My LQ4/T56 build thread

[Low Elco]

No need for a torch. it's pretty common to have to splay them open a bit. Bad part is you've hard welded in your back cab corner. Lotsa times you have to "tulip" them open at the front. Slice with your zip wheel along all the ridges at the front top side of the corner, anywhere it touches on a vertical plane. tip the petals back until your front drops where you want it. tack it all in and hang your door. Line everything door wise up with the door jamb and case and lower body line. See where you're at. Lotsa times you have to slice the rear curve of the upper rocker as well. Tack and move rocker till you line up with door bottom and cab corner. View all patch panels as a close approximation. If you're halfway where you want it, start tacking. weld up the gape in your tulip.

Gap Welding Tip: Lay your gun down until you're aiming your wire on a very shallow angle at the face of the cut, not perpendicular to the panel. This will throw the heat into the meat of the panel, not just the edge. Pop your trigger to build material. I've welded up BIG gaps this way.

Hot Tip: while you have your door in, go to the top and lay a standard Sharpie against the cab and trace onto the door. Your gaps should be pretty close, but where you're tight, you'll leave a mark. take the door off and slice right down the mark favoring the door side. Then weld the door edge back solid. Wha-la, nice door gaps.

[ChuckLee]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

No need for a torch. it's pretty common to have to splay them open a bit. Bad part is you've hard welded in your back cab corner. Lotsa times you have to "tulip" them open at the front. Slice with your zip wheel along all the ridges at the front top side of the corner, anywhere it touches on a vertical plane. tip the petals back until your front drops where you want it. tack it all in and hang your door. Line everything door wise up with the door jamb and case and lower body line. See where you're at. Lotsa times you have to slice the rear curve of the upper rocker as well. Tack and move rocker till you line up with door bottom and cab corner. View all patch panels as a close approximation. If you're halfway where you want it, start tacking. weld up the gape in your tulip.

Gap Welding Tip: Lay your gun down until you're aiming your wire on a very shallow angle at the face of the cut, not perpendicular to the panel. This will throw the heat into the meat of the panel, not just the edge. Pop your trigger to build material. I've welded up BIG gaps this way.

Hot Tip: while you have your door in, go to the top and lay a standard Sharpie against the cab and trace onto the door. Your gaps should be pretty close, but where you're tight, you'll leave a mark. take the door off and slice right down the mark favoring the door side. Then weld the door edge back solid. Wha-la, nice door gaps.

Thank you very much for the time you spent teaching a novice. All of what you said helped and made sense to me. My one major question at this point is what to do with the inner rocker panel height because without the outer rocker on, the inner rocker touches the door bottom. I see what you mean by already having hard tacked in the cab corner. I already have to replace the door bottoms on both sides of the truck because they are roached. Should i just tack my outer rocker in place as low as i can using the tulip method as described knowing that it won't allow me to close the door and then fix that problem when i cut the doors up? I could just shorten the inside of the door "cup" area at the bottom to make up for the problem with the "too high inner rocker". The other option is to somehow lower the inner rocker a half inch before even messing with the outer rocker fitment. Basically, there's no way to make the rocker fit with any method until i address the height of the inner rocker since that's what the outer rocker sits on. The only way around this problem i see is shortening the inside of the door cup

What you think?

[gage78]

It's a little late now but a trick to getting that sound deadened off is to set a few bricks of dry ice on it for a few minutes, then whack it with a mallet, it will shatter like glass and come right off

[Low Elco]

Originally Posted by ChuckLee

Thank you very much for the time you spent teaching a novice. All of what you said helped and made sense to me. My one major question at this point is what to do with the inner rocker panel height because without the outer rocker on, the inner rocker touches the door bottom. I see what you mean by already having hard tacked in the cab corner. I already have to replace the door bottoms on both sides of the truck because they are roached. Should i just tack my outer rocker in place as low as i can using the tulip method as described knowing that it won't allow me to close the door and then fix that problem when i cut the doors up? I could just shorten the inside of the door "cup" area at the bottom to make up for the problem with the "too high inner rocker". The other option is to somehow lower the inner rocker a half inch before even messing with the outer rocker fitment. Basically, there's no way to make the rocker fit with any method until i address the height of the inner rocker since that's what the outer rocker sits on. The only way around this problem i see is shortening the inside of the door cup

What you think?

The inner should be lining up with the kick in the front and the little curve down flange in the back. The door should be outboard of all this. If you still have a side together, measure how far it is from the skin to the cab structure at the front. Hang a fender, if you have to. My bet is you're too far in on your door at the bottom. No biggie you can move it out at the bottom hinge. Basically, the vertical planes should not be crossing between the door and the inner. Your flange for holding the weatherstrip in on the outer rocker, that should tell you how far out your door needs to be. its easy to jumble the placements of all this, so relax. you're gonna fit up a lot. tacks, sheetmetal screws and Clecos are your friends. Do yourself a huge favor and read the crusty rusty leaky squeaky thread and look at the metalwork there.

