Sarge's rattle-can rebuild

[68Timber]

Alright then, back to the windshield damage. I did not take enough pics to properly document what damage happened. The limb that fell had a curve in it, so it left two dents. One over the passenger side, but back from the windshield. That was probably the heavy end of the limb. It went deep enough to dent the inner cab shell, and when it popped that inner dent, it hit the vanity mirror on the visor and shattered it. I pushed up on the inner dent in the cab, it popped back into position. The second dent on top of the cab curved from the top and across the windshield gasket and made the mess I consider more serious - leaky windshields not allowed, especially when we have to buy a new one.

So, on to the pics. The first one is the damage as I found it, front view. You can see how the cab crown is mashed in on the passenger side. The second pic is terrible, but it's where I'd marked the perimeter of both dents with a yellow crayon. With flat paint, you can't see the edges of the dent even in person so I'm doing my Helen Keller bit, feeling with one hand and tracing with the other to outline my work area. Unfortunately, when I took the pic I was holding the camera up and couldn't see too good, so half the second dent is cut out of the pic. More pics to come though.

[68Timber]

I did get a stud welder but not from Eastwood. Harbor Freight had one that had forty-something reviews and a 4.5 star rating on sale for $109 with the slide hammer. Good enough for me. I'm no body guy, no shape/no how, but I don't mind trying. Plus we've all watched a million builds over the years on TV and elsewhere - that doesn't equate into experience or make me an expert. But we've seen this done many times and I've got a truck here that doesn't need a perfect repair, it just needs to be repaired. Anyway, that's how I talked myself into this foolishment. On to the pics.

In the next few pics you can see where I've used an angle die grinder and roloc disk to remove the paint where I think I need a stud, welding studs, using the slide hammer, and removing studs. In the last pic, that's of my work space. I've got a blanket on the dash/cowl to sit on with the windshield out, so it's not awkward work.

[68Timber]

And you keep at it until all of the concave dents are gone. The crown is back up there where it needs to be and the lip at the windshield is straight again. Bad pic, but it's straight. I did create some high spots that I need to tap back down. Last pic? Don't get carried away with the slide hammer if you have meat hooks for hands - it will take a bite.

Rain showed up so I pulled a tarp over it. But I got a 1 lb Bondo kit at the local Zone, so I am going to try giving it a skim coat and blocking it before paint repair. Also, I found two rust holes under the windshield gasket. I'm a total newb at welding but it's fun so I'm going to try repairing those myself as well.