Time to shine!

Its been a long time coming but we are finally spraying some color on the C-10 project. We had intentions on painting both bedsides today but when we were prepping them, we found a spot on one of them that wasnt up to snuff. So it came back out for repair and we slid the radiator support in in its place. These parts were sealed with PPG’s urethane sealer followed by 3 coats of PPG base coat then 3 coats of clear. Things went smoothly and the turned out very nice. The color looks amazing. We will wet sand and buff the outside of the bedside before reassembly. Hopefully we will get another batch of parts painted in the next couple of weeks.

Raptor liner

After a few good days of prepping the floor and bottom of the cab we were finally able to spray it. The first couple of pictures show how not prepping panels properly turn out. The black peeling paint is actually POR 15. It was improperly applied so we removed it before applying our coatings over it. We started with a coat of PPG’s DPLV epoxy primer over the bare metal and properly prepared panels. We actually did that yesterday afternoon. This morning we came in applied SEM seam sealer to the seams and the weld areas where patches were installed. Once the seam sealer was dry, Jordan sprayed 2 coats of Raptor liner over the DP. This well provide a water proof barrier for the under side of this truck that will still look very nice. While we were at it, we also sprayed the inside of the bedsides that are exposed to the bottom of the truck. Up next, its time to start spraying some panels while we finish up the body work on the cab.

Bottoms up

Still plugging away on the C-10. Last week we finished up the body work on the cab and applied a couple more coats of PPG’s high build epoxy. Because the body work was so extensive we will definitely block that out and prime it again to be sure we didnt miss anything. Today we started prepping bottom of the cab for bedliner. As you can see it was blasted giving us a good starting point. You can see there are new patches in the floors in the top corners. Those areas were a little thin and the cab mounts needed to be shored up some as well. While Jordan sanded the bottom, Paul got a great start on straightening out the rockers. We still have a bit of sanding to do on the floor and more work on the rockers but over the next couple of days we should be able to get the bottom of the cab sprayed with epoxy followed by a couple coats of Raptor liner.

C-10 Cab

After many hours of blocking a filling, the cab on the C-10 is pretty close to being straight. Yes, this one lived the life of a truck but glory days are in its future. With all the body work fairly close to being finished we will next turn our attention to the floor and bottom of the cab. Just like the rest of the underside on this truck it will get a bedliner both inside and out. We will then once more make sure the bodywork is complete before priming. Because of the extensive body work, we will most likely prime it twice to be sure its good to go.

Just hanging around

The ’57 is getting its doors. After installing the door and trunk rubber we are ready to get these back on where they should feel right at home. Lining up the left door went pretty smoothly. We still have some fine tuning before moving to the other side. We will be installing the latches and catches once we are happy with the fitment.

All hands on deck

Great progress was made on the C-10 project today. Cole and I worked a good portion of the day blocking out the roof and fixing dents. We worked some on the inside of the cab as well as the left door jamb. The fire wall is pretty close to being finished as well. Tomorrow we plan on attacking it like we did today and hopefully that will put us pretty close to priming it again.

C-10 body work continues

The progress continues on the C-10. We are working hard to make sure the body work on the cab is as nice as the rest of the panels we have ready to paint. The cab needs pretty extensive body work but each day we get a little closer.

Slicky slicky

Still working on the ’57 to wrap up the week. Today we were able to get the doors and deck lid sanded down for buffing. Jordan started on the deck lid then moved to the doors. Paul couldn’t resist the fun and quickly helped Jordan out. Once they had the truck ready, Paul started the buffing process while Jordan sanded the doors. Just like the sanding process, the buffing process consists of 3 steps. First step is a cutting compound. This process removes the sanding scratches but leaves its on scratches from the process. The next step is a polishing compound that removes the scratches left by the first, but it too leaves really fine swirl marks. The final step removes the really fine swirls and leaves the paint super smooth and scratch free. Its a long process but very worth it when only the best will do. We didnt quite get done with the buffing, but the last picture shows what the paint looks like after one round of step 2. Yes, sometimes you have to go over it a few times to get it right but its worth it in the end.

It all hinges on this

Yesterday started off with a little sand blasting. Jordan blasted the hood hinges and the door hinges for the ’57 Chevy. Once they were done, Cole took his turn sanding them back down smooth. Once that was finished up, Paul cleaned them up and sprayed a coat of DP epoxy on them and followed that with the appropriate colors for the parts. The hood hinges were painted a soft silver color with a flat clear coat and the door hinges were painted the factory Tropical Turquoise then cleared with a high gloss clear. Today we started the wet sanding process. This part of the paint job separates the men from the boys. This is where the super smooth, mirror like finish comes from. Jordan started with 1000 grit sand paper and carefully sanded the clear coat to remove what little orange peel was there. He then went back over that with 2000 grit paper and followed that will 3000. This process will provide a super high gloss and an ultra flat surface. You will easily be able to shave using this paint as a mirror.

4 more ready

We have been working hard on the C-10, and it shows. We now have 4 more parts ready for paint. Cole and Jordan finished blocking these panels out today and Paul had just enough time to spray a few coats of urethane primer on them before quitting time. These panels will be blocked one final time to be certain they are nice and straight before painting.