[ChuckLee]

I tacked in place the outer rocker. I really appreciate the help guys. I was able to get the door cup clearancing the inner rocker and outer rocker via hammering.

Here's the door and fender in their somewhat close to proper place...I'm not going for a show truck here, so I suppose i'm happy with the gaps for now.
Untitled by FlickrAccount83, on Flickr

Alignment in and out seemed to be easy........
Untitled by FlickrAccount83, on Flickr

Until I realized the front of my outer rocker is in way too far, ugh. This pic is exaggerated because the angle and also the bottom bolts are not even in yet on the fender or the bottom of pillar.
Untitled by FlickrAccount83, on Flickr

I don't know what to do about that right now, any ideas would be much appreciated. Sometimes the best thing to do is to quit. I quit on that till someone gives me a good idea and some encouragement.

Moved on to the drip rail on roof. Passenger side looked a little swiss cheesy but really wasn't that bad actually.
Untitled by FlickrAccount83, on Flickr

Used fiberglass to fix this area
Untitled by FlickrAccount83, on Flickr

then smoothed the whole drip rail with some seam sealer.
Untitled by FlickrAccount83, on Flickr

Was curious how bad the rot is on my passenger door.....so i started rippin into it with the dye grinder....
Untitled by FlickrAccount83, on Flickr
there was a hunk of body filler the size of 2 golf balls in the bottom corner. I was wondering why the truck always seems to lean to the right!
Not sure what options are out there for metal replacements for my door, but i would think there is something easy out there.


Lot of work to do, but I had fun in the nice weather. Hope all you guys in Florida have gotten out of dodge! Irma is knockin!

[builtbyKane]

That's crazy. Truck looked really slick when you first got it.

[ChuckLee]

Yah I paid like $9000 for the truck only to sell the new built engine/trans and strip the whole thing down. I should have just bought a rust free roller out West but hindsight as they say

By the way, I had a clamp stil holding onto the front bottom of the outer rocker.....that's why it was like that
Y

[ChuckLee]

Working on firewall. Plugging holes, one by one, definitely takes time.
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[knomadd]

Looking good! I remember that process all too well. It feels like it was just last week that I was doing the same thing.

[builtbyKane]

Looking great keep at it

[ChuckLee]

Thanks guys. The encouragement helps.

[GR8-68]

Firewall is looking good, I just did the same to mine it is a lot of work but pays off with a smooth look. Lots of bondo and blocking pays off to.

[ChuckLee]

Thanks Larry. I’ve trolled your tread a few times myself and yes lots of time but hope it’s worth it in the end.

[ChuckLee]

Got real distracted with more important things in life, so I can't apologize for that.
Then, I got distracted by a new toy:


Something lit a fire under me last week so I decided to get serious again on this thing (know what I mean Vern?)
a week back i spent a couple hours here and there working on firewall...
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Please excuse the horrible work here. Ran out of welding gas so haven't finished this stuff up yet.


Then I just went ahead and cut the whole driver floor vent area out here and I'll fab up something for that later.






Then after deciding to replace questionable areas on the cab, I ordered more sheet metal parts. I ordered everything to fix the driver side of the cab (outer and inner rockers, both pillar pieces, kick panel piece, and cab corner) as well as door bottoms for both doors along with outer lower skins for both doors.
Spent today just thinking of a plan, writing down important measurements for later, and tearing things down with a plan in my head....
I'll try to get lay this out in the order I did it for future lurkers and lookers that want to know how to probably not do things

First things first, the correct way would have been to weld some scrap metal between the section here to prevent movement after cutting out parts, but I don't have gas in the welding tank right now so this is just as good. HANG LOOSE YA'ALL!


This driver rocker is not original. Wasn't real rusty, but might as well replace it since I'm here. Just grinding away to find the edge of the rocker.


Grind to find
Use center punch on each spot weld that is revealed,
Then use spot weld remover bit. works great.


Grind and find again. Then center punched and used spot weld remover again for the tipped over metal from cab corner.


Took measurements, made my cut lines. Again, the cab corner is actually in good shape, but might as well since I'm here.


Good measurements for later point of reference










Cut center of outer rocker out (watch out for rat poop, bird poop, mole poop, vole poop, mouse poop, and any other kind of poop that can fit in these poop collectors)




another good point of reference


perimeter section of outer rocker came out with ease (i find a air hammer to be helpful at times when you know you are using it near parts that are all getting replaced anyhow.


