B-73 Restoration

[mattb73lt]

6 hours ago, yarnall said:

What the...   I thought you were going to start on my truck now!  

I was, but you beat me to that rearend so now I have other things to do, LOL. While this truck was mostly there when I found it, it was really used up. Everything I’ve worked on needs attention and that takes time. It wasn’t designed for construction, which is where it spent its final years. The good news is that it will be literally brand new when I’m done.

[yarnall]

5 hours ago, mattb73lt said:

I was, but you beat me to that rearend so now I have other things to do, LOL. While this truck was mostly there when I found it, it was really used up. Everything I’ve worked on needs attention and that takes time. It wasn’t designed for construction, which is where it spent its final years. The good news is that it will be literally brand new when I’m done.

With your skills you can just fire up your furnace and cast yourself a rear.  

[mattb73lt]

Bits and pieces. Now to get some parts and machine work done.

[Hobert62]

On 4/29/2020 at 7:57 AM, h67st said:

I agree on the progress...sometimes I'll spend hours on something and when you sit back and look at it, it doesn't look as hard as it actually was!

There’s days I just sit back and look at it and don’t do anything too.  

[mowerman]

Lol excellent. Again send me some of that ambition I think I will finally be starting on mine in a couple of months let’s see what happens lots of work ahead ha ha great progress you got there bud keep it up good inspiration for the rest of us......bob

Edited May 10, 2020 by mowerman

[mattb73lt]

I’d love to have this done. But, I’ll keep picking away at it until it is.

[mowerman]

Yes sir I see that ....... bob

[mattb73lt]

And then there was COLOR!!! Big bright RED!! Thanks to my Australian contributors, fully coated with Lizard Skin for sound and heat. This should be the last time the cab is on its back!! I’ll let it sit for a few days before righting it. Then on to bodywork and more RED!!

Edited May 24, 2020 by mattb73lt

[Truck Shop]

                         Just do a little something each day, and before you know it you will be looking for another one to go to town on.

[harrybarbon]

Hi Matt

Great job, a bit of red adds to the complete package, but please make sure that you have squeezed the LS into all the nooks and crannies, especially all weld joins, anywhere the nasty rust loves to hibernate, once the LS dries it will seal the metal completely.

And you probably saw how easy to apply LS, it flows when you apply it, then a quick wash up with warm or cold water, no toxins and no harm to your skin or lungs.

I may be repeating my previous posts, remember if you plan to apply to the engine bay side of the fire wall and then apply finished red paint over the LS, you have to apply a mixture of hyfill and about 35% flex additive first over the LS, let dry and then rub back and most likely you will have to apply a 2nd coat of the hyfill and flex additive to get a smooth finish, so then you have a smooth finish to undercoat and thereafter the top coats. It will come up like the external panel finish, you will get the LS benefits and the fire wall behind the engine looking great.

I look forward to soon see your completed cabin painted - our departed and missed dear friend Mack devotee "Ian Lee" always said - " trucks are red and tractors are yellow, if it's not red leave it in the shed"!!! Here is Ian during the build of his custom Diamond T - Princess Diana and his Pal, his Pal got a complete application of LS and Ian's favourite and only colour.

 

[Brocky]

G'Day Harry, Sort of off topic, but in September of 2015 I met Ian and toured his facility. What a fantastic man and place. Here is a link to some pictures of it. Scroll down to the bottom 1/3 of the page.

http://forums.justoldtrucks.com/84264/Down-Under-Trip?PageIndex=7

[mattb73lt]

harrybarbon,

Yes, I spent a lot of time getting into all the nooks and crannies, making sure everything was well coated. I got a little overzealous in one area and started a sag by going too quickly. For the firewall, I’m going to do the inside and cover it with the firewall mat. My thought there was to use it to cover up all the unused holes and to better seal it. There’s a lot that gets mounted to the engine side an I wanted a cleaner look.

I’m also going to coat the underside of the cowl, back wall, roof and door inners. So far it seems like a good product. I’ll need more to finish, as I was surprised how much I used on the bottom of the cab.

Regardless, it’ll still have more soundproofing than the factory.

Now, do I straight pipe it or put a muffler on it to defeat all of what I’m trying to do?

Edited May 24, 2020 by mattb73lt

[1965]

Me personally, I like the look of factory muffler the best. I’ve seen some gut them to get the noise, but I prefer the sound of a muffler better too. I like that factory curve coming out the muffler. Seems they did some with curve and some straight out of muffler??

[MackLTH]

Matt,

Very nice job on that cab...I binge read the entire thread last night.

Cheers,Pat

[mattb73lt]

10 minutes ago, MackLTH said:

Matt,

Very nice job on that cab...I binge read the entire thread last night.

Cheers,Pat

Thanks, I’m really happy how it came out. That’s a lot of reading, never thought this would be such a long story. But it’s getting done. Faster now that the cab is done.

Matt

[mattb73lt]

Back on its feet. Rebuilt and shortened my dolly, it was starting to sag and I need it more stable for the work ahead. Man, this cab looks good now.

[harrybarbon]

Hi Matt

For your firewall please see our firewall, we have lots of fittings etc including our custom vintage air co fittings, but the smooth mirror finish is clearly seen behind all the fittings. The aim is to stop the sound and the heat getting into the firewall metal from the engine side, that is the best 1st action that is overlooked. Once the engine side of the metal is shielded, it is at least 75% of stopping heat and sound coming into the cab. The inside cab is about 25%. The same as the cab floor, you have applied LS to the underside, so the heat from the gearbox will not penetrate thru the floor. Same principal for the fire wall. 

