Sarge's rattle-can rebuild

[68Timber]

Thanks man. It's just a good truck to learn on, that's really the bottom line.

[MTCK]

Ouch! Good work on the repair.

[68Timber]

Thanks Marcus. Yeah that one hurt like hell, made me get down out of the truck for a few minutes for sure.

[Front Range]

Nice work attempting something you've never done. You have to feel good about that.

[Palf70Step]

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by Front Range

Nice work attempting something you've never done. You have to feel good about that.

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Thanks guys I appreciate that. I was hoping to at least get the first coat of filler on this week and maybe start making the rust patches but the rain has been off and on. It's supposed to be gone by Saturday morning, so at least I've got the weekend to look forward to.

[918733]

looking good I want to find some of the military bumpers for my Jimmy and gun racks

[68Timber]

Bodywork is tedious! I've used most all of the 1 lb can of Bondo I bought but very little of it is on the truck - trowel it on, sand it off. Find the new low spot and repeat. I've got a DA but I couldn't use much, most of it was blocking with 100-grit on a sanding block, going this way \ all the way across then coming back like this /. Over and over. This repair is on a difficult area for the inexperienced, it being across the crown of the cab where it curves down to the windshield. It's not that a first timer can't do it, it's that a first timer isn't going to get it on the first, second, third, or even fourth coat of mud. After seven or eight coats I've got it close. In the first pic you can see a lot of lighter spots in the filler, the last two rounds I used a little less hardener so I could take my time and spot fill several spots before it got too thick to work with. Next pic it's covered with sealer primer then a few coats of filler primer. I'm done with filler, I'll keep blocking this a few more rounds then paint it.

I didn't make a picture, but I put an 80-grit disc on the DA and took it down to metal in the repair area before I started with filler.

[68Timber]

Here's my two surprises hidden behind the windshield gasket. I bought some 16 gauge steel from Home Depot today to cut some patches out of. I haven't welded anything that thin yet, hope I don't make a mess of it. This is a bad area to have to cut the rust out of, can't get the cut off wheel in on both angles. I've got some bits for the die grinder that may work.

[MTCK]

That repaired section looks darn good! My experience with filler is the same: goes everywhere but on the low spot. Good thing that tree fell so you can get that all tuned up right. Nobody likes surprises...

[Front Range]

If you don't have one already there are body files to shave the filler down before it completely sets. Makes shaping a bit easier.

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by MTCK

That repaired section looks darn good! My experience with filler is the same: goes everywhere but on the low spot. Good thing that tree fell so you can get that all tuned up right. Nobody likes surprises...

Thanks! Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I'd rather be driving it than working on it, but if it's got issues better to know sooner than when they get worse.

Originally Posted by Front Range

If you don't have one already there are body files to shave the filler down before it completely sets. Makes shaping a bit easier.

I went to an auto body supply store Friday and told the guy what I was working on, and that I'd never worked bondo before. It'd been nice if he'd mentioned those. It worked out OK though.

[68Timber]

Getting close. I picked up a small piece of 16 gauge steel from Home Depot to cut some patches out of. I was guessing the size needed and it turned out to be thicker than the damaged area. I used it anyway, can't see what it'd hurt. It probably kept me from blowing through more times than I did. Passenger side a-pillar first. It has one hold I need to tack.

[68Timber]

This other area is in the drivers side cowl area. Is it just me, or does this rust hole look like a face that's laughing? Rust removed, patch cut, then tacked in. I think I was holding the trigger too long. It was late yesterday when I did this one and when I ground these smooth and went to make another pass around I blew through twice. I don't like chasing mistakes when I'm tired so I put my toys up for the day. I'll get back after it today and hopefully finish the repairs and prime/paint.

[Front Range]

Nice job, one less worry.

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by Front Range

Nice job, one less worry.

Thanks FR. I made some progress today but didn't get as far along as I wanted to. I got both sides done then wiped them with bondo, sanded, and primed. I had hoped to clean and scuff the rest of the windshield channel for a fresh coat of paint but ran out of time. I'll get it this week after work, weather permitting.

[Front Range]

What'd you use to make such a precise cut - dremel?

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by Front Range

What'd you use to make such a precise cut - dremel?

I used a 4" cut-off wheel on the cuts that follow the windshield channel, but it's too big to go across it due to the depth there. To connect the long cuts I used this bit in my die grinder. I forget what those bits are called, but they move a lot of metal, a bud gave me a handful of them a few years ago. I used the tip of this bit, low rpms, slow and steady.

[68Timber]

Finishing up this repair, after welding in some patches and grinding the welds smooth I wiped some bondo over both spots to help smooth out the repair. Also, I had two other spots where the metal was solid but rust pitted. There wasn't any point cutting them out but I did want to stop the rust and repair the area best I could, so I treated them with rust converter and let them cure then wiped over them with bondo as well. Then the entire glass channel got sanded, primed, and painted.

[68Timber]

Real, real happy with the way this turned out. Whoever said I'd rather be lucky than good said a mouthful. The new windshield should be installed today.

[48cj2a]

Like it never happened!

[68Timber]

Thanks Art. I'm going to try my luck on the floorpans next, I've got three or four smallish rusty spots that need to be cut out and patched. The steel seems to be thicker there so hopefully it's a little more forgiving.

[MTCK]

Nice work man. That turned out great.

[68Timber]

Thanks Marcus. I thought I'd have the windshield in by now for the last repair pic but the guy is MIA. I'm ready to drive this thing again.

[made2drag]

nice work man!