The English are coming! Or..another C10 in the Motherland.

[60chevyjim]

didn't you cut out a big enough piece from the other truck cab ?
so that you cut can out your crushed part and weld in the straight rear post
from the parts cab ?
if not then maby you can drill a hole and put a nut n bolt with a loop to attach a come a long to , to winch the crushed area out . it may help to heat it with a torch while pulling
to make it bend back ezr .

[Paul Y]

Hi Jim,

I have the whole b pillar from Martins truck but wanted to see if I could avoid replacing a 'structural' part.

My experience with bodywork is pretty limited, if i were to replace the lower part of the b pillar where would be the best place to splice it in do you think?

P.

[ibrown50]

Paul, from the picture this looks like it will pull or perhaps more easily push out, cutting the spot welds on the outer rocker will help. Moving multiple layers welded together will often act either like a leaf spring or a laminated piece of wood

[Paul Y]

So… Tried this.



With some help from a nicely drilled hole and this



And achieved the square root of Diddly Squat…



This was the same as several hours of using blocks of wood, large hammers etc.

So, took a big deep breath, pulled on my Big Girl Pants



And…





Which also harvested me.



That was hiding in the inner sill and a whole load of Californian dirt.



Wonder if I paid extra for that…

Anyway, Martins truck keeps on giving so I have this



to replace the cut out portion once I work out where to make the cut on the sill line.

With everything out of the way I have managed to persuade the inner panel into shape.



Not perfect but a lot better than before and still more thumping to do.

Good job I had a really awful day at work and threw the towel in at 1pm for a little garage R&R.

Further advice, encouragement or general Urine taking greatly accepted.

P.

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

A little "afternoon therapy" is good. Nice job, its looking better.

[Grizz1963]

Well, as mentioned, at this rate you may have to change ownership docs or logbook soon.

I get what you did walking away from the desk.

Nice job.

[Paul Y]

I must invest in a camera as my iPhone makes it look like everything is covered in rust and decay when it is actually all pretty clean!

Anyway will be coating the sills in Waxoil before assembly, should be good for another 50 years...

P.

[mjh1965]

Looks good Paul as I said earlier and Ian had made the same comment . The only way to repair the inner was to remove the outer, but worth it . Repairing the inner and outer in metal is so rewarding . Best of all when you shut the door you won't be worrying that half a ton of filler (bondo) won't fall out .

[Paul Y]

Thanks Martin,

My body work skills are pretty limited but I am viewing this as 'I cant make it any worse!' and just giving it a go.

Found that looking at it for a while then walling away and coming back means that I have really considered how and whyI am going to do something.

Doesn't always work but I can see an improvement in my repairs.

Current status... Relaxed...

P.

[60chevyjim]

if you cant get the inner part straight enough , then I would replace enough of it to fix all of the damaged area .
my job is doing auto body repairs for around 40 years now.
so it seems ez for me to do it .
look at it for the best place to splice it to repair all damaged area
with the least amount of work .
and make shore that everything lines up good before welding anything.
you did good on the bed side repair so I know that you can do it.

[Paul Y]

Jim, Would appreciate you view on this.

After a lot of bumping the ‘new’ section does not fit, indicating that the inner panel is still twisted somewhere.





So. This is my thought on repairing.

I have the B pillar from Martins truck. Unfortunately the bottom is corroded beyond repair below the first captive nut.




Therefore this is my plan.

Cut the panel along the blue line.



Use the original lower part of the B panel to repair the replacement.



Weld the new panel back in.



I am making the cut at this height as it is where the final bit of damage ends

Does that make sense? Or how would you approach this repair.

Again, advice welcome.

P.

[ibrown50]

That would make sense to me, using as much of Martins panel as possible is a good idea because a) it's straight and b) the lower weld will be easier to hide.

It will be a nice repair when it's finished

[Paul Y]

Thanks Ian, I was trying to avoid cutting this much out but after sitting and looking at it for a few hours I think this is the only way I am going to be happy with the fitment.

