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.

BILLYBOB MAINTENANCE Ever changing detailing, oil change, lube, etc. maintenance routines specifically developed for BillyBob, including required tools, materials and procedures.

17. Odds n Ends

August 13^th 2001 Some of the work I do on BillyBob doesn't warrant a full log entry. Lest these items fall thru BillyBob's numerous cracks, I'll record them here.

November 12^th 2001 Can't work on BillyBob until the local Goodyear tire store finishes fixin' the leaking tire/wheel I delivered to them 2-1/2 weeks ago, so I'll work on some catch-up documentation here. Before I went on vacation in September, I obtained a 1955 Florida license plate in good condition thru an EBay auction. Now, all I have to do is finish the paperwork and send the plate (with a check) to Tallahassee for authenication. Once the authorities do that and send the plate back to me, I can mount it on BillyBob. I bought a "NOS Oil Bath Air Cleaner" from Vintage Auto Parts, Inc. The air cleaner arrived about a week after I ordered it. The other item I ordered, a shiftbox rebuild kit, did not arrive and I see it's been removed from their website so I'm guessin' I won't get it. The air cleaner was 'posed to ship with an adapter to fit 2-1/4" carbs - It didn't and I do need the adapter. The air cleaner looks brand new on the inside but the outside has several dents and the paint and decal are "scuffed up" . . . Not exactly my definition of NOS (New Old Stock). I'm a bit disappointed but Vintage Auto Parts carries a lot of stuff I haven't seen anywhere else so I will risk ordering from them again, if needs require it.

More recently, I ordered a bunch of stuff from Chevy Duty Online for future work on BillyBob. Interior items include a green headliner (Part #21-456), glove box lock striker (#22-611) and eleven firewall cover retainers (#42-085). Gas tank items include a gas tank filler neck grommet (#23-013), locking gas cap orig type A (#23-155), gas tank filler and vent hose (#23-212), gas tank floor seal donut (#23-305), gas tank mounting pads (#23-325), gas tank to cab bumpers (#23-355), gas tank sender wire grommet (#23-415), fuel line grommet (#23-425), flexible fuel line (#23-458) and gas tank sender unit gasket (#23-593). For the cowl vent I ordered a top cowl vent gasket molded (#34-014) and top cowl vent drain hose (#34-205). Also got another battery top retainer (#43-015) and parking brake cable boots (#71-883) to replace the ones I've ruined. Finally, a pair of front shock absorbers (#74-621) and three rear shock absorbers (#74-622) arrived. That's one too many due to a backorder glitch. Chevy Duty has a good return policy but I've decided to keep the extra shock as a spare 'cause I'm too lazy to go thru the return process.

December 1^st 2001 Good news and bad news today. The good news is that the new gas sender installation went without a hitch and now I have gas gauge readings for the first time since I've owned BillyBob (that story will be told in a future log entry). The bad news is that I botched the installation of the new headliner and herein lies that sad tale.

I'd be more disappointed in my efforts if I didn't know from the ole truck maillists and stovebolt forums what a pain-in-the-butt job a headliner installation is. Billybob didn't have a headliner when I got him, just some horrible blue-green shag carpeting glued to the roof and the headliner bow. An additional handicap is that I didn't know what the finished product was supposed to look like.

When I first got the cardboard headliner panels, I unrolled them and put books on them to flatten them out. Today, a flat workarea in the Krash Lab was cleared and I started to work on the headliner bow which just "snaps" in place. The bow is "S" shaped in cross-section. The top recess of the S seats the back edge of the front headliner panel. The bottom recess receives the leading edge of the back panel. First, the grooves in the bow were cleaned out 'cause they still had some remnants of the original headliner in them. Then, I tried to fit the new headliner panels in the bow grooves . . . with limited success. The trailing edge of the rear headliner panel fits underneath a trim strip at the back of the cab roof. This strip was loosened but not completely removed. The seat was already out for the gas sender work. Then the new headliner "assembly" was carried out to BillyBob. The back side of the headliner panels were "misted" with a 50/50 solution of household ammonia and water to make them temporarily more flexible.

