Wampus Cat

[TxCajun]

Shop Improvements (continued)

Metal Bending Brake Modifications

I bought one of the Harbor Freight 30 inch sheet metal brakes a few years ago and have used it to make the upper rocker patches (see post 56 and 57 above), the A pillar drip rail replacements (see post 89 and 90 above), and a few other patch panels. However, the brake as purchased requires the use of a number of C clamps to hold the clamping bar, plus the clamping bar still slides around when bending sheet metal.

I looked around on the web for articles and videos for improving these brakes, and the one I liked best is a YouTube video “Harbor Freight sheet metal break” by 52drj. I didn’t copy this YouTube design but used it as a starting point in thinking through my modifications.

I made a brace for the top clamping bar from 1 ½” x 1/8” thick steel angle scrap that I had on hand and skip welded this to the top clamping bar. The brace runs all the way to the ends of the clamping bar for stiffness but is modified on the ends to allow clamping bolts to pass through to the top of the clamping plate. I fabricated a handle from ¼” diameter rod for use in lifting the clamping bar while inserting material.

After mocking up the part in cardboard, I fabricated the brackets on the ends from 2” square x 1/8” thick steel tubing that I had leftover from a trailer hitch modification . The upper clamping bolts on the ends are 5/8-16 Grade 5 bolts. The handles on the clamping bolts are ¼ steel rod which operate like the handles on a C Clamp.

The horizontal bolts that hold the clamping bar in place and prevent it from sliding backward are 3/8-16 Grade 5 bolts. An extra nut is added to lock the bolt in place once the upper clamping bar is in position.

When finished with the modifications, I bolted the metal brake assembly to a piece of wood using carriage bolts so that I can hang it on the wall in the shop when not in use, but the assembly can easily be clamped to my workbench when needed.

All fabrication was done with a hand-held grinder with cut-off discs, a belt sander, a drill press, and a MIG welder.

Ready for fabricating the next C10 or TR4 parts.
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[88Stanger]

I like this!

[justa dumb hick]

Although it's only been a few weeks, do you have any results on the brush seals? I am also fighting the corrugated roll-up door gap situation. I've been stuffing the gaps with fabric softener sheets, but once the fragrance is gone, the mice come a'running. I can get most of the bastards with my water-bucket mouse trap fairly quickly, but once the water evaporates they overrun the place.

Yesterday I was trying to close the gaps by realigning the side rails. While rolling the door up and down, checking the gaps, I noted a rather flat Gopher/Bull snake dangling lifelessly from the door about halfway up- on the inside! Poor guy musta followed the mice in there and somehow got hung up on the door. Anyhow- lotsa rattlesnakes in Arizona, and one of them could be next, so improvements are in order.

Any thoughts/comments/suggestions?

[TxCajun]

justa,

Regarding you question about the roll-up door brush seals, I'm very happy with them with regards to keeping out wildlife, breezes, dirt, etc.

The door already had a good seal along the bottom, but the sides and top were pretty open. I haven't had any of our local rattle or coral snakes wander in, but before installing the brush seals I did have a couple birds come in through the top opening and couldn't find their way out.

The brush seals are so dense, and do such a good job of blocking the gaps that I don't even get much light around the edges. We had a power failure one afternoon last weekend, and it was so dark in the shop (no windows) that I was lucky that I had my phone flashlight in my pocket so that I could find my way out. :-)
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[TxCajun]

Tailgate Trunnions

The tailgate trunnions on the truck were badly worn, actually an oval shape with about a 1/16” difference in axis so the tailgate had a lot of play. When I was considering some of the aftermarket trunnions a few months ago, they seemed to be out of stock for fleetsides.

In looking around, I found that the outside of a 1” schedule 40 PVC pipe coupling is about a perfect fit to slide in to the pocket on the end of the tailgate. Using my band saw, I sliced a coupling to make a few “bushings” the right lengths to fit in to those tailgate pockets.

Then, I mounted each of the old trunnions on the end of a bolt, chucked it in the drill press, started spinning it, and used a grinder to size it down so that it would fit inside the “bushing” made from the PVC coupling.

After that, I cleaned up the parts, added a little paint, and mounted the tailgate using a little white lithium grease on the “bushings”.

PVC is not the ideal material for this “bushing” but I was able to make two of the “bushings” from a $1.50 coupling so they are cheap to replace if they wear or crack.

The tailgate fits nicely, no slop at the pivot points, and goes up and down quietly. I was trying to eliminate the slop because I want to try to adapt S10 latching hardware next.
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[aggie91]

nothing wrong with a bit of ingenuity to solve a problem. Like you said, for $1.50 and a little bit of time, they are easy to replace should they break or wear out.

