Project Old School, Part V

At this point, I can't believe how far this truck has come in such a short period of time. We took a rough looking '64 Chevy longbed with a small back window and created the truck I've always wanted. I was now looking at a big-window shortbed with a GMC front clip. Just about everything we could weld up or shave was now smoothed over, and the truck even had its first coat of PPG primer.

There is still a long way to go, however. Although we finished the rough bodywork, we found that some of it was just that. Rough. We handled most of the problem areas and shot the first few coats of PPG filler primer. Progress screeched to a halt between Chris' and my work schedule and the start of the show season. We did not get another full day in on the truck until we resumed work a few weeks before the truck's planned debut at Paso Robles. We then made a few last minute adjustments. I decided it would be fun to shave the cowl, since that was about the only part left that we hadn't modified. We also opted to weld up the seams in the front fender. The inner doors still had mismatched speaker holes we had to contend with; Totally Polished's Chris Daley came up with a quick fix that would give the lower doors a custom look.

Finally, we sanded and shot primer until the big day came. Chris' neighbor offered up his paint booth and even gave us a hand cleaning and masking the truck. We shot the first coat PPG two-stage base black (DBC9700) and a single-stage base white (Concept DNC900) in the interior and found a few spots that we overlooked. A little spot putty, primer, and sanding later, we laid the final coat of gloss white on the interior and recoated the exterior with the black base. Since a durable black suede was our goal, we used a clear topcoat from PPG that leaves a matte finish. The DCU2060 was originally intended for refinishing Mercedes bumpers, but it fit the bill for our needs perfectly. I was so stoked to see the truck start to resemble Jimmy Smith's rendering that I had my Stockton wheels and Coker tires mounted up while the paint was drying. We bolted them on and torched the springs just to give you guys a glimpse of the finished exterior, which you will be seeing a lot more of next month.

When we last left off, we...        read full caption When we last left off, we handled the rough bodywork and shot a coat of PPG DP-90LF. Instead of just scuffing the surface so our high-build primer would stick, we blocked the entire exterior with 100-grit attached to our flexible board sanders and adjustable flex sander from Eastwood.

This made it easy to see the...        read full caption This made it easy to see the areas that weren't going to block out and would require more metalwork and/or filler. Again, the goal was to scuff the primer and find the high and low spots, not sand it off.

Most of the truck soon looked...        read full caption Most of the truck soon looked like this; not bad at a glance. But if you look closely, you can see a low area just above the wheel opening. The '60-66 bedsides are notorious for this.

The front corner of the hood...        read full caption The front corner of the hood was also a little banged up. Chris worked the area with the hammer and dolly.

The area was significantly...        read full caption The area was significantly smoother when we sanded it the second time around.

A thin coat of Evercoat Z-grip...        read full caption A thin coat of Evercoat Z-grip filler from Eastwood was all that was needed to smooth the area perfectly.

Out in the sun, the bedside...        read full caption Out in the sun, the bedside area around the wheel opening left a lot to be desired. This area actually had to be pulled out slightly to help remedy the situation.

A few strategic hammer hits...        read full caption A few strategic hammer hits and a thin coat of filler later, the area was starting to take shape.

Sanding the back of the cab...        read full caption Sanding the back of the cab revealed lots of hills and valleys.

They were minor, but we filled...        read full caption They were minor, but we filled and blocked the area anyway. We hit a few more areas that required attention; then we taped off from the beltline up with plastic.

The high-build primer we used...        read full caption The high-build primer we used was NCP280 from PPG. We first hit the areas where we used filler. The DeVilBiss HVLP Finish Line spray gun we were using is also from Eastwood.

Once the trouble areas were...        read full caption Once the trouble areas were hit once more, the entire truck got several thick even coats.

At this point, the truck already...        read full caption At this point, the truck already looked 100 percent better. Unfortunately, this was the last time we got to work on the truck for a while.

After spending its days in...        read full caption After spending its days in the sun for a few months, we finally set out to get some paint on the truck. It was obvious we didn't prep the new Brothers fenders very well.

