Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...

[DD1]

Originally Posted by NewType72

Should have plenty of room either way. I don't believe you're as low as my 72 so flat may work best to get them further back. Mine are about dead center on the length of the trailing arm and have a good sound without the drone (flowmaster super 40's)

Thanks for the help, Dylan. The truck is at stock height as far as I know, and I agree I probably have room to push them back flat is needed. Hopefully I will have time this weekend to mess with it.

[DD1]

This is not much of an update. I picked up a couple of 18" pipe extensions, but did not have time to try them out. My truck is all wrapped up outside my garage while the work is being done. I might bring it back in this weekend, weather permitting, but it could end up staying outside for another week. Then I have to move everything back to the garage. There is a good chance I might not get back to it till November.

[DD1]

Happy New Year, everyone! I have spent way too much time away from the truck and want to start getting back to it by next weekend. The last few months have been a mix of getting other stuff done and further injuring myself.

I mentioned in my last post that I had to get structural work done to my garage. It has been completed, more or less. We had to remove almost everything from the garage into a storage pod in my backyard, let them do the work, then put everything back.

We removed a support someone created, so I had to sister the ceiling beams to support weight in the attic. The contractors wanted an additional $3800 to do this, which I did not have to pay them, so I did it myself.

Here are some things I did in the meantime:

Around Labor Day weekend, I picked up a replacement bed, right bedside, front panel, wheel tubs, and splash guards from someone on the board. This should take care of most of the bed parts I need. It will be a while before I do anything with the bed, but they were decent parts at a good price, and exactly what I needed so I had to grab them while I could.





This is the bed floor after I got it home, and then after I wrapped it up for the winter, and hyper-extended my thumb while trying to move it. That pretty much killed the use of my left hand for at least a month. After the contractors were done with the garage, my wife and I were trying to move the bed, and while holding it up, it slipped and caught my left thumb before I could stop it and bent it backwards way too far.



On the bright side, I did get a brand new concrete floor poured in the 16x20 room in the back of my garage, and even better I had stairs installed - no more climbing up a ladder to store stuff.


Spent the next few weeks, installing the beams that I sistered next to the originals and then replacing the upstairs floor with 3/4" plywood.


My friend came across a MAC blasting cabinet that needs a bit of work. I have to replace the window with plywood, and get flanges for the gloves to fit. I think I can do it pretty cheap with Home Depot parts, but if anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them. Or should I just buy a new blasting cabinet?



And then finally, my furry kid died on 12/9, after fighting cancer for over 1-1/2 years. Oh, and in late January I get to have a hernia operation done. Plan to spend much of the downtime working on the truck.



So, this weekend I need to organize the garage a lot more, and then hopefully next weekend I can start back on the truck. Hope everyone has a great New Year! I am not much into resolutions, but if I had to make one, it would be getting the truck DONE!

[swamp rat]

Nice to hear from you again! sorry about the fury family member, been thru that a number of times, we currently have a brood of 6 dogs and cats and looking for another dog now, don't tell the county.... I had a doubly hernia repair about 5? years ago, not too fun once the meds wear off. Great score on the parts and i'm jelouse of your garage and new floor to say the least, get back at it when you can but take the time to heal yourself too.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Nice to hear from you again! sorry about the fury family member, been thru that a number of times, we currently have a brood of 6 dogs and cats and looking for another dog now, don't tell the county.... I had a doubly hernia repair about 5? years ago, not too fun once the meds wear off. Great score on the parts and i'm jealous of your garage and new floor to say the least, get back at it when you can but take the time to heal yourself too.

Thanks, Mike! I am not too concerned about the surgery, but I am getting tired of having them. In 2015 I had two surgeries and a manipulation done to my shoulder. How's your shoulder coming along?

Oh, and I forgot to mention in the other post that about a week and a half ago, I slipped on ice in my back yard, and literally busted my a**. My right cheek still hurts if I sit down on a hard chair for too long. On the bright side, at least I did not land on my shoulder.

I know you messed around with a blasting cabinet - what do you think about the one I got? Fix it up or buy a new one? I know MAC is a good brand.

[swamp rat]

By all means fix it up! there are blast cabinet parts available on Ebay and Vic Cook posted a link on my build thread too, I had the link in my faves but that computer died and I lost a lot of stuff with it. You may need to buy the window surround from Mac? Not sure if the opening is standard. You can find everything you need.

My shoulder is doing well, still hurts a little to sleep on it and still working on reaching behind my back a bit.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

By all means fix it up! there are blast cabinet parts available on Ebay and Vic Cook posted a link on my build thread too, I had the link in my faves but that computer died and I lost a lot of stuff with it. You may need to buy the window surround from Mac? Not sure if the opening is standard. You can find everything you need.

