I started this endeavor with an old beat up 80 model Super Sport Elky. The Elky was
purchased for $300.00 US. The women that I purchased the truck from an older lady
that said that her husband had bought it with the intentions of fixing it to drive. The
truck had several flat tires on it, it had some damage to the header panel and it was
apparent that the header panel had been replaced with a newer model header panel.
After we had removed all the stuff off the front and was getting it ready to separate the
body from the chassis I noticed that the right front quarter had been in trouble at least
one and someone had repaired it. The very front right portion of the frame was going to
need some straightening. Fortunately it was minor amounts of damage so the fix would
not necessarily weaken the overall strength significantly.
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I walked around the truck after separation to see just where the body had been damaged in the past and what type of repair job it got. In order to get the body ready
I needed to remove the windshield and the back window along with the rear quarter windows. I’d have to completely gut the inside as well as strip off anything else
to remove the old finish. I had no plans of using any of the factory trim on the truck’s body so I had a lot to dispose.
I needed to remove the windshield and the back window along with the rear quarter windows. I’d have to completely gut the inside as well as strip off anything else
to remove the old finish. I had no plans of using any of the factory trim on the truck’s body so I had a lot to dispose.
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At this point I would have to clean the frame and the body and paint both before it was to be put back together. We rolled
the chassis outside, out of the way of normal business. A stand was made so that the body would sit firmly on it and not
have to worry about it falling also, it would have to be mobile so I could move it out of the way when needed. Once we had
a stand the body was sat down on it and I was now ready to start taking care of the body work. I had removed the doors
from the body prior to separation, it made it easier to use the "pole method" of picking up the body, so I started there.
The doors were in good shape for the most part. I took the tracks out of them and the glass and sat them on a box where I
could work on a flat surface. I removed the trim and sanded them down to metal. Then some sandable primer was applied
and I looked for damage. I noticed a few small dents, door dings probably, and one larger area in the driver side door. The
driver side door I knew I would have to do some work on it was evident when I got the truck. The passenger side door
was basically sand it down, primer some small ding patches with a very little amount of Bond-O after a little hammer and
dolly work. I would guess in all the passenger side door took about 3 hours worth of work in total and it was ready so I put
it aside. The driver side door was a bit more complicated. It had a crease in it going across the body crease and, even
though it wasn't all that large, it would prove to be a real bitch to get at from the inside. These doors have a reinforcing
steel beam spanning them on the inside. This, I would guess, gives strength to the door in case of a collision or side impact.
Just behind this beam which is about 8 to 10" wide was the damaged area. The beam sits away from the actual door skin
but only about 1/2" or less. I saw no way of removing the beam or any way I could get any body tools between the two
successfully.
the chassis outside, out of the way of normal business. A stand was made so that the body would sit firmly on it and not
have to worry about it falling also, it would have to be mobile so I could move it out of the way when needed. Once we had
a stand the body was sat down on it and I was now ready to start taking care of the body work. I had removed the doors
from the body prior to separation, it made it easier to use the "pole method" of picking up the body, so I started there.
The doors were in good shape for the most part. I took the tracks out of them and the glass and sat them on a box where I
could work on a flat surface. I removed the trim and sanded them down to metal. Then some sandable primer was applied
and I looked for damage. I noticed a few small dents, door dings probably, and one larger area in the driver side door. The
driver side door I knew I would have to do some work on it was evident when I got the truck. The passenger side door
was basically sand it down, primer some small ding patches with a very little amount of Bond-O after a little hammer and
dolly work. I would guess in all the passenger side door took about 3 hours worth of work in total and it was ready so I put
it aside. The driver side door was a bit more complicated. It had a crease in it going across the body crease and, even
though it wasn't all that large, it would prove to be a real bitch to get at from the inside. These doors have a reinforcing
steel beam spanning them on the inside. This, I would guess, gives strength to the door in case of a collision or side impact.
Just behind this beam which is about 8 to 10" wide was the damaged area. The beam sits away from the actual door skin
but only about 1/2" or less. I saw no way of removing the beam or any way I could get any body tools between the two
successfully.
