72 GMC 4x4 rebuild

[Crumley]

The Chrysler blue paint is made by PPG.

[Crumley]

I haven't updated in a bit.

Got the grill, headlights, interior carpet and gas tank carpet installed.

I installed the door panels for now they will come back off before wet sanding and buffing. At which point the door handles, key lock and door panels will be installed.

Still waiting on door gaskets and stainless steel seal plates. Hopefully they will be here next week. The plan is to get the windshield and back window installed this next week.

Got the hood and cowl cover painted today....there some paint flaws that came up when shooting the 1st layer of paint on the hood. I will post questions and pictures in the paint and body section.

For those who like picture's here ya go:

[Crumley]

Picture of the hood and cowl cover in paint booth. Also a picture of the truck curing in the midday sun.

[dieselarmy13]

Looks Great!

[Crumley]

The hood in the pervious pictures came out rather crappy due to solvent pop. I ended up stripping the new paint off the hood. It was taken back down to metal and painted it again. This time the paint came out alot better.

Unfortunantly I mixed the high build primer to hot and it litterly was drying as soon as the primer came out of the gun and before it hit the metal...oh well that how you learn.

Anyway, the rear bumper is painted and installed.

The hood bump stops had to be relocated. The bump stop pockets are in a different location on the older hoods.

All electrical bugs worked out etc. so all of the electrical items are now working.

Here are some picture's for you picture hounds out there.

[Crumley]

More pictures of it in the shop with the cowel cover on.

Regular work has been slow (been working 24 hour work weeks) so money is short.

I am having to save up the cash to get the windshield and back window installed. I feel this process is best saved for someone that doest it everyday.

[phx 4x4]

that thing looks great and has come along way

[Crumley]

Thanks, It has been quiet pleasurable working on it. I have learned a lot. I found out I am pretty good at the rough body work (replacing panels), but still need improvement on getting the body panels smooth and flat.

Give me any car made before 1972, back when a person could actually work on and maintain them.

As far as I am concerned all of the new crap, computer controled expensive automobiles built today should be sent to the crushers not the old ones.

[1985-GMC]

Originally Posted by Crumley

Thanks, It has been quiet pleasurable working on it. I have learned a lot. I found out I am pretty good at the rough body work (replacing panels), but still need improvement on getting the body panels smooth and flat.

Give me any car made before 1972, back when a person could actually work on and maintain them.

As far as I am concerned all of the new crap, computer controled expensive automobiles built today should be sent to the crushers not the old ones.

I am the same way, I hate any new vehicles. People should stop buying new cars and trucks and just start rebuilding old ones. New vehicles are just built so crappy these days, everything is made of plastic including bumpers which were meant to protect the body from damage. Computers, censors, emissions crap just mean more things to go wrong. Not to mention you CANT work on them without a $10K computer to see whats wrong with it first. My 85 is the newest I want to own due to the cats im supposed to have on it, but as far as im concerned it just needs to LOOK like it has them. Sorry I dont mean to thread jack. Your truck looks great though!!!

[sdailey]

Your truck looks great. Good job.

[msgross]

looks nice,


the back windows go in pretty easily, but the front windows aren't fun at all. Good choice to live it up to a pro, If they break their new window then you don't pay either.

[19gmc72]

This might have been in a post but whats the story on the grill, is that a new one or did you restore the original?

[72 Super]

Crumley, your truck is looking great!

[Crumley]

Thanks for the reply's. Again it has be alot of fun working on it.

The grill is stock from the factory..it had alot of rust issues on the backside. It took alot of wire bruching and cleaning to get it where I could POR 15 the back side. I took the big brow piece off of the stock grill by drilling out the rivits. I had to relocate the hood bumper pads. Then installed an erlier model hood.

Since I am replying, I will also update whats been done to the truck this weekend. The windshield and back glass where installed friday night. A big thanks goes out to GMC Pauls the windshield gasket fit like a champ. The window installers where quiet impressed that the windshield and chrome went in as easy as it did. Another big thanks goes out to Mikes bump and Grind, the back window and gasket went in flawlessly. Guy's it looks great.

On Saturday the bucket seats, dash pad, heater hoses, glove box and glove box door where installed. I want to drive it so bad now I can't stand it. This week it will be sent to the alignment shop. I will then be able to drive it. In a month or 2 the side body chrome will get installed after sanding and buffing the paint.

For the picture hounds out there here ya go:

[Crumley]

A couple of additional pictures:

[onlyifihadachevy]

It came out great. You keeping the steering wheel or changing it out for a stock one?

[Crumley]

I am not a fan of the stock steering wheel. The steering rim on the stock wheel is to narrow for my hands. The Grant wheel that is currently on it is missing some parts and if I can't find replacemant parts needed it will get changed.

[foosed]

WOW! That looks incredible! What do you mean by side chrome, do you mean stock trim or the aftermarket stick on stuff? Paint looks flawless and so does that interior!

[Crumley]

Foosed:

I will be installing the stock side body molding. New upper and lower side body molding is approx $500.00 so I am trying my hand at knocking out the dings on the OEM molding. Very tedious work. I will clean and repaint the molding. I will purchase a roll of the woodgrain tape for the bottom molding. Trying to save money.

Thanks on the paint and interior. It does look good in pictures and in person, but the pictures don't show all of my first timer's body working mistakes.

Thanks again.

[foosed]

Well i only hope when i go to paint my truck it turns out as good as yours.

[Crumley]

Update:

Well I got too happy with the wet sanding. I ended up sanding thru the paint down to the primer. Note to self: be extremley careful while sanding near or on leading edges. It doesn't take much and you have sanded thru the paint..so it is back to masking off the truck and back in the paint booth. Here are some pictures..

I will take the masking tape off tomorrow re-wet sand the repainted areas and buff.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Congrats she looks great....

[splehigh]

The truck is looking great! I noticed you said you had trouble with the primer drying before it hit the metal. I had that problem also. What do you mean by mixing the primer too hot? I was told I needed a different tip for primer. I'm not sure what size I have. It came with the gun.

Thanks

[Twisted78SS]

I just found this build thread, and really like the way it is turning out. It's looking really good, and makes me want to do the 71 I just picked up. I really need to keep on my Blazer project first, and just drive my 71 as is.. I will keep track to see the finished look.

[Crumley]

Thanks for the replys....mixing too hot means there is to much harder (catalist) when the primer and hardner where mixed...

The pictures didn't turn out to well, but I think you can see where the paint has been sanded tru to the primer.

Well I have run into a big goof up. All of the material and labor that was put into masking and repainting yesterday was wasted.

Any body and paint guy's out there that can shed some light on what I did wrong?

Yesterday, I masked off the areas to be resprayed due to wet sanding thru the paint.

I repainted the areas the where sanded thru. While the paint was still wet I also shot the painted areas with blending solvent, hoping this would blend the edges in.

When the masking was removed today I ended up with major ridges where the masking was....firgured I could wet sand the ridges out? Wrong... I got some of the ridges out but some areas I ended up sanding back thru the surface paint.

Heck I even end up buffing thru some of the paint also. So again I have a problem with some of the leading edges that the surface paint has been sanded thru. Help!!!!!!!