Modifying a 1952 Chevy Truck. Original bodywork - modern upgrades.
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March 2016 - April 2016. Painting the truck to a high standard.





The work to paint the truck has finally started. First, however, the wood in the bed needs to be restored. The
top left picture above shows before (left plank) and after sanding (right plank). Top right shows the wood after sanding.
The wood had originally (prior to me purchasing the truck in 2007) been coated with yacht lacquer or polyurethane
The problem with this coating is it is very like a skin on the wood and eventually water gets under it. This results in
areas of wood which need to be restored due to water damage. It was decided to use a clear satin water based coating.
This will be sprayed on and 3 coats will be used. Hopefully this will bring up the colour and texture of the wood and
the product will soak into the wood to provide a durable weather protection layer. Below left shows the wood after 3
coats but 10 coats will be applied. Some repair work was needed to the tailgate.





The wings and tailgate have been sprayed with primer above but need rubbing down and further work is needed.
The pictures below show the truck with the bed removed. Notice the lights have been attached with temporary brackets.











Much of the truck had already been restored but had not been painted to a high standard. Some areas had not been restored
and painted. Some restored areas needed a bit more work. All areas needed painting.
Specifically-
The hood had never been done. There was no rust but it did need preparation and painting. The doors had been modified in
2015 to take single glass windows but had never been restored or painted. They needed preparation and painting. The bed
had never been restored or painted. There was some rust needing dealing with (always known about this) on the bed rear - ends
of the fins / rolls. The rest needed preparation and painting. At the same time the wood in the bed was removed, restored
and treated.
The cab had previously been restored at the bottom of the A pillars and painted in those areas and the firewall had also
been restored and painted both sides. The dash had previously been restored and painted. The rest of the cab had never
been painted. The running boards had been restored and painted in 2014.
The front and rear wings had previously been restored but needed a little extra work before they were prepared and painted.



Privacy glass was fitted to the rear windscreen "Limo glass".
The windscreen was taken to a local company and was covered with a dark film.









The following areas were painted (the work was done in April and May 2016.)
(Some after a little restoration work as detailed above and all after preparation). All were done with 2 pack paint
manufactured by "DuPont". Basecoat and lacquer.

The bed and tail gate were removed and painted. The wood restored and treated. New chrome hinges were fitted.
The wings were removed and painted.
The hood was removed and painted.
The running boards were painted.
The front filler panel above the bumper bar was painted.
The doors were removed, restored and painted.
The dash was painted.
The firewall under the hood was painted.
The inside of cab rear area above seats was painted.
A new front grill was fitted.



The front grill needs a bit more detailed explanation.
A few years ago a specialist company who did Chrome playing in the UK offered me some front bars.
These were original Chevrolet bars which had been prepared and chromed to a high standard. They were a cancelled order
as the customer could not pay for them and so they became the property of the company who chromium plated them. I was
offered them for £300 (about $420) which I immediately accepted. The problem was they would not fit. The chrome front
grill which came with the truck and was showing some signs of deterioration was a copy probably from China. Removing
the bars showed up a problem. The frame behind the bars was different and the new bars would not fit.
(i.e. The Chevrolet bars would not fit the Chinese supporting frame.) I obtained an original (Chevy) set of bars and
frame from Jim Carter truck parts for only $50.00 (about $70) The bars were in a bad way but I only wanted the original
frame behind them. The frame was stripped and restored. More information.
This restored set of Chrome bars and painted frame was fitted after the truck was painted, during the rebuilding process.





The paint materials were about £1000 + labour.
After paining the upholstery work was done.
After completion the truck was taken to the Silverstone Classic Weekend and displayed on the show fields in July 2016.
The truck was driven to the Yorkshire Dales in England (National Park) in August 2016 and pictures were t="300">