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After stripping it all down I come to realize that re-assembly would actually be very easy. I had read an article in “Truckin’ “ magazine several years earlier about an
El Camino that they had worked on. It was called “Slip Streaming a late model El Camino” In the article they added body pieces from a company called Lauren
Engineering. I had located Lauren Engineering on the Internet and looked at all the parts available for the 5th generation El Caminos. I decided that I would do the
same thing to my 5th generation Elky that they did.
The pieces I would need were the front clip, the rear bumper wrap, the ground effects, and the hood scoop. I also ordered a new hard bed cover and a spoiler with
the third brake light. The original hood off the truck would have to be modified some but no other special requirements were needed. So, I placed the order for
those items from Lauren Engineering.
In the mean time I started working on the body. I knew up front that the driver’s door had a bad dent and that the passenger fender would need to be replaced. I
didn't like the way the damage had been repaired in the first place. There were holes drilled in the fender to pull it out. That to me didn't make any sense because it
was too easy to remove the fender to do the job correctly. I purchased a good fender from a local junkyard off the same model Elky. The junkyard fender was in
perfect shape and had absolutely no rust or other visible defects. I spent $40.00 on the fender.
Overall the El Camino’s body was in good shape and the worst of the spots was that door and the floorboard. I would guess that is pretty much a given for El
Caminos from the things I’ve read and the other owners I’ve talked to for the floor pan to be in bad shape. But this one was still in pretty good shape and wouldn't
really need any extra metal or panels replaced or added.
Once I started sanding I noticed that there had been some hail damage on the body and top along with the hood. The sanding went fine, but then I didn't expect it to
go any other way. After fixing the small dents, most were pushed back out using a hammer and dolly and the ones I couldn't get to with those tools I used a spoon
and hammer to work out the dents. Once I was satisfied that the outer body was pretty much ready I sprayed some sandable primer on it and worked out the
leftovers. After all was straight enough that I couldn't see anymore problem areas I light sanded it all over with 1000 grit sand paper and wiped down the body with
wax and grease remover and shot the body with some gray sealing primer. This would seal in the work I had done and keep things from deteriorating while I
attended to the rest of the stuff.
The next thing I needed to do was to remove all the old nasty undercoating from the bottom of the truck and do any repairs that were needed on that side. To
remove the undercoating I purchased some spray on Aircraft Paint Remover from the local auto supply. I purchased four cans of the spray at first. I wasn't exactly
sure that the spray on remover would work very well. I worked on small areas and concentrated the remover heavily on these areas. I sprayed it on very liberally let
it sit for about 20 minutes and then used a putty knife to scrape the bulk of it off the surface.
Once I had gotten all the big stuff off the bottom with the spray I worked on the tight corners and hard to get to areas with the spray and several different tools that
would help me get the crap out of those areas. I then used a DeWalt 4” offset hand grinder with a high-speed wire wheel to get the rest of the stuff. The wire brush
would serve two purposes. It would very effectively remove the residue and thin film of undercoating it would scratch up the metal getting it prepped for holding
the finish.
With all the undercoating and other crap cleaned from the bottom I could see there was not any bodywork needed, for the most part, the bottom was good and
straight. The Driver side rear wheel well needed a little repair. It was buckled towards the front some like the truck had been hit there but I saw no other visible
signs of damage. I once again used a hammer and dolly to work out as much as I could and then still needed a little Bond-O. My overall goal is to not use Bond-O if
I can get away with it. So most of the little minor dings that I couldn't work on the body I used some spot glazing putty. It’s very fine putty in a tube, that is for
small areas and it is very easy to work with.
Now that everything was completed to my satisfaction under it, I shot the underside with Variprime ® (Description: Variprime is a fast-drying, two-component, self-
etching primer. It provides excellent corrosion resistance and direct-to-metal adhesion for spot, panel and overall repairs.) to seal up the bottom and protect it from
rust and chips on the base metal. I hear of lots of people that use POR15 on their frame and other surfaces. I chose Variprime ® for basically the same reason.
