BillyBob Work-in-Progress Log

TRUCK LINKS including vendor sites for old parts, custom parts, and tools as well as sites for classic car and truck organizations

STORE Operating in association with Amazon.com, books, recordings and tools can be purchased.

PLANNING for the restoration including project schedule and cost estimates.

WORK-IN-PROGRESS is the restoration of parts of BillyBob that I can accomplish without a garage.

PRE-RESTORATION includes log entries of minor repairs and and adventures between time of purchase and the time when I started restoration, a piece at a time.

JR'S KORNER JR's Korner is the history of BillyBob before I got him authored by my brother, Wm. C. Kephart.

Slight Facelift Page 2

December 4^th 1999 It's overcast today with a few sprinkles of rain here and there. I didn't pick BillyBob up first thing like I usually do. Went straight to the Krash Lab and dove into computer maintenance. By ten hundred hours the weather looked good enough to risk bringing BillyBob to the office so I went and got him.

Wire-brushed and prepped the front fenders with Corroless Rust Stabilizer as required. Found that the rear of the passenger side fender was flapping in the breeze a little because the bolt for the short strut inside the wheelwell was missing. I'll have to pick up a new fastener in my travels and fix this situation.

I finished up for the day by prepping the hood for painting next week. I went over it with the scuff pad, then washed it. Masking tape that had been applied before the fenders were treated with Corroless was removed and BillyBob was taken back to his barn.

December 11^th 1999 It's another overcast day and I've got a lot to do inside today too. We have to renew our insurance policy for computer equipment and it's fallen upon me to come up with the serial numbers for all this stuff. It means a lot of crawling around on my hands and knees with a magnifying glass and flashlight. There is head-bumping and cursing too. For relief, I'm painting Billybob's hood.

Masked off the cab glass, hood chrome, grille and headlights. There is no wind, so I got slightly better results than when I painted the cab, but not much better. I'm still getting a mottled finish. At least I got a glossy finish on the major portion of the big "Moby Dick" hump at the front of the hood that is so endearing to those who like the Advanced Design series of ole trucks. I used up one can of "Hunter Green" in two coats. Next week I'll prep the front fenders for painting and treat the doors with wire brush and rust stabilizer.

December 19^th 1999 I've moved BillyBob's workday from Saturdays to Sundays (weather permitting) for the rest of the holiday season. It is a beautiful day here in sunny South Florida. Today's tasks consist of roughing up and washing the front fenders so I can paint them next week. I also have to wire-brush and prep the doors with Corroless.

A pleasant surprise awaits me when I get down on my back to examine the door bottoms . . . They are in real good shape having only minor surface rust to take care of. As the good ole boy said "Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while." I finished up the doors by removing the bottom chrome brackets for after-market mirrors that were on BillyBob when I first got him. I had removed the mirrors a long time ago.

Between now and next Sunday I'll have to wander into the Home Depot and Discount Auto Parts stores for drop cloths to cover the front wheels, more "Hunter Green" paint and masking tape. I wish I'd done this sooner to avoid being elbowed to death by last minute Holiday shoppers. I remind myself of the scoutmaster who ran out of ink writing the Boy Scout motto "Be prepared". I doubt I'll be jockying for position with any fellows unwise enough to buy presents for SWMBO in these places. No, I assume I'll be dicing it up with the fairer sex purchasing gifts that will help their hubbies with their weekend chore list.

December 27^th 1999 I picked up needed supplies during the week but, Alas, no work this weekend. My Jeep, Renegade, was acting up and I didn't want to drive him the day after Christmas if he was going to leave me stranded out on the highway, so I stayed home on Sunday. I had driven him on a 120 mile round trip on Christmas and he protested this the next day by venting about two quarts of coolant into the parking lot. I couldn't see where it was coming from beyond the fact that it was dripping off the oil pan . . . a bad sign I think. Today, I drove to the office, a five mile trip, and the temperature gauge did not register above normal. Also, the leak stopped. He was still dripping when I started him this morning, but not a drop on the pavement at the Krash Lab after I turned him off six hours ago. Just what I need - another mystery!

January 2^nd 2000 It is a perfect day in sunny South Florida. I picked up BillyBob at his warehouse and began masking prep for painting the front fenders today. Two patrol cars of Boca Raton's finest took up station in the parking lot of the office building across the street. This is something they do on a regular basis, sometimes in our lot. It's a comfort for the local business owners and we welcome their presence. Today, however, I wondered if they would be over to tell me I couldn't spray paint in the parking lot once I got BillyBob all masked. I guess I'm a little paranoid since BillyBob was kidnapped in September, but this is Boca Raton, after all . . . Upscale to the max. How many towns do you know where the Food Supermarket provides full time valet parking? They do here!

One patrol car left while I was still masking and the other moved off after I started painting . . . to my great relief. When I removed the headlight trim rings for masking, I found the driver's side headlight held in place by the grace of God. That is, there was no visible means of support. It looks like there are new headlight buckets in my future. I achieved a nice enough finish on the first coat of "Hunter Green" that I decided not to risk screwing it up with a second coat.

Even with only one coat, when I started stripping the masking off some of the tape adhesive stayed on the paint where the tape had been exposed to direct sunlight. I gingerly applied a small amount of Goo-Off, but while it removed the adhesive residue, it also tended to dull the paint. Oh well, I'll try something else later.

January 9^th 2000 Another beautiful Sunday. The weekends I've planned to work on BillyBob have been mostly aces so far. It can't last. Today I prepped the doors for painting next week and gave the wire brush and rust stabilizer treatment to the front splash apron, front bed panel and tailgate. I finally got to use the bigger brushes from my assorted "Corolless-degradable" foam brush set. The front bed panel is just serving a holding action. It is falling apart. I opened up several big holes during the wire brushing process and actually ran down one of the cordless drill batteries. I will replace the panel when I replace the bed. I'm not doing anything to the bed at this time. It consists of a sheet of ferrous metal of unknown gage over I don't know what . . . some kind of rotting wood substrate. It is somewhat fluid when I walk on it! The side bed panels are in pretty good shape and I think the tailgate can be saved too. Good thing since they cost a lot more than the front bed panel.