1948 Chevy Truck With S10 Frame Suspension Rebuild

In this video I'm getting front suspension ready to accept airbags. But a full suspension rebuild has to be done first so once finished, the truck could drive and handle just like it did when it was new with all new balljoints and bushings. Therefore I'll show all I had to do in order to press the bushing and balljoints in and out. Rusty control arms Will be getting sandblasted, primered and painted to look as good as new. There are generally more ways than one to go about any given task so I will show couple of different approaches to get the same and the results.
Tools used in this video:
Pressure washer sand blasting attachment: amzn.to/2L2dzAx

[@Couch_engineer]

Man, glad I found your channel. A lot of good tips. Never thought of using the air hammer. Thanks

[@fix206]

Leo, you are most welcome !!

[@joanwilliams3221]

Glad to see you back great job...

[@fix206]

Thank you!! I'm glad to be back and making some more progress on this thing.

[@PhillipHall01]

I just watched this video again. Awesome.....

[@fix206]

Phillip my friend, how have you been? So sorry I haven't posted anything just yet. But I was just telling my wife the other day that a lot of the material that I've filmed over the summer is so much better then what I had in my older videos... Tons of great info mostly on metal work, some paint.. Just recently I did a frame pull on my homemade frame rack and I'm really excited to share all of this with my audience. Those videos are coming soon, promise :-) I will not disappoint you my friend !!

[@PhillipHall01]

@@fix206 Sounds great! Your frame machine is awesome! Looking forward to all of it.... 👍🏻

[@chrish4723]

My favorite channel. Thanks for uploading!

[@fix206]

Chris this means a lot to me... Most of the time when I film and edit the footage I critique my stuff quite a bit and think that it's all a bunch of gibberish :-) but comments such as yours are a huge boost to moral. I suppose my videos aren't that terrible :)

[@TheEnthusiast08]

Hey man these videos on your Chevy build are one of the few in depth videos for these kind of restorations. I know very little about what is needed to properly restore one of these beauties and videos like yours will help me to reach my dream of doing one myself. Please, please, please continue this series!!

[@fix206]

I try to be thorough when I go over the process in my videos. I haven't posted in a while just because I've been really busy and I have a lot of 15 videos to push out first and then come Spring I'm going to resume the work on the '48

[@TheEnthusiast08]

Understood brother 👍 can’t wait for your videos. Subscribed for notifications

[@fix206]

Thanks man, I won't disappoint !

[@carolinablueappliance]

I am extremely ecstatic that I have found your channel. I've wanted a 5 Window. I've seen a few 3 windows. I'd gotten the general theory of the build, BUT !! you have changed my life and brought the fun of actually doing it to life. THANK YOU.. Step by Step dead on..

[@fix206]

Thank you Thanus ! This coming summer I'm planing to get alot done on the truck... And it's going to be well explained step by step process as usual !

[@occoug]

I’m just starting a 1951 five window GMC with little to no experience. I like these videos, You make it seem so doable. Can’t wait for the nest one.

[@fix206]

I got a pretty good backlog of videos that I still have to do that I filmed over the summer. Probably will not get to work on the truck until this coming spring or so...

[@kisoia]

Well done, love that pressure washer/sandblaster :)

[@fix206]

Thanks man, the pressure washer set up sure did come in handy !!

[@vita8208]

Pressure washer sandblasting is amazing idea, I will have to try that.

[@fix206]

it does work great !! For sure give it a go !

[@shedtime_au]

Quality work as always.

[@fix206]

Thanks again!

[@hussienalshmary]

Good Job, bro It's nice to watch your videos👍

[@fix206]

Glad you like them! Thank you!!

[@catalinpetrescu4659]

Good job !

[@fix206]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@RODZILLA65]

Nice work!

[@fix206]

Thank you brother !!!

[@harveybreaux2776]

Great work love this channel !!

[@fix206]

Thank you Harvey, welcome to the channel !!!

[@orlandolegolas9231]

Great Job.

