'55 Chevy 3800 Cummins

[Cobound]

[6DoF]

new bits! got the bed floor screwed down and the fuel filler set up. floor is just pressure treated 3/4" ply stained black. it'll eventually get a full rubber bed cover, just not decided between utility or fancy yet. battery hatch i used 2 marine hatch latches for easy access, the maintenance/show door in the middle will get another pair with some hinges.

the fuel filler i can't take full credit for, I saw the jerry can filler neck on insta-tube or whatever propaganda site it was scrolling. the dual filler however was me and i hope it works as well as i'm thinking it will. we'll find out after work when i try n fill it. so the can is screwed to the bedside, you open the lid to reveal a Y tube. stick the fuel nozzle down one or the other and send it. each has their own vent. the tanks have a balance tube between them and i only draw/return to one, but it's not enough to fill thru. a check valve does keep it from draining away from the main in a long corner or hill.

the side of the jerry can is cut out for easy access, but will get covered by an old job box. it's next on my list to get off the garage floor. will be nice to have some extra storage to just throw stuff.

[xj_man_646]

Can you share more details on the CLR wash? Soft scotch brite would be red? Follow it up with a general soap / water wash?

I really like the fuel filler idea. Nice work!

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by xj_man_646

Can you share more details on the CLR wash? Soft scotch brite would be red? Follow it up with a general soap / water wash?

I really like the fuel filler idea. Nice work!

so the CLR is to remove rust stain from the paint or some oxidation, could do it with a nice towel too. the soft scurbby helps break down the heavier areas and rust flake, basically becomes a wet-sanding. soft scrubby on your car and i'd bet a quick follow with a buffer to get that thing to shine.

we've been using a 50/50 clr n water and just scrubbing it. harder where it's bad and less over the cleaner paint. i'm following that with just a hose rinse in sections so it can't ever dry.

once i finish, i got this stuff to go over it all. i cant' see doing any form of curing coating, just oil/wax and re-apply time to time.

https://sweetpatina.com/

[wrath]

If you want to remove rust stain and rust altogether, it's tough to beat muriatic acid (aka weak hydrochloric acid) is super cheap for the job. Need to wear gloves. It's cheap at the home improvement store known as concrete etcher. I use it for all sorts of ****, including cleaning pontoons. Just don't do it on concrete or limestone as the fumes are terrible as it reacts with it.

You can also get HCl in gel format which is what I prefer from a lot of industrial supply houses but it's expensive usually...

You can get weaker HCl at auto body refinish places but again it's usually at a premium. Sometimes they have phosphoric acid. Sometimes they sell them as gel and or foaming type, which again is super handy for vertical surfaces.

Citric acid (like what is found in Iron Out) is handy, because you can get it in gel format at any store so you can spray it on and move it around and not pay attention to it like most other bathroom cleaner sprays that have phosphoric and glycolic acid (AKA CLR) that dry fast and run. I use the Iron Out gel for bathrooms on painted surfaces a lot.

If you're super impatient like me, you can skip using the non-scratching scotchbrite pads and use 2000 grit wet/dry to speed things up with the muriatic acid.


Edit: You can also use oxalic acid because it's way less abusive on iron... but it's super poisonous and can be absorbed through the skin way easier than the rest of the acids (that usually just cause burns and whatnot). I use it on thin iron pieces I can't risk pitting on.

[6DoF]

yeah, i use the acid to prep old metal for paint but i can't see using it on patina. it also makes the rust black-ish, and often leaves white mess that needs ground back off.

[6DoF]

before and after CLR wash and Patina Sauce. 3 coats, and since the final wipe down and a few days, it's less shiny now.

[xj_man_646]

Did you use the VGG recipe?

I want to give the Impala the soapy quad-zero SOS pad treatment and a buff. That will be next Spring though, she's about to go into the barn for the winter.

[6DoF]

no, this is Sweet Patina - Patina Sauce. when i was looking i wasn't sure the VGG stuff was just the oil/wax.

i'm going to try a DIY mix on the job box to compare

https://sweetpatina.bigcartel.com/product/dynamic-duo

[xj_man_646]

Nice. That looks pretty darn good.

[6DoF]

ok, did a little more research on the sauces and decided to buy 1gal of boiled linseed oil, plus 1qt of mineral spirits. 5x the sauce, 30% cheaper. i'll mix this up and use it on the job box (currently nothing on it) and compare.

the patina sauce smells like sun tan lotion or pina colada ... i should mix some "essential oils" or something in this DIY batch for a different scent. wife might stop helping me if it smells chemical-like

[xj_man_646]

I think VGG uses those two ingredients plus a dash of WD-40 or something like that.

[6DoF]

ordered some chocolate "essential oil" for my DIY batch

[xj_man_646]

[MBood82]

How many miles have you put on the truck at this point? Any issues since you took it on the first break-in run?

[6DoF]

i'm over 1000 miles now. only real issue is the drivers front suspension came loose and dropped some alignment shims. glad i caught it while it was still as easy as just putting more back in and retorqueing it.

[MBood82]

Nice!

What's next for it, beyond the cosmetic work you've been doing?

[6DoF]

next next will be the bumpers/tailgate ... then i'd really like to get my diesel gauges going. after that it's into finish/redo the rear wheel houses, bed side steps to hide the fuel tanks, HVAC, etc, etc, and probably finally build the race engine.