34’ Chevy pickup

[chistech]

It’s kind of a fine line the owner wants Mike. He wants it to have a good look but not showroom perfect. I had thought of having a nice single light yellow pinstripe put on it to match his wheels but he doesn’t even want that. He didn’t want the very light colored and clear coated oak bed with shiny chrome bed strips that lots of guys do these days. He wanted a more utilitarian look of a work truck but still with nice paint but subtle colors. So he’s staying with the black lower sheet metal and forest green cab. My idea of a nice subtle bed was the darker wood, satin finish, with the black bed strips to pull the black fender color into the bed. I had the strips powder coated for more durability than just paint. The owner isn’t even worried about making the bed or rear of the cab laser straight. He’s fine with some gentle “oil canning” that the beds and cabs had originally. His main concern is it’s drivability and solidness. Thats where I really concentrated my efforts so the gear change, hydraulic brakes, and all new wood really addressed his concerns. I believe he is going to be pleasantly surprised once he takes it for a drive. Well, hopefully he is!

[Mike Macartney]

On 10/30/2020 at 12:08 AM, chistech said:

I believe he is going to be pleasantly surprised once he takes it for a drive. Well, hopefully he is!

 

I am sure he will be pleased Ted. You have done a great job as always.

[STEVE POLLARD]

Looking great Ted !

 

Steve

[Skippy34]

No problem Ted I I’ll be I touch I would love to come by and talk .. funny I also have a 1931 Chevy !!! 

[chistech]

For anyone interested I’ll be posting the 35’ basket case pickup I bought a week ago. It’s got good bones and will be a great project for someone who doesn’t have a ton of money to start. I couldn’t let it go to junk plus I have a ton of parts to go with it including another 35’ engine that I bought for parts, (used only two pushrods from it) that ran good and was a takeout from a hot rod.

[John S.]

I'm interested Ted. Thanks. John

[ramair]

Hi, I have been following your restoration with great interest.  I have been working on my 1936 GMC t-14 1/2 ton since I was 12 and now I am 62 .  Obviously you are making much better progress. I read that you are going to sell a 35 Chevy pickup and some parts.  I was hopeful that in your extra parts you might have a steering box clamp Gm part number 476587. Mine went MIA ( I am sure it has nothing to do with the time lapse). I have been checking with people that hot rod but they seem to be in a hurry to scrap everything. I am ready for final assembly and I may have to make this part or adapt a rod bearing to work since that is what it closely resembles, if you can help I can be reach at fgvineyard@sbcglobal.net, thank you

[chistech]

Beautiful work on your GMC. I believe a car steering box clamp will be the same.

[ramair]

Thank you for the compliment and the tip.  I have about 4 weeks left until I need the clamp.  I will circle around and ask some more people, then I will just make it, then like magic it will appear for sale on Craigslist for $10, sound familiar!

[Dave_baker]

I helped bring back to life a 1935 Chevrolet truck that had last run in 1980. It was a farm truck owned by two old farmers. 34,000 act miles this is not perfect but is a wonderful reference truck . The one unusual think about the 1934-35 trucks, the only color interior offered was green it did not matter what the exterior color was the interior was green. This truck is blue, has a Galion hoist which may have been added later

[J.H.Boland]

Hi Ted. How goes the '34 ? We haven't seen any pictures since October.

[chistech]

Funny you mention this now as I was just going to post an update. Again, I ended up waiting on paint so the cab had been out at the shop. While it’s been gone I planned on some changes to my garage. I purchased a 40’ storage container and leveled a spot for it with my kubota right alongside my garage. I paid for it the beginning of December but we didn’t drop it in place until a week ago. This time of year, guys with “load-all” type trailers, all repair or rebuild them so all the affordable guys were down. I ended getting one guy who was really good but I had to work with him as he was alone. It was a PITA to get it out from where it was, then we had to drop it in a big parking lot to flip it 180d so the doors would come off first. All said and done it was just over 5 hrs and it was only 13 miles from my garage! 
        So with the storage container in place, a big clean up started. While there’s still plenty of room in the container and there’s more to go out in it, I have a huge amount of open space now to work. The other project was replacing and wiring in new LED lights. That job is almost done and what a difference. My dad bought this building in 1977 and had it wired with used 8’ fluorescent fixtures he bought. My lighting has been bad for many years and with me getting older, I needed the change.