Variprime 615 ® is actually used on Aircraft frames and spars to prevent rust and other corrosion before it starts. I feel like it is a better coating, it goes on easier,
smoother and is far less toxic smelling than POR15. After letting that sit I used a pad to scuff that up then sprayed the bottom with a gray sealing primer. Now I
was confident that I had all areas sealed up and protected from future damage. I now needed to determine what color I was going to spray on the bottom
El Camino that they had worked on. It was called “Slip Streaming a late model El Camino” In the article they added body pieces from a company called Lauren
Engineering. I had located Lauren Engineering on the Internet and looked at all the parts available for the 5th generation El Caminos. I decided that I would do the
same thing to my 5th generation Elky that they did.
The pieces I would need were the front clip, the rear bumper wrap, the ground effects, and the hood scoop. I also ordered a new hard bed cover and a spoiler with
the third brake light. The original hood off the truck would have to be modified some but no other special requirements were needed. So, I placed the order for
those items from Lauren Engineering.
In the mean time I started working on the body. I knew up front that the driver’s door had a bad dent and that the passenger fender would need to be replaced. I
didn't like the way the damage had been repaired in the first place. There were holes drilled in the fender to pull it out. That to me didn't make any sense because it
was too easy to remove the fender to do the job correctly. I purchased a good fender from a local junkyard off the same model Elky. The junkyard fender was in
perfect shape and had absolutely no rust or other visible defects. I spent $40.00 on the fender.
Overall the El Camino’s body was in good shape and the worst of the spots was that door and the floorboard. I would guess that is pretty much a given for El
Caminos from the things I’ve read and the other owners I’ve talked to for the floor pan to be in bad shape. But this one was still in pretty good shape and wouldn't
really need any extra metal or panels replaced or added.
Once I started sanding I noticed that there had been some hail damage on the body and top along with the hood. The sanding went fine, but then I didn't expect it to
go any other way. After fixing the small dents, most were pushed back out using a hammer and dolly and the ones I couldn't get to with those tools I used a spoon
and hammer to work out the dents. Once I was satisfied that the outer body was pretty much ready I sprayed some sandable primer on it and worked out the
leftovers. After all was straight enough that I couldn't see anymore problem areas I light sanded it all over with 1000 grit sand paper and wiped down the body with
wax and grease remover and shot the body with some gray sealing primer. This would seal in the work I had done and keep things from deteriorating while I
attended to the rest of the stuff.
The next thing I needed to do was to remove all the old nasty undercoating from the bottom of the truck and do any repairs that were needed on that side. To
remove the undercoating I purchased some spray on Aircraft Paint Remover from the local auto supply. I purchased four cans of the spray at first. I wasn't exactly
sure that the spray on remover would work very well. I worked on small areas and concentrated the remover heavily on these areas. I sprayed it on very liberally let
it sit for about 20 minutes and then used a putty knife to scrape the bulk of it off the surface.
Once I had gotten all the big stuff off the bottom with the spray I worked on the tight corners and hard to get to areas with the spray and several different tools that
would help me get the crap out of those areas. I then used a DeWalt 4” offset hand grinder with a high-speed wire wheel to get the rest of the stuff. The wire brush
would serve two purposes. It would very effectively remove the residue and thin film of undercoating it would scratch up the metal getting it prepped for holding
the finish.
With all the undercoating and other crap cleaned from the bottom I could see there was not any bodywork needed, for the most part, the bottom was good and
straight. The Driver side rear wheel well needed a little repair. It was buckled towards the front some like the truck had been hit there but I saw no other visible
signs of damage. I once again used a hammer and dolly to work out as much as I could and then still needed a little Bond-O. My overall goal is to not use Bond-O if
I can get away with it. So most of the little minor dings that I couldn't work on the body I used some spot glazing putty. It’s very fine putty in a tube, that is for
small areas and it is very easy to work with.
Now that everything was completed to my satisfaction under it, I shot the underside with Variprime ® (Description: Variprime is a fast-drying, two-component, self-
etching primer. It provides excellent corrosion resistance and direct-to-metal adhesion for spot, panel and overall repairs.) to seal up the bottom and protect it from
rust and chips on the base metal. I hear of lots of people that use POR15 on their frame and other surfaces. I chose Variprime ® for basically the same reason.
