I then painted the top of the floor. I have pictures but I can't find them.
Similar process. Fill holes for what looks like was a fifth wheel hitch. Remove paint and rust. Acid etch. Epoxy. Color.

[mrein3]

What am I on? Step 52?
The repop bedside went ok. Before I put color on the top of the floor and on the bedsides I mocked up the bed because this was the first time all these parts got together. Good move. The bracket welded on the bottom of the rear stake pocket was welded in the wrong location. I had to cut that off, adjust it, and re-weld that in. I did epoxy prime the EDP coating but I didn't do the inside of this bedside. This truck will never see salt again so the black EDP from the re-popper will probably work ok. It won't be the only thing standing in the junk yard in 100 years like the other side with epoxy on the inside but it will last my life time.

Tailgate. On this forum's pages I've heard horror stories of re-pop tailgates bending when you set a can of coke on them. I found a straight original one. It still had the painted letters. I think my 5th grader could paint those letters better but they were painted from the factory and I intended to do the same. I brushed off all the paint and rust, acid etch, epoxy, color. I did the front panel at the same time.

To paint the letters, I sprayed the letter color, masked it off, then did the truck color. This was after I did it the opposite way. Duh. Live and learn.

[mrein3]

Finally, with the help of a gorilla friend and well placed masking tape to avoid scratches I assembled all the painted pieces - except for the tailgate.

I pulled the old bed off - oh crap. Now the only thing on my truck that I didn't paint is the back of the cab. Remove old paint and rust. Acid etch. Epoxy. Color.

Oh crap. This frame from the cab back looks bad now. Remove old rust (no paint), acid, epoxy, color, blah blah blah.

[mrein3]

Finally! I get to install the new bed. I'm pumped. Oh crap. These 45 or so year old plastic tail lights, side markers, and reverse lights look like crap. So I ordered re-pops of those. And since I hate brittle, hacked, old wiring I ordered a new back wiring harness and that nice connector deal that lets you split off your trailer connector.

Mount bed. Install wires. Screw in lights. DONE!

Three steps. Ha!

[too much stuff]

Looks good! And yes, Minnesota is tough on them.

[Husker]

Looks Good, You do Good work
Ron

[72 tigger]

Nice job! You have a few hours in that! Should last a long time

[saxart]

Wow, good work. Seems anything worthwhile never comes easy. Your truck looks sharp, and like you said, should outlast all of us!

[darrellyates]

Very Very nice!!!!

I am one of those guys who paints the inside of everything too!!

Either media blast if it's old, or scuff the EPDM and then shoot with epoxy primer. If it's inside of a fender, or underneath, usually single stage urethane, if it's outside or easily visible, then it gets the entire treatment....

Your truck looks great! Am sure it will last a lifetime.

Best wishes!!

[72 tigger]

how did you paint inside of the cross sills?

[trac209]

Looks absolutely amazing. Excellent job.

[notsolo]

Nice work on the painting, scraping, filling, sanding, repeat, repeat, repeat.....Sorry you didn't get the whole wiring harness. It's only a 3 step process..... Truck looks great, Btw.

[mrein3]

Thanks for all the kind words. You really never would do this to something you plan to sell. I don't have a ton of money in this truck but if time is money, I'd be better off paying full price for a new one. But then how many people would say "nice truck" when you stop with your new, off the lot truck? I can tell you how many people stop me to say "nice truck" with this thing.

The next thing they say is, "what year is it?"

Well, that is sort of a Johnny Cash song. Let's see...
The chassis is a 1971. The sheet metal when I bought it was 1970. Driver's door, no clue. LF fender, no clue other than 69-72. Bed floor and RHS bedside, no clue other than 69-72. LHS bedside, re-pop circa 2017. TH350 and transfer case out of a 1972 Blazer. Adapter between them, circa 2003 over the counter new at the Chevy dealer that disappeared from my town in 2009 or so. Engine, currently a 307 out of my 1972 Chevelle that I pulled in about 1989 to put a 350 in its place. The 307 is there temporarily while I remove the tick from the 383 I built from the 1971 Monte Carlo 350 I used to use as a winter beater. Interior, according to the remnants of the build sheet I pulled is from a 1968 golden anniversary truck. A true mutt.

I usually say, 1970 because that what it looks like from the front.

Originally Posted by 72 tigger

how did you paint inside of the cross sills?

I didn't paint the inside of the cross sills. I thought about it. The one I replaced has epoxy primer over the scuffed EDP coating. I pre-drilled holes to be plug welded, masked the area around the hole, epoxy inside, spray bomb weld through primer where the masking tape was, then weld in place.
I had to stop somewhere because the project was dragging on.

Originally Posted by notsolo

Nice work on the painting, scraping, filling, sanding, repeat, repeat, repeat.....Sorry you didn't get the whole wiring harness. It's only a 3 step process..... Truck looks great, Btw.

Good one. But yes, that intermediate harness could easily be replaced.