Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step

[sduckworth13]

Looks like you've been pretty busy Vic, it's looking good.

[jlsanborn]

I've seen a few of them filler holes patched around here but none as slick as that! Could you make me some new bed sides?

Nice work on that cab corner too. That was a big patch!

[jeh]

Vic, has anybody told you that You Do Some Awesome Metal Work. Looks Great!!!

[Xeen]

Originally Posted by jeh

Vic, has anybody told you that You Do Some Awesome Metal Work. Looks Great!!!

I know right? The best part about it is this is his "beater" LOL!

[mcbassin]

Awesome work on the cab Vic. You are really doing a good job on this thing. I like the English wheel, need to get one myself someday.
Keep the pictures coming.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Looks like you've been pretty busy Vic, it's looking good.

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

I've seen a few of them filler holes patched around here but none as slick as that! Could you make me some new bed sides?
Nice work on that cab corner too. That was a big patch!

Originally Posted by jeh

Vic, has anybody told you that You Do Some Awesome Metal Work. Looks Great!!!

Originally Posted by Xeen

I know right? The best part about it is this is his "beater" LOL!

Originally Posted by Low Elco

I appreciate the compliment. Nice job on the cab back. It's hard to hit a target when-there ain't no target!
How'd you like the Eng. wheel? I know you've got that sucker cut into about 8 pieces and wholly redesigned in your head. That's what we like about you.

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Awesome work on the cab Vic. You are really doing a good job on this thing. I like the English wheel, need to get one myself someday. Keep the pictures coming.

Nachos garcias, todos mi amigos!

The E-wheel will get gussets in both back corners, welds ground and properly TiG'd and maybe a bottom die with a bit less curve. Other than that, nada, nada, nada, limonada!

Slung more snow today and scored two bottles of Boulevard Chocolate Ale at the grocery store. At $15 a bottle it had better be as good as they say. Yo, Brian, you need to get that home brew operation in full swing. It could finance the rest of your build.

This afternoon I hacked up the driver side kick panel and lower front door pillar. I'd noticed I was right at the limit of the adjustment to move the bottom of the door inward and the position of the kick panel relative to the floor convinced me the upper part of the pillar needed some persuasion. This setup moved it in nearly 1/4" which let the patch panels fit much better. More pics tomorrow after I get the patches permanently affixed.

[jlsanborn]

What in the world is that attachment you've got going there senor? I'm always looking into the background of your pics and admire how organized and clean you can be with all that metal work going on in the space you have, then every day a new or different tool is in the news. Where do you store the myriad of tools and equipment you've collected? Can you imagine having two boys, 18 and 19 that rifle through your *hit like a free-for-all? Seems like half of my build time is clean up / find tools time!

[Vic1947]

Hey, John! That little dealy bobber is called a Porter Ferguson Bite Tite Clamp. I mainly use it for grabbing sheetmetal, but it can be configured several ways to latch onto thicker material. It has a bolt thru it to adjust the jaw width and act as a pivot. There's another bolt that increases the clamping force of the jaw and is the latch point for the pull ring. Handy little gizmo. For the pull I wanted to make today, I threaded bolts into the lower hinge plate from the inside and then put nuts and washers on the outside to help distribute the load. I aligned the flats on the two upper bolt heads so I could grab them as a unit with the Bite Tite. Soon as everything was snug, I used a come-along to gently move the pillar where it needed to be.

I keep stuff ratholed in cabinets, toolboxes and on shelves around the perimeter of the shop. Not having any "little helpers" means I usually have a good idea where to find stuff. If it's lost, there's no one to blame but me.

[mcbassin]

I want one of those tite clamps. I too can appreciate how organized and clean your shop looks. Mine always looks like a rummage sale in the background.

[Vic1947]

With the door pillar moved inward, I was able to get the kick panel spotted in today, followed by finishing out the lower door pillar patch. I've been avoiding welding out too much with the MiG as I'm running low on C25. The bed of the little Ford Ranger I bought a couple of weeks ago is full of snow and I'm not motivated to clean it out for a run to the welding store. Up next is the rocker panel. A trial fit indicated I'll need to make some minor mods to it like the other side, but it's looking okay.

[sduckworth13]

All your metal work looks amazing Vic. I feel like I'm getting a free welding class everytime I get to see your work.

[jaros44sr]

Very well done Vic, great work.....thanks for writing about that bite tight, awesome tool for a difficult job, but i have a question about your spot welder, can you show a pic sometime of the arms you used around the cowl/ firewall seam....i know its tight,space wise, up in that area, but curious to see what spot weld tool you used in that area

Thanks for your time, and keep up the good work

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

Very well done Vic, great work.....thanks for writing about that bite tight, awesome tool for a difficult job, but i have a question about your spot welder, can you show a pic sometime of the arms you used around the cowl/ firewall seam....i know its tight,space wise, up in that area, but curious to see what spot weld tool you used in that area

Thanks for your time, and keep up the good work

Sure thing, Jim. I ran into the tight quarters problem around the firewall on my previous build. I solved it by ordering a piece of solid copper stock and making an end lug that would fit in the space.

