I would’ve bought one just because of this ad.
 

No special effects back then. I’d like to see that done with the new Camaro with all those crumple zones and all ;-) ‘ doesn’t even scratch a bumper.

I need some ramps.

Although I’ve still been going at it, there’s just not too much exciting to post. I’ve been doing a lot of sanding lately inside the cab and some pictures are updated in the gallery. In addition to working the compound inside curves of the ‘B’ pillars, I’ve filled the dash holes that will not be used any longer and now have the modified brake pedal mounted.

The ‘58 originally had pedals that went through the floorboards and the newer chassis with power disc brakes uses pedals that swing from under the dash. In the later model truck, the brake pedal would swing down along the right side of the steering column, but due to space constraints, I had to mount it along the left side of the column.

This placed the brake pedal a little too far from the accelerator for my liking so I stripped it all back out and modified it. As of tonight, it has been remounted and works like a charm. While there, I also mounted the (modified) brake light switch mounting bracket.

Now I get to sand the dash some more and repaint it. ;)

In an earlier post, I showed the construction of a portable lifting frame for my chain hoist.

Today’s job: Lift the 13′ dump bed back onto the truck. I don’t know
the weight on this bed, but even with it’s dual 10 ton hydraulic rams
and 6″ channel frame it must be less than 3 tons because that’s all my
chain-fall is rated for. ;)

Frame Assembly (it all just slides together)

• Stakes in front of the feet
• Upper chain and chain-fall ready
• Rope attached to top of frame and truck

Lifting the Frame Into Place

Turn the Feet 90 Degrees to Stabilize (and chase Orville out from his shady spot under the bed)

Enjoy!

Mr. Potato Head: How did I get stuck with you as a moving buddy?
Rex: Everyone else was picked.
- Toy Story 1995

It probably doesn’t look too different from a lot of the previous
posts other than paint on the front end, but there’s a lot of things
getting done that nobody will ever notice.

For instance, if you look at the front of the truck in the previous
posts, you’ll notice an ugly cut-out on each side of the radiator.
Evidently one of the previous owners were unable to get to the top of
the front body mounting bolts and had a torch that was a little too
handy.

With the grill in place, these holes were mostly hidden from plain view, but the cuts went through the front sheet metal and the radiator support. Now’s the time to fix it:

You can click the picture on the left to see it as I started to fix it. The one on the right shows the completed patches.

Each front fender also had a good size hole
rotted out in the rear from the drain holes being plugged for too many
years. No big deal, I know. But progress isn’t slowing. It’s just
somewhat more detailed.

FWIW, as you look at the pics, know that the pieces that are fully attached. No more mock-up with a bolt here and there.

Progress continues.