Well, progress has been very slow lately! But I made a new friend....the EQUALIZER (2 lb sledge hammer)!!!
Sorry, no pictures at this time. Tried to take a few, but they really didn't show much and it was kinda hard to see anything.
The tilt steering has been installed. Surprisingly easier than I expected. Purchased the column from a member and after a few modifications and some TLC, the unit bolted right in place. Getting the slip shaft to slide was the most difficult part, but the EQUALIZER made short work of it!
Installed four patch panels in the bed portion of the floor. When I started wire brushing the floor area, started finding lots of bondo. Most of the bondo was used to reform the dented floor sections, but there were a few areas where the metal was completely gone. Magazine articles make it look really easy....Simple cut the panel to fit and weld it in place. Well, IT ISN'T THAT EASY! LOL Of course, the quality of the patch panels can make a big difference. I purchase panels from LMC, but unfortunately, the corrugations (I guess that is what you would call them) don't match the original flooring. They are slightly wider, so after the first couple, things don't match up well at all. So, I ended up cutting out the cancerous areas, then overlapping the patch panels by 1/2" all the way around. Since they didn't match perfectly, I used the EQUALIZER!
Since they are going to get a coating of Herculiner then carpeting over that, I don't really care about having the overlap joint showing. I fully welded the top section, then spot welded the underside. After a little wire brushing, I sprayed on some rust preventative paint. On the underside, I sprayed a heavy layer of rubberized undercoating around the overlap joint area to keep moisture out.
After the flooring section was repaired, I installed new rear wheel tubs. They didn't snug up perfectly due to the patch panel overlaps, but a little caulking applied to both the inside and outside joints fixed me right up.
I also tore into the driver's floor area. Whew...That was a mess too! There WAS a section of flooring the size of a football completely gone, with fiberglass replacing it. I cut out the cancerous flooring section and then had to replace front body support with a slip on unit. Again, magazines make these types of repairs look so easy, but they really are a pain. I again overlapped the patch panels and replaced the flooring. And once again, the EQUALIZER came in very handy, since none of the panels really wanted to fit right.
I purchased a set of seats from a local wrecking yard. I found a set of 2000 GMC bucket seats, tan, with full power, fold down arm rests, and the seat belt built into the seat back. It also included the center console. All this for $450. They were a little dirty, but overall in great shape. I set them on the new drivers floorpan to see how things were going to fit. The EQUALIZER came into play again, since I needed to flatten out some of the raised portions around the drivers floor area to make the seat fit flat. I shifted the seat as far back as I could, to give more room for the driver to sit. This shift required new brackets/plates to be welded on the bottom side of the floor with nuts welded on for easy fastening of the seat at a later date.
With the repairs complete and the seat brackets welded in place, it was time to reinstall the rocker box. Overall, the rocker box was in good shape, except for two large holes the PO had cut into the bottom for access. I repaired these holes, then wire brushed the inside of the rocker box. After a coat of rust preventative paint and a heavy layer of rubberized undercoating to the inside, I was ready to reinstall. Surprisingly, the rocker installed fairly easily. All I have left is tack weld the rocker panels to the rocker box and that installation will be complete. The EQUALIZER was feeling a little left out on this repair, so I beat on the side of the rocker box for a little while. This made sure it was good and tight before welding and while releaving a little of my stress, also made the EQUALIZER feel better too!
I still need to pull off the rocker box on the passenger side and replaced the cancerous flooring. I figure that I will also need to replace the front cab support, since the passenger side will most likely look just like the drivers side.
I am SOOO looking forward to driving GOOSE this summer. But I still have a long ways to go!
Till next time,
Rick