'51 GMC 100 Project

dang

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First project in the new garage... Bought it a couple years ago and stored it. Previous owner says it has new brakes and they drove it around town a few times before parking it and they his son lost interest in the project so he decided to sell. Came with some new parts and for the most part the truck is very complete and stock. Some on the old truck forums have called out some parts that are not original, doors, left rear fender, but it's in really good shape so I don't care about that stuff.

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Still deciding whether I should convert it to 12v before selling or just leave it as-is but get it running and driving. I'm also considering putting this door logo on it before creating a "patina" paint job.

logo on truck 2.jpg
 
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dang

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The logo makes it even cooler than it is to begin with!!!

I agree. My property is backed up to the Roseville, CA rail yard and Pacific Fruit Express used to be freight company in the area. The street at the end of mine is PFE, so the logo might be more interesting to local people than other places. I've always wanted to paint a logo on a door so here's my chance...
 

Nicad

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I dunno, I'd give it a wash, get the headlight bezels on and test the waters. Seems like a very honest truck as is.
 

dang

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I dunno, I'd give it a wash, get the headlight bezels on and test the waters. Seems like a very honest truck as is.

The paint kinda sucks so whoever buys it will probably repaint it anyway so I thought I'd practice giving it patina. We'll see, i may get sick of it and sell it quicker. LOL
 

Nicad

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My neighbour has a 53 GMC pickup with original patina. It is from Georgia. Looks absolutely amazing. Has lot more rust than yours.
 

autokunst

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I thought I'd practice giving it patina.
Dan, curious what your process is for this? I've seen naturally occurring patinas being frozen/captured in time with a clear coat. But those organic, history laden finishes were already there. Wondering what one does to add "patina" to an old painted body. Spray it down with acid to flash the metal? :eek:
 

dang

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Dan, curious what your process is for this? I've seen naturally occurring patinas being frozen/captured in time with a clear coat. But those organic, history laden finishes were already there. Wondering what one does to add "patina" to an old painted body. Spray it down with acid to flash the metal? :eek:

There's different levels of patina and the coolest ones tend to be the "real" patina from an old paint job done years ago, rust and all. My truck was repainted in the past and not done all that great, plus it has scratches and dents here and there so I plan on doing a light patina by just sanding off some of the paint. A lot of guys paint on several layers of random paint and then sand it off to expose different colors, this is an art and can look bad easier than look good. Here's a truck I found online that I'm hoping mine looks similar to when I'm done, minus the white walls (can't afford them).

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autokunst

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There's different levels of patina and the coolest ones tend to be the "real" patina from an old paint job done years ago, rust and all. My truck was repainted in the past and not done all that great, plus it has scratches and dents here and there so I plan on doing a light patina by just sanding off some of the paint. A lot of guys paint on several layers of random paint and then sand it off to expose different colors, this is an art and can look bad easier than look good. Here's a truck I found online that I'm hoping mine looks similar to when I'm done, minus the white walls (can't afford them).

View attachment 49613
Yes, that is a bad ass look. :D
 

Markos

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I’ll have to snap a pic of the old work truck by my house with a cool patina. I think the patina will make the truck more desireable.

Another one from my house has an old hard tail motorcycle with spring seat strapped into the bed.
 

dang

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Managed to get one of the leaf springs replaced last night with my son helping (we have one night a week as father/son time, mostly spent in the garage. He's 30 BTW). I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the bolts came off and the simplicity of the old trucks. New brakes confirmed also. It took some prying and pulling with a come-along to get the spring in position but it went fairly smoothly.

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CSteve

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Managed to get one of the leaf springs replaced last night with my son helping (we have one night a week as father/son time, mostly spent in the garage. He's 30 BTW). I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the bolts came off and the simplicity of the old trucks. New brakes confirmed also. It took some prying and pulling with a come-along to get the spring in position but it went fairly smoothly.

View attachment 49659

View attachment 49660

View attachment 49661
Try Porta-walls, our cheaptrick when I was a drag racer. If they are still around. But what am I thinking, everything is "around" and made in....
 

duct-tape

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a lot of the guys that try fake patina fail because they go overboard on colors and what parts they "wear" if you look at real, "left in the desert" patina, there are areas that get more exposure to wind, sun and rain.
When you repaint a whole car and then scotchbrite off parts, the rest looks too new and you get sucked into "a little here, and a little there" until you've patinated spots that would never have been worn down.
 

dang

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a lot of the guys that try fake patina fail because they go overboard on colors and what parts they "wear" if you look at real, "left in the desert" patina, there are areas that get more exposure to wind, sun and rain.
When you repaint a whole car and then scotchbrite off parts, the rest looks too new and you get sucked into "a little here, and a little there" until you've patinated spots that would never have been worn down.

Agreed. I've been looking at a lot of photos online and watching "how to" videos and there's a lot of fake patina that doesn't look good. I like the "patina" with clear coat over the top but I think it looks better on the paint like the example I posted above, a light wear look, but it's still smooth enough to look good with clear and it gives it some depth. I'll decide when I get that far..
 

steve in reno

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good project.
The booth is nice.
Lv to see my son and grandsons, yearly visit, in morning. Taking my E24.
I live in the desert, and I can assure you that our patina does not include clear coat!
 

Rod Cole

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When I got mine the paint was done, I installed the "welting" between the fenders & body. Also added a Detroit Locker with all new bearings, brakes etc in the back axle & redid the wood in the bed. This winter a small block v-8 will enter the engine compartment, I got the old 6 running pretty good but- - - - -
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