Variprime 615 ® is actually used on Aircraft frames and spars to prevent rust and other corrosion before it starts. I feel like it is a better coating, it goes on easier,
smoother and is far less toxic smelling than POR15. After letting that sit I used a pad to scuff that up then sprayed the bottom with a gray sealing primer. Now I
was confident that I had all areas sealed up and protected from future damage. I now needed to determine what color I was going to spray on the bottom
We had discussed colors for the bottom but at this point we had only decided what color to shoot the frame. We wanted this
truck to be “showy” and unusual. The frame was going to be Ultra Violet Pearl Metallic along with the core support,
transmission and the engine. I wanted to spray the bottom with a silver color but then decided that was not unique and would
end up looking like uncoated steel. So after looking around and thinking about it a lot I decided on “Peach”. With that color in
mind we looked in the DuPont color book and found a peach color I liked. It actually looks a little like skin or certain part of
the skin.
After prepping the bottom for color the Peach was sprayed on the entire bottom up to the brake in the firewall. From that
brake and all under the hood I will be shooting the same color, as the body will end up being. BlassBerry Blue Chromalusion.
This is a light blue color. Chromalusion has very unique properties that most other paints don’t have. It’s like having a
“Super Pearl” in the finish. The mid-blue will fit very nicely with the Silver Gray and Royal Blue interior.
truck to be “showy” and unusual. The frame was going to be Ultra Violet Pearl Metallic along with the core support,
transmission and the engine. I wanted to spray the bottom with a silver color but then decided that was not unique and would
end up looking like uncoated steel. So after looking around and thinking about it a lot I decided on “Peach”. With that color in
mind we looked in the DuPont color book and found a peach color I liked. It actually looks a little like skin or certain part of
the skin.
After prepping the bottom for color the Peach was sprayed on the entire bottom up to the brake in the firewall. From that
brake and all under the hood I will be shooting the same color, as the body will end up being. BlassBerry Blue Chromalusion.
This is a light blue color. Chromalusion has very unique properties that most other paints don’t have. It’s like having a
“Super Pearl” in the finish. The mid-blue will fit very nicely with the Silver Gray and Royal Blue interior.
| The bottom after the Veriprime had been applied |
With the bottom of the body completed and the outside all encapsulated in sealing primer I was just about ready to start
painting. At this point in the project I have some things that still need to have some paint shot on them. I have to get the
G-Force Crossmember, the Core support, and the transmission painted Ultra Violet Pearl Metallic to match the frame.
I started prepping the pieces I received from Lauren Engineering at this juncture in the project. I had prepped the body
and taken care of the bodywork I’ve been able to see with the finish I have on it. Once I get to a point where I spray
the base coat primer, its to be black, I’ll be able to see any body blemishes better and I’ll take care of them at that time.
DuPont says for the color and paint I am using that I need to have a good solid coat of black as a base to start with.
The spec sheet on Chromalusion does say that a small amount of tint can be mixed with the primer for give a base that
is easier to cover. With Chromalusion paint it is important to get not only a good first pass but you have to lay it down
pretty heavy (lots of coats) to get a really good effect.
I’ve never seen paint like the DuPont Chromalusion paint. I have seen the GM or PPG version and the House of Color
versions but they, in my opinion, don’t have the reflectivity, the flop control, or the finish that the DuPont paint has.
The facets of the reflectivity from Chromalusion paint are simply amazing. While other’s look like a heavy coat of pearl
in the paint, Chromalusion actually looks clear on close examination. Sort of like a liquid coat of clear over a simple base
color. Back away from the paint job and what you see is completely different than before. Walk around the vehicle
painted with this paint and the color shifts, color inheritance and base color comes to life even on a cloudy day. There is
no substitute for the best!
painting. At this point in the project I have some things that still need to have some paint shot on them. I have to get the
G-Force Crossmember, the Core support, and the transmission painted Ultra Violet Pearl Metallic to match the frame.
I started prepping the pieces I received from Lauren Engineering at this juncture in the project. I had prepped the body
and taken care of the bodywork I’ve been able to see with the finish I have on it. Once I get to a point where I spray
the base coat primer, its to be black, I’ll be able to see any body blemishes better and I’ll take care of them at that time.
