New Wheels and tires on the front

Got the rear drums back from Lynn Perry. Got them painted and mounted them on the rear axles. Everything is straight this time.  Put a pre cleaning wax on the new wheels and then a final wax for protection.  Mounted the front wheels on the front axles and was trying to put the center caps on. All the small screws would only go in a couple of threads and then would tighten up. I ended up calling my son-in-law Quinn (who has the same wheels) and asked him if he had any trouble with his.  He had his applied at a garage and wasn't aware of any problems. He had me call the distributor for advice.  The distributor said there may be some polishing liquid still in the holes. There are 5 screw holes in each of the 4 rims and all looked good with a flash light. He suggested I use a 8-32 tap and tap all the holes out.  This I did and all screws went in fine. This just shows what quality control they have. Anyway, I do like the rims and the tires. I will put the rear ones on after I put the back fenders on.
Got the welting from Bob Peterson today so will start the process of putting the rear fenders on tomorrow. I will try NOT to scratch them.

New Wheels and Tires Mounted

Got the newly mounted tires and wheels back today. Brandon at Humburg Automotive in Fort Madison did a great job mounting and balancing the tires. They are an official Tirerack mounting and balancing garage. He applied the lead weights to the back of the rims and painted them black to blend in. He also put some chrome covers on the valve stems so they would look nicer. Great place, nice people. They go the extra mile.
I took the new and old brake drums to Lynn Perry and he first chucked up the old ones in a lathe. They were at least 1/4 inch out of round. He had never seen anything like it. I then had him chuck up the new ones to make sure they were true. They were. He will drill them for a ford pattern this weekend. should get them back by next week..
Next, I need the welting to put on the back fenders. Then I can put the wheels and tires on.

A Little Snag

Got most of the bed boards in and tightened down and the rear edge wasn't lining up very well. I was getting hot and tired and almost said that's good enough. My friend Bob came down about that time and said "That's not good enough.  Take all the bolts loose and align everything."   Well, with his help and guidance, I loosened all the bolts and we got it all straight. Sure glad I listened to him. Sure looks better now.
I was cleaning the dust off the rear brake hubs in preparation for mounting the wheels and tires after the rear fenders were applied, (tires arrived today). As I was cleaning the hubs, I noticed a wobble. I at first thought the axles were bent. (that would be very bad). I finally figured out the center of the hubs were welded in crooked (Chinese stuff).   After much research and a couple trips to auto parts stores I found out those same hubs were my only choice. Next alternative  would be to go to Disc brakes, which isn't all bad. I elected to buy two new hubs which so far seem to be okay. Tomorrow I will take them to Lynn Perry to have them drilled for my bolt pattern. I will also have him check the straightness of these.  I am glad I caught it now before the truck hits the road.  Another lesson learned.
I have some almost new Chinese hubs for sale if anyone is interested. Can be used as woks.
Tires get mounted on the rims this week   Man, it's hot. Gonna be 97 tomorrow.

Bed is back

The painted bed was delivered by Jeff late Monday night. With the help of Jeff's friend Cris and my friend Bob, we set the bed in place.   Sure turned out nice. Got it tied down last night and started putting in the floor boards. Also installed the fuel tank access door.  Doing early morning and late evening work now as it is baking during the day. Hit 97 degrees yesterday. My little fan couldn't keep me cool, so decided then on the shift change. Hope to have the bed completed this weekend.  My upholsterer should have the fender welting done soon so I can then put the rear fenders on.  Some small parts and the tailgate should be next. Too hot to paint this week so probably wont get that stuff until next week.  Then it's the doors after that.  Last will be the hood.  Time for a glass of ice water.