      The cab came back about two -three weeks ago but with all the snow we’ve been having and before I got moving the stuff out to the container, it was just too tight to work and risk damaging the new paint on the cab. So Saturday I put the cab onto my lift arms using a contraption I made with a 2x6, stacked milk crates screwed together, then screwed to the 2x6. This offered me a lot of height so the chassis could simply be rolled underneath with the steering post up, the shifter in, emergency brake handle in place, and the pedal assembly.  The trick is to have the chassis on car dollies as it lets you roll the chassis into exact position to the body and as normal, I work alone, so I have to use methods that make it work the easiest. 
     So over the weekend, the body got installed on the chassis, painting some things up as I went that needed it like body springs, big washers, mounting bolts, etc. I cut the floor board for a battery access door which the truck didn’t have when I received it, drilled a 3” hole for master cylinder access, then made up a plate to cover the hole. Installed the toe board, the closeout plates, the gas pedal rod grommet (another thing missing that I added), the dimmer switch, pedal pads, and ran the water temp probe through the firewall center grommet. The oil pressure line was a twisted piece of spaghetti so I carefully started straightening it out to find it’s too short. I realize now that it was the line I used to test the motor and not the one that was in the truck originally. I found that one, started massaging it to look good and found one of the brass compression fittings with the threads stripped. This is probably just one of the reasons this truck leaked like an old Harley Davidson after a long ride. I replaced the fitting, installed it in the oil distributor, then ran the other end through the firewall center grommet. It seems everything is an “adventure “ on this truck!

Edited February 16, 2021 by chistech (see edit history)

[STEVE POLLARD]

Looks great Ted, I really like the color !

 

Steve

[weathered1]

You have been busy, I like the idea with the lift arms.

[AURktman]

On 2/16/2021 at 3:44 PM, weathered1 said:

You have been busy, I like the idea with the lift arms.

 

Milk crates have been supporting the automotive restoration community for over 100 years.  😀

[TAKerry]

Just went through the thread, love the woodworking you showed. I am a 4th gen master carpenter/furniture maker. I would love to combine the 2 and do the wood for a car at some point, just because. Ironically, Dad bought a 35 Chevy pickup for my older brothers in the late 70's. Truck sat idle for many years because it needed new wood. Dad was old school, he worked 6 and sometimes 7 days a week raising 5 kids, last thing he wanted to do with what little spare time he had was woodworking! 

[chistech]

Worked on more of the interior items. I installed firewall grommets and ran the lines or wires that go through them. I made up a brown Kraft paper template of the floor so I could cut out the generic floor mat material I got From Carter Truck parts. I’m pleased with the end result and tomorrow I’ll add the padding to the mat with adhesive. I also pulled the new rear window gasket around the glass, cut it to length and super glued the ends together. Tomorrow I will urethane the rear window in.

Edited February 23, 2021 by chistech (see edit history)

[John S.]

Ted,  the work on the Chevy Truck is coming along nicely.  Truck look great. 

[chistech]

Installed the rear window, the dashboard, and bolted up the steering tube. I wanted to make sure the tube was in its proper location before I final trimmed the floor mat. Added the insulation felt to the mat, cut triangular pieces for the sides of the seat box and finished up the floor. I had a pair of take-off kick panels from a 31’ and repurposed them for this truck. The pickups didn’t have kick panels but I’m putting a full interior in this truck for the owner so after I trimmed them to fit, I finished off the back edges with some 1/4” fender welt. I cut a piece of heavy interior board to cover the center section of the back of the cab. I then made two curved pieces of wood that match the mid band curve so I can add a lower interior panel on each side beside the seat. I cut a piece of panel board but need more. These panels have to be of thinner board because of the tight curve. Each upper corner originally had a metal piece that makes a cubby hole on each side at the mid band. The owner really likes these but one was missing so I have to make one up. The inside of the cubbyhole is the inside of the sheet metal and I will line these with material. The owner sent along the original badly deteriorated head liner panels and a roll of black vinyl. Unfortunately there’s not enough to do more than the headliner so I have to get something to cover the back of the cab. The panels showed me how I can do the headliner and incorporate the cab sides with interior to give it a nice finished look. I do have enough of a dark chocolate brown material that actually matches the door gaskets ( all pickups had brown regardless of interior color) but I’m not sure how it would look with the black headliner. It might look really good as my Olds looks good and it’s material I bought extra for my Olds. I’m going by a local upholstery shop and see what he has. 

