Garrett’s Truck

#KidWrencher Series PART FOUR

Street Rod Ed sends in another update on his son Garrett’s 1940 Ford Truck Project.   

Even during this pandemic it sure seems time is just flying by. Garrett Baldwin has finished up the frame prep. He needed to complete the welding of the tacked-in cross member. Then he jumped on some suspension stuff. He then prepped and sprayed it a nice sturdy coat of black. 

As the weather got colder in New Jersey, he focused on tearing down the engine to have the block honed and cleaned up.  The L31 Truck Block  was sent out to be machined and balanced. Garrett got the crank and rotating assembly done until the weather got better to jump on the paint. 

The last time we checked in, he had the body all sanded and ready for paint. Admitedly Ed tells us that as hobbyists there were some mistakes, although easily remedied. They had challenges with the paint at first. It has been a while since Ed had painted and the new paints from PPG took a bit of getting used to. All and all it turned out great. We find the back story of a young guy working with his dad and grandfather in the garage. Those little blems will only be a reminder to Garrett of the great times working in the garage with them. That will bring him a lifetime of pride that is much more valuable then sending it off to have someone else paint it or even build it for you.

As you can see in the pics, they painted a few pieces at a time throughout the summer and are getting ready to re-assemble the truck. They painted it a rich dark blue hue that looks like a million bucks to me.  When all the pieces are together they match very well. This is hard to do, especially with this hue where under different lighting conditions it looks to be more black, or brighter blue. They used a color matching light that mimics sunlight to get a true reading of the color. 

This has been a long process, especially as Ed is sure that this doesn’t consume Garrett, and the family, too much. He still needs to do his other activities and now as he graduated High School is enrolled in engineering courses at the local community college. 

You will be sure to see as we follow them putting the truck together, wiring it up with, our favorite; Ron Francis Wiring kit, and firing up that fresh mill. We will hear more from the rest of the family about the project too. 

SEE! Part Three, Part Two, Part One