DuPont says for the color and paint I am using that I need to have a good solid coat of black as a base to start with.
The spec sheet on Chromalusion does say that a small amount of tint can be mixed with the primer for give a base that
is easier to cover. With Chromalusion paint it is important to get not only a good first pass but you have to lay it down
pretty heavy (lots of coats) to get a really good effect.
I’ve never seen paint like the DuPont Chromalusion paint. I have seen the GM or PPG version and the House of Color
versions but they, in my opinion, don’t have the reflectivity, the flop control, or the finish that the DuPont paint has.
The facets of the reflectivity from Chromalusion paint are simply amazing. While other’s look like a heavy coat of pearl
in the paint, Chromalusion actually looks clear on close examination. Sort of like a liquid coat of clear over a simple base
color. Back away from the paint job and what you see is completely different than before. Walk around the vehicle
painted with this paint and the color shifts, color inheritance and base color comes to life even on a cloudy day. There is
no substitute for the best!
| The bottom after spraying Sealer Primer |
| The final color with Clear. It's Peach! |
So, I’ve prepped the ground effects, the front clip and the rear bumper wrap. We’ll shoot those with a good sealing primer
before we paint. The whole truck will have to be re-primed before we do any serious painting. Primer needs to have a
topcoat on it within something like 72 hrs or it will need to be re-shot. In my case I’ll be able to get away with a very thin
coat since I’ve already sealed up the metal before we shoot color. I’ll color all the pieces individually like; the Lauren
Engineering stuff and Bed cover (topper) along with the fenders and doors. The main portion of the body will be done after
that. The bed will only have the black sealing primer and a coat of clear to assure the seal. I’ll use what we call “Door Jamb
Clear”. It’s an inexpensive clear that doesn’t have a lot of luster to it and its sort of yellowish on certain colors. None of
which I will care about.
After working out some minor spots in the body where it had some hail damage and one small area on the passenger door the
body was ready to seal up with sealing primer. Once I get the sealing primer down I'll do some inspecting to see if there are
still some last little bumps or areas I need to put some special attention on.
before we paint. The whole truck will have to be re-primed before we do any serious painting. Primer needs to have a
topcoat on it within something like 72 hrs or it will need to be re-shot. In my case I’ll be able to get away with a very thin
coat since I’ve already sealed up the metal before we shoot color. I’ll color all the pieces individually like; the Lauren
Engineering stuff and Bed cover (topper) along with the fenders and doors. The main portion of the body will be done after
that. The bed will only have the black sealing primer and a coat of clear to assure the seal. I’ll use what we call “Door Jamb
Clear”. It’s an inexpensive clear that doesn’t have a lot of luster to it and its sort of yellowish on certain colors. None of
which I will care about.
After working out some minor spots in the body where it had some hail damage and one small area on the passenger door the
body was ready to seal up with sealing primer. Once I get the sealing primer down I'll do some inspecting to see if there are
still some last little bumps or areas I need to put some special attention on.
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| Click Image for Larger View |
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Now that everything is ready to paint it is time to make the final decision on color. I had looked at two colors in the Chromalusion families of paint. I looked at the
base Blasberry Blue color and a derivative called Coarse Blasberry Blue which, is a base Blasberry with more metal particles. This actually tones down the blue to a
lighter color it also takes some of the prism effect form the paint I think. I have planned this truck to be Blue and Silver and I had planned to use DuPont's
Chromalusion because if it's unique effects. Finally I decided on the natural Blasberry Blue Chromalusion paint over all and then I'll lay down a set of Silver Pearl
Metallic SS Stripes on the hood and down the bed cover to the back. Along with that I had decided to ghost in some other design. My two favorite ideas was to
sort of ghost in the basic shape and design of the side trim and paint on a 64/65 Chevy Impala and the second was to just ghost in some flames. So that is a
decision that I will make at the time it is necessary and then I could just go with no ghosting.
