Pieces

[Palf70Step]

I felt pretty good getting the filler neck cover done (Yes, I'll be working on the water thing Krue). This evening I started scrapping the bed, I noticed a much more liberal use of RTV and paint to cover rust than what I first thought when I got the 69's bed. Just about the time I think I am through with the welding....Oh well. It shouldn't be too bad to patch the front portion. I was debating on whether to take the front bed piece off anyways, this just made the answer absolute.

I still have some more to dig out of the passenger side, but it doesn't appear to be as bad over there. Dang that stuff is a pain to remove too!

[Palf70Step]

Taking that step backwards again.

Yanked the bed off the truck and put it on the stand so I can work on the newly found rust areas at the front of the bed floor and inner sides.

Those corner bolts between the front panel and bed floor are a B^%$# to get off, especially if your bed floor is shot. With the front panel off you can see what was previously covered by RTV and thick paint.

[Palf70Step]

I cut out the spots at the the front edge of the bed floor that were rusted out and welded in some new pieces. I still have to work the both corners of the bed floor, especially the drivers side. I also need to make some "L shaped patches" to replaced the lower front inner panels of the bed sides. That is going to be fun.

Oh, just in case you didn't know, if you do not get all the RTV cleaned off in the areas near where you are welding, it makes some real neat flames when you have your face down into it.

Anyways here is where I am at on the bed patches. I have to touch up a few places, but got tired of the flames and didn't feel like cleaning up RTV any more today, so I went into rest mode.

[GREASEMONKEY72]

well it looks like youre having fun, and looks like you have slightly less holes than i do exept mine isnt rust, stupid po's

[Palf70Step]

Got some more done on the bed today. Sometimes it seems like it takes an eternity to do these patches, but gotta go slow or create more work. I finished welding in the floor end of the bed, then I started on the rusted out inner bedside. Cut out the bad and made a patch from an old bedside. First shot is after some tacking. Second shot is where I left off today. I still need to tack/filling some holes in the floor, then do the passenger side inner bedside.

Hopefully this week I'll get to work on it some more instead of being stuck with WORK.

[Hart_Rod]

Looking good Bill, keep plugging away.

R

[GREASEMONKEY72]

some good progress

[Boog]

Bill, I know how you feel. Sometimes the more you look the more you find that needs to be fixed and wonder how did I not see that before. Hang in there. The worst part should be behind you now.

[krue]

Dang Bill, at least you're getting some work done on yours.

[Palf70Step]

I was able to get some more done today. Worked on the passenger inner bed side. I had to cut a bit more out that I originally thought because of some rust in spots higher up.

Not the straightest cut but I needed to keep it below the bend in the bed since I didn't want to figure out how to fab that out of my limited hand tools.

Used the old piece, or what would stay together as a partial template. Cut and bent it, then trimmed it to fit.

Man, those hard drive magnets are life savers. Thanks for the tip EdB. It gives me the many extra hands I never have. These babies have gotten a very healthy workout on this truck.

She is tacked in. I have to clean up the welds then finish her up. It looks like I should be able to begin the tedious task of stripping the inside and outside of the bed and get it in some eastwood & primer.

I think I was wetter leaving the shop than my wife and son were when they returned from the city pool. It is hot and welding in it didn't help the heat factor very much. But, I mayhave been wet and smelly, but I was another step closer.

[68chevy68]

your repair work is looking good. I had to do that same fix on the font part of the bed. Are those magnets just right out of a hard drive? I guess they hold well.? I bought some of those triangle magnets from harbor freight, but they are not very strong. nice work.

[Palf70Step]

Originally Posted by 68chevy68

y.........Are those magnets just right out of a hard drive? I guess they hold well.? I bought some of those triangle magnets from harbor freight, but they are not very strong. nice work.

Yes they are from old PC hard drives I had lying around and they are VERY strong, sometimes I think too strong, but they do test the strength of my welds.

[Palf70Step]

Well, made a little more progress today. I didn't get a lot of time as I had to clean up a bunch of trees and limbs that came down in a storm during the week. Finished sanding up (for now) the patches on the front of the bed. What an improvement over what was there under all that RTV.

