BUILD THREAD 68 P10 STEPPY

not much to report today...i did all the prep work on the heater box, and the rust killer chemicals take 24 hours to cure for top coat so i just took it easy and worked on the game plan a bit...

That step van looks awesome! What are the dimensions on your steppy? (Wheelbase, etc) are they much bigger than our vans? Obviously taller.

102" wheelbase
67" headroom
less then 6 feet wide
i will measure it tomorrow

Thats awesome! Snaller than it looks.

getting seriously started on the heater box.....i think these were subbed out back in the day, and installed as complete units on the assembly line

good thing this is just a base coat, lol...right in the middle you can see not leaving well enough alone, lol

also, i would have bet good money the face of this thing was a lot flatter and dent free then it actually is, lol

this interior piece got a good dose of rust converter and eventually sprayed with rust proof primer

this is what she looked like in the beginning

here is a teaser of hows she is coming along.....the heater core you see here is what Murray says is the direct replacement part......

not even close !! so when you guys get funky surprises like this after shopping your local parts house, just remember, it happens to all of us !! lol

the main reason im assuming the heater boxes were pre assembled outside of the factory is because the closest thing i could find to fit was listed for a ford.....

there was one chevy listing that was special order, but it was 3 times the price of what our warehouse stocks...... speaking of which, i ordered in 12 different chevy heater cores before looking at ford stuff, lol

i just cant see chevy using a totally different core for a three year period, but maybe they did, lol, i been wrong before

this is the inner fender towards the front as seen from the tires point of view

i didnt like the way these two pieces were fitting together, that corner not lining up between the two pieces at all....

5 hateful clutch heads later and out she is



also, maybe i never paid attention before, but i thought it neat/weird that the main body of the inner fender is screwed directly into the frame....

i found way too much rust on the structural members so i decided to take a closer look, didnt like what i found......this is quickly taxing what i feel comfortable dealing with..... gonna have to call in the big guns i do believe

so much for my easy to replace flat square cornered panels........ i need more and better tools to tackle this much further

it took me an hour to get that headlight panel out, and i mangled it pretty good, i hope my fabricator remembers im a friend also !! lol

so i pretty much stopped there while i come up with a good opening line for my buddy, lol

i figured i would go ahead and grind out some bondo and one thing lead to another and i sanded the whole front corner down....... these pieces are no questions about it going to be reused, so i just went until i was done going, lol......

some of the bondo was almost an inch thick where a deep dent was

this is whats left of the gas tank, lol......beat up but not leaking, but i do smell that "turpentine" smell on a hot day, i think the seam may be split.....cant wait to get that thing out of there and see what i can come up with for a replacement....


and no straps on this tank, just bolted to the frame, the near side is missing both bolts so hopefully the other side is the same (just 2 bolts) and she will drop right out...

i really hope all this is easier done then it looks, lol.....

you can tell where this thing was undercoated, but i think that stuff gave up a long time ago, of whats left in place, most of it you can peel it off in large pieces

all in all, i think this is going to turn into a frame off restoration, just to be able to cut and replace and be able to reach and have room to work....

and if i go that route i might as well get the frame all pretty and safe for another 45 years....

decisions decisions, lol

i got the diverter door tacked back in the heater box for the drivers floor heat......
lol, spent most of the day riding around in a 26 A model, and helping my buddy start up and test run the engine out of a 29 Hupmobile after a fresh rebuild........16.5 blistering horsepower, lol

I WOULD DRIVE YOUR STEPPY.... ITS OLD SKOOL ALL THE WAY. GOOD TO WATCH YOU BRING IT BACK TO LIFE.

thanks man.......it looks like a bigger job then i thought it would be......just gonna make that virgin cruise all the better

uugghhh.......its like 100 outside right now, good thing i slotted todays work time to internet research, lol !