The Lauren Engineering parts and pieces will all be painted the same as the body color. I had tossed around doing those ground effects in a silver pearl but then
tossed that out too. Each piece will be painted off the truck but I'll dry fit all the parts before painting. I want to make sure that when its all painted I won't have to
use a drill or redo a mounting spot because it was off. I want a good coat of paint and several coats of clear to completely seal up the body metal. Time and the
elements are hard enough on a paint job and body metal without adding help to the oxidation process.
base Blasberry Blue color and a derivative called Coarse Blasberry Blue which, is a base Blasberry with more metal particles. This actually tones down the blue to a
lighter color it also takes some of the prism effect form the paint I think. I have planned this truck to be Blue and Silver and I had planned to use DuPont's
Chromalusion because if it's unique effects. Finally I decided on the natural Blasberry Blue Chromalusion paint over all and then I'll lay down a set of Silver Pearl
Metallic SS Stripes on the hood and down the bed cover to the back. Along with that I had decided to ghost in some other design. My two favorite ideas was to
sort of ghost in the basic shape and design of the side trim and paint on a 64/65 Chevy Impala and the second was to just ghost in some flames. So that is a
decision that I will make at the time it is necessary and then I could just go with no ghosting.
The Lauren Engineering parts and pieces will all be painted the same as the body color. I had tossed around doing those ground effects in a silver pearl but then
tossed that out too. Each piece will be painted off the truck but I'll dry fit all the parts before painting. I want to make sure that when its all painted I won't have to
use a drill or redo a mounting spot because it was off. I want a good coat of paint and several coats of clear to completely seal up the body metal. Time and the
elements are hard enough on a paint job and body metal without adding help to the oxidation process.
 |
For the bed I am not going to put a finished coat of paint. I've made sure that all the necessary blemishes are taken care of and I'll shoot the bed with a Sealing
primer and a single stage black or white paint. I'll do a 1/3 inside rim bed paint with the Chromalusion paint so that anything above the carpeting will be same as the
rest of the truck. Detailing, using paint that is this expensive, the bed when it will be pretty much covered all the time with the carpet and then the lid would be a
waste of my money and it's unnecessary.
The roughest areas of the bed I used a wire wheel on my 4" hand grinder the rest I used a sander or sanding block. With the ribs in the bed floor and the molding in
the bed walls it's hard to try to stick with one method or tool to work that large of an area. Once I got the floor pan mostly smooth and the walls feathered I had
already worked the dents I needed to get out or could remove before I laid down the first coat of paint for the bottom. I did end up using a little bit of filler here and
there to smooth some rough areas but it was very little. The bed really only had one dent that was worrisome and it was in the floor of the bed, that is why I
worked it before when I was working the bottom of the truck, it was noticeable from the underside. I had a couple of puckers in the fender wells I had to work
out while working on the bottom also which showed up in the top of the fender wells in the bed. So, most body work was done already. Cleaning, smoothing
sanding and then painting was pretty much what was left.
primer and a single stage black or white paint. I'll do a 1/3 inside rim bed paint with the Chromalusion paint so that anything above the carpeting will be same as the
rest of the truck. Detailing, using paint that is this expensive, the bed when it will be pretty much covered all the time with the carpet and then the lid would be a
waste of my money and it's unnecessary.
The roughest areas of the bed I used a wire wheel on my 4" hand grinder the rest I used a sander or sanding block. With the ribs in the bed floor and the molding in
the bed walls it's hard to try to stick with one method or tool to work that large of an area. Once I got the floor pan mostly smooth and the walls feathered I had
already worked the dents I needed to get out or could remove before I laid down the first coat of paint for the bottom. I did end up using a little bit of filler here and
there to smooth some rough areas but it was very little. The bed really only had one dent that was worrisome and it was in the floor of the bed, that is why I
worked it before when I was working the bottom of the truck, it was noticeable from the underside. I had a couple of puckers in the fender wells I had to work
out while working on the bottom also which showed up in the top of the fender wells in the bed. So, most body work was done already. Cleaning, smoothing
sanding and then painting was pretty much what was left.