I decided that since everything...        read full caption I decided that since everything else on the truck is shaved, we should go ahead and smooth over the cowl, as well.

We also decided to weld up...        read full caption We also decided to weld up the seams at the front of the fenders to add to our super-smooth look.

The one other issue was the...        read full caption The one other issue was the gnarled speaker holes in the lower door panel. Instead of the raised/recessed/raised design, Chris and I thought a simple raised panel would look cool. This area will eventually be covered with upholstery anyway.

The raised areas for the wiper...        read full caption The raised areas for the wiper shaft were cut out of the cowl with a plasma cutter, and the surface was ground clean.

The cap was cut from 16-gauge...        read full caption The cap was cut from 16-gauge steel and trimmed until it fit over the cowl perfectly.

The panel was held in place...        read full caption The panel was held in place as Chris tacked it from the inside out.

I kept the area cool with...        read full caption I kept the area cool with the air nozzle while Chris welded the panel solid. The welds were then ground completely smooth.

Next, the raised portion of...        read full caption Next, the raised portion of the lower door panel was cut out.

Two more pieces of sheetmetal...        read full caption Two more pieces of sheetmetal were cut out and trimmed precisely for each door.

They too were then welded-in...        read full caption They too were then welded-in solid.

Once the welds were ground...        read full caption Once the welds were ground smooth, you would hardly know what we did. Those speaker holes were plaguing me from day one, and they were gone in an hour.

The final bit of welding was...        read full caption The final bit of welding was on our brand new Brothers fenders. We decided to go seamless, and here's how it looked once it was welded and ground. Now the five aforementioned areas were skimmed with filler and blocked with 80-grit paper.

We gave the rest of the truck...        read full caption We gave the rest of the truck a once-over with 80 grit and our handy sanding block (a full day's work with the camera put away) and shot another heavy coat of NCP (this time tinted black). Things started to go much smoother on this lap around the truck.

Even our favorite wheel opening...        read full caption Even our favorite wheel opening was starting to shape up.

The smooth cowl looks right...        read full caption The smooth cowl looks right at home. This was one area we could call done.

Our fender mod shaped up pretty...        read full caption Our fender mod shaped up pretty easily, as well. It's funny that the worst areas on the truck were stock areas that just needed to be flat.

After one layer of primer...        read full caption After one layer of primer and a single blocking, the tailgate only needed a few dabs of glazing compound.

We hadn't looked under the...        read full caption We hadn't looked under the hood since we shot the DP-90. After an hour or so with some 180, we were ready for paint.

The back of the cab was the...        read full caption The back of the cab was the last area we hit before we shot the black base coat. This is when I started to get ahead of myself. We shot the single-stage white throughout the inside of the cab, and it was so damn glossy it immediately pointed out every single imperfection. Several small areas were hit with filler, sanded out and covered with white primer from a rattle can before respraying the white interior panels.

Unfortunately, the exterior...        read full caption Unfortunately, the exterior went the same way. I am by no means a perfectionist, but after shooting the first coat of the black base, we decided there were a few spots we could not overlook. Yet another day of cleaning up one small area at a time followed.

The final paint day went like...        read full caption The final paint day went like this: Shot the final coat of white in the cab, waited, taped up the cab, shot the white on the inside of the doors, waited, taped off the inside of the door, shot the black base coat, waited, and then shot the matte clear top coat. It was a long day.

I already had Andrew over...        read full caption I already had Andrew over at Rooney Tire mount and balance the Coker wide whites to the red steelies from Stockton. More on this new/old-school combo combo next month.

After nearly a year of looking...        read full caption After nearly a year of looking at a ragged stock-height truck, we had to see the "Old School" we had been envisioning. Chris torched the springs (we would never drive it this way), and I took this teaser shot to tide us over 'til next month. Finally, our project will get its chrome and flames and a few other surprises. And it won't end there. Old School is just getting started.