"Slowly but Surely" Big J's build thread...

[jaros44sr]

Good motto,

[Big J]

Took the windshield frame out the other night. NO bad rust, just a bit of surface stuff. Yay!!!! Went on a little road trip today with Jamie72. We went down to Bowling Green KY to Southern KY Classics. I got some parts! Cowl hood, outer cab floor patches, kick panels, front bumper, front end bolt kit, door hinge repair kit, and a gas tank with all the goodies. They didn't have the tank in stock so they're gonna drop ship it to me. They even gave me a free shirt..... After hang'in there for a few checkin' out the store, which is a pretty cool store with a ton of stock, we headed to Arts cars. Its a muscle car dealer right in front of the Corvette museum. Everything in that place was BadA##! Vettes, Camaros, Belairs, just about any cool car you can think of was there. The lady at the desk said they were expanding with enough room to add 150 more cars. Its a museum in itself, only if you got the dough you can take an exhibit home, lol.... After that we headed over to the Corvette museum. Yeah, its a sweet place to check out. Vettes, vettes and more vettes. Every make model and year is represented, I think. If you've never been and roll up or down I65 through KY you have to stop and walk through. Its only 8.00....... Headed home after a bite at the Wendy's, love those jr. bacon cheese burgers! On to the pics....

[Big J]

More pics.....

[jaros44sr]

Sounds like Christmas came early for you, glad you had a great day, with new parts

That black and red big block has been my fav. since I was 16, some day....
I would change the wheels tho, never liked them.

Now its time to put your new pcs. on, have fun. Keep an eye on those kick panel pcs., they gave me the hardest time. J.

[5150]

Man J, you and Jamie should have called me I'm only like 35 minutes away from Bowling Green. Never been to Art's but I have been to the museum, it's really cool. But the best is going to the Corvette Plant, that is the coolest car thing I've ever done. Watching them make those things from nothing and then driving them off of the assembly line.

Wish I would have known you guys were so close.

[jamie72]

wish we knew you lived so close, we could have hooked up for sure.. we plan on going back and checking out the plant, as soon as big j save up some more money.lol

[Big J]

Yep, I still have some more goodies to buy so we'll yell at ya next time we head that direction.

[Big J]

Today was interesting. My wife and I were going to have my favorite family members (jamie72/blazergal) over for dinner. Some nasty weather moved in and ruined that, I had to cancel. They would've come regardless of road conditions but I'd feel real bad if they'd a had a crash on the way over. All was not lost though. I got to work on the Blazer all afternoon! I fixed the dash where I goofed it up while taking it out. I beat the metal back into place as good as I could then welded up the cuts. After grinding them down I used some filler and fixed it right up. Took the spot light out and fixed it. Then I decided to take off the previous owners efforts at fixing the rocker. It wasn't too bad under the sheet metal and fiberglass. The rear pillar looks pretty good. It has a line/hole through the middle of it that has me confused. Its not rusted out, just a hole, like a weld got to hot and melted through. Take a look and tell me what yall think.

[Big J]

couple more pics. The last one is of Saluke, the shop mascot. Thats his chair, he'll make you move if your sittin' in it when he comes in.

[jaros44sr]

Nice work on the dash...the problem I see, or don't see is the step up. There is no metal behind the 'B' post. That looks more like a rip than a hole.Possibly at some time that 'B' post was shoved to the outside of the vehicle, maybe an accident? How did your doors line up?
I had to replace the metal behind it, but I have no idea what it was supposed to look like since mine was gone. Where I cut my 'B' post there are still spot welds to a 3/4" flange that is attached to the step up. What you can't see in the pic is a very small offset to the front, it makes that area alot cleaner for lining up to the 'B' post

How does it look from the back side?

Possibly like this

[71jimmy]

Forgive my jumping in with a question here. I'm also working on this area on my Jimmy. Been following all the varies posts and have gleaned great info from them. The one item I've not seen discussed is what I have circled in the pic from Jarros44sr.

I don't think anyone makes a patch panel for this area. Has anyone repaired this area? How/what have you done? Any ideas appreciated. Thanks

[DURRTY]

These 2 parts go into that area http://classicheartbeat.com/catalog/...%20support.htm

and this

http://classicheartbeat.com/catalog/...nt%20panel.htm

I think on gmc pauls website there are pics of these parts installed

[jaros44sr]

Don't know for sure, but I think the parts Durrty is showing might get tied into the torsion box.

The part you are referring to is not available as far as I know, it is really the back side of the 'B' post. That is why mine is still open, I haven't tackled it yet. It isn't a very hard pc. to make, just haven't got roundtoit. I'll take a pic of what is left of mine in a minute...