On the back of the this area, instead of separating the outer rocker from the b pillar metal, I just chose a good spot and cut it out together after making measurements.


then i cut the a pillar bottom out. So thankful that on both sides of the truck the a pillar wasn't rotted up to the door hinge bolt hole area.


Then i cut out the foot kick panel area till i ran out of time for the day.
Next I'll cut out the outer floor area/inner rocker.






Two questions:
1) My cab floor still has black tar residue from the old FatMat that was in there. any recommendations on removal there? Aircraft Remover? Grinder doesn't work, just heats it up then spreads it around like hot butter.
2) can't remember this question, it's late.

[NC_John]

Good to see you back on it. I'm on a financial break with mine until Christmas goes by.

For your fatmat, maybe a heat gun and scraper to get most of it off. Then finish it with paint thinner?

(BTW - nice new toy)

[ChuckLee]

NEED a short bed. I hate to cut my LWB up.
What is my longbed worth if I were to sell it?
Anyone know?
I will be keeping my tailgate.

[Renniks1]

Great build, and thanks for the measurements.

[ChuckLee]

Dropped the block off and all my engine parts to a local builder I found out about. He's bore-matching the pistons and balancing the rotating assembly among other things. I am setting my hopes low so that when I get it dyno tuned I am happily surprised. I say it will make 415rwhp. I gave him enough parts to make 3 engines. He laughed.

Been working on the cab and doors for quite awhile. I don't have time to get too detailed so let me just show some pictures to show some progress.









And the doors. Funny how much you learn on the first door that you don't do on the second. All good, just learning as I go. First timer as you can see. Also, major error on my part was fitting the outer rocker panels on before I did the doors....so that required me to be very careful in my door measurements.











spot welds here and there








time to clean and paint while things are accessible








little filler to make sure things are straight"ish"


same with other areas on cab


And firewall coming together. FYI, I have been using fiberglass filler first on any weld areas where water could possibly come into contact with metal as I don't want body filler expanding then cracking paint. After that, I don't mind using the body filler.


And about 50 rounds of this. ugh. Hope this will turn out half decent.




other door. fitting multiple times before welding up. Also welded up all holes on doors from mirrors and trim panels.


This guy found a buffet of bugs on one of my bug traps......he didn't make it apparently. Sorry little guy. Back to work...


tons of grinding. also welded on my seat bracket backing plates. Glad I did this. I also used fiberglass filler all way around each backing plate to prevent rust.


and lots more sanding and grinding.


did a lot of sanding and scuffing to prep for epoxy primer later on. Main job though was prepping firewall and undercarriage for rust encapsulator. I had a hard time deciding between using epoxy primer or rust encapsulator because I pretty much got rid of 99% of the rust.






And a couple coats of rust encapsulator.

[ChuckLee]

I'm still searching for a short bed or at least a couple SWB sides. I really don't want to be forced to cut up my current sides.

[NC_John]

Originally Posted by ChuckLee

I'm still searching for a short bed or at least a couple SWB sides. I really don't want to be forced to cut up my current sides.

Since you're doing all that bodywork and painting anyway you can probably just get a set of repops. Its going to look great when you are done.

[builtbyKane]

Originally Posted by nc_john

since you're doing all that bodywork and painting anyway you can probably just get a set of repops. Its going to look great when you are done.

x2

[ChuckLee]

anyone have a lead on best price for repop SWB bedsides?

[Low Elco]

GMC Paul's by far. Weird customer service, but it worked out great. We have a location in Ashland I get to occasionally, I'll have to get by to check this truck out! Keep up the good work!

[ChuckLee]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

GMC Paul's by far. Weird customer service, but it worked out great. We have a location in Ashland I get to occasionally, I'll have to get by to check this truck out! Keep up the good work!

Thanks a bunch! I think I have re-settled on color choice. I will probably go with some type of bright white (like BMW alpine white).

Doors and fenders are getting finished up and prepped for paint.

[ChuckLee]

coming along.

• Motor is done. won't make more than 450whp but built to very exacting tolerances by a very capable LS builder. In retrospect I wish I would have gone turbo but maybe next time.
• cab, fenders, doors painted
• c-notch done
• lots of parts purchased
• 12 bolt getting auburn posi unit
• rear disc conversion coming
• Ordering carpet (still contemplating on color options (dark gray probably smart way to go)
• wilwood 3/4 master installed along with all hydraulic fittings/lines to trans.
• Swapped out trans to a tr6060 now. Stronger trans and smoother shifting and easier to change shifter relocation. shifter relocation installed and sonnax 1350 output adapter installed. will have to pop 2 holes out of driver side of bellhousing to get slave hose and bleed hose on driver side.
• frame shortened for swb