Working Man's Burbon

[LockDoc]

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Good on her.

I have stitched a few of them. The hardest part for me is finding a heavy thread the right color. I usually use Coats & Clarks "Carpet And Button Thread" It is about the right weight.....

LockDoc

[pontiacvince]

Originally Posted by HO455

Not much activity on the Burban repair front as of late. Been lots of driving with my mom passing and having to move her stuff. Then another trip to Dufur for a funeral of a friend. I haven't been to Dufur in 5 years and now. 2 trips in 3 months.

On one of the hundred of trip outside of the normal ones in the last 2 months my buddies wife took pity on the WMB's visors. Like most, the stitching had failed and after she noticed it she insisted on restitching them. Before and after shots.
Now it has become apparent that I need to respray the visors as the OPs previous recolor from the visor's original blue to gray is now showing its age.

Big shout of thanks to Jen!

I meant to get down to Dufur for the cruise and the auction, but couldn't make it happen.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by pontiacvince

I meant to get down to Dufur for the cruise and the auction, but couldn't make it happen.

I know that feeling. I believe the family is still going to be selling stuff this weekend. When I left Saturday evening there was still a lot of stuff available. Unfortunately for me Marc had decided to concentrate on 64 to 67's, some 20 years ago, so there wasn't much 68-69 specific stuff left. I had purchased a fair bit from him back in the 90's and early 2000's.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

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Good on her.

I have stitched a few of them. The hardest part for me is finding a heavy thread the right color. I usually use Coats & Clarks "Carpet And Button Thread" It is about the right weight.....

LockDoc

I don't know what exact thread she used but, she does upholstery work, as well as making chain mail jewelry, on the side so I'm sure she used the right stuff.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by HO455

I don't know what exact thread she used but, she does upholstery work, as well as making chain mail jewelry, on the side so I'm sure she used the right stuff.

Yup, I'm bettin' she did....

[HO455]

Nothing but unfortunate news to post this morning. First while washing the truck Monday night I noticed that some kind of chemical got on the top of the left front fender and damaged the paint. I haven't done anything but drive the WMB as of late so I don't know where it came from.

Then this morning 20 minutes after I got to work this morning I had to go back out to the truck. That's when I noticed the passenger side window was fogging up above the defroster vent. Uggg! It's like 60 degrees outside this morning so I guess it's time to pull the heater core and get it rebuilt. Oh yay!

[kev2809]

60 degrees?? so jealous

[HO455]

It's nicer this weekend. They're predicting 94 degrees today whereas 2 weeks ago it was 100 plus. All the whining around here was worse than the temperature.

[kev2809]

lol we have been over 100 plus for like 2 months it feels like...and no rain

[HO455]

Dove into the heater core project today. Once again the PO's have left their mark. To get the box out I went with the fender well method. It wasn't too terrible as I have removed all the fender well bolts at least once since I've owned the truck. Which means no broken cage nuts this time.

The last time the heater box was reinstalled they goobered at least half a tube of silicone to seal the blower to cowl joint. (1/4 tube of black and a 1/4 tube of orange) (Photo #1) Unfortunately I believe that all the silicone trapped water which lead to some corrosion. (Photo #2) UGGG! I will have to figure out how to address the rust before reinstalling the heater box.

In addition to that the heater box has a broken tab on the top next to the blower motor. But even worse the PO cut the end off of the box where the core resides. My guess it was a short cut method of replacing the heater core. To be honest in my younger days living in North Idaho if I was faced with replacing the heater core in 20 degree weather without a garage I too may have used that method too. This does solve the mystery of why the heater box had silicone smeared all over it. (Photo #3) I never investigated it too closely as I knew this day would come.

And one last small issue is the screws that secure inter-baffle plate have been replaced with pop rivets (Photo #4)

After seeing all of the above it looks as I'm in the market for a heater box.

In the interim I made a plate to cover the hole so I can still drive the Burban. Last photo.

[HO455]

Here are photos of the collection of debris that had collected in the heater box. The upside of having all the debris is it apparently absorbed all the antifreeze and none dripped inside the cab.

I'm a little disappointed that the original deluxe heater core was missing. That being said I'm sure getting the 2 inch core recored will be cheaper.

The amount of heat that the heater in this condition put out was pretty good. I guess it will be cooking me out of the cab with a new clean core.

