Well ,I just ordered a nice dash cluster with a tach so I should be getting quite a few shipments of parts soon. The Vintage Air should be here soon ,another new wiring harness and now the tach dash. The body shop wont let me bring anymore parts up there so I guess I will just have to put them in my home office to look at every day.

I went right by the bodyshop today while on a work related detail and so wanted to stop and see if they were doing anything to my truck but I didnt want to be disappointed so I kept going.

Are you at the bottom of the list ? If I remember correctly, the shop doing the work is a friend. Even if he is a friend, you are probably still paying him something. So I would think that some work would be getting done. I can hear your disappointment in your posts. I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.

He is a good friend but he also told me up front that his bread and butter was insurance work and he has been swamped with insurance work. I just need to grow some more patience.

It is so hard waiting on someone else. Especially when it is someone you know. Believe me I know. I was a pest, I was at my brothers house more times than I was at my own. But I was purchasing parts and things he needed for the car so that he didn't spend time driving around picking them up.

Its driving me crazy waiting on it but it will be worth the wait .Im just afraid my current daily driver is going to die before they get it finished and I will have to buy another one.My current one is a 96 Ford Explorer we bought new but has 185,000 miles on it and the last 60,000 miles have been hard miles. It has towed a trailer with more weight than it wanted to pull hauling scrap metal and it shows. It wont pass emissions again without a lot of work .

We went to the bodyshop today and told the guys I had looked at a 79 Ford one ton truck to replace my daily driver Explorer as I dont think its going to last much longer and I think he got the hint that I need my truck back. He is hoping to get on it soon.

Good for you flash !

Im going to visit my truck today after work ,I dont really expect any change yet.

I know both sides of this... Dad owns a body shop, and my car took 2-1/2 years to get it out of there.

This past year Dad's business has been very slow, so he took on a '68 Firebird project a few weeks ago. Almost immediately, he was swamped with insurance work. :o The owner is coming tonight to pick it up tonight so he can work on the mechanicals because Dad informed him he won't be able to work on it for a while.

The shop Im working with usually slows way down in the winter months but it just didnt happen this year ,that is great for them just bad for me .But he will make it worth the wait.

Stopped by the bodyshop today on my way to buy tires for Joan's T/A and got a pleasant surprise .They have started body work on my trucks bed and its almost done ,just need to make sure they remember to install the hidden power antenna in the front passenger side stake pocket .Maybe I will have my truck before the year is over ,cant wait.

Always exciting to see progress. Congrats.

Ray

I stopped by the bodyshop again today ,the bed is pretty much done with bodywork and in full primer ,if the rain will stay away long enough they plan to pull the motor and trans and get the frame blasted and painted soon.

Woo Hoo !!!!

Its nice to see things moving along .

Glad to hear things continue to move along Flash.

We stopped by the bodyshop last friday to see the truck and it is in slow motion but progressing a little .All the major body work on the cab is done and waiting on priming and blocking ,then paint . Not a lot of progress but some is better than none .

Sounds like the hard part may be done. Priming and blocking should go fairly quickly if they work on it.

John, a step forward is still a step forward. I am glad to hear that there is some progress. You just have to take a camera with you and send me some pics so I can post them for you.

I didnt take the camera as I didnt expect any movement.

Next time.

Maybe .......

:worthless:

We need pictures, pictures, and more pictures. It's really time to light a fire under them, unless you work out a deal to work on it when they can. Can't understand why body shops do this to people. I would never go back.

I will try and get pics next time but it wont look any different than last time .He has been trying to hire some experienced bodymen but none seems to want to work. In my area its hard to find a competent shop that will even work on the old stuff as there is not enough profit in it.Darrel actually makes his living on insurance work but would rather work on classics but just cant turn them around as fast as insurance work. He also only does one kind of job on anything that comes into his shop and it is first class .I knew going in that he would do insurance work before mine ,we just expected things to get slow and it didnt happen. I miss my truck but it will be worth the wait and I continue buying parts to throw at it.

Hey flash, hows the truck been coming along. I came across this thread today and didn't know if you had any updated info or pics on the truck?

I have not been to the shop lately as Im very pissed at them but my tennant who works there called me a week a go and told me he was working on the cab trying to get it ready for paint .Im just not interested in going up there right now plus Ive been sick all week.

Well I broke down and went to the bodyshop today after work ,to my surprise the cab was painted and sitting on the frame with the bed ,and it looks damn good .They have started on the new wiring harness and want me to bring them some more parts .

Yey! Some good progress. I will have to look around the site to find more information about your truck.

That's some good news, maybe they finally decided to get going on it.

Or someone from the shop read this thread and noticed 5 and 10 months going by with no progress? Shop space is not cheap here in Michigan! Neeeeed moooore PICTURES. Is is going back to orange?

Good news John! That thing has been in there FOREVER!

Truck is going to be Medium Red which looks more orange than red but it is the original color . The color will be the only thing left original ,it started as a 6 cylinder stripper truck .The only option it had was a 350 auto trans .It will have a new crate engine and a newly rebuilt 350 trans thanks to wild Bill. It will have BuddyBucket seats ,hidden stereo and vintage air and a hidden electric antenna .It will also have a tinted rear sliding window and 8" ralley wheels and a cowl hood . I just hope it doesnt take another 2 1/2 years to complete it .

Sounds pretty sweet John! Like that original color even with the cowl hood. Steel bed? The Oak floor in my '68 got alot of praise.

Mine has the steel bed with bed liner sprayed on as I do plan to use it as a truck still unless they make it too pretty .

Verry wise. You can always re-coad bedliner, oak not so much. 1972 plastic grill?

re-coat . (oops)

Well guys my truck is really coming together finally ,they hope to have the motor and trans installed soon and then start building the front sheetmetal around it. As of tomorrow they will have all the parts Ive been hoarding including the wheels and tires.

YAHOO ,they have the motor and trans in place as of this morning .Cant wait to hear it run again ,hopefully very soon .It is looking mighty good too.

Congrats John. I know that you have been waiting for so long. Now I have to ask. When your truck is done will you guys be traveling in that ?