 |
For the little experience I got doing the 76 work I would have expected the floor pans in the cabin to be rotted or at least have some holes. Other than some surface
rust where the finish had started to go and around some of the welds it was pretty good shape. I had a small dent that I had to work out while detailing the bottom
of the truck but when I got to the inside of the cab I just needed to work some rust issues around the quarter windows. It looked like there were some drains made
into the windows for condensation or water that leaks through a seal, something / some reason. The holes were possibly blocked or just didn't get coated well when
the truck was getting it's finish applied. So they rusted and caused other areas around those holes to rust as well. However, the rust was only starting to get bad and
basically pitted the metal pretty severely but there was a lot of good metal still there to work with. This is also an area where several parts are welded together so it
was important structurally to repair this and make sure it was ready for 30 or more years of use. I took extra care to work everything top and bottom no rust left.
Then I used Veriprime to seal up the area and did the same for the other quarter window. I wanted to do a coat of Veriprime around these two areas, just to make
sure and I'll respray with the rest of the cabin.
I laid down a coat of Veriprime to cover the entire cabin area first to get a good seal, let that set and then scuffing it with a pad I laid down a coat of gray sealing
primer on top of that. This would assure me of a total seal with two coats of protection. This works out probably to be enough to make this last as long as the
metal because I'll be lying down some Vibration Dampening material all over the cabin area. This creates a water proof barrier between the finish and the padding
which, happens to be nonabsorbent matting with a mylar heat reflective backing. This material will help even further to reduce any noises I would naturally get
from the engine compartment or the road and eliminate and chance of hearing vibrations adds to the acoustic capabilities of the entire cabin area further, the Air
Conditioning and Heating abilities are better now because of the added "R" Value of all this.
rust where the finish had started to go and around some of the welds it was pretty good shape. I had a small dent that I had to work out while detailing the bottom
of the truck but when I got to the inside of the cab I just needed to work some rust issues around the quarter windows. It looked like there were some drains made
into the windows for condensation or water that leaks through a seal, something / some reason. The holes were possibly blocked or just didn't get coated well when
the truck was getting it's finish applied. So they rusted and caused other areas around those holes to rust as well. However, the rust was only starting to get bad and
basically pitted the metal pretty severely but there was a lot of good metal still there to work with. This is also an area where several parts are welded together so it
was important structurally to repair this and make sure it was ready for 30 or more years of use. I took extra care to work everything top and bottom no rust left.
Then I used Veriprime to seal up the area and did the same for the other quarter window. I wanted to do a coat of Veriprime around these two areas, just to make
sure and I'll respray with the rest of the cabin.
I laid down a coat of Veriprime to cover the entire cabin area first to get a good seal, let that set and then scuffing it with a pad I laid down a coat of gray sealing
primer on top of that. This would assure me of a total seal with two coats of protection. This works out probably to be enough to make this last as long as the
metal because I'll be lying down some Vibration Dampening material all over the cabin area. This creates a water proof barrier between the finish and the padding
which, happens to be nonabsorbent matting with a mylar heat reflective backing. This material will help even further to reduce any noises I would naturally get
from the engine compartment or the road and eliminate and chance of hearing vibrations adds to the acoustic capabilities of the entire cabin area further, the Air
Conditioning and Heating abilities are better now because of the added "R" Value of all this.
 |
Updated 03/21/2005
After a very long hiatus, about a year or a little more, I finally got some time to work on my truck. I've fought with getting a Transmission for it and managed to
secure a long anticipated wire harness that will be used in place of the factory wiring. And a couple of other pieces I really needed to progress. I've also been busy
domestically where I had no extra time.
Its been stored but not under the best of conditions so there will be some overlap of things. I will have to sand down the entire body and shoot new primer on it
before its even close to being ready to have a top coat laid down. It is now the Spring of 2005 and I hope that things go well enough this year so that I can finish up
the major parts before Summer, mid summer at the latest. Over all the body has no real condition problem although I have noticed that I have some minor dents
that are hard to see in the primer that will have to be fixed. At this point I'll walk around it with a piece of chalk and mark up all the body imperfections I can see.
