My 1970 GMC “Project Splice”

[Kronald_70GMC]

Originally Posted by ryans69chevy

Did you show how you did the shrinking? I need to do that to one of my panels. How did you go about doing that? Shrinking disc? I'm thinking I need to buy one...

That sounds like a good plan for the supports.

Holy cow! That's a bit cold for this time of year I'd say. We are also breaking records for the coldest temp. I need it to warm up so I can get outside and do more sanding!!

I think I breifly mentioned how I did the shrinking. Ill try to give you some more detail. I found a video on youtube that showed how to shrink using a propane torch. Basically what you want to do is heat up the high spot with the torch until it just starts to glow pink in the center. Then take your body hammer and a dolly and flatten down your high spot. Then you need a wet rag on hand so you can rapidlly cool the spot. This will shrink down your panel. Then if you end up with a crater, just contine the procedure again always heating the center of your high spot. Hope this helps. If you search how to shrink sheet metal on youtube, there was quite a few videos if I remember correctly.

I also need it to warm up so I can drag the rest of my truck home.

[ryans69chevy]

Originally Posted by Kronald_70GMC

I think I breifly mentioned how I did the shrinking. Ill try to give you some more detail. I found a video on youtube that showed how to shrink using a propane torch. Basically what you want to do is heat up the high spot with the torch until it just starts to glow pink in the center. Then take your body hammer and a dolly and flatten down your high spot. Then you need a wet rag on hand so you can rapidlly cool the spot. This will shrink down your panel. Then if you end up with a crater, just contine the procedure again always heating the center of your high spot. Hope this helps. If you search how to shrink sheet metal on youtube, there was quite a few videos if I remember correctly.

I also need it to warm up so I can drag the rest of my truck home.

So how bad was the high spot before you started shrinking it? Did you try hammer and dolly before shrinking? That's what I've been doing and it's probably my impatience, but I can't seem to get the panel to straighten out. I've thought of getting a shrinking disc but maybe I could try a handheld torch bottle.

[Kronald_70GMC]

Originally Posted by ryans69chevy

So how bad was the high spot before you started shrinking it? Did you try hammer and dolly before shrinking? That's what I've been doing and it's probably my impatience, but I can't seem to get the panel to straighten out. I've thought of getting a shrinking disc but maybe I could try a handheld torch bottle.

I was about 3/8" high. I needed to use heat to do it or It would have been oil canny. And it wont lay flat unless you use heat.

[Kronald_70GMC]

Got some more rust cut off. I started on the passenger side and got most of the rocker cut off and started drilling out the cab support. I also figured that I might as well pull the seat backing plate of and get rid of any rust betweet it and the floor pan before re installing it. Hopefully by next weekend the rest of the cab support is out.

[Kronald_70GMC]

Lots of progress made in the last two days. We are a little slow at work right now so I decided to take an unpaid day off yesterday. Which meant GOODBYE RUSTY CAB SUPPORT well almost. There is about two feet of the rear crossmember left. It is not a fun procedure thats for sure. I ended up having to cut the thing into a bunch of smaller pieces to get the welds to break loose. After all that I decided that the rest of it can stay there until it is in my way. So onto more floor pan replacement. I got the rear section cut out now and I just need to fine tune for fit. There were some minor diffrences between the old and new pieces but I think that was mostly because of a few small changes made to the 71-72 cabs. Anyway I got them all sorted out now. Hopfully Ill have it tacked in place tomorrow evening.

[builtbyKane]

That is a lot of hard time consuming work, but you are killing it.

[Kronald_70GMC]

Originally Posted by builtbyKane

That is a lot of hard time consuming work, but you are killing it.

Thanks!