[@fix206]

Orlando, thank you so much. Cheers !

[@UNIQUEGrills]

Nice job 👍🏻

[@fix206]

Thanks 👍

[@PhillipHall01]

Good Job. The pressure washer sandblaster was the trick!! I think I really need one! lol Can I ask you where you found it? Thanks. I read where another fellow said this is his favorite channel. I say the same. Thanks for all you do and share. It is like being there with you. Good Job!!

[@fix206]

Hi Phillip... that sandblasting attachment is great, really makes sandblasting large items easy... here is the link to where I found mine: amzn.to/2L2dzAx

[@PhillipHall01]

Awesome!!! Thanks so much!!

[@mikeshowtoandthings]

A neat trick I like doing to freshly media blasted steel is to clean all the moisture or dust off, (chemically clean with degreaser), let dry then take a Mapp gas torch or equivalent and heat the steel up till you see the moisture residing in the metal wick out and evaporate, do this to the whole piece. It will leave a little surface oxidation behind but it will not harm is as the moisture has been eliminated from the steel. Let cool and then apply a piss coat of self etch, then prime and shoot the color of choice on. I use to live in Los Angeles and if you left any metal bare in that toxic pea soup air the metal severely oxidizes over night. with this method the worst that happens is the surface of the paint oxidizes over time if directly in the outside elements and the metal stays well protected with no rust bubbles emerging under the paint.

[@fix206]

I did notice that it doesn't take long for the surface rust to start forming. Literally within about 30 minutes after I got done pressure wash sanding I could see the silver color starting to turn a little yellowish on the first control arm that I did. So with every control arm after that right after I got done cleaning one up I immediately blew all the water off with compressed air and then for good measures placed the control arm in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes. After that stored them in my dry garage, that seemed to work out :)

[@PhillipHall01]

@@fix206 I just learned something good from both of y'all thanks. Phillip Hall

[@my1stbabygirl2012]

We need new videos on this project

[@fix206]

I had to put this project on a slight hold, a bunch of other projects keep getting in the way.... 😵‍💫

[@HiMattHigh]

Ha, I remember that caliper! Looking good man, but make sure you clean up that frame too. Those are known to rust pretty bad.

[@fix206]

There is no way I'd leave the frame looking like that especially after doing all the work on making the control arms look pretty. This truck will look new in and out and under as well. Those calipers have been sitting in the box for too long waiting for their day to shine, that day will come sooner then later :-)

[@stco2426]

Excellent to see mechanism for swapping the bushes and joints on these control arms. I need to done some of this on a project vehicle (completely different) and am looking at options for not replacing the whole units. Good to see the use of an etch primer, but I think a two-part modified epoxy primer might be more long lasting than a rattle can. Yes, I use these too and there are great hardwearing products, but I just don’t think you get the thickness on these, especially at edges and corners. Good blasting work. With the new compressor are you thinking about a cabinet?

[@fix206]

That self etching primer even out of the can is no joke, the acid in a primer really bite into the bare metal and hold well, I have no doubts that this finish will hold up on the road. I did get a large blasting cabinet sometime ago and would much rather do all the blasting on smaller parts such as these control arms in the cabinet versus out in the open the way I did it in the video.

[@stco2426]

@@fix206 Thanks for your reply. Yes, wet blasting is the best way for working outside or on larger items that do not fit in a cabinet. Just ask 'Mr Hewes' who is now wet blasting tanks and did a recent update on this method. Be good to see how you tackled the cab you mentioned so I will need to look through your content. I've only seen two of your videos but greatly appreceiate what I've seen and like your approach to getting it done, filming what you do and explaining the processes. I have a few largeish things that I will be cleaning up and I've not yet worked out what i'll be doing. I have a 220L generic-make blast cabinet, which is about as small as it's sensible to have and it to still be useful for parts etc and not take up too much space when not in use. Out of the box these 220L are ok as boxes with gloves etc, but not great for blasting in my opinion. I upgraded with the kit from the company that has the 'Parts Washer Upgrade Kit' YT site. This has made my setup as good as I can reasonably expect and am really pleased with it. It needs only a very little media, I regulate the blasting at the cabinet and use a fairly short and wide diameter hose that runs from an unregulated output on the compressor tank. I need to sort out pre-cooling as you have. I built the cyclone based on 'Charlie DIYte' rather than the PWUK but not had the problem of barrel collapse as I don't power the suction too hard. Some magnets on the cabinet vent help to trap ferrous dust, too Will check out the etch primers. I've used them in the past for applying marine antifouling to pre-coated surfaces such as galvanised. Thanks again!!

