Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

My daughter was watching me grinding rivets and wanted to try it out. She got good at it, and has just enough sauce to hammer out the old rivets.

And a shot of her learning how to weld at my work back in 2017.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Fast forward to December, and it's time to take the frame in and get the rear portion pulled straight. I didn't take a ton of pics, I was helping out.
Long story short, its straight after this. I brought in the bed floor to confirm it would square up.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Nice job on the frame. It's nice that the kids are participating. ...

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

They like to help out sometimes. I don't push the issue or it won't be fun for them. Really I'd just like them to have an appreciation for this kind of work. If they end up into it, then that's a bonus.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

I was never set on an engine for this thing. I had acquired a core 880 block but wasn't sure I wanted to go that route.
A couple of years ago, I drove a friends 70 Chevelle with a junkyard 5.3. I was really impressed by the power, but the swap pieces were still expensive then. It seems that recently that stuff has gotten a lot cheaper.
So I pulled the trigger on this used 6.0

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Lovin’ this. Keep the happy kid pics a comin’!! The truck too, of course.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Can do

Here's some LS stuff

I got the Speed Engineering headers since I've heard so many good things on here about them.
I'm using the donor 04 engine mounts so I have more room for the AC compressor. This is what LS1Nova71 used, and I like how he has lots of space.
I didn't find anyone using this mount/header combo, so I figured I'd try it out.

The passenger side was easy. Just bend the heat shield. The driver side took some trimming, but nothing crazy.
Here's more detail; http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...60#post8547960

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

If you have the whole LS donor vehicle and you are handy with the welder, you can cut out the mount perches and make them work.
I didn't, but had some box tubing scraps.
This is just a start. I'll have to make a bottom plate and bridge between it and the box tube. Maybe I'll cut the tube bottom corner out, maybe not. That's a ways off, I need to get the cab floor/rockers/corners done first. Then I can mock it all up on the frame.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

And here's what got me going this direction.
From LS1Nova71. I hope you don't mind...
This way takes up so little space and puts the perches low and narrow on the crossmember. I also think these are WAY better mounts than the Pre-73 type and equal or better than the 73+.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Speaking of the cab, I need to get the bottom done before I can mock up anything for my eng/trans mounting/crossmembers.

That cab I got from my buddy was great up top and typical on bottom. So now it's time to learn some body panel welding.

I took measurements and put in some bracing, then started cutting out the rot.

The driver side is the worst, so that's where I'm starting.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

At this point, it was time to try out the tip feature of my cab dolly. It worked well. My wife and I were able to tip it up fairly easily.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

All in all, the rot wasn't horrible. The A-pillar dogleg was still solid. This is good because that's a great reference for the front end dimensions of the inner rocker.

All the metal is layered in there, so I started with the kick panel bottom.

Next is the inner rocker, then the brace, then the inner reinforcement tab for the fender bottom mount.

The kick panel patch was too tall thru the bend area, so I had to section some out. Fun Friday after work with some suds.

It went in ok.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Here's a lesson for the other side.
If the dogleg area is solid, and the reinforcement tab is ok, just drill out the spot welds and remove the tab first.
It will all sandwich in there when you're going back together.
The 3 spot welds will come loose anyway when you go to hammer it back to get it out of the way.
Then you have to re-form the spot weld area and re-weld it back in anyway.
And it really gets in the way when you are slipping the inner rocker in/out 400 times to get the weld gap right and make it match up to the pre-cut measurements.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

The inner rocker fits ok. Not awesome, but it works.
It is a little long at the rear, and the angle is a little funky where it meets up with the front flange. Not a big deal.
Some progression shots of what feels like a million tack welds. 3 in a row was about the max I did. No need to heat things up a lot.
Note the high tech go/no-go gauge at the rear of the door opening. That was dimension of the gap when I started disassembly. I'll take a hokey tool over guessing.

Maybe I'll get more done this coming weekend. It was a good stopping point for me. I need to re-shape the rear edge of the inner rocker, patch the front floor, and get the braces in next.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Your methodical approach is the best. Thanks for showing the detailed pics of the layer sequence in the floor/ kick panel/ and rocker area. This will help the next guy in line who finds himself scracthin' his head. ;)

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Thanks, that was my intent. When I was researching this repair, it wasn't clear how it all goes together.

Once I started taking it apart, it made sense.

But... That may not be the case of you have more rot (or any accident damage) and a lot of these pieces are gone or mangled.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Not much today, just cleaned up those stock mounts and hit them with some rattle satin.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

I got a little bit of time today so I finished up the rear of the inner rocker seam.
Also used the old rear floor brace piece as a template for the new. I almost tossed this piece last week when I was cleaning up. Doh.
I’ll get the gaps and prep taken care of and get this in next.
The remaining part of the brace and floor are solid, I just have to wire wheel the surface rust off. The pics make it look pretty crusty.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Just in case I forget, here’s my order of operations. Sharpie is my friend.
Never be reluctant to make notes.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Last couple of weekends have been camping, fishing, dirt roads, and shooting.:metal:
Back on some truck work today.