Cleaned things up and shot some primer and rust paint on the inside panels, and hits the bed area with a little primer so it's not just bare metal while I strip the rest.

I had to shift things around in the shop so I could have the bed near the front door where I could roll it outside to do the sanding of the bed. Trucks do not move very well with just a floor jack. Darn thing is heavy with a engine in it. I need to get some of those wheelie caster things I guess. It took a while, but I got things arranged and cleaned the shop to boot.

Started stripping the outside of the bed. The air tools sure make it nice, but this thing has about 15 layers of paint. Man they laid it on!!

Didn't get real far as shoving that truck around tard me out

Oh well I better quit and read some posts from folks.

[Frizzle Fry]

Nice work!

[Piece of Work]

Very nice! My bed is in similar condition. I have seen my future...

-Mark

[krue]

Good work Bill!

[Palf70Step]

Been a productive weekend. Finally got some time yesterday and today to do the monotonous work of stripping the bed. But, before I got started I aded my latest shop addition, wheel dollies, to make shifting the 70 around a bit easier.

There is like 80 zillion layers of paint on the bed the came from the 69. It was a job cutting down through it. Unfortunately I found things I didn't like. On the passenger side (rear) I found a large spot of bondo on the side and around the taillight housing. I can't see any holes they tried to cover or bad dents, so I am hoping that side someone way trying to smooth it out some, maybe even the factory (unlikely for the size, but it was under even the original color). The driver side had a couple small spots of bondo (plus mine from the tank door install), but nothing major. I did find some rust holes buried under some bondo. On both sides I found the bondo over holes for tool boxes and rails, so between those and the rust spot, the welder will be out again.

[Palf70Step]

What worries me the most is what I found near the end of today when I started on the tailgate. What appears to be just tons of bondo. I know (especially back then) that they did do filler at the factory to smooth some things out, but the tailgate seems to be all over the major smooth areas with it.

I was glad at all the progress I made, especially since the bed had a lot more layers of paint than I originally anticipated. However, after seeing what was under the paint, especially the tailgate, it was kind of depressing. The gate wasn't perfect, but I wasn't looking to find a bondo factory, whoever put it one there. Again, it appears to be even under the original color of the 69, so I don't know. I guess I'll find out more when I get back to stripping more of it later in the week.

For not truck and bed are on their strollers and tucked in for the night.

[72CSTC5]

Well if the tailgate is not rusted I say save it. It is either all of this work or spend 400.00 dollars for bedsides and 325.00 for a gate.

[Palf70Step]

Originally Posted by 72CSTC5

Well if the tailgate is not rusted I say save it. It is either all of this work or spend 400.00 dollars for bedsides and 325.00 for a gate.

Oh, I definitely plan on saving it.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Where did ya get those dollys I really need a set... Progress looks really good too glad to see that Im nto the only one who got somethingdone..

[Palf70Step]

Harbor Freight.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Thanks bill...

[Palf70Step]

Got to spend a few hours today doing some more paint stripping. Worked on the outside of the tailgate. As I mentioned, there was a good bit of bondo on it. They tried to cover a lot of dings with it. I may need to do a little bit of rebondo-ing when I get ready for paint to smooth things out, but she turned out to be a bit better than what I was originally thinking. It's not the original gate, they must have got it from the 71 truck that evidently donated a lot of things to the 69 it was on.

The outside of the bed is pretty much ready for a quick run over with 80 grit sanding, then shooting it. Also got most of one side of the inside of the bed stripped, and worked on the floor too. Got about 1/3 of the bed floor stripped and the rust wired off. Who knows, I may get some Eastwood on it in the next week or so it it keeps rolling along.

[Palf70Step]

Man, who would think with all the tools and stuff it would take so long to strip 8000 layers of paint off this thing. I did the front panel today and around the area's I patched some more. I then painted all the joining areas with Eastwood. Unfortunately I did not have the black, so it got silver instead. It'll all be re-shot soon though. I just wanted to seal those hidden areas.

Bolted the front panel back on so it would stabilize the bedsides while I finish up the rest, hopefully a bunch later today.