Multiple deep breaths and numerous pairs of pants will be put into action tomorrow evening.

If it goes wrong I blame the Internet....

P.

[60chevyjim]

Paul that sounds good . that is what I would do also .
remember to check and make shore everything is lined up real good before any welding.
then put just a couple small tack welds to hold it in place
and check it again before you finish welding it for good .
its much ezr to remove a tack weld or two than your finished weld .

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Paul Y

Thanks Ian, I was trying to avoid cutting this much out but after sitting and looking at it for a few hours I think this is the only way I am going to be happy with the fitment.

Multiple deep breaths and numerous pairs of pants will be put into action tomorrow evening.

If it goes wrong I blame the Internet....

P.

Love that..... Perfect signature for many builds.


How would I approach it......???

Seeing as I have not started on that part of my truck........ Nervously.



I do not really know Paul, but we both know that you need a replacement panel of sorts.

Just a pity you,cannot buy one form a member on here, or that someone does not have the complete lump of cab to donate to your progress as the fun of the big girl pants really should be reserved for Friday evenings.


Watching with trepidation

[Paul Y]

Rian,

I have the right panel (just needs a little...love...)

What I need is some of what this chap possesses...



P.

[mjh1965]

Originally Posted by Paul Y

Rian,

I have the right panel (just needs a little...love...)

What I need is some of what this chap possesses...



P.

So true .
That or pay someone to do it Paul . Mind you my dad always said if you want it done right learn to do it yourself . You can do it just take your time .

[Paul Y]

Martin,

Not paying somebody to do it that is for sure!

Watch this space...

P.

[60chevyjim]

Paul you can do it . it will be ezr than you think
once you get the damaged rear post removed .
cut the lower part off the old post and use it
to repair the rusted part of the new post that your putting in.

remove the damaged rear post > before you cut the one your replacing it with
so you can use the old one to mark where to cut the one your replacing .
if your worried when cutting the new part , then leave it a little bit longer at the top
so you can trim it to get a perfect fit with no gap .

PS : before you cut the rusty bottom part off of the old post measure from the welded nut up 1 or 2 inches and put a reference mark on both posts so you will be able to check to make
shore the bottom part you replace on the new post is lined up in the same spot it needs to be .

[Paul Y]

Well. Taking a leaf out of my fury friends book I have grown a pair of Cajones. And a new cutting disk…



No going back now…



Purposefully made the cut a lot lower down than the ‘blue line’ as todays task was to repair the bottom section of the replacement B pillar.

With thanks to Jim and a few others I had thought long and hard about how I was going to ensure that these two holes…



…Lined up after surgery. So I knocked up this fixture using existing holes in both panels.



Once I knew I could line it all back up I cut out the cotton bit of the good panel…Chop Chop



Tacked the new bit in place with the fixture



Yes I know it is not the tightest fit….

And…Taa- Daa!!



Utilised the old sill to show it is all still lined up.



And threw some rust converter on it ahead of Phase 2.



That took me the best part of 3 hours so I am not going to be making a living out of this anytime soon. But! After the rather unpleasant couple of days I have had doing this has really relaxed me. Better than spending time in the Pub and Mrs Y knows where I am because she can hear the grinding, banging and general bad language from her seat on the sofa.

So… Stay tuned for the next update which will probably be at the weekend.

Phew!

P.

[Grizz1963]

As Don says

Progress is Progress.

Nice one Paul.

[Palf70Step]

Nice work!

[Paul Y]

Thanks Bill.

Every day is a school day.

P.

[60chevyjim]

great job I knew you could do it .

[Waynesworld]

Hello Paul!

Repair looking good! Less than a week until I head to Seattle and pick up mine! Getting excited!

A quick question, what did you do about headlights? Can they be swapped for a standard Lucas unit? Same as on an old spitfire/mini etc?

Cheers

Danny