[jaros44sr]

Perfect, just what i needed, thank you.....just went on the porter ferguson site, gotta order up one of the long nose bite tite

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

Perfect, just what i needed, thank you.....just went on the porter ferguson site, gotta order up one of the long nose bite tite

Glad to be of assistance! The PF stuff has gone up in price. I bought mine 30 years ago and got the whole clamp for less than what they get for one half now. Those were the days...

[Hardesty454]

What a great build. I feel like I need to invest in a spot welder now :/

[Low Elco]

Very pretty work. That kick panel really came out nice.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Very pretty work. That kick panel really came out nice.

Thanks, Chip. Had to take some time off today, so not much got done. Did manage to test fit the driver side rocker panel and was pleasantly surprised that it will not require any surgery. Just some minor hammer and dolly work was all it took to get it close enough for Mr. MiG. After that, the door goes back on and it will be time to weld and smooth everything out.

[Low Elco]

Very nice!

How does the front clip metal look?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Very nice!

How does the front clip metal look?

The fenders and core support are new reproduction pieces. The rest is in pretty decent shape. Brian G. gave me a hood that will require a little work, but since I plan to graft on the hood bubble I took off the old one, I'll address the various shortcomings at that time.

[Low Elco]

Well, if you don't have inners yet, I can report the Certifit ones worked great-and were a bunch cheaper than the resto houses. I scrubbed and shot 'em and slapped 'em in.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Well, if you don't have inners yet, I can report the Certifit ones worked great-and were a bunch cheaper than the resto houses. I scrubbed and shot 'em and slapped 'em in.

I do have the inners ...got them from Bob's Vintage over in Lenexa. They had a few holes that I've already patched, so I intend to use them. However, I pulled up the Certifit online catalog to see what else they might have and it doesn't go back further than '73. Do they stock the older stuff (or can get it) and it just doesn't show?

[Low Elco]

I'm 99% sure it was Certifit. The place off Front Street and Universal Ave. I think I got the tip off of here. They had one in stock, and Ordered the other one. As I recall, it was one of those ask for it deals. I've gotta call 'em about ones for LBT, in fact. Uncle Matt called and cash-ticketed it from the shop, so even bigger hookup.

[Vic1947]

Remember a few days ago I remarked how great the rocker panel fit and how I wouldn't need to cut it up? Well, that was then and this is now. After the initial fitment, I bolted on the door to see how much gap I had at the bottom. Turns out there was none at all. In fact, with the door adjusted about as far up as it would go, the door edge was scraping the rocker sill at the front edge. Not so bad at the back edge, but the front of the rocker panel definitely needed to move down at least 1/4". I trimmed away the excess metal on the kick panel, but that gave me very little downward adjustment. After many frustrating hours hanging the door, adjusting it, removing it, making minor cuts here and there, seeking an elusive cure and then repeating the process, I finally gave in and did what I'd been avoiding all along. I cut out a 1-1/8" x 28" section of the floor that was preventing the rocker panel travel I needed. It looked as if the die had not formed that area correctly during the stamping process.

To reinstall the strip, I put a 90 in a couple of 1" wide strips of sheetmetal and then spotwelded them to the original piece, one facing up on the back, the other facing down on the front. After cutting away a long, thin pie slice, I was able to drop the front edge down the 1/4" I needed. The rest was a matter of welding and grinding. Along the way, I temporarily tacked the various pieces in place and checked the door fit. Three days after my ill advised remark, it fits pretty good. You can see in the last photo how much I was able to move the rocker panel from its original location.

[mcbassin]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Remember a few days ago I remarked how great the rocker panel fit and how I wouldn't need to cut it up? Well, that was then and this is now. After the initial fitment, I bolted on the door to see how much gap I had at the bottom. Turns out there was none at all. In fact, with the door adjusted about as far up as it would go, the door edge was scraping the rocker sill at the front edge. Not so bad at the back edge, but the front of the rocker panel definitely needed to move down at least 1/4". I trimmed away the excess metal on the kick panel, but that gave me very little downward adjustment. After many frustrating hours hanging the door, adjusting it, removing it, making minor cuts here and there, seeking an elusive cure and then repeating the process, I finally gave in and did what I'd been avoiding all along. I cut out a 1-1/8" x 28" section of the floor that was preventing the rocker panel travel I needed. It looked as if the die had not formed that area correctly during the stamping process.

To reinstall the strip, I put a 90 in a couple of 1" wide strips of sheetmetal and then spotwelded them to the original piece, one facing up on the back, the other facing down on the front. After cutting away a long, thin pie slice, I was able to drop the front edge down the 1/4" I needed. The rest was a matter of welding and grinding. Along the way, I temporarily tacked the various pieces in place and checked the door fit. Three days after my ill advised remark, it fits pretty good. You can see in the last photo how much I was able to move the rocker panel from its original location.

That is exactly what I needed to do on my driver side. I had the same problem. I didn't take enough off though, after mounting my cab on the frame and trying to align with my fender I ended having to trim another 1/8" off to get the gap at the bottom half way decent.

I know you spent a bunch of time on that, hanging the doors, testing, cutting all that adds up. It looks like you have it dialed in now though.