[@danw1089]

You gotta trim the spring pocket so it doesn’t pinch:l/cut the bag when it’s deflated once it has weight on it

[@fix206]

I know exactly what you're talking about. With frame being stripped down I think I'm going to flip it over with the airbag mounted and fully deflated to see exactly how much I have to trim so the bags don't rub/pinch... That will be in couple of weeks down the road, I'm going to take care of few other things before then 👍

[@icbal3914]

You have encourage me to build my own spot welder. I have seen all the links in your previous video that directs one to purchase most items on Amazon, but I cannot locate the unique puller that you use. Can you kindly inform me has to where I can buy one.

[@fix206]

I purchased that puller from Russia... I can give you a link to the website but you'll probably have a hard time navigating it since everything is Russian spotterpilot.ru

[@icbal3914]

Thanks a million.

[@shawndupuis9546]

I have a s10 too been wanting to see real install this is great detail did you get the bigger airbag to work?

[@fix206]

I'm still mocking couple of things up, i'll be flipping the frame over so I can gauge how much of the spring pocket I have to trim back to make room for this large bag. But I am 99% sure that I can make the 8 inch bag fit in there. I'll have a video of that 2-3 weeks down the road, I'll have a couple more videos out before then. Stay tuned

[@gghffgbddghhhffgfffg4671]

👍👍👍👍🤩🤩🤩🤩 عمل رائع

[@fix206]

Thank you !!

[@JavierReyes-gt7dx]

👍👍👍

[@fix206]

Thank you Javier !!

[@franciscocarranza2669]

Nice job! 💯 Do you have the link of the parts of the air bags ? Im also working on a project like yours

[@fix206]

I bought these brackets on eBay.. just look for "s series front suspension air bag brackets ride cups lowered"

[@jheetman]

I'm really curious to know how that C-press got a paint job and appeared to be straighter near the end of the video.

[@fix206]

The first C press that I rented got used and abused by the previous renter, so I went back to the store and got another one...

[@PhillipHall01]

Fix I finally got a hold of a 13 HP power washer! Thanks again! PS Have you had a chance to do more work on the old chevy? Phillip Hall

[@fix206]

Hi Phillip, those 13 HP power washers aren't very common, they are commercial grade machines and are pretty spendy, hope you got a good deal on one :-) the one that I used in the video I picked up about four years ago for $190, it was a great deal even though I had to drive a bit over an hour out to pick it up. I haven't done much more work on the truck besides gathering some more parts for it over the winter. Also over the winter I've got some more tools that would be beneficial with the old Chevy rebuild... Worked on a new video in a bit of a free time that I had over the past couple of weeks, wanted to push it out this past Sunday but did not need that deadline, hopefully this Sunday the new video will drop...

[@PhillipHall01]

@@fix206 You are right Fix. The 13 HP PWare not nearly so common as the 'around the house' type, usually 5 to 6.5 HP. I got mine from a relative whose husband passed away. It was running fine last time used. Not now, needs a carburetor or a carburetor cleaning. (I hope that is all it needs) We will soon see. Phillip PS Looking forward to the video! 😊

[@fix206]

If you suspect a dirty carburetor, go ahead and detach the carb from the motor, also don't forget to remove the lower "bowl/cup" that's located at the very bottom of the carburator, get some carb cleaner with that little red straw that goes into the nozzle and blast every small orifice within the carb... That's normally how I clean the carbs on all of the small engines that I got... I never break the carbs down, the way I see it if you have an internal issue that would require you to take the carb completely apart, it's easier just to get a replacement carb at that point rather than trying to rebuild the old one... Just my 2 cents :)

[@PhillipHall01]

@@fix206 Thank you for the good advise! You gave it in time to save me possible grief! Your advice is well taken! Phillip Hall

[@fix206]

New video got posted this morning... Hope it's good... I'd like to hear you honest opinion if you don't mind...

