Thread: Lethal Weapon, Project A-Bucket

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Originally Posted by stovens

I think if you didn't want to mess with the bed height, then you could change the look of the back of the cab with a couple of small raised roll bars behind each seat. Just a thought, but I think it would breakup the line of the tail gate and the back of the cab. Either way lowering the bed, or raising the cab a little will set it off better. I also like Bob's idea of extending the skin on the door, to cover the break in the side. On my 48 truck, they did something very similar, where the door goes all the way down the side on the outside, but is just a thin double wall going past the inner frame for the last few inches.

It is going to get a roll bar, although a single loop inside the bed against ft panel. I didn't want to keep the headrests originally but they have kinda grown on me. It won't be long and I'll start shooting some primer, finished the welds on bed yesterday. A little to go on bed, rear sill and ft stake pockets. Anyway once it's got some primer on it, I'm sure I will have a better Idea of what it will look like. Now it's just squint so it all looks the same.

Well it's been a few weeks since the last update, so here goes. Alot of little bits and so forth, not much pic worthy. But we slung a little body filler and some paint.

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Hopefully the last time the body meets the frame.
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Almost forgot this one. I made some rear protection for fuel tank and bat. I sleved some 3" holes for aux brake/turn lites. I have some A style lights to go on sides of bed but wanted some extra lites to get the attention of the cell phone a-holes. Yeah I have been hit in the rear before, 6 or 7 times, twice turning and the rest at a dead stop. I am gonna use some of those kinda bee hive style clearence lites. Single filiment. If I can mount like I think I can they should look suspended and floating in the holes. Also welded some bumber brackets on. Will make a knerf style bumber that circles the lights.

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The bed skirts will fill the area between the lites and the bottom of the bed.

Progress looks great! Extra brake lights always a good idea!

Needed to get firewall in place before cab can be bolted in place, have to raise front of cab to get toe board under ft of main floor. So I thought I'd take the opportunity to place the tank on and some goodies for a peek. The gauges are just a couple of junk gauges and are just sitting in holes. If it doesn't show they are dimpled died, so they are recessed. Not sure if I want checker board around gauges, maybe solid color in oval 1/4" or so from the edge of dimple, maybe............????? Anyway I needed a little inspiration so I thought I'd take a couple of shots for show and tell. I went with 1" checkers, like the look of larger ones, but with the tank/firewall flange it probably would look like pooky. I saw a 28/29 with 1", and as flange is just under an inch you get a nice pattern no mater what angle you look at it. The flange doesn't pop out at you, well not that much. I have a color scheme in mind, the grill shell will be red as most of the cowl flowing into some scallops down the sides of the cab.

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Now if you noticed that the white on the tank is slightly yellowed............. Well don't mention it. If I like the look will have to repaint upper portion. Don't know what happened, maybe it was too hot, but the clear yellowed on me. I didn't really notice it until it was next to the lower portion. I thought it was just lighting or my eyes. To say I was perturbed would be an understatement. It was a pain to mask, and I'll have to start all over, I'd never get the black masked off properly.

Also one of the little things was to finish off the steering box. You can see I welded a short collar to the top plate so it would hold a lip seal. The original fill plug said heavy gear oil, so I greased all bearing and gears when I put it together and pumped it maybe 1/4 full of grease and the rest with 85/140 gear oil. I drilled and tapped a 1/4 npt fill at what is now the top of the box.

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I like that alot man and I will have to take back my comment on the door as with panel fit and paint it does look better. I like the firewall also and the red,keep at it sir.

Very nice build. Looks great,You should be proud. Thanks for the info on my build.

Originally Posted by Jim63

Very nice build. Looks great,You should be proud. Thanks for the info on my build.

Thanks Jim, sometimes I do feel pretty good about it. I just went back and looked at your steering. I suppose you want power steering, due to wheel size and such, you need to find something that will allow the pitman arm to point down. The only possible way I see that box working would be mounted below frame rail, and with parallel leaf springs thats out. You could go cross steer if there is room for the box towards the front of the engine on the inside of frame rail. I'll look at a saginaw box I have, power, it might mount in a similar manner and have pitman arm pointed down. I'll let you know what I discover.

Tkanks for takin the time. What do you think of my idea of the gears under the dash? (to reverse direction on shaft to steer box). Do you have any pics of the truck in the back ground of you bucket? That one looks cool also.

Originally Posted by Whiplash23T

I like that alot man and I will have to take back my comment on the door as with panel fit and paint it does look better. I like the firewall also and the red,keep at it sir.

Thanks Whip, I will try. As for the door, not to ignore yours or anyone else's sugestions, but I just didn't think I had the tools or tallent to do anything else. With the exception of a more std height door, without my dom side bar. I decided to cut the gap to about a 1/16", and I may have an additional trick, if I am lucky, with the placement of one of the scallops that might further camafloge the lower gap.

So I haven't heard, or missed it. How are your knees comming along?

Checkers look just right. I second Whip's comments!

Slung a little more paint this week. I don't know what the friggen tanks problem is. First the clear yellowed on the checkers. Then the red did some funky stuff. Only on the tank. Cowl cheeks and scallops turned out good. Well except for the stupid tape lifted a small patch of paint from door. But thats easy to fix. At least it wasn't directly next to the red. The tank and cheeks are all bolted together, cab bolted to frame, and I ain't gonna take it apart again! I will address the tank, or now cowl top in place. Any tape lines will be in body seams so clear will bury them. I added some chrome do dads on the cowl. They look a little crooked in the pics, but they are just sitting in the holes. They came off the rear lower quarters of a 62 ford galaxie. I thought they would look kinda cool. Originally flat, is persuaded a curve in them with a wood block and several light taps with a small rubber mallet. The follow the curve of the cowl nicely. They have to be cleaned up and the black repainted though. I'm kinda like Steve (Roadster32), like my shinny stuff. I just can't whip up the stuff he can. I just re purpose it..............

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The scallops will have a black outline, about 3/8" wide. I haven't decided on weather to outline by hand or mask and spray. I have all the brushes and lettering enamel. I did some large letters and they came out ok...... I'll practice some more and decide. Once the dash is painted I'll post a shot of that. The red flows over the top and follows the curve of the dash and curves onto the door top to the top scallop on the side.

Hey that's looking really good, Keep them updates coming please.

Originally Posted by roadster32

Hey that's looking really good, Keep them updates coming please.

Thanks. I have been keeping track of the Willys, though I have not posted much. This place has got frustrating. And they did somthing over the weekend and now the smileys are overlapping the text window............GRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrr........... I should have more pic worthy stuff soon. Not All of us can make that little bracket or fitting look so good that it deserves it's own thread..........

Well Charlie, I thinks you're selling yourself waaayy short. You have as much talent as most on this site, and others too! And you've done a tremendous job building that truck. I've just found your build earlier today, and I've spent several hours reading and viewing. I'm nobody, but my hat's off to you, both for your ingenuity and craftsmanship. You fit right up with the talented for sure. BUT, if you think you are unhappy with it ----- WELL, I'd gladly take it off your hands! WELL DONE young man! perley