I'll use a smooth body filler, unlike Bondo its specifically made for top coat preparations. I'll use that as the filler and a long body file with 180 or 200 grit. It's
important that I use this file for a straight even surface when I am done. Some can do this with a DA but I need the body file's long straight edge to maintain the
surface contour. The idea is to over fill the areas by a bit, this way when the filler hardens and shrinks I'll have material to remove, I think it is also important to
understand I am talking small dents that are very hard to notice so, when I say large, or a lot of filler or over filling, I am only talking a few ounces at best. Most of
that will be removed in the process. If this is not done then even dents and small imperfections that are really hard to see now stand out like glaring mistakes with
the paint on it! Its really worse!
It has sat long enough so that when I do finally get back to the body outside then I'll have to wash the truck first. It has dirt on it from condensation and sitting
outside. It's enough to make a difference, any dirt or surface contamination is enough to make a difference between a great paint job and one that will need to be
done over, or fixed. It cost to much the first time around would not like having to re-do it! Not a little. Once I have the necessary interior preparations completed
then its basically time to shoot it and start the task of building the final product. I can't wait either!!! I've been on this one project for a long time and have a great
deal of costs into it, counting labor, my labor! I've managed to do the bulk of the work on my own. This way, when I am finished, I can look at it as something I
did, I didn't buy it from someone else that way!
secure a long anticipated wire harness that will be used in place of the factory wiring. And a couple of other pieces I really needed to progress. I've also been busy
domestically where I had no extra time.
Its been stored but not under the best of conditions so there will be some overlap of things. I will have to sand down the entire body and shoot new primer on it
before its even close to being ready to have a top coat laid down. It is now the Spring of 2005 and I hope that things go well enough this year so that I can finish up
the major parts before Summer, mid summer at the latest. Over all the body has no real condition problem although I have noticed that I have some minor dents
that are hard to see in the primer that will have to be fixed. At this point I'll walk around it with a piece of chalk and mark up all the body imperfections I can see.
I'll use a smooth body filler, unlike Bondo its specifically made for top coat preparations. I'll use that as the filler and a long body file with 180 or 200 grit. It's
important that I use this file for a straight even surface when I am done. Some can do this with a DA but I need the body file's long straight edge to maintain the
surface contour. The idea is to over fill the areas by a bit, this way when the filler hardens and shrinks I'll have material to remove, I think it is also important to
understand I am talking small dents that are very hard to notice so, when I say large, or a lot of filler or over filling, I am only talking a few ounces at best. Most of
that will be removed in the process. If this is not done then even dents and small imperfections that are really hard to see now stand out like glaring mistakes with
the paint on it! Its really worse!
It has sat long enough so that when I do finally get back to the body outside then I'll have to wash the truck first. It has dirt on it from condensation and sitting
outside. It's enough to make a difference, any dirt or surface contamination is enough to make a difference between a great paint job and one that will need to be
done over, or fixed. It cost to much the first time around would not like having to re-do it! Not a little. Once I have the necessary interior preparations completed
then its basically time to shoot it and start the task of building the final product. I can't wait either!!! I've been on this one project for a long time and have a great
deal of costs into it, counting labor, my labor! I've managed to do the bulk of the work on my own. This way, when I am finished, I can look at it as something I
did, I didn't buy it from someone else that way!
Just a note about where I started. Left is
what this truck looked like (Click for
larger image) when I got it and the right
picture is what it looked like after I
separated it from its chassis. The right
picture still shows the back glass in the
truck. The approximate date of this was
about 3 years ago or in March of 2002.
The Picture on the left was in December
of 1999. It was about 4:30 PM when I
got to my house with the 1980 El Camino.
what this truck looked like (Click for
larger image) when I got it and the right
picture is what it looked like after I
separated it from its chassis. The right
picture still shows the back glass in the
truck. The approximate date of this was
about 3 years ago or in March of 2002.
The Picture on the left was in December
of 1999. It was about 4:30 PM when I
got to my house with the 1980 El Camino.
| December 9th 1999 |
| March 2005 |
| Last revised: Wednesday June 15th, 2007 10:32 AM CST Copyright © 1999-2007, V. R. Engstrom, All Rights Reserved |
| March 2002 |
 |
 |