[88Stanger]

Now this is great!

[TxCajun]

S10 Tailgate Latches Part 1

I had initially thought that I would keep the original tailgate chains, but I like the look of other 60’s C10s that I’ve seen without chains, and thinking about possible paint damage, I’ve decided to go chainless.

I looked around on this forum and was inspired by a few pictures of conversions using 1990’s S10 latches posted by members 502tripower and 64shortbed in threads about tailgate latch options. The price of these parts fit my budget; I pulled a set of ’98 S10 latches, cables, and actuator rods at the local Wrench-A-Part for $12 and found a used 67-71 F100 or 66-77 Bronco tailgate handle on eBay for about $20.

I started by removing the chain hardware, however, I found that the chain eyelet on the tailgate would not come off when the bolts were removed. I made horizontal cuts through the chain eyelet body, trying not to go into the tailgate sheet metal. Once the cuts were made, I used a hammer and chisel to remove the pieces. This part was apparently welded to the tailgate end flange from the backside prior to assembly of the tailgate sheet metal. On both sides of my tailgate, there were two spot/plug welds above and below the mounting hole.

After getting the chain eyelet body out of the way, I smoothed out this area using a grinding wheel and a flap disc.
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[TxCajun]

S10 Tailgate Latches Part 2

The first modifications to the latch assembly are cutting off the two brackets shown, and chamfering a corner as shown to allow the latch to fit in the “pocket” on the end of the tailgate.

Then, the tailgate is modified by cutting a rectangular hole for the latch mechanism to fit through, and adding mounting holes for the latch. I located this by centering the latch “plunger” where the chain eyelet was previously located. The mounting hole towards the top of the tailgate has a nut welded to a washer, and then plug welded on the inside of the flange. The mounting hole towards the center of the tailgate is a “through” hole in the flange. The lower bolt actually has an exposed head on the outside of the tailgate, but I think a button head screw is fairly un-noticeable there.

Next, I cut back the inner flange of the tailgate on each end to allow room for the cable when the tailgate is raised. When you do this, you cut through a portion of the end-flange/spot-welds, so you have to re-weld this with a series of tack welds along the edge.
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[TxCajun]

S10 Tailgate Latches Part 3

The upper mounts for the cables are used as stock from the S10. After supporting the tailgate in a horizontal position, I pulled the cables taut to determine the location for these mounts, and then just drilled a through hole. The sheet metal in this area is double thickness, and the nut on the backside can be accessed through the taillight opening (long, slim fingers are helpful for this).

However, I’ve since realized that I can’t get the tailgate on or off with these mounts in place, so I may go back and weld in a nut or maybe install a rivet nut for ease of service.
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[TxCajun]

S10 Tailgate Latches Part 4

The Bronco/F100 tailgate handle has formed sheet metal counter sinks for flat head screws, so I had to make a welded nut plate with countersinks and install the plate on the inside of the tailgate so that the handle would sit flat on the tailgate.

I extended the S10 latch actuator rods to fit the wider tailgate and accommodate the Bronco/F100 tailgate handle. I cut the rods and added about 4 to 6 inches to each rod plus tweaked the bends on the end at the handle a bit. It took me three to four tries per side to get the bends and the length right. A better way to do this might be to add some threaded rod and a coupling at the extension/splice for adjustment of the rod length.
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[TxCajun]

S10 Tailgate Latches Part 5

The “fixed” portion of the latch from the S10 has to be modified to make it shorter in height, and to fit on the flat body area on the C10.

I wanted to use the two existing threaded mounts in this area, so I modified the mount as shown. The lower fastener had to be a socket head cap screw for access.
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[TxCajun]

S10 Tailgate Latches Part 6

I welded a small patch in the tailgate to close off the hole for the chain eye, and I modified the rear fender metal to do away with the clearance “divot” next to the tailgate.

I’ve seen where some people also plug the round hole where the chain bolt was mounted. However, I’m going to install some ¾” round, red, three-LED lights there and wire them to be high-mount brake lights (backordered at the moment).
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[TxCajun]

S10 Tailgate Latches Part 7

Overall, I’m very happy with the end result. The tailgate closes/latches easily, fits tight up against the bed, and the tailgate handle releases the latches with an easy one-handed operation.

The handle fits nicely on the inside of the tailgate, and only protrudes about an inch. Plus, I liked the aesthetic of using a 50+ year old handle on my 50+ year old truck. :-)
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[The Rocknrod]

Very nice work on that tailgate.

[Duncan K]

Nice job! I really like that install, very clean. I might have to look into this for mine. I don't like the idea of paint damage from the chains

[joesscamaro]

That looks like it turned out great! Good work and creativity!

