Rat repair.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

It's a shame the angle piece didn't work out, Mike. As you're seeing, a long unsupported run of thin sheet metal is a bear to keep straight. Even when I weld a few short stretches and walk away, there's enough heat to warp the metal somewhat. Quenching the hot spots with water shrinks the metal, which is only a good thing if the area is crowned. I try to stay with the hammer and dolly until the last weld is done. Then use a shrinking disc or stud welder tip to heat the crowned spots and quickly quench with a cold wet rag. Some guys can work magic with an acetylene torch, but I always overdo it so I avoid that technique.

Sometimes access to the back of the panel with a dolly is a function of how the door is positioned. For instance, if I lay it flat on my scissor stands, the top is accessible, but the underside requires a triple jointed arm which I don't have. If, however, I stand the door on the top of the window frame and stand at one end or the other, I can comfortably reach both sides of the panel. At least I can hold a dolly on the inside and hammer on the outside. If I need to work out a low spot and have no room to swing a hammer I try to use wood blocks and a prybar. As a last resort I grab the stud welder and spot pull pins to the low area - which understandably isn't an option for everyone.

Just keep rubbing on it and work to get it close. For most of us, bondo is our friend. A true metal man can drastically reduce the amount of plastic filler needed, but I don't know anyone that can eliminate it completely.

Thank you Deadhead for the vote of confidence!

NonHog thanks for the suggestion, that dolly would not be long enough.

Hey Vic, There was some small livable waviness in the metal which i think was from folding the edges but the weld area was still pretty straight, only a couple small waves, that said i did forget about quenching and shrinking, i was just trying to keep the part cool. At this point i felt it was not a problem to continue, and probably find out how bad it would get...

I went ahead and tipped the door upside down like you said, i could reach about 1/2 of the welds, i was looking for a way to build an extended handle that might work for planishing the rest of the spots.

Having the door upside down revealed a couple things i didn't realize from looking directly at the face, from the forward bottom up to the weld seam, the face of the forward edge of the door curves inward which i believe is to help with clearance when the door is opened and closed, my patch panel had actually gotten curved the opposite way so it was dishing inward nothing a little bondo wouldn't fix but i also noticed i had an edge contour issue which i couldn't fix by subtle bending, i tried to reopen the fold but in doing so i pretty much messed up the edge enough that i'm gonna go ahead and start over. learn from experience right? I happen to have a spare LH skin in my stash that was given to me by another local board member.

I turned up the heat and feed on my welder and i can get a good penetration on the angle itself, i just need to figure out how not to burn the skin away in the process.

[swamp rat]

Please stand by for an important news bulletin...

The Welding department regrets to inform you that you were stupid..

After i messed up the skin i went ahead and cut my spot welds off and removed it, tried to straighten it a little but decided to go ahead and prep for the second skin. i looked over the angle and tried a test weld on the back side... then i increased the amps and feedrate... Humm .... Duh...

Anyway, the angle is welded in place now and i have got the second 3/4 skin rough cut down and started folding the lower lip, have to stop for the day.

Learn by doing, its going a lot faster this time around..

Now if i could learn how to grind off spot welds and not hit the surrounding skin

[DWilbur]

Don't worry about grinding the sheet metal around the spot welds. that's why God gave us Bondo.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by DWilbur

Don't worry about grinding the sheet metal around the spot welds. that's why God gave us Bondo.

yea i know, thankfully i have seen worse.

Only had about an hour today, got 2 edges rolled over and almost have the length fitted.

Now its starting to get hot (relative term) outside and i got to go to work where its always 10 degrees hotter in the shop on days like today, sure glad i don't live in AZ or S. Ca, but when i was in Eastern Wa i liked the heat because it was dry, over here its muggy.

[DWilbur]

I know what you mean about muggy. My dad is from Boston. I remember visiting I felt like a old glazed donut when the frosting starts to melt.

[swamp rat]

Another day, another late start, another hour of work.

Rolled the 3rd edge over and made a small radiused dolley to roll the lower rear rounded corner, then got the length trimmed to 1/16' longer than the original skin. ready to tack in place.

Now i just thought about how to spot weld the inner rolled edges, gonna have to drill some holes and not mess up the skin face..... guess i'll look at a spare door to figure out how many holes i need.

[7dee2]

Looks good!

