Before filling any openings, make a template the exact size of the opening in order to cut a matching piece of sheetmetal to fill it. Construction paper or cardboard works well. |
Once you’ve determined the proper template size, transfer it to the metal you&8217ll be cutting. CSR uses a blue dye on the metal to scribe the exact pattern. |
Following the template you&8217ve traced, cut out the piece of metal. You can do this with a bandsaw or metal shears. Both tools produce a clean cut, thus requiring less finish bodywork later.paragraph> |
With the new piece of metal cut, debur the edges for the finish weld. You can also cut the sheetmetal just slightly short, allowing space for the metal weld. |
Tack-weld the cover to its opening and check the fit before you apply the finish weld. |
Check out how nicely the TIG-welder filled the tailgate end gaps. There is virtually no need for body filler once the welds have been ground off flush. |
The stake pocket openings also needed to be filled. So we employed the same technique of cutting out a paper template and tack-welding in the correct-size piece of metal. With the welding complete, grind off any excess metal. |
Once the cover has been welded in and the welds ground smooth, it&8217s ready for paint. |
The backside of the rear fender also has a rolled opening, so CSR fabricated a weld-in cover for it, too. |
Stripping Corporation of America (PSC) handled the tailgate stripping, which made it much easier for CSR to rework the tailgate. Stripping the paint from the metal makes it easy to see if any bodywork is needed. |
In the last installment CSR removed the small piece of trim that runs under the rear window. A modern sport truck is devoid of excess moldings, and Operation Retro Ride will be, too. You need to remove the small mounting nubs with a grinder or a small cut-off wheel. |
1One area that you should prep extremely well is the roof of the truck. Because it’s constantly exposed to the elements, it’s usually the first area on a truck where the paint fades. Also, the roof often doesn’t get the same amount of waxing as the rest of the truck due to the truck&8217s height. Consequently, the paint dulls and fades, often leaving behind surface rust, which must be removed prior to painting. |
1Although this isn&8217t a frame-off project, CSR did remove the front clip and detach the bed from the truck. Also removed were the entire front suspension, engine, and transmission. The engine and transmission will be replaced with a new GM crate motor, and the suspension pieces will be rebuilt and repainted. The dashboard also requires careful masking to prevent overspray. |
Since the front sheetmetal needed a lot of bodywork, Golden State Pickup Parts supplied Operation Retro Ride with new fenders and a hood. The doors were in decent shape but needed several hours of block sanding to reach perfection. |
Sanding a rounded piece of sheetmetal is a little more difficult than you may think. A great tool for performing bodywork on round metal is a piece of sandpaper wrapped around a paint roller or a heavy-duty paper towel roller. |
Prior to applying the primer coat of paint, thoroughly mask the interior and engine compartments as well as the rear portion of the chassis with paint-grade masking tape. |
Just before applying the paint, give the entire truck one more thorough wipe-down with a tack or cheese cloth to remove any dust or debris that wasn&8217t cleaned off with a wax and grease remover. Removing all the dust ensures that the paint adheres better to the primer. |
PPG paint was applied on our 1979 Chevy. The color is a deep red that looks fabulous on all 1973-1987 Chevy trucks. It&8217s a common factory red paint that can be found at any large paint store. |
We left the spraying of the paint to the professionals at CSR. Unless you’ve painted a truck in the past and know exactly how much hardener and reducer to mix into the paint color as well as the atomization required, you’d be wise to let a professional paint shop handle your paint chores. Otherwise, you may have to spend even more money having somebody else fix your mess. |
If you look at the sport trucks featured here each month, you’ll see they all have some sort of body modification. Most of those mods are done in the name of cleaner body lines, and we’re going to do the same to our 1979 Chevy, Operation Retro Ride, in order to give it a modern sport truckesque flavor. Since the truck was already at California Street Rods (CSR), we decided to have the crew fill the tailgate end openings and complete a few other tasks in preparation for paint. Follow along as we take you through the steps for body preparation and filling the tailgate ends. The next installment of Operation Retro Ride will see the front suspension undergo a complete rebuild and get a few other tweaks to enhance the truck’s rolling attitude.