I got the back panel underneath the trim strip and struggled with the whole assembly until I started to lose feeling in my legs (I was on my haunches). I also realized that the visors and rear view mirror would have to be removed so I did that. The rear panel was left in place and the front panel and bow were taken back into the Krash Lab. The front headliner was more effectively inserted into the bow groove and fixed in place this time with good ole duct tape on the back. This new assembly was carried back out to the truck and, with a mighty effort, pressed into place. Despite my efforts to the contrary, I did end up with a couple of substantial bulges and folds at the leading edge which I hoped would be minimized when I reinstalled the visors and mirror.

No such luck! I had a heck of a time finding the proper location for the visor screws and hinge and I really made a mess in is area installing the driver side visor . . . So much so, in fact, that I abandoned re-installing the passenger side visor. By the time I got the mirror re-installed, I was crestfallen. This will have to be done over with new materials sometime down the road, but I need some time to lick my emotional wounds before I come back to this. In the meantime, I'll decide whether I want to tackle an original headliner again or try one of the one-piece fiberglass replacement headliners.

December 15^th 2001 During the week I went to Home Depot and found something I thought I could adapt as a spacer to make the 2-5/8" Base of the oil bath air cleaner fit on the 2-1/4" Rochester carb. It was a rubber tiedown strap for a couple of bucks that looked to be about the right thickness of 3/16". Today, I cut a length, lined the inside of the air cleaner and tried it . . . even with liguid soap, it was just too thick to work. Back to the drawing board on this one.

January 26^th 2002 Messed around with the butchered headliner a little bit today. I've learned since my first fight with this thing that the front half should be installed first (the opposite of what I did) and that the front lip goes behind the windshield rubber. I took the whole thing out and tried again. I left the seat in and found it much more comfortable in a sitting position. I used more ammonia/water solution and got the whole thing back in without nearly the trouble I had last time. Also found out that the mirror is easier to install if you separate the mirror from the bracket, screw in the bracket, then re-assemble the mirror.

February 23^rd 2002 Raining today. Last Saturday was an all day soaker too. While waiting for a clear sky, I decided to work on the YOM (year of manufacture) license plate authenication paperwork. In Florida, you have to send the plate you want to use to Tallahassee for authenication. If the condition of the plate meets their approval and the number is not already in use, the DMV will authenicate it and return it. you also have to send it certified, return receipt and include a letter of request, registration copy, proof of insurance and money. I've been putting this off 'cause I'm saturated with paperwork and a born procrastinator (I was born 'bout a month late 'an been that way ever since). For you Florida boys 'an gals who are interested in doing the same thing, here is an Adobe Acrobat PDF file template of my letter: Florida License Plate Letter. I put everything in an 11 x 14 photo mailer (do not bend) for a trip to the Post Office on Monday.

March 13^th 2002 The authenicated 1955 Florida license plate and new registration reflecting the change arrived this week and I mounted it on BillyBob the other day. I read somewhere that you were 'sposed to keep the normal plate in the truck with the stickers on it but, if that was once true, they've changed their policy. Now, they just put the registration sticker on the old tag. Not as purty with that modern sticker on there but it's a small thing to have to live with. The blue lettering is actually darker than it shows in these photos. A few weeks later, I received a communication from the State of Florida. When I get anything from any government that I am not expecting, I tend to cringe. I never suspect good news. This time, however, it was. They had pro-rated the YOM license plate fee and it was a refund check.

April 20^th 2002 Degreased Renegade's engine compartment today before going up to the warehouse to get BillyBob, so I didn't have time to start a big project. Started work on the cowl vent. Got a new rubber cowl vent gasket and drain rubber some time back from Chevy Duty. Not too long ago one of the cowl vent hinge rivets sheared off, making it inoperable for the time being. There are two bolts on each side holding the vent to the hinges and one bolt connecting it to the lever assembly Every other connection in the assembly is riveted. After removing these bolts with a 3/8" socket driver and wrench, I was able to get the vent out. The vent gutters were wire-brushed, dremeled, sanded and vacuumed. The gasket was laid in the channel to check the fit and the fit is perfect. The pivot points were oiled and the vent was replaced for the day (still inoperable at this point).

