1969 Short Wide

[VA72C10]

Nice work on the repairs and firewall. Fender looks good.

[highperf4x4]

cool beans!

good work too

[Puropedo]

Nice progress!....Great detail work, specially on the passanger side firewall welding job!

[my67chevytruck]

looks good, keep at it....

[highperf4x4]

Thanks for the copper primer info. Where did ya get it and how much was it?

[0331grunt]

Originally Posted by highperf4x4

Thanks for the copper primer info. Where did ya get it and how much was it?

Looking good. I have NEVER done any type of body work so I'm sure I'll need some advice, help or whatever when it comes time. And where did you get that stuff? Does it work well? Thanks!

[mcbassin]

Originally Posted by my67chevytruck

looks good, keep at it....

Thanks Heath, I went back and looked at your 67 build and saw that you had a bunch more of the same type of rust repair that I am doing. Your turned out great! when you going to have that truck back on the road?

Originally Posted by highperf4x4

Thanks for the copper primer info. Where did ya get it and how much was it?

Originally Posted by 0331grunt

Looking good. I have NEVER done any type of body work so I'm sure I'll need some advice, help or whatever when it comes time. And where did you get that stuff? Does it work well? Thanks!

Guys,
I purchased the primer HERE. It is expensive $23 plus $11.95 shipping.(I didn't know the shipping was so high till I checked out.) You can find it on the net real easy just searching. SJ ships really quick so I had it in like 3 or 4 business days.
It works really good! I will be using it on all the hidden areas I can't get regular epoxy primer into.


0331Grunt, don't sweat the body work, bondo covers all that! Just messing with you. If you take your time (not as much as me) it will all go smooth. Also, just stay in the build section and find out as much as you can about the best way to do repairs. I will be glad to assist you if I can.

[0331grunt]

LOL.. I understand about the Bondo stuff - spent about an hour scraping/grinding/sanding about 1/4" of it off my driver fender! I am taking my time and hope that it turns out like I see it in my mind (if you can dream it, right? ) But any way, thanks for the info and I may take you up on the offer to help..

Craig

[my67chevytruck]

hopefully be on the road soon, but need to save up for the Ron Francis wiring kit etc. . the easiest way to fix the back of the rocker is as you state, pie cut it, move it out and then patch the piecut and weld it all up. keep at it Mike

[mcbassin]

Originally Posted by JohnC

It's looking good Mike.

Thanks John!

Originally Posted by threeonthetree

Great job on the rust reapair. and filling the firewall!
Like the primer tip.
keep a her.

haha l spotted a old honda dirt bike from the 80's in one of your pics what is it?
got a pic lol?

Not sure what model it is I think its a 60cc? Picked it up at a yard sale. I can take some pics. Maybe you can tell me what it is.

Originally Posted by my67chevytruck

hopefully be on the road soon, but need to save up for the Ron Francis wiring kit etc. . the easiest way to fix the back of the rocker is as you state, pie cut it, move it out and then patch the piecut and weld it all up. keep at it Mike

Heath,
Do you have any pics or know where I can get some pics of this "pie cut" technique? Also, you want to tell me about the Ron Francis wiring kit? Is it OEM style or aftermarket using different fuses etc.? Cost? Right now I am planning to use a good factory harness in the cab and for the lights but make a custom harness for the LS 4.8 engine.

[VA72C10]

Looking good. Now you see why I had someone else do the firewall and welding

He uses the shrinker to make the metal bend properly. Without it I'm sure it'd be almost impossible to get the radius on the angles correct.

[mcbassin]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Looking good. Now you see why I had someone else do the firewall and welding

He uses the shrinker to make the metal bend properly. Without it I'm sure it'd be almost impossible to get the radius on the angles correct.

Unfortunately, there are no funds to pay someone on this job
I think I could do a lot better job if I had a co2 bottle for my mig. One of the biggest problems I'm have is the tig has to get pretty hot before you can make a tack weld. Plus not have my kid home during the holiday to hold it in place while I tack it. I think it would defintely be easier with a roller too. I have thinking about getting one for my shop at work. You know one of those 3 in 1 metal workers that harbor freight has for around $450.Here It will suck trying to get the bend just right and then fitting it at home but I might be able to borrow it for the weekend.
your cab is getting pretty close to Johathon!

[Puropedo]

Doing a great job Mike......I use some flat magnets to hold down filler pieces of sheet metal while I tack them on.

[jojo]

Man you are doing good work there.

I hope to start repairing my rocker panels soon.

Since mine's a daily driver, I will have to do one at a time and have everything done in a weekend and have it ready to drive by mondays...

How long would you say it took you to do one rocker panel?

Also, if you could do it again, would you get the rockers from another vendor? I'm guessing none of them would fit perfectly but have no experience to speak of.

