EDITED Update with MORE pics Yesterday was a very good day on the truck with two of my kids. The other two were off getting welts paintballing. Temps in the 50's and sunny all day. My two youngest and I got a lot done. We re-attached the front springs/axle assembly to the parts truck's frame in preparation of having that thing towed away. Then we installed a new shackle in the front of our truck as one kit was not machined properly and had to be replaced (thank you CP for the FAST replacement with NO QUESTIONS ASKED). We then completely buttoned up the front sheet metal. It was previously just held on by two bolts on each fender, one at the top of the core support and one at the cowl. Completed that and installed the grill (which the boys and I re-assembled last week). Then installed the front bumper and splash pan from the parts truck. Front splash pan needs a little massaging and bumper needs a little bit of tweaking to get the alignment to be right on, but the kids were absolutely loving the progress made in the short time we worked on it. My daughter was right there the whole time working wrenches and the floor jack to help align the sheet metal and front fender braces. Pictures are of her loosening up the core support bolts in preparation of aligning the core support with the inner fender bolt holes and how the truck looks now. Next, we are going to do the brakes over before we put the bed back on it. Okay, here's a couple more pics of my oldest and youngest painting the bed wood this morning. What is it with teenagers and their inability to take a picture without making silly faces anyway??? He's also kneeling next to his sister, so he looks a lot shorter. Enjoy. Andy
Priceless Andy ! ..Want to be MY daddy ? Enjoy them while you can buddy ! it is so nice to see an involved father.
Life is great! ...when you see your young one with wrench in hand, working on your old AD AND smiling! It doesn't get any better than that!
Oh yeah it does! It gets better when she's sitting on daddy's lap with that huge steering wheel in her hands going down a country road with a bigggg! grin on her face! That's what I'm waiting for!
Thanks Guys, All she keeps saying is, "I can't WAIT until we can drive the truck". I'm looking forward to picking them all up from school one day with it. It will be a tight squeeze for sure, but well worth it to see the grins on their faces. Andy
I did this with my 10 yr old son the other day. We drove down our road with him in my lap steering. What a blast - I'm not sure who enjoyed the experience more...
I Remember : The first time I put my son on my lap in my old '46 3100 Series shop truck and let him steer , he was maybe 5 years old at the time and had eyes as big as saucers ~ he kept winding the steering wheel from full lock to full lock and nearly kissed some parked cars , I then decided to really teach him how to drive and took him to the Rose Bowl parking lot in my grey market VW Beetle from Mexico , he learned right quick and is now a professional driver , better than I . All this memory lane jazz is making me weepy ~ cut it out guys
Not a silly face, Andy... I've seen that face before~ when I looked in the mirror~ after to many hours with my nose over a can of 'thane...
You are a very blessed man, Andy. EVERYTHING in those pics is beautiful but since this is an old truck site my comment is that the 54/55.1 single windshield cab with the earlier grill makes the best looking AD for many people, myself included.
