Okay Guys and Gals, Time for another update on some of the work I have completed this winter
since the last time you heard from me I have spent some spare time working on the cab and some small interior pieces.
cowl pinch weld
The first area I attacked was the pinch weld hidden under the cowl that I showed earlier, removed spotwelds and opened it up and found the easier way to fix the pinch weld area was to replace the inner kickpanels on both sides of the cab I also repaired the small hole in the cowl itself.
kick panels
Here is the driver side kick panel you can see the rust on the bottom edge but there is also rust spots behind where the dash would be and above the cowl so out come more spot welds and the whole panel is removed
here is the passenger side removed this also helps show the drainage path, and some potential rust.
I used the old panel (and my imagination in the spots that where long gone) to trace out a shape onto some new 20 gauge steel.
I cut the rough shape using an angle grinder, the final shape will be ground back later to fit the vehicle exactly.
I had to recreate these bulges in order to clear the lower door hinge when the door is closed.
I also welded in nuts for the dash to bolt onto later.
I bit of fitting and trimming and I'm happy with the final result. This was done for both the passenger and driver side
front door sill/ pillars
This picture shows some of the rust on the pillars as they curve down to the door sill plate
rusted area was cut out and replaced on both front pillars (rears were more complex, saved them for later)
roof panels/upper door frame
The next item to be fixed was the roof panels, pictured here is a rust hole on the top of the door frame where the door seal would meet up
all inner panels were removed (more spot welds) then some panels were repaired as required and some replaced (more coming soon on this)
pictured above was the hard part and i didn't get many pictures during the process but the whole top edge of the door frame has been replaced and carefully welded back in
rear door sill/pillar
Here is the pillar on the rear driver side before and after.
The next items coming soon are (most likely in this order)
-passenger side rear pillar
-both cab corners
-floors
-rockers
-replace inner roof panels ( i have left them off to sandblast and seal later)
I have also ordered and received floor pans and rockers from classic to current fabrication (c2c) I am impressed so far with the quality and will show more on this when i get around to putting them in,(might do a full review/install guide if enough people are interested) I want to thank TitaniaDieKrieger for giving me a quick review on C2C panels and convincing me to go this route, it was the most cost effective panels I could find and look good so far
Another quick update before I end this post is the dash I was working on earlier
I ended up using the cluster panel from my parts Cherokee as it was in way better condition, I hand painted the silver outlines with a small brush and car modelist paint i had laying around, I plan to use the original heater control inserts (older style like the 74 style posted earlier) and gauges (much simpler looking, mph instead of the more cluttered mph and kmph) I will also use the lenses that I polished earlier, and most likely the chrome knobs from the Cherokee as they are in better condition.
Finally thanks again to everyone that contributes to the forums both in the form of moderators that keep things running smoothly, and also other users for sharing great information.
If anyone would like any specific pictures of my truck I would be glad to help you out, having almost every removable panel off sure helps you understand how these things were put together
Thanks again and I hope to update again soon.