[DWilbur]

Have you seen the spot welder at HF. it might be the way to go

[litew8]

Skimmed through the last few pages. Nice choice in compressor. Working on them doors, you braver than I. Seeing your last project, looking forward to seeing this one complete. Couple hours a day adds up. Keep at it

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by litew8

Skimmed through the last few pages. Nice choice in compressor. Working on them doors, you braver than I. Seeing your last project, looking forward to seeing this one complete. Couple hours a day adds up. Keep at it

Thanks for stopping by, ya know I'm not too sure if I'm brave or a glutton for punishment at this point, this door is frustrating as all get out.

As for the last project, i think you must have me mistaken for someone else, this is my first but hopefully not my last. Trying to teach myself how to be a body man is a major undertaking.

Update:

Been slow going, lots of OT at work has been sucking my energy but with the skin tacked in place today i mounted the door... Back to the drawing board! I realized the front lower skin stuck forward way too much I measured the passenger door and one of the other doors i have and this one was 1/4" too wide, altho i didn't have the door properly adjusted it was obvious it was the front edge that needed work. I also didn't trim the bottom of the hinge pins and the upper pin was hitting the door so i had to cut them down. the skin looked too long on the bottom.

Back in the garage I opened the fold and did my best to re roll it without removing the skin, lots better than that first attempt a while back when i trashed the first skin.. when i remounted the door a second time i realized the front fender has a slight contour (i think) and while the bottom corner looked good after re rolling the area between the corner and the cut no longer followed the contour of the fender so i'll have to use some filler rod and build up the middle. I removed the door again and am in the process of trimming the length to where i think it needs to be, plan on adjusting the hinges a little then remounting tomorrow.

Remember the aluminum slot mags i bought? I took them to be polished today, figure i'll get them back in a couple weeks, i'll be taking my current tires with me to remount them to the slots..

[Vic1947]

You're doing great, Mike. As you can see, test fitting the door tells you a lot and gives you the chance to make corrections. Rome wasn't built in a day.

[swamp rat]

Ok i know i'm doing this the hard way but i don't want to pull the hood and fenders just yet.

Anyway i have taken the door on and off about 7 times this weekend while fitting the skin and adjusting the door hinges, but am realizing that on this truck nothing is perfect, right now i have the rear door gap consistent to the cab and the body lines on the rear of the door and cab are real close, just a smidge high.

The biggest hurdle seems to be the window frame, the radius in the glass frame looks to be smaller than the cab and its hitting in the corner and along the top edge of the frame its a bit arched and hitting the top of the cab in the center of the top flat, along the front edge the window frame is further away at the bottom. it looks to me the only way to adjust the door to eliminate the interference is down but then the that affects the body lines.. the bottom contour looks good so my inner flange repair seems to be ok.

So tomorrow i'll look it over and get a fresh perspective, If I have to readjust the door again and try and drop the door just a little, maybe I'll get brave and see if i can bump that arch on the top down just a little. I'm gonna have to draw a conclusion soon and start stitching the lower skin for the last time.


As it is now i have 3 spot welds holding the skin in place, it looks like i'll have to cut them one last time and reposition the skin for the last time to true the bottom edge of the replacement skin to the lower cab.

Since i have been on this forum I have seen a lot of posts where people show a crack in their door next to a hinge, this weekend showed me how the cracks happen, its amazing how just a little misalignment can move the hinge mounting surface for the door out of true creating a binding affect.

I learned one more lesson today, irregardless of if the pork shoulder is on sale for 1/2 price or not, never slow cook a 8.75lb roast for pulled pork when there is only 2 people in the house! I just hated having to throw 2 3lb zip loc bags of it in the freezer..

[swamp rat]

Here's the bottom skin as it sits now.. i may need to work the rear bottom corner a little.

This door is aligned better than it ever has been in the past tho so i feel good about the progress. ya know it gets easier the more ya do it.

[rgunlock]

Its always hard to tell from pictures, but that top body line under the window looks like you could bring the door down another 1/8th, but then the lower body line doesn't look like you could afford it. I hear you on the on/off 7 times - its much easier when the glass and innards have been removed. Between that and too much pulled pork I bet you're feeling it today

[cmabolt]

Kudos Mike for doing the door the hard way and learning. Sometimes the most satisfying work is the stuff that doesn't come in the mail and need to be bolted on.

if you had some overages on the pork, you could have at least frozen a block and sent it to MD for cry in out loud.

But seriously, truck is coming along nicely.

