Whew

Wow, just realized it has been a LONG time since I posted an update.  Well, here it goes...lots has occurred since the last post.  Started to work on the meat and potatoes of the restoration.  No more piddling around! 

Grill Removal - Removed the painted grill from the front end.  Had a few dents and issues, but nothing that can't be smoothed out.  Ground all the rivets off and all the pieces are now apart - vertical supports, inner bars, outer bars.  After that, took the badly dented bars, applied a little heat, and popped out the dents so there will be less gap to fill with bondo.  More of a skimming process than a filling.  Next step, paint and rust removal

Fender Removal - Moved the truck over to the farm.  Twisted around on all the bolts and all the fenders are off.  In fact, all the sheet metal from the front has been removed.  Again, a few deep dents, particularly around the headlights were heated and popped out, requiring very little bondo again to get them straight.  I am starting to feel like I am a little more confident in the body work aspect. 

Underhood Sheet Metal - All this is in great shape.  No dents, etc here.  inner fenders, radiator shroud, hood latch, etc., will be cleaned and painted semi-gloss black.  I am also considering having all the semi-gloss parts powdercoated, which would include the running boards. 

So...for all of you who may be wondering how in the world to get these parts clean and paint free, I have an answer.  And I have expanded my method to be very easy.  On a previous project, I learned about a process of electrolysis, which uses water, 12v DC current, and a electrolyte to pull rust from the affected part to an electrode in the water.  Effectively, all the rust leaves your part and adheres to a scrap piece of metal.  After expanding upon this process, I learned that sodium hydroxide (lye) would also remove paint, oil, and grease.  Well, we happened to have an old chest freezer at the farm, and it will be converted into an electrolysis bath that is large enough to dip an entire fender at once!  So, save money at the sandblaster, don't worry about the panels coming back wavy, and having to find sand in a crevice while laying down a finish coat.

Bed Removal - So in an ongoing attempt to prep the truck for paint, the stake bed has been removed.  I cut the u-bolts holding the bed on, and put sawhorses under it, and drove right out.  I had always intended to simply repaint the bed and reinstall, keeping the patina of the old wood.  However upon further inspection, and a few boards that are in rough shape, I am currently considering completely rebuilding the bed.  Still not settled either way.

I also worked on painting up a set of new gauges, with new decals, needles, and freshened up paint.  Those have been a bit more of an undertaking than initially determined.  Still working on that project.  Finally got the steering wheel pulled of the parts truck and will start filling the cracks on it. 

Well, we've got a pile of work done, and a heap left to do.  But, it all seems to be going right along.  Hopefully next time I'll not wait so long before the next post.