- Year
- 1965
- Vehicle Model
- 40 Series
- Location
- United States
- Mileage
- 57000
- Color
- rgb(200, 27, 27)
After 8+ years of working on my 40, it's time for someone else to enjoy her now. I searched high and low to find a 40 to build and finally found this one locally. It was bought in Colorado Springs and shipped here by the PO. My first step was to build all new wiring harnesses using wire and connectors of the correct gauge and color codes from @Coolerman and to clean up or replace all the switches and lights. Once I had it running, driving and road-legal, I realized the old suspension was tired and sagging. I ordered up a new OME suspension kit with a 2.5" lift and planned to dive in. My best friend somehow convinced me that the better move was to skip ahead to a complete frame-off rebuild!
I dug right in- took lots of pictures, made notes, and soaked everything I could reach in PB-Blaster. I quickly had the rig down to just a rolling chassis and took it to get sandblasted. I prepped the freshly-blasted frame and axles with degreaser and Metal Ready before coating everything in POR-15. Started rebuilding from the ground up with the new OME suspension, hard and soft brake lines, engine and transmission mounts, etc. The engine ran smoothly and did great on compression test, so I cleaned it up and replaced gaskets before painting it. Installed new clutch disc/pressure plate, throwout bearing and pilot bearing. Replaced leaking seals on the transfer case and changed all gear oils. Both master cylinders and the clutch slave were replaced with new ones. All new hoses and belts went on.
The next step was to go through the tub and repair it. I bought new panels from Real Steel Cruiser parts to replace the quarter panels, rear sill, rear bed section and the front of the rear fender wells. Once the tub was completely repaired, I stripped it down and covered it in Southern Polyurethanes epoxy primer inside and out, followed by Raptor liner on the underside for rock chip prevention. I moved on to the rest of the sheet metal- doors, fenders, bib, aprons, etc. stripping everything down to bare metal, patching any rusted sections, filling any holes before spraying on epoxy primer. The same treatment was given to all the hinges and latches.
Once all the metal bits were clean, straight, rust-free and epoxy primed, I took it all to Rock's Rod and Custom, a local hot-rod builder for finish body work and paint. He did a little bit more metal work, followed by body work, primer and single-stage paint. After much hand-wringing and hours of research, I chose a period-correct color for the truck- Seminole Red and Shell Ivory. I brought the parts home and started reassembly of the body with new body mounts. A new windshield went in along with the rest of the original glass using all new seals and weatherstrip.
I bought all new foam and seat covers from SOR in the same Coral color the truck originally had. I blasted the seat frames and welded up any cracked metal before epoxy primer and then several coats of pewter paint from Cool Cruisers of Texas. The fiberglass roof cap was in rough shape with a crack at one corner and several dents, so I reinforced it with a layer of fiberglass mat on the inside and West marine epoxy all over. I straightened and blasted the steel gutter before epoxy priming it. My son and I spent countless hours of sanding after filling in low spots with fiberglass filler. The cap was riveted to the gutter with aluminum rivets and then sealed with Fast & Firm sealer before painting it all in Shell Ivory single-stage urethane.
With the finish line in sight, I rebuilt the front axle with new bearings and seals. Rebuilt all 8 wheel cylinders, replaced all brake shoes with new and turned the drums. Replaced parking brake cable and shoes. Set the timing to spec and tuned the carb. The truck starts, runs and drives nicely. It looks great! Sadly, my kids are moving off to college this summer and my wife and I are looking to downsize. Take a look at the pictures, peruse the build thread linked in my signature and please PM me with questions or offers. I won't post my phone number in the ad but will share via PM to interested buyers.
Thanks,
1MAC
I dug right in- took lots of pictures, made notes, and soaked everything I could reach in PB-Blaster. I quickly had the rig down to just a rolling chassis and took it to get sandblasted. I prepped the freshly-blasted frame and axles with degreaser and Metal Ready before coating everything in POR-15. Started rebuilding from the ground up with the new OME suspension, hard and soft brake lines, engine and transmission mounts, etc. The engine ran smoothly and did great on compression test, so I cleaned it up and replaced gaskets before painting it. Installed new clutch disc/pressure plate, throwout bearing and pilot bearing. Replaced leaking seals on the transfer case and changed all gear oils. Both master cylinders and the clutch slave were replaced with new ones. All new hoses and belts went on.
The next step was to go through the tub and repair it. I bought new panels from Real Steel Cruiser parts to replace the quarter panels, rear sill, rear bed section and the front of the rear fender wells. Once the tub was completely repaired, I stripped it down and covered it in Southern Polyurethanes epoxy primer inside and out, followed by Raptor liner on the underside for rock chip prevention. I moved on to the rest of the sheet metal- doors, fenders, bib, aprons, etc. stripping everything down to bare metal, patching any rusted sections, filling any holes before spraying on epoxy primer. The same treatment was given to all the hinges and latches.
Once all the metal bits were clean, straight, rust-free and epoxy primed, I took it all to Rock's Rod and Custom, a local hot-rod builder for finish body work and paint. He did a little bit more metal work, followed by body work, primer and single-stage paint. After much hand-wringing and hours of research, I chose a period-correct color for the truck- Seminole Red and Shell Ivory. I brought the parts home and started reassembly of the body with new body mounts. A new windshield went in along with the rest of the original glass using all new seals and weatherstrip.
I bought all new foam and seat covers from SOR in the same Coral color the truck originally had. I blasted the seat frames and welded up any cracked metal before epoxy primer and then several coats of pewter paint from Cool Cruisers of Texas. The fiberglass roof cap was in rough shape with a crack at one corner and several dents, so I reinforced it with a layer of fiberglass mat on the inside and West marine epoxy all over. I straightened and blasted the steel gutter before epoxy priming it. My son and I spent countless hours of sanding after filling in low spots with fiberglass filler. The cap was riveted to the gutter with aluminum rivets and then sealed with Fast & Firm sealer before painting it all in Shell Ivory single-stage urethane.
With the finish line in sight, I rebuilt the front axle with new bearings and seals. Rebuilt all 8 wheel cylinders, replaced all brake shoes with new and turned the drums. Replaced parking brake cable and shoes. Set the timing to spec and tuned the carb. The truck starts, runs and drives nicely. It looks great! Sadly, my kids are moving off to college this summer and my wife and I are looking to downsize. Take a look at the pictures, peruse the build thread linked in my signature and please PM me with questions or offers. I won't post my phone number in the ad but will share via PM to interested buyers.
Thanks,
1MAC
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