Chris

[swamp rat]

I went out and did a little more adjusting today, i got the door lowered just a little and maybe the top is outward just a little too, it just clears the cab around the top. I have come to the conclusion that its good enough, its already way better than it was before i started. Now i have to cut the spot welds and readjust the bottom gap and tag it in place, then take it off one more time and weld it up, spread some bondo sand and prime, i may go so far as to buy a gallon of the origional paint, of course when i reinstall it i'll probably have to readjust it again..

I have to keep in mind this is my work truck, my goal is to fix the rust, preserve the truck and get the outside painted to match the old origional paint while keeping the truck road worthy in the process, its not a show truck, its a 20' truck LOL!

Then some day down the road when ready i may do a complete frame off and hire a body shop to do the fine tuneing.

[DWilbur]

The work you have done on the door looks real good. keep going.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by DWilbur

The work you have done on the door looks real good. keep going.

Thanks, its amazing how much you learn about things when ya do it on your own, i can guarentee the next time i have to do this it will go faster, i think it would have been a major help if i had a good sized picture of a door in front of me when i was doing this because i was thinking both edges of the door were suppose to be straight, but the front has a curve, its hard to see that when the door is laying on a table..

Today i made a couple final measurements and scribed another line on the replacement skin to trim to, removed the door, then measured the bottom to the origional scribe again and documented it, cut the 3 tacks, shaved the skin a little more, put it back in place and aligned to my last measurements and tacked it again, now i just have to start the welding process.

I don't mind saying that the heat over here has been zapping my energy levels a bit, sucking down lots of water..

[hddeluxe1]

Your right about the outdoor build.But you do what you have to.You look like you have a great project going on.My father in law has a 72 gmc 4x4 thats green with those same wheels.I had to do a double take.Wish you the best with your build and I' ll be looking forward to your new posts.

[sboris]

You've really come along on those doors. A lot of satisfaction when you conquer something like this. Those adjustments I know are a PITA! Are you doing those with the door seals in or out? Just mentioning it as I know it can cause issues later as I had to readjust when I installed my seals.
Jealous of those slots. Something that is on my list. Please post em up so I can drool a little.
I can't think of how many times I only had an hour or two to get something done, but it all added up!! Keep it up.

[7dee2]

20 footer? You’re too hard on yourself thinking more like 5!

Seriously you're doing a great job a lot of people would not fuss (slam artists) and it would look like crap those are the 20+ footers if finished at all.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by hddeluxe1

Your right about the outdoor build.But you do what you have to.You look like you have a great project going on.My father in law has a 72 gmc 4x4 thats green with those same wheels.I had to do a double take.Wish you the best with your build and I' ll be looking forward to your new posts.

Hey Thanks for stopping by!

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by sboris

You've really come along on those doors. A lot of satisfaction when you conquer something like this. Those adjustments I know are a PITA! Are you doing those with the door seals in or out? Just mentioning it as I know it can cause issues later as I had to readjust when I installed my seals.
Jealous of those slots. Something that is on my list. Please post em up so I can drool a little.
I can't think of how many times I only had an hour or two to get something done, but it all added up!! Keep it up.

You make a good point, whats there right now is whats left of the original seals, the lower part is gone, but about 3/4 of the seal remains.

Per the slots, they are 16.5", almost nobody makes 33" tires for them anymore so i figure i'd better get them polished and my recent 33" tires mounted on them before they get too old. I can still find 35" tires and have been thinking about buying a set sealing them in plastic bags and storing them but i know i'd be pushing the possibility of rubbing with the 4" lift and the possibility of them dry rotting. Kinda bummed i was told BFG was gonna continue making them so i bought tires and found the wheels, now its looking like i get one set of tires and the rims will become wall art.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by 7dee2

20 footer? You’re too hard on yourself thinking more like 5!

Seriously you're doing a great job a lot of people would not fuss (slam artists) and it would look like crap those are the 20+ footers if finished at all.

Thanks, i have a problem with not being able to say its good enough sometimes

Ok i'll meet ya in the middle and call it a 10 foot truck LOL!

[swamp rat]

So just waking up to my cup O mudd, i ran into something the other day and keep forgetting to ask..

My door lock tumbler worked fine before i started working on the door, now the key will go in but it won't turn, the door handle inside works fine, the outer door knob work's fine and the lock rod functions properly.. So did welding create enough current to weld the tumblers together? This keyed alike lock set is maybe only 4 years old...

Your thoughts?