The last two weeks have consisted of some fairly small steps that have quickly lead to what seems to be a giant leap in the very near future. As of now, the only part of the truck left on the frame is the cab. And a hollow, empty cab it is! I spent the better part of last weekend stripping the cab down to nothing but bare metal. now... I first decided to do this build based on the absolute simplicity, and utilitarianism of these specific model trucks. that being said, WHERE DID ALL OF THIS STUFF COME FROM?!?! I really thought it would take me the better half of Saturday morning to strip the cab of all it's goodies. seat, gas tank, instrument cluster, radio, ash tray, seat belts,weather stripping, wiring, heater controls. well, it turns out that roughly 60 years of GM discovering clever ways of fitting clips in, hiding fasteners, and their "hold your tongue this way," and "fart sideways" approach to disassembling their interior parts, turns a "simple" cab design into an entire weekend of dismantling. good news is: its all cleaned out, washed out, and ready for rust repair and body work before I get the ENTIRE cab of the truck red. there is a lot of surface area on these cabs, and very little of it is flat. lots of small areas and directional changes, so the sanding job alone is a daunting one. here's to one giant leap!
oh! and to you 99.7% of North Westerners that don't wash your car all winter.... and maybe twice all summer... you know that green stuff that grows in the seals of all of your many windows on your Subaru wagons? its moss. and it holds moisture. forever. take note of the rusty holes here.
notice the gloss preserved here. this is 41 yr old paint protected from sun, and water. this is the first time this paint has ever seen daylight! still looks like the day it was sprayed.
and here's what happens when I need a break from grinding on sheet metal. an unassuming pile of truck parts becomes a model for the next generation of TONKA truck :)
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