My shoulder is doing well, still hurts a little to sleep on it and still working on reaching behind my back a bit.

Glad to hear your are doing better. It will get better over time. For reaching behind my back, I went to the gym and used a weight machine with a 5lb weight - I would pull the cord down and let the weight slowly bring my arm back up behind my back. As far as sleeping on it goes, the best way to stop it from hurting is to not do that.

You are right about fixing the blast cabinet. I feel really dumb about this, but I thought I had to replace the glove flange, which is why I have not got it going as yet. After looking online and not seeing any 5" flanges, and preferring not to cut the cabinet up to fit the skat blast flanges, I saw a video of another cabinet that made me go out in the cold to look at mine.

Of course I find that the flanges are built into the unit. I never paid attention to the inside of the holes.

All I need now is a replacement glass and a light for the inside. I'll have to read about some of your mods again to see if there are any more upgrades I want to make.

You made me look at it again! Thanks!

[DD1]

Mike, you were right about fixing up the blasting cabinet. It's coming along well. I got the replacement glass from TiP tools, went to Home Depot and got some screws, nuts, and washers (of course not enough washers), and it's looking better already. Took it inside the house so I could glue down the gasket in warmer temperatures.

I am going to test it out this weekend by blasting the inside of the cabinet. It could use a good cleaning.

The only thing I am not sure of is what kind of replacement nozzles to use. It has a steel nozzle on it now. I also stripped the allen wrench screw that holds the nozzle in place, so I need to find a replacement screw if and when I drill it out.

Any suggestions for a good light kit for inside? The ones they sell on TP Tools seem kinda pricey.

Looking forward to trying this thing out and starting to blast some parts!

Before & After:


I thought I was going to have to buy a new gun, because this one was frozen. I took it apart, sprayed it full with WD-40, then kept pushing the valve open and shut with the trigger and a screwdriver. Replaced the spring with a leftover from a carb kit, and it's good to go.



Ordered new gloves on Amazon because the one it came with are crap; should get here on Saturday:

[swamp rat]

First thing first, you need a vacuum system before you start blasting, all that air pressure needs someplace to go, no vacuum means that sand will look for every nook and seam to find a way out of that cabinet, it also controls the dust so you can see better.

There is a lot of stuff in Ebay, if I had seen this light I may have bought a couple, its pretty much what I got but less money. They do generate heat VS an LED or Florescent light system but the heat I think helps the media stay dry

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sandblast-Ca...MAAOSw5cNYQzSN

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Skat-Blast-C...996282&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Economy-Blas...194516&vxp=mtr



Gloves: You did measure the diameter of the flange right? gloves are made in many sizes. Example below

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw...loves&_sacat=0

I don't know how big your compressor is but i'd try and look up the cabinets CFM requirement and have a look at your compressor.
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[DD1]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

First thing first, you need a vacuum system before you start blasting, all that air pressure needs someplace to go, no vacuum means that sand will look for every nook and seam to find a way out of that cabinet, it also controls the dust so you can see better.

There is a lot of stuff in Ebay, if I had seen this light I may have bought a couple, its pretty much what I got but less money. They do generate heat VS an LED or Florescent light system but the heat I think helps the media stay dry


Gloves: You did measure the diameter of the flange right? gloves are made in many sizes. Example below

I don't know how big your compressor is but i'd try and look up the cabinets CFM requirement and have a look at your compressor.

.

Thanks, Mike.

I did read about the lamps providing heat that will help keep the media dry. I am thinking about looking at home depot and building the light myself. $30 seems pricey, and I have to take it apart to install it in the cabinet anyway.

I did measure the flange - it is 6" and I ordered a 6" pair of gloves.

The first thing I actually need to do is test the gun. My compressor is pretty large - it was a birthday gift from the wifey a few years ago. It has 11.5 SCFM at 90 PSI. I found the pics I posted back in 2013:



It's not hooked up since I dismantled everything for the garage repair, but maybe I will try and get it re-installed this weekend. My small portable compressor is probably not strong enough for blasting, but it should be fine to make sure the valve in the gun is not leaking.

As far as looking up the cabinets CFM rating, I have searched endlessly, and cannot find this particular MAC Tool brand cabinet / gun anywhere. It's as if it does not exist. My search for old or vintage MAC cabinets have been fruitless.

I have been looking at your vacuum system quite a bit over the past few weeks. After I get the system working and the lights setup, I will probably try and do something similar.

[mcbassin]

Sorry to read about your Kitty Darian, I know how attached we get to our best friends.

Nice looking compressor and blast cabinet!

[DD1]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Sorry to read about your Kitty Darian, I know how attached we get to our best friends.