[Chevyman63]

Could this be it?

http://www.tri-proautomotive.com/ser...t-dooor/Detail

Update: I just looked at it and I was wrong...that piece is behind the one that I put the link to.

[jaros44sr]

Sorry, I had to run and do Christmas shopping

Here's some pics of the area in question I think, they are a little blurry since its white paint









The second and third pic shows it best, the rusty pc. should continue forward about a 1/2" to 1", then bend at a 90 degree towards the interior. After this area is done then the lower forward 1/4 panel patch goes on top of this.
It should extend all the way down to the rocker panel, but I don't know what it looks like, so just wing it

Hope this helps

[Big J]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

Nice work on the dash...the problem I see, or don't see is the step up. There is no metal behind the 'B' post. That looks more like a rip than a hole.Possibly at some time that 'B' post was shoved to the outside of the vehicle, maybe an accident? How did your doors line up?
I had to replace the metal behind it, but I have no idea what it was supposed to look like since mine was gone. Where I cut my 'B' post there are still spot welds to a 3/4" flange that is attached to the step up. What you can't see in the pic is a very small offset to the front, it makes that area alot cleaner for lining up to the 'B' post

How does it look from the back side?

Possibly like this

I'll crawl under and get some pics of the backside. Who know if it was ever wrecked, lol..... The doors shut fine. The rocker boxes are still mostly intact. At first a rip is what I thought but its not a rip. More like a weld gone bad. I'll post up when I do some more investigation/cutting.

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by Big J

I'll crawl under and get some pics of the backside. Who know if it was ever wrecked, lol..... The doors shut fine. The rocker boxes are still mostly intact. At first a rip is what I thought but its not a rip. More like a weld gone bad. I'll post up when I do some more investigation/cutting.

Sorry about hijacking your thread, just trying to answer 71jimmy. I typed before I thought...

If your rocker boxes are in tact, you my not see that area. The rear mounting plate of the torsion box comes all the way up into the second brace of the bed... J

[Big J]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

Sorry about hijacking your thread, just trying to answer 71jimmy. I typed before I thought...

If your rocker boxes are in tact, you my not see that area. The rear mounting plate of the torsion box comes all the way up into the second brace of the bed... J

No problem, theres a difference between hijacking and helping someone. You had me worried about what might be hiding so I walked over to the garage, crawled under and snapped some pics. Its all good! Not rusted out at all, surprisingly. The drivers and passenger side are both solid. I took a couple pics of what one of the previous owners did to install some steps, cut a big square out of the rocker box.

[Chevyman63]

Originally Posted by Big J

I took a couple pics of what one of the previous owners did to install some steps, cut a big square out of the rocker box.

That really sucks! Are you going to patch those up or replace the entire box?

[jaros44sr]

Wow. that is prestine, except what the PO did. I'm glad for ya. That area did and is giving me fits J.

[71jimmy]

Your are lucky, those look great The inside fender pieces are pretty rusty on mine. I will need to make something, not sure how yet though. I don't think anyone makes a patch for this piece. It has some nasty bends/folds in it. If someone sees this and has tackled this, maybe they could open a new thread. I think the torsion box will be easy to fix. Good luck.

[Big J]

I'm going to clean up what they cut out of the boxes and weld some plate back in. Shouldn't be a big deal. I'll pour the Por-15 to it before closing it in. I need to finish the dash first. I tend to have a.d.d when it comes to this stuff. I'll start on this part then look at that part then find something else and before I know it I have 10 little projects going on........ Anyone heard the A.D.D song on the Bob and Tom show? Funny stuff....

[Chevyman63]

Originally Posted by Big J

I'm going to clean up what they cut out of the boxes and weld some plate back in. Shouldn't be a big deal. I'll pour the Por-15 to it before closing it in. I need to finish the dash first. I tend to have a.d.d when it comes to this stuff. I'll start on this part then look at that part then find something else and before I know it I have 10 little projects going on........ Anyone heard the A.D.D song on the Bob and Tom show? Funny stuff....

I just heard it yesterday and even though I've heard it several times before, I still laughed my butt off.

[jaros44sr]

[QUOTE=Big J;2492912 I'll start on this part then look at that part then find something else and before I know it I have 10 little projects going on. [/QUOTE]

I have a jimmy full of that stuff, I thought that was the way you are supposed to restore it

I finally made a todo list up on my computer, keeps me focused only on that one job, but keeps me from forgetting something down the road.

It also allows me to keep thoughts and ideas I get off the boards. Things that don't have to be dun right away, but future projects, like my 3/4 ton M/C install, my tilt install, mods. on my front leaf spring rear hangers.... the list goes on and on, but I don't have to think about it rite now. I have limited brain space, and my synapses are not firing as well as they should

[5150]

Great song, but then again everything on that show makes me about run off the road.

Donnie Baker is my hero Swear to god he is.