[@20somthingrealestate]

Going to clean up the frame before all that assembly?

[@fix206]

There is no way I'd leave the frame looking like that especially after doing all the work on making the control arms look pretty. This truck will look new in and out and under as well. There are a few more frame modifications I have to do before I will wire wheel it and get it primed and painted

[@BrucePierson]

It's been a while since your last video, so it was good to see more progress on the truck. Hope the next video won't be too far away as it will be interesting to see the modifications for the new brakes. I'm surprised that you didn't make your own ball joint pressing tool, as you make a lot of your own tools. But I guess you had limited use for it, so easier just to rent one. It was interesting to see your pressure washer sand blaster, as I've never seen anything like this before. Another way of removing rust from small parts is to use electrolytic rust removal. There's a lot of links if you search for it, but this page is very informative www.qsl.net/2e0waw/rust.htm I have my own setup using a 65 gallon bin and a salt water chlorination unit as the power source. I recently restored a seized up vise that wouldn't move with it. Stay safe over there from this virus and looking forward to seeing more progress. All the best from Queensland Australia.

[@fix206]

Bruce, my friend... With Covid restrictions getting a bit lighter it got busier at work so I have not had as much time to work on the truck as I would like, also this is our rain season, so that doesn't help either. But I'm still working on it and recording quite a bit, got enough footage for 2-3 more videos. Finding the time to video edit seems to be the hardest part of the whole process :-) one of the videos that will be out in a week or two has to do with another tool I've been working on. I'm pretty excited to start using it, hope you'll like that one ! It's nothing groundbreaking, but I think it's cool nonetheless. I think I've created enough suspense :-) so I will just leave it at that 😎 I'm pretty sure at some point I will use electrolyses to remove rust from something in the future video. I will be using different techniques to achieve the same end results just to show people what all is possible...

[@BrucePierson]

@@fix206 Good to hear that all is well over there and you've just been busy and had less time to work on the truck. I'll be interested to see what new tool you've made and how you'll use it. Electrolytic rust removal has the advantage that it can get to places that other methods cant. That vise I mentioned was totally seized up and wouldn't move, but after a few days in the rust removal bin, I could pull it apart and put the parts in separately for further cleaning. I wouldn't mind having something like that water sand blaster for larger items that are too big for the bin. It's supposed to be our rainy season here, but it's been really dry with only occasional light showers. Feel free to send any unwanted rain over here, as we need it.

[@christopherlee9548]

This still a project? I can't find anymore videos about it

[@fix206]

It's definitely still a project. Had to put it on the back burner because of a bunch of other projects I've got in a way that take precedence. I've been buying up more parts for it so by the time I get back to this truck I'll spend less time looking for things that I still don't have. I have a bunch of other videos lined up in the meanwhile, but the truck project will be revisited from time to time

[@gilly007]

Where did you get the bracket and airbags from?

[@fix206]

I got them on eBay, back when I bought the brackets I believe I paid around $68 plus tax, now I think the price has tripled on them :(

[@my1stbabygirl2012]

Do you have the part number for the brackets and airbags ?

[@susancarvajal4615]

I have a 1948 Chevy 310. I have no clue where to even start.

[@fix206]

I know what you mean, it's going to take A TON of work to get this truck restored. I really hope to finish it someday 😒

[@sergiogonzalez661]

Why stop there, you might as well do the whole frame

[@fix206]

My friend I'm not stopping there, everything is getting redone. The only reason I haven't painted the frame yet is because I have to do few more modifications to it, that will come in later videos