[HO455]

One question about the firewall. It looks to me that the holes in my firewall are are pulled out and need to be hammered down. Or are they supposed to be that way?
Thanks in advance.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by HO455

One question about the firewall. It looks to me that the holes in my firewall are are pulled out and need to be hammered down. Or are they supposed to be that way?
Thanks in advance.

I think the pop rivets are stock.

Looks like PO used oversize screws in those holes. I think I would flatten them back out. You might need someone to hold a dolly or another hammer inside to do that.

LockDoc

[HO455]

Thanks for the information Doc.

[HO455]

Today I found another heater box. Unfortunately Mel at ClassicBowtie didn't have one and after calling around and not having much luck I called All American Classics in Vancouver and for the first time ever they had what I wanted and more importantly they had it at a price I was willing to pay. First time in over 20 years of calling them.

I got a heater box out of a 67 $82 out the door. Unfortunately the Gunther who removed it cracked it but all the tabs are intact.

If anyone needs some 67 specific items I believe I got the first part off the truck. It is a low option truck so it has painted wing windows in okay condition. I didn't spend a lot of time looking at it as they guy wanted me to make my decision so he could move on. They don't let you pull your own parts. Unfortunate for me as I wouldn't of cracked the box.

All in all it's not bad and definitely better than what I had. It got a bit of rust but I'm sure that will buff right out.

And of course the obligatory mouse nest complete with Hazelnuts.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by HO455

I got a heater box out of a 67 $82 out the door. Unfortunately the Gunther who removed it cracked it but all the tabs are intact.

Back in '95 I hit a deer in White Fang on US 80, doing 80 at night between Bisbee and Tombstone. Trashed my grille and D/S Headlight. Regulator burned out right after I got home to Tucson. Also thought Distributor shaft was bent, and Alternator fried with the Regulator. Neeeded new Batt too.
I found a good grille on a '68 Suburban at Jeff's Auto Parts in South Tucson [now long gone] for a good price. But they scared me how fast the junkyard kid used a cutting torch to dissect the '68 body to get my grille. It mounted very nicely on my '67 Sub. Only a small heat burn down low, under the Pass/Side parking lamp, where he wasn't careful. Biggest issue was discovering the Parking Light bucket pigtails were different. Rather than splice and solder, I reused my '67 buckets.
I was sorry they trashed a clean body '68 Suburban to get one part. I also got a clean tailgate [w/ SUBURBAN chromed badge] off that '68.

[HO455]

I just having to remind myself they didn't go to college and they're doing the best the can.

But now on to yesterday's progress. I disassembled and cleaned the replacement box. Getting the inner flapper out took some looking around here on the forum. But I eventually found a single post saying drive the pivot pin out of the flapper. So I used a small pin punch to get it started then I used an old extra long drill bit I got at a yard sale last year. Today it paid for itself by driving the pivot pin out of both heater boxes. (I disassembled both the new one and the old one as the new one has a pretty rusted inner panel. Photo #3) Photos #1 & 2. Green arrow pointing at the long bit I misused as a pin punch.

And lastly fresh from the sandblaster the tin bits. Ugg, more of the demon rust to do battle with.

[HO455]

Back on the box, I sanded the damaged areas with 80 grit then cleaned everything good before applying fiberglass resin and cloth. There were a couple of tabs that had some cracks so I V-ed them out in preparation for repair.

I used a cheap Evercoat kit from the local hardware store. I coated the areas with a good amount of resin trying to get it down into the cracks before laying the cloth over the surface.

The hole in the second photo is kind of odd. When I was scraping the remains of the rodent nest out the putty knife just pushed though the fiberglass like it was wet cardboard. My theory is that the urine from the rodent somehow dissolved the fiberglass. Has anyone else run across this phenomenon?

Anyway a bit of grinding with the Dremel removed the sketchy fiberglass and after putting some masking tape on the outside I was ready to make a mess. It's been a lot of years since I did any fiberglass work and I'm sure I didn't magically become neat and tidy with it. That is the reason there are no photos of the laying of the fiberglass.

[HO455]

After photos of applying the fiberglass. The last photo is of the outside of the box where the hole was. I ended up with 2 air bubbles or voids in the resin. I had to grind them out in preparation for the next step.