Nice looking compressor and blast cabinet!

Thanks, Mike! I appreciate it. He fought cancer for almost two years, much longer than we expected. He was like having a furry son, without the college tuition.

I am waiting for my Amazon package with the gloves and oil/water separator. I could test out the gun without it, but it's cold and snowing outside, and I'm too damn lazy. If the cabinet was in the garage, I probably would, but I brought it inside a couple days ago so I could glue the gasket for the glass in a warmer temperature.

Thinking I'm gonna try and get my aching butt off the couch, go out in the cold, and reinstall my air compressor. Oh yeah, I also ordered a donut from Amazon so that sitting down is not so painful from my slipping on ice Christmas week. Need an emoji that falls in the other direction.

[swamp rat]

Weather strip foam works great for the glass and easy to change later .

[DD1]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Weather strip foam works great for the glass and easy to change later .

Yeah, thought about that. The gasket was only loose in a couple of spots, so the glue worked well. If I have to do it again at some point, I will go with weather gasket. I think that might be what's on it now. I did not feel like taking the whole thing off when it was mostly in good shape.

[DD1]

Quick Update: Installed the gloves & water separator yesterday. Took it out in the garage in the 18 degree weather, and plugged it into my portable compressor. As expected, the small compressor is not enough to actually do anything, but it's enough to tell me that the gun works. It sucks in air and media and spits it right back out, and the trigger works fine. It would be nice if the glove flange was a little bit wider, they are a bit of a pain to clamp on easily.

Next is to either build or buy a light kit. Traveling for work this week, so that will wait for next weekend.

[DD1]

Ok, I am finally back to trying to work on my truck and posting. Some quick updates:

- My surgery in January went well although there some minor post surgery complications, and I have more or less recovered from it.

- My garage work is not completed nor have i finished organizing it again, but at least now I don't have to worry about it falling down one day.

- Got my air compressor hooked up again and my blasting cabiner connected and of course the pressure switch on the compressor decided to break. Ordered a new switch.

I decided to take a break from working on the garage this weekend, and get back to working on the truck. My goal for the weekend is simple - get the Cab Corner in place.

This is where I left off last year.



Made a couple minor adjustments, then I drilled out the holes for spot welding to the floor and brushed on some weld thru primer.



Put it back on the cab and start making some crappy looking welds.





Here's how I left it. More to come tomorrow.


Oh and then there's this... There was a full flame on my leg before I took this pic. Need to get new shoelaces too.

[DD1]

I have spent a few hours here and there working on the cab corner, finishing up the parts that still need to be welded, and fixing some of the bad welds I made.

I had a few issues with my welder including not realizing I ran out of gas, and then after I bought a larger tank, my regulator broke and leaked all the gas out of the new tank.

I switched to 0.24 wire size, and practiced a bit more, and the pics below is what I ended up with. Sometimes I was on a role and would do a bunch of good welds, then I would just start burning through. I could be wrong, but I think the metal on the back of the cab is thinner than the cab corner patch panel.

I have two possible issues I need to figure out how to resolve:

1. There is a gap between the cab corner and the back of the floor. I can probably press it in to spot weld it, or place a couple of sheet metal screws around the hole I am spot welding.

There is really no room to use a clamp on the floor to press it against the cab corner.

2. The part of the cab corner that wraps around the door pillar; it is flat against the sheet metal in the front, but not on the side. Does it have to be spot welded on the side? Should I bang out the metal on the pillar to meet the cab corner?

Here are some pics, but you are warned - these pics are NOT pretty. It does not bother me too much because this is not a very visible part of the truck when it is mounted on the frame, and I figure that's what Bondo is for, right?

My latest weld job:



Does this side have to be spot welded to the door pillar?


This side makes contact and can be spot welded:


These are the holes I made to spot weld to the back of the floor. There is a gap between the floor and the cab corner. Should I just press it in or do I need to start over?


Here is the gap from the inside of the cab:

[DD1]

I answered one of my questions. The cab corner does not need to be welded to the door pillar on the outer side. I checked the other side - would have been nice if I had done that before I drilled the holes - it is not welded and there is a gap between the pillar and the cab corner.

Decided to take a break from the cab corner and work on the door pillar on the other side. I had tack welded it a while ago, but it needed quite a bit of work to be completed.

I had to fill some gaps. Did my best to weld it, and I think I did an ok job. A friend suggested I had filled in the gap with weld, but I felt more comfortable using a piece of filler metal.





After first weld:


2nd weld:




I don't have pics, but I managed to fill in some of the smaller gaps pretty well with a welding spoon.

I am hoping to be able to get the cab done enough this year so I can put it on the frame and check the door and rocker panel fitment.