[aggie91]

Great work on the tailgate latches. I'll have to file this idea away for future reference.

[88Stanger]

damn fine job on these mods!!!

[TxCajun]

Thanks for all of the encouraging words on the tailgate!

The next thing I've been working on is stripping the bed exterior panels for paint. On the bed and on the tailgate, I've found some significant "bondo'd-up" dents in the double wall areas where I can't access the back side for hammer and dolly work. I decided to try making a slide hammer and then MIG welding on some studs or in some cases 16ga plates for pulling on the dents.

I had an old 2lb hammer head that I thought I might drill and use for the "slide" weight, but I abandoned that idea after I broke off a drill bit in the hammer head. Instead, I found a 2lb slide weight on eBay for $10.

I fashioned that weight plus some 5/8 rod, a 5/8 threaded bolt, some shock absorber washers, a threaded coupling, a hook, and an oak tree branch in to this slide hammer. The hook on the end is a threaded weldment so it can be removed to install other end pieces if I need other shapes on the end.

Haven't tried it yet, still stripping paint.
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[TxCajun]

The bed panels have about 5 or 6 coats of old paint and primer, plus a few areas with heavy bondo.

I find that the Harbor Freight 4-1/2 In. Polycarbide Abrasive Wheels do a really good job of removing paint and rust, but they wear out quickly on heavy paint and shred quickly if you hit a rough area or a metal edge.

So, I've been using a Harbor Freight 3 In. Twisted Wire Cup Brush to remove the bondo and 80% to 90% of the paint layers, and then finish up with the Polycarbide Abrasive Wheel. The metal panel only gets slightly warm to the touch, and the result is a very clean finish.

Using this method, I was able to strip each side panel in about 2 1/2 hours.

I used two of the Wire Cup Brushes and two of the Polycarbide Abrasive Wheels to strip the exterior of the bed and both sides of the tailgate.

Highly recommend a dust mask, face shield (lots of flying debris), and hearing protection.
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[TxCajun]

On the Front Panel, I uncovered rust at the bottom of the upper double wall area. I was kind of surprised to find rust there because the rest of the bed panels are fairly rust free. And the rust is worse on the inside (facing the bed) than on the outside (facing the cab).

I'm thinking that it would be easier to repair this rust if the Front Panel was off the truck and it could be laid flat on a worktable. My bed has a steel tread plate floor that someone welded in place, including welds along the bottom of the panels where they meet the floor plate. I was able to grind off the welds along the bottom of the Front Panel and remove the bolts that secure it to the side panels, so it is now free to move. However, I can't "stretch" the side panels out enough to remove the front panel because they are also spot welded to the floor.

I guess I now need to decide whether to cut out those side-panel-to-floor welds to get some more room to release the Front Panel, or try to do the rust repair patch panels in place. Aaarrrrggghhh!!!
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[aggie91]

Nice work. Cool slide hammer build. Looks like a high end model now!

[TxCajun]

Door Hinges Rebuild

I started to try to rebuild the door hinges a while back because they were very worn and had lots of play. However, I don’t have access to a press and was unable to drive out the hinge pins regardless of the amount of penetrating oil, or large-hammer force, or heat that I applied. I set the project aside, and gave some thought about how to approach this.

I decided on the following process and found that it worked fairly well. Once I figured out how to do it, I was able to rebuild the four hinges in under two hours.

1. I used parts from Classic Part Inc, Part No 18-406, Door Hinge Rebuild Kit, about $4 per kit. The new bushings appear to be oil impregnated bronze compared to the worn out nylon bushings that were in the hinges. The pins are about 1 inch too long so they need to be trimmed to length and beveled on the end.

2. I used a grinder and a cut off disk to cut off the sides of the old hinge pin head (while being careful not to cut the hinge) so that what is left of the head is about the diameter of the pin, and will fit inside of a socket. This “nub” helps locate the socket in the next step in the vise.

3. I then put the hinge with the socket over the “nub” in a vise and used the vise to push through the hinge pin the ¼” to 3/8” length of the protruding pin. This little bit of linear movement seemed to be just enough to break loose the decades of rust and the retention splines on the hinge pin.

4. Once the pin was broken loose in the vise, I was able to use a hammer and punch drive it through the rest of the way and disassemble the hinge.

5. I cleaned out the hinge bores with a round file, and dressed the mating surfaces of the hinge flanges with a flat file, then pressed in the bushings and reassembled the hinge.

6. The old nylon bushings were shot, and for some reason the hinge pins on the driver’s door were almost completely rusted through in the middle of the pin.

[The Rocknrod]

Wow, nice work on those hinges.