It's too hot to work in the garage or in the sun. Time for some back porch shade tree work.
Since cooling off is on my mind, I decided to try out a set of cooling fans I got. These are from a police package Explorer (2014ish) and looked to be about the right size.
They fit the 29" core really well, and are a good match height-wise too.
As with any e-fan, it will need some trimming. That upper hose area for sure. I'll wait for that until I get a new radiator or re-core this one. It has a lot of crust inside from all those years of sitting.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

I tested them for current consumption using the LS way to wire them.
Both fans on in series=15A
Driver side fan=20-25A
Passenger side fan=25-30A
So with the 3 relay setup this should work pretty slick. The low speed was actually pulling a good amount of air. With both running in parallel full 12v it pulled a lot. Enough to suck out all the old debris from the fins and shower me with crud.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

8 zillion more tack welds. Man, this does take some time.
The rear support is in, and the front is almost ready for welding. Also finished the floor patching at the front.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

More repairs this weekend, and I got to try out an interesting product for rust prevention.
A lot of OEMs use wax inside body voids and it seems to work well. I wanted to try it out since I don’t want to do all this work again anytime soon.
I drilled 2 small holes to access the front floor support and a-pillar. The rear support has enough access as is, so no holes necessary.
It flows well and the wands let you get into some tight spots.
After I’m done with all the floor repairs I’ll clean the excess, seam seal, epoxy, and then do another coat. I can also hit the inner cab roof thru the visor holes.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Here’s the weirdest dash cut I’ve seen. Not sure what some idiot was trying to do, but I can’t leave it like this.
Having the cab tipped forward is a nice way to do this. I just sat in the windshield opening.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Interesting, I never thought of that.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Ol Blue, I was a Benz tech for 15 years and those cars have a ton of wax in the body. All the spots with wax stay rust free. The G-wagen frame is coated with a thicker version and those frames stay rust free indefinitely.
My body shop buddy hooked me up with this stuff, he wanted to see how easy it is to use before he gets more for his Chevelle. He said previous versions weren’t as easy to use.
This stuff also claims it has a corrosion inhibitor too. It doesn’t say what it is specifically, but it is listed in the chemical breakdown on the can.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Here’s another use for the Crown Vic jacks, they made door adjustments very easy.
After this comes the hard part, rocker and corner. I had to just throw em on and see what it looks like. I still need to trim and fit, but it was cool to see.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

It's been a bit, but I've gotten some more done.

After I had the door hung I decided to make sure things would line up. I figure if the cowl and front fender look ok, then I can go ahead and get the rocker and corner going.

If you squint just right, it almost looks like an actual truck. Sorta

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Now I had heard that patch panels will require some "fitting". This is true, be ready for it. Like by buddy Dave the body man says, "They're better than making the pieces yourself."

The cab corner fit ok, but the curve along the door edge wasn't quite right. Once I started moving it around I realized it would need some relief cuts to get the curve right. Then it needed the bottom brought in just a bit.
During all this fitting, I was also putting the rocker in and out to make sure it would also fit. It needed some shaping too, but more on that later.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

And after a zillion tacks, it's in!

Penetration was pretty good. After I ground down the outside, I shone a light on the weld to find any pinholes. There were just a couple to fix.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

I didn't take a lot of pics of the rocker process, but it was similar to the corner. I had to do a little bit of shaping on the curve. It also needed a bit of work on the bottom flange to bring it out since it sat a little shallow compared to the bottom of the door. I also brought out the bottom of the inner rocker about 1/8". A big crescent wrench worked well.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

The actual shape of the rocker has a slight bow to it. Nothing a skim coat won't fix. The center is high and the front and rear edges are slightly low.

This is low on the body, so it's not super obvious. I have been looking at the rocker to door body alignment on most 60's vehicles, and frankly they aren't great. My Caddy is pretty unmolested and it's not perfect. And that was the cat's meow back then.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

This area has been discussed by a few folks on here, but I hadn't seen a lot of pics. So here ya go.
Tack it in place, do some relief cuts and go for broke. It's just metal, right?

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

This was a lot of work, but well worth it. The passenger side should be faster/easier.

And now it's time for some etch prime and a quick top coat to preserve all this work. I've got some kitchen demolition work to do, so I probably won't get back to this for a while. Don't want any flash rust!

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Fantastic job!;)

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Thanks, it's getting there...

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Nice job, I have to.do the same job some day.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Thanks.
Any more I think most of these trucks need rockers and corners. Hopefully my info is helpful to someone else.

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

Clay,
Do you have any more specific info on that OEM wax. ( brand, part number, etc etc...)

Re: ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is
 

I will get a better pic of the can tonight.