[swamp rat]

Keep at it, the more ya do the easier it gets, the back of the corner is suppose to touch and be welded, using sheet metal screws is a good idea.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Keep at it, the more ya do the easier it gets, the back of the corner is suppose to touch and be welded, using sheet metal screws is a good idea.

Hey Mike, it's been a while. What's going on with your truck?

Just to make sure we are talking about the same thing, you are saying I was right to drill holes at the arrows in the pic below, and that it should be touching and spot welded? It makes sense that it should be connected. I was surprised the other side was not.

The other side of the cab is not, but someone else replaced the cab corners previously, and that means they (not surprisingly) did it wrong.

thanks for the help.

[swamp rat]

No, I was talking about the back side of the cab corner where it meets the floor, screw it down so the pieces mate up and no to minimal gap.

I haven't been working on the truck for a couple reasons, we hav had massive rainfall this spring, plus my neighbor decided to make a dog shelter and string up a tarp from the his house to tha same fence line so an additional 12 square foot of rainwater has been funneled down to the ground and has been leaching under the car cover, just a little too wet for welding, I may give it a go soon as we are finally starting to get some better weather.

So I have been spending my time doing a little fishing for Steelhead, setting up a pontoon boat for and doing some lake fishing and raising a new German Sheppard who is now 6.5 months and 70 lbs. I haven't been posting much but I'm still following some threads here.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

No, I was talking about the back side of the cab corner where it meets the floor, screw it down so the pieces mate up and no to minimal gap.

I haven't been working on the truck for a couple reasons, we hav had massive rainfall this spring, plus my neighbor decided to make a dog shelter and string up a tarp from the his house to tha same fence line so an additional 12 square foot of rainwater has been funneled down to the ground and has been leaching under the car cover, just a little too wet for welding, I may give it a go soon as we are finally starting to get some better weather.

So I have been spending my time doing a little fishing for Steelhead, setting up a pontoon boat for and doing some lake fishing and raising a new German Sheppard who is now 6.5 months and 70 lbs. I haven't been posting much but I'm still following some threads here.

\

Oh,okay. So the part in the picture I posted is not necessarily supposed to be touching?

I knew the back of the cab corner had to touch, and I think the screws will be the most effective way, even though it will create more tiny holes for me to weld.

I got my blasting cabinet working finally. At some point, I am going to install a light and a vacuum system like you did.

Nice pics. Before I logged in, I was thinking that I would ask you to post a pic of the german shepard; it's been a while since the last pic you showed and he has apparently grown quite a bit. I'm not much of an outdoors person, but you seem to be enjoying yourself. I like the Pontoon boat.

How's the shoulder coming along?

[swamp rat]

Per your picture with the arrows I don't know if the holes with the arrows should be flush as I have not replaced that piecce.

The dogs mom was a silver sable Sheppard and the dad is a red sable Sheppard, the only good pic I have was about 4 months old. Btw the largeststeelhead in that first pic was 41", my biggest ever.

Shoulder is doing well.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by DD1

Just to make sure we are talking about the same thing, you are saying I was right to drill holes at the arrows in the pic below, and that it should be touching and spot welded? It makes sense that it should be connected. I was surprised the other side was not.

The other side of the cab is not, but someone else replaced the cab corners previously, and that means they (not surprisingly) did it wrong.

I searched on the forum and found from other posts that there is supposed to be a gap between the cab corner and door pillar. If the rocker and door do not line up, I can adjust the cab corner to match the door.

Of course that means that I need to test fit the door before I spot weld the cab corner.

[DD1]

In the last post I mentioned that I want to mount the door and see how it lines up with the cab corner before I finish the cab corner. After having work done on my garage last year, things are still disorganized, so I started looking for the hinges. I searched all over and could not find them.

Turns out, I should have been looking for the doors, because the hinges are attached to the doors, and the door are in the truck bed. That's a problem because this is the truck bed right now:



I can't fit the door until I get the sheet rock off, and I am not going to move the sheet rock again. When it leaves the truck, it goes right on the wall.

I decided in the meantime to move on to the drivers side of the cab. I finished patching up the gap in the door pillar, and I was not completely happy with the quality of the welds, so I welded it again from the back. The nice thing here is I don't care how it looks or about grinding it much.

Then I moved on to the cab corner. I really hate cab corners. I think (or thought) I cut it pretty well. Then I split it like I did with the passenger side because it's not a good fit. I am not happy with the overall fitting of the split pieces. It worked a lot better on the other side.





Lines up pretty well with the original piece.


Started off tack welding the smaller piece.


But I am not happy with the gaps in between the pieces. It may not look that bad in these images, but it's not great.





I am not happy with the Tabco cab corners. I am considering getting one from Classic Parts and trying this side again.