[chistech]

More interior work done. Couple more pieces to make, the front and rear headers. Have to add the upper latch pillar covers and then it will be finished. I also decided to add a dome light which the pickups never had using a early GM switch and escutcheon plate. Put the seat cushions in place just to have a look. Little more work and I’ll be done fabricating and installing the interior. I believe the owner will like it.

[GARY F]

Nice looking seats.

[chistech]

The seats were already covered so I didn’t have to do anything to them. I cut out the rear headliner header from the panel board then went to cover it to find I didn’t have a piece of the headliner material the owner supplied, long enough to do it in one piece. I hand sewed two strips together on the end then glued it to the panel with the seam centered. The dome light I ordered came in late today so it will get installed tomorrow. It’s a nice size and shape plus it’s not too deep. I also got the shoulder belts installed and I made up the cubby hole metal pieces out of 18ga. I was going to use the original and just make another but the original is badly pitted up so I felt two new ones will look better. Both got primed then painted on one side. Tomorrow I’ll paint the back side. Got a good used speedometer ordered today along with a recast steering wheel so the rest of the interior parts are on their way. 

[TexRiv_63]

12 hours ago, chistech said:

The seats were already covered so I didn’t have to do anything to them. I cut out the rear headliner header from the panel board then went to cover it to find I didn’t have a piece of the headliner material the owner supplied, long enough to do it in one piece. I hand sewed two strips together on the end then glued it to the panel with the seam centered. The dome light I ordered came in late today so it will get installed tomorrow. It’s a nice size and shape plus it’s not too deep. I also got the shoulder belts installed and I made up the cubby hole metal pieces out of 18ga. I was going to use the original and just make another but the original is badly pitted up so I felt two new ones will look better. Both got primed then painted on one side. Tomorrow I’ll paint the back side. Got a good used speedometer ordered today along with a recast steering wheel so the rest of the interior parts are on their way. 

Do your seat belt mounts attach to the frame?

[keiser31]

23 minutes ago, TexRiv_63 said:

Do your seat belt mounts attach to the frame?

I have that very question in mind.

[chistech]

I reinstalled the seatbelts back the way they were installed when the truck arrived. I’ve read on this forum many opinions, some say they should be bolted to the frame, others say they should be only installed to the body because when an old car with a wooden body gets in a crash the body separates from the frame. But, when I look at photos of old accidents, the bodies are attached and if the accident is severe enough to rip the body off the frame, you’re beyond seat belts saving you.

      The retractors are attached to straps that go through the wood and attach to the frame. The lap belts are attached through the center of the rear of the cab 2” ash cross member. The upper shoulder straps are on brackets bolted through the upper roof belt ash which I increased to 2” and the upper belt rail is bolted into the tops of the cab side metal where the roof meets.  All bolts are grade 8 fine thread and there is large 1/2” thick steel plates under the bolts.

      Finished up the cubby hole plates and installed them. Cut the opening for the dome light and installed the light with a luan plywood backing plate for a secure mounting. Wired it up and tested it. Installed the seat back and screwed in the bottom mounting screws then mounted the bottom cushion. The top rear headliner piece was fitted and tacked into place. Just the front windshield header, then some odds and ends left to do.

[chistech]

Work is progressing, got the new glass installed in the metal channel sash. The original drivers side window appears to have been cracked at the very bottom when they installed it so in in the channel, they siliconed it in place instead of using glass setting tape. It took over two hours to get the glass out, the silicone out, and the channel blasted then painted! Another bad job done by the previous restorer. Installed the rubber channel brackets and installed the felt channels along with the new glass. The felts got tacked in where necessary then the regulators got installed. Operation of the windows was checked then everything got screwed in tight. I then positioned all the garnish moldings then drilled for all the screws. Set the moldings in place and once I get door panels back from paint, I’ll upholster the top with panel board and the black vinyl material and attach the gasket around the front and bottom edges of the door. Then the doors will be done.