For the firewall holes, may I suggest that you weld a thin plate on the cab side over the holes that you will not use. Then you can apply the LS to the engine side of the firewall and then the hyfil to build up to a mirror finish.

Re the use of the LS, yes you will use a bit more in the crevices etc, but on the generally flat areas you should not exceed more than thickness of a credit card. Double the thickness does not produce double the insulation, so you dont need to waste the LS by applying a thick coating.

And yes do all the inside of the doors especially the bottom sills, it will seal and prevent rust permanently and do all inside the doors. You will be most surprised by the dull sound when you open and close the doors, it will sound like a clunk, no tinny vibrating sound. And do the under sides of the fenders, deadens the road noise. And same under the hood - you wont use much LS under the hood, it works like sound deadner under cars hoods.

My experience in our B model, with E350 turbo motor and 10 spd overdrive, is it cuts out the noise and vibration coming from the engine bay, so then you can hear what you want to hear - the music coming out of the exhaust. You can go straight because with the LS all inside your cabin, and the upholstery it will cut down the exhaust sound, wind up the windows and it will be quieter. When I want to hear our exhaust humming, going up hill and winding up the turbo or going down hill and engine brake on, then I wind down the windows and I hear the music coming from the 2 exhausts. And in middle of the night the sound is fantastic, just the humming from the exhaust. Not dulled by noise coming from the engine bay thru the floor, firewall, engine hood and doors. Only noise that we could not cut out is the vibration that comes thru the gear lever - we have sound padding but it is ok, only under load it is a bit noisy.

Ian's LTL Pal had the LS applied same as our B model, it has straight exhausts and a 400 HP Cummins, he got same experience a I do in our B model.

That is the real benefit of the LS and it sound control product, it cuts out all the shit noises so then you can properly hear the exhaust sound. 

 

[harrybarbon]

Matt - what are you planning to do with the 2 vents on the rear of the cab? Ian welded a curved plate inside over both vents stops water and all else getting into cab and upholstery and all inside cab had LS applied

I dont have a picture of the plates he welded, but I will try ask his panel guy if he took some pictures.

[mattb73lt]

15 minutes ago, harrybarbon said:

Matt - what are you planning to do with the 2 vents on the rear of the cab? Ian welded a curved plate inside over both vents stops water and all else getting into cab and upholstery and all inside cab had LS applied

I dont have a picture of the plates he welded, but I will try ask his panel guy if he took some pictures.

I was going to cover the corner vents with a patch of Dynamat, until I found a better solution. I'm not sure if I want to permanently close them off, but still worried about sound coming through.

Also, are you saying just use a high fill primer over the LS to smooth out the texture and then paint? I was planning on doing an experimental panel to come up with a smoothing solution before paint.

[harrybarbon]

Yes apply  the high fill in 2-3 progressive layers over the LS but you must add approx 35 of flex additive to the high fill because the LS is flexible whereas the high fill is solid, by adding the flex add to the high fill then the high fill will move with the LS - when I say move it means the product is flexible, and that is ok, after each HF you apply let it dry thoroughly then sand it back to even it a bit then apply 2nd HF with flex add, let dry then rub back, if after 2nd coat you have a smooth surface then you can apply an undercoat also with flex add, let dry and rub back to get smooth finish and then apply the final red paint with flex add in the red.

That is how we did our fire wall engine side and we have a mirror finish which you see in my picture.

If you need to apply a 3rd coat of HF then that wont hurt because you are building up in layers to get a smooth surface before  you spray the undercoat.

It sounds like a lot of work but the final result you will be very happy and get the benefits - once done you will look back and forget the extra work, but it is done properly, which is what the LS inventor, Bob Call advised me to do.

Remember the trick is to add the flex add so all the products can flex in parallel with the LS. And that is what I have seen with underside of our hood, it is aluminium we applied LS with some of our external green paint mixed in and the hood twists when it is opened and lifted, so far after 5 years no cracking or peeling of the LS because it is flexible - hence the name like the lizard skin.

With your cab wall vents they serve no real purpose unless you want a permanent air flow. If not seal them with a thin aluminium or metal sheet, painted black facing the vents, and stick on with a long lasting glue so you dont have water leaking thru into the cab, (when you wash the truck) and no bugs or mice to damage the upholstery, do this before you spray the LS over internal cab walls. That is how Ian Lee did the vents in his Pal LTL, from outside the vents look as original.

Congratulations on a craftsman workmanship, a credit to you sir.

[mattb73lt]

Hump work!! Cleaning, fixing and priming more parts. Sprayed about three gallons of primer so far. I now have five large shelves of parts ready to go in the hayloft. Started smoothing out the cab, amazingly it’s going pretty quick. Roof is done, cowl is just about there. It’s not taking too much effort as the panels were pretty straight going on. The cab back will take some effort. But, moving along.

Edited June 29, 2020 by mattb73lt

[mattb73lt]

About 2/3 of the way done smoothing out the panels. Just taking light skim coats to do it. Still more sanding, priming and wet sanding to go.

[j hancock]

Nice!  My arms are tired just looking at the pictures.

[davehummell]

That's going to be too nice to drive around your going to have to get another one to bum around in.

[mowerman]

Hats off to ya.......lotsa work... bob