May 12^th 2002 Mother's Day. Makes me remember when JR and I were in the DeMolay Masonic-affiliated youth organization. We had a Rose ceremony for mothers that was pretty moving for all family members. Good memories and balmy weather here in the shade tree garage today.

Haven't been having any luck trying to make my own adapter for the oil bath air cleaner so, a couple of weeks ago when I had the need to order something else from Vintage Auto Parts, Inc., I asked them for the adapter and they threw it into the new order at no charge. It arrived this week and it looks a bit like a slice of PCV pipe with a small section cutout for contraction. I can take the old standard air cleaner off now and inventory it for refurbishing at a later date.

The oil bath air cleaner I got from Vintage is not the original oil bath air cleaner for 1955 Chevy trucks, but an aftermarket "Heavy Duty International Air Cleaner" manufactured in the same era by United Air Cleaner Div. of United Specialities Company of Chicago. It's made to fit 1932-1954 Chevrolet cars and trucks (providing you have the hood clearance). A nice touch is that it has an inlet for a PCV valve line. I might do that someday if I can locate the original parts.

June 23^rd 2002 Didn't do much yesterday when the weather wasn't too bad and I'm being punished for it today. Yesterday, all I did was a tumbler session and when my boss arrived, he said he caught me cleaning my rusty nuts again. Today, I'm dodging rain cells trying to put BillyBob's newly powdercoated front bumper brackets back on along with the splash apron and bumper. Wanted to work some more on the cowl vent today but, so far, it's a rainout. The sun would shine long enough to give me the confidence to pull the tools out of the shed, then it would start pouring on me for fifteen minutes or so. I went thru this cycle three times while trying to clean out the cowl vent gutter. Little things were going wrong too. Electrical cords and air hoses were fouling more than usual. By noon, I'd had enuf. It's Murphy's day an' he can have it!

June 25^th 2002 Won an EBay auction last week for a 54-55 right front fender. It arrived yesterday at the Delray Beach Greyhound bus terminal. I went to pick it up before the daily rains got rough. Stopped at a FLAPS and picked up a couple of 14 foot ratchet tie-down straps. Good thing I got two of 'em. Took a couple of times around the block to find the bus terminal. It is a gray concrete block building that resembles a family-owned auto repair facility. I never did see a Greyhound sign and it also serves as a Ryder Truck rental and Taxi stop. There was a cabbie snoring away on the only piece of furniture in the "waiting room". I could hear him but I couldn't see him behind my fender and all the other freight waiting to be picked up or loaded. BillyBob still has no bed but I was able to strap the fender down to the rear frame crossmembers and hang it out over the tailgate (Redneck Loveseat). I buggered up the first tie-down by running too much strap thru the ratchet mechanism. After a few minutes, it was abandoned to be fixed later and I went on to the second strap which I wrapped twice around the fender before securing with the ratchet.

Was still able to button down the bed cover which protected the fender from a little of the rain that hit me between the bus station and BillyBob's warehouse. Oh, the joys of rain driving in an old truck . . . Brake fade after washouts, twin dashboard waterfalls at the leaking windshield corners and thru the cowl vent, fog buildup on the windshield inside and only rain-x on the outside. Cut open the packing when I got the fender into the warehouse. It's a beauty, as advertised by the Seller, and was not damaged by the carrier in any way. You ole truckers from the Southwest don't know the emotional impact of a clean piece of metal on us in the tropics and the rustbelt. It can bring tears to your eyes. It's a good day despite the overcast skys.

Well, that's almost a year's worth of minor setbacks and little victories. I'll be continuing with the headliner and cowl vent in 'nother log entry down the road. Also got some other small tasks to report on in an electrical system log entry coming up in the next month or so plus the continuing frame and brake work. Startin' on the doors soon too.

< Back to Intro