The 3rd photo shows how extensive the damage was. It didn't seem so bad when I first started cleaning but by the time I was done with preparing the area for repair it revealed that there was actually a 1/2" by 2" piece that was loose and could have been easily removed. Getting the resin into the cracks along with the mat and resin on the inside fused the pieces of the box back together.

[HO455]

With the structural issues repaired it's time to get things smoothed out and ready for painting. I used Kitty Hair as a filler putty to fill the low areas. Once that was done I used a bit of old school glazing putty to fill the pin holes and slight depressions.

The last photo shows the repair to one of the cracked tabs.

I would have gotten it painted today but my prep solv apparently evaporated out of the can. Now I know what tomorrow morning is going to involve.

https://www.evercoat.com/product/kitty-hair-quart/

[HO455]

I used Ospho on the interior panel and the inlet adapter piece. Unfortunately Ospho comes with poor instructions so it should always be used as per these directions from SPI.

http://www.spiuserforum.com/index.ph...ze-ospho.3973/

Photo shows the pieces after 24 hours and before replying Ospho and rinsing.

I also prepared the area on the cowl by using a Dremel to grind the rust pockets out. One favorable thing here is the rust pitting is from the engine side of the firewall. I inspected the back side with a mirror and there is only light surface rust there.

[LockDoc]

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Wow, that is a lot of work. Looking good though. At least you will know what you have when you are done.....

LockDoc

[HO455]

Thanks Doc!
It may not be right but I will definitely know where it's at.

Okay after neutralizing the Ospho I primed the parts with some self etching primer. Then I laid a layer of fiberglass mat and resin. Once that was cured and sanded I applied JB Weld as filler putty as it won't absorb moisture. It took several coats with filing between to get it smooth enough to be sure the firewall to heater box sealing ring would seal. (Photo #4)

These steps were pretty messy so in order to save the camera and still make flat rate I skimped on the photos.

In between applying JB Weld I got the box painted. I am happy with how it came out. I have been trying to hurry through this as have other things to get done before the rains start. And of course hurrying cause me to Homer myself. When I to install the interior plate I realized I forgot to drill one of the rivets completely out. (Photo #5) DHOO! Fortunately I was able to drill the remaining piece out without damaging the paint on the outside around the hole.

[HO455]

Now having corrected my missteps the heater box is assembled and ready to install.

I wasn't happy with several things one was the how the seals for the water hose connections didnt really seal. (Photos 1&2) so I squirted some black RTV in the gaps.

When I started to tighten the core brackets I heard a crack. I couldn't see any damage but I decided that using some washers would be a smart move.

[HO455]

Now for the sort of controversial part of the repairs. As posted earlier I have some rust on the cowl where the inlet adapter seal sits. (Photo #1) Obviously the optimal repair would be to replace the rusted metal with new metal. For me at this time that is out of the question. The time to pull the front sheet metal exceeds the amount of time I currently have available. And there would be the dreaded project creep.

My solution is to grind out all the rust I can, (Photo #2) then lay some fiberglass resin and mat over the area followed by sanding (Photo #3). Then I put a light coat of resin over the area to seal the frayed ends of the mat that was exposed by the sanding. Then some paint. ( Those two photos didn't turn out to be usable. Whoops! Edit inwas able to lighten up one of them enough to post.) The crusty looking stuff inside the cowl is Fluid Film I liberally sprayed to slow any further rust.

Many folks will claim that this won't last a year and the rust will be back. Which is possible but I have had good luck in the past doing it this way. Back in 1984 I recreated the rusted rear quarter panels on my GTO. Back then there weren't any reproduction panels and frankly didn't have the skills or tools to do that kind of job. But I did have access to free fiberglass pipe repair kits that had passed their expiration date. With time and a grinder I dove into the project and 6 months later I had rust free quarters. Those quarters are still on the car today. One side has a crack but that was from towing a loaded car trailer with L60/15 tires through a bad driveway transition. DHOO! The other side is still nice and solid.

30 plus years in the tug boat world has taught me every job has a time and resource limit that has to be met. I am confident the rust has been stopped and will be fine until the time when the front clip can come off and the whole area can get renovated.

I hope everyone is okay with this repair and the logic behind it.

Thanks again to everyone who visits.