Father and Son 1955 Chevy Truck Build

[Cadillacmak]

This is going to take a few post to catch up to today, where we have parts ready to paint.
This tuck was my sisters dream truck and she had it in her shop collecting parts to build it. However, she died of cancer in 2012 and never started it due to being sick, and well, fighting for her life. At first it became my oldest daughters truck and her and I started on it, but she didn't really like it or working on vehicles that much.

 

[Cadillacmak]

So I traded her this project for my 1974 square body named Frenchy and she and I finished it. She absolutely loved this truck and I didn't, and she was willing to put the work in.

 

[Cadillacmak]

Fast forward a few years, two of her younger siblings and their vehicle projects, and my third son wants to build the 55. This kid jumps in with both feet and learns everything he can, works on it every chance he can, gets a job to pay for parts and material. I know its getting built this time!

 

[Cadillacmak]

My kid bought patches and we made patches and got the cab rust free!

 

[Cadillacmak]

Then we installed HushMat everywhere we could inside the cab.

 

[Cadillacmak]

And then the painting began. I showed my son how to spray and then got up the nerve to hand him the gun knowing we would spend a lot of time sanding till he learned it right. He was a natural, and way better than me, and has held the gun from that time on.

 

[Cadillacmak]

Nothing it perfect, some of our body work shows up, we missed a ding or two. But he keeps on buy parts and we keep putting it together. And of the whole family over spends on birthday and Christmas gifts so he has enough parts to keep moving. You see a kid work this hard and you cant help but pitch in where you can.

 

[Cadillacmak]

During this time he start collecting parts trucks. The big 57 GMC has a running 270 I6, he used the doors for his and I trade him a shotgun for the remaining. So the 57 is mine now. He also picks up a running fresh 350, 700R4, and NP208 from a local yard cheap. He is also buying nice parts like the brake booster, headers, carb, etc. He helped get me a 2002 parts truck so I gave him the red top battery out of it.

 

[ORVietVet]

Looking forward to seeing how this all ends up.

That snow gives me the shivvers.

 

[Cadillacmak]

Part of the reason this has taken a few years it the we keep making stuff, and the other reason, I will get to later. Seat mounts were built from an old frame in the yard. Battery tray was bought, but we cut it apart and rebuilt it. Shifter is a TH350 shifter, but we made it a cab mounted cable shifter and t-case shifter.You can see the finished seat mounts in the shifter picture. I am making a leather boot to cover the whole shifter assembly.

 

[Cadillacmak]

Now for the second reason its taking a while... We actually don't have a lot of time to work on this truck because our family has a lot going on. And, this kid of mine has a heart of gold. Instead of working all day to make money and working all night on his truck, he spends most of his time out helping people. There is a Vet and retired firefighter down the road that he does a bunch of work for, a retired police chief about 8 miles away that he does the same. Both of these men have wives with serious health problems so he runs them to the airport (Alaska health care sucks, you have to fly out if you want to live) and watches after their houses. He also does a TON for his grandparents, which my mother-in-law really needs right now after her husband died. I say all of this because at one point he was low on money, spending all his time helping people, and in a spare 20 minutes here and there trying to figure out what he could do for engine brackets, I pulled him aside and said pick out what you want from CVF. This is my gift to you, so that you know that all you are doing isn't unnoticed.

 

[Cadillacmak]

This is where we are at today, an almost finished cab and just finished getting the front clip worked out to mount on the 87 square body frame.

 

[Cadillacmak]

Now its back to body work and painting! Primed last night and painting today! The lower grill bar is reinforced to be a core support adapter to the frame because the steering box was preventing us from making a mount for the core support. Now I am off to paint, have a good day my GMT800 friends!

 

[Cadillacmak]

We spayed the sealer, now the one hour clock is running for when we can paint.

 

[Cadillacmak]

My boy did good with the spray gun again, painted and clear coated. When they cure we can install!

 

[Cadillacmak]

Parts are still hanging, family has a flu! Hoping to install tonight if we are able. This is shining some light to bring out the color, sunshine is best but we don't really have that in Alaska right now.

 

[DateNight]

Damn! That’s something to be proud of, great job.

 

[Cadillacmak]

Damn! That’s something to be proud of, great job.

Thank you @DateNight, my son is really proud of this truck, but I am really proud of him for all the hard work and willingness to learn.

 

[Cadillacmak]

Since this dent is shown in pictures here, I should tell the story. Otherwise everyone will wonder why we didn't pull it. First picture is no dent, second picture shows the dent.
I used four ratchet straps and hooks in the ceiling to remove the cab from the frame once. My thought was, that I could release one strap at a time slowly and set it on the ground. That was a very stupid thought! When I pulled as hard as I could on the tail and released the strap, the cab became a battering ram as it smashed through me and some bins on the wall and hit the ground. That's not to bad of a dent for the fall, so me or the other three straps (which unhooked somehow in all the violence) absorbed enough energy. Since its not seen, and serves as a reminder to not be stupid, we left the dent.

 

[DateNight]

That’s some thick metal too, glad nobody was hurt. I agree don’t fix it, later on in his life he will always get a good laugh out of it.