[mcbassin]

Originally Posted by Puropedo

Doing a great job Mike......I use some flat magnets to hold down filler pieces of sheet metal while I tack them on.

Thanks Jhonny! Yep, the magnets give me an extra pair of hands. You just have to keep your tig torch away from the magnetic field....it will mess up your welds.

Originally Posted by jojo

Man you are doing good work there.

I hope to start repairing my rocker panels soon.

Since mine's a daily driver, I will have to do one at a time and have everything done in a weekend and have it ready to drive by mondays...

How long would you say it took you to do one rocker panel?

Also, if you could do it again, would you get the rockers from another vendor? I'm guessing none of them would fit perfectly but have no experience to speak of.

Thanks JoJo! If you haven't done rocker replacement before you will need to plan on spending the better part of a day to replace each side. If it is an GM original rocker it seems to go easier than one someone replaced. The reason I say that, you can just track down all the spot welds and drill through the outer layer then pop it off a little at a time. If it has been replaced, it can be very difficult to find the welds...just have to cut it off and grind the welds down. More often than not if the rocker is shot there will be more rust behind there either on the lower pillar or kick panel. As far as the repop rockers, I don't know? I have never purchased any of them but the cheaper ones and the fitment sucks on all of them. I bet Kevin at LFD could tell you where to get some better fitting ones. Of course, if you can find some new old stock ones they would probably fit the best. The worst area is where the back edge meets the cab. Its almost like they made them short. Around 1/8 inch which is too much for me to use filler. I will end up cutting the back area and rewelding the edge on both sides. You really need to plan some time to cut off the old one , clean all the welds, remove rust with a wire wheel or sandblaster (if you have one), use some type of rust conversion primer and then tack it, check fit of the door, then weld up and grind welds, primer paint. If you need any help send a PM or email. I would be more than happy to help.

[VA72C10]

Just an FYI...we used Tri-plus (keyparts) rockers on my truck and they fit great w/out any cutting. The ones that were on by the PO obviously didn't fit right so we took them out. Expected to cut these but didn't have to and they look good with the door in place.

[1sik52]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Just an FYI...we used Tri-plus (keyparts) rockers on my truck and they fit great w/out any cutting. The ones that were on by the PO obviously didn't fit right so we took them out. Expected to cut these but didn't have to and they look good with the door in place.

Just a little FYI...LMC sells Tri-Plus (Keyparts) and they dont fit worth a crap on my blazer either!!!

[VA72C10]

Originally Posted by 1sik52

Just a little FYI...LMC sells Tri-Plus (Keyparts) and they dont fit worth a crap on my blazer either!!!

Most of the tri-plus components have fit very well for me. However, one notable exception was their lower door patch which was HORRIBLE. But i'm sure it depends on the truck/blazer as each one is slightly different and the QC at the factory wasn't that good honestly...

[mcbassin]

The door gaps around the rocker were good and over all the panels fit in there with only a few mods but the real problem is here in these pics:




I'm sure there are problems with all the aftermarket sheetmetal parts. I just want you guys to see what I am talking about. These edges "should" be flush.
I think I can fix it just matter of cutting and pulling and rewelding.

[0331grunt]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

I'm sure there are problems with all the aftermarket sheetmetal parts. I just want you guys to see what I am talking about. These edges "should" be flush.
I think I can fix it just matter of cutting and pulling and rewelding.

this is the part of my build that I am not looking forward to... I will be asking a lot of questions when this comes up! I don't think I would have noticed it. At least not until it was too late

[VA72C10]

nevermind...saw it after I wrote

[chevy88]

So what is your next step on this truck?

[brian69longbed]

i left my factory rockers and patched as needed... should've bought new rockers. would much rather have these fitment problems. looking good!

[mcbassin]

Originally Posted by chevy88

So what is your next step on this truck?

Next step will be to finish roughing in the cab. By that, I mean I won't do any finish body work until it is mounted on the frame. I plan to clean the other side of the shop and rearrange things so we can fit the frame inside and start rebuilding suspension, brakes, and rear diff.

Originally Posted by brian69longbed

i left my factory rockers and patched as needed... should've bought new rockers. would much rather have these fitment problems. looking good!

Thanks Brian,
I could have gotten away with trying to straighten the driver side but the passenger lower pillar was shot. We are like 95% rust free on the cab. Still have a little area on the passenger kick panel. Still lack major body work on the cab corners where it has been mistreated or dropped when moving it around.

Right now I am focused on getting my lower unit fixed. I had to pull the prop shaft and replace the water pump. Hope to get all the parts in for it by next week. Here are some crappy pics of it I took with my phone:

[JohnC]

Hey if you do some boat repair you may want to talk to HighPerf4X4. He was having an issue with his boat, and could use some advice. The place that worked on it for him didn't help him out much.