[chistech]

Installed on the drivers door the top upholstery around the window frames, the new brown door gasket, (all pickups, no matter what color, had brown gaskets), then installed the inner steel door panel. Hung the door on the cab, installed the striker, and closed the door. The gasket is making the door tight but man it closes tight and nice and secure. The door hangs perfectly and lines up great! Thank god. It feels like I got up a small mountain tonight getting that door done and hung.

[chistech]

Got the passenger door all done and mounted. It lines up just like the drivers side so all that fussing and extra work figuring out what was wrong with the cab alignment payed off. A big hurdle is done. Both doors need to be slammed pretty hard because of the gaskets but there’s absolutely no movement once they’re closed. It should be pretty quiet going down the road. Also forgot to mention the windshield is in and done other than a tiny area where a fat finger smeared the clear. Wasn’t me on that one! Now to make the headliner front header and the straps for the roof ends then paint them all up. Just about completely done with the inside as I’m waiting on the window cranks and handles.

[chistech]

Put the original mirror back on the drivers side after my neighbor polished it up. The owner had sent a new mirror and bracket for the passenger side so I installed it on the hinge then drilled and tapped the hinge for the two 10-32 screws that secure it to the hinge. I made up the front windshield headliner out of heavy panel board and glued on the material. Installed it on the header and screwed on the rear view mirror. Made sure all was right and still need to drive the tacks home but all fit as it should. Now to the metal strips along the roof, fresh paint and continuation strips down to the sides and I’ll be pretty much done with the inside. I keep thinking I don’t have much more to do on the inside but then realize I’ve got more than I thought!  Also installed the passenger side upper door gasket. 

[John S.]

Great work as always, Ted

[chistech]

Fenders and running boards installed today. Starting to look more like a truck.

[John S.]

Excellent fit and finish. 

[chistech]

Yup, nothing new as I’m waiting on paint! Need the bed and radiator shell! 😡

[chistech]

Got the radiator shell from the painter yesterday so I installed the grill, the hood welting, a new bowtie emblem, and the headlight support cross bar then installed the radiator assembly onto the chassis. Assembled the two upper hood half’s, installed it into the two end hinge pockets then attached the hood brace rod to the radiator. Installed the upper and lower radiator hoses and clamps. Attached the two hood sides with new 3/16” hinge rods, and adjusted the spare tire hold down rod. Installed the two headlight mounting arms and both headlights. Starting to look pretty good.

[keiser31]

Looking GREAT!

 

[Laughing Coyote]

Question for you Chistech. Is there a filler panel that goes under the front grill screen? The lower part of the grill? 

[chistech]

1 minute ago, Laughing Coyote said:

Question for you Chistech. Is there a filler panel that goes under the front grill screen? The lower part of the grill? 

Yes. The lower apron or valance has been misplaced! I believe I gave it to my painter but he says no. The lower grill shell trim piece is also missing which is driving me crazy. I believe I sent it to the plater to have the chrome removed because the owner wants it satin black powder coat but the plater says he doesn’t have it. Funny that it’s the two pieces that go together? So I’m on a hunt for those two pieces. They do make an aftermarket valance so I might go that way but I still need the grill piece.

[Laughing Coyote]

Thanks for answering my question. I'm sure they will turn up. Think of the place where you would put them so they wouldn't get lost when you took it apart. 

[chistech]

Today was another good step forward. I filled the radiator with antifreeze/distilled water and put 5 gallons of gas in the brand new fuel tank. All lines and connections are also new. Put a couple 10cc syringes worth of gas down the carburetor, pulled the choke, and pulled the throttle knob out some. Turned the key to on and the gas gauge went up to about a third. That was a good check as I had rebuilt the sender and had to resolder some broken connections inside the fuel gauge. I then hit the starter pedal and off she went, running very nicely. About twenty pounds oil pressure cold and there’s great flow in the radiator. Walked all around the truck and checked under the hood, no leaks anywhere! It doesn’t get any better than that.

[Laughing Coyote]

Good job Chistech. Love it when it all works out.