What did you do to your truck today part III

[LVPhotos]

After fighting the standard head bolts, I went and got ARP 12-point bolts.

[endlessearth]

(Cross-posted from my build thread since more people here who might benefit from the information will read this thread.)

I found a local guy here in Phoenix, AZ who does some good hammer and dolly work for cheap money. My truck had some major dents and creases in both doors. I don't intend to paint it or do any body work as I love the original look but I felt that the truck could still look a little better. I knew it wouldn't come out perfect but I am very satisfied with the results and the job cost was extremely low. PM me if you are in Phoenix area and want a referral for inexpensive metal work. Here is a before and after pic. I will tell you that the "before" pic does not really do justice to how deep the dent was or how heavily it was creased. The two vertical creases below the mirror are completely gone even though the marks left are still there. This was all done while the doors remained on the truck.

[65Gregg]

Pulled the leaking freeze plug above the starter, it was fun working around my headers. I'm sure it'll be even more fun putting the new one in as soon as the auto parts gets them in. Leaky intake is next on the to do list.

[LVPhotos]

Made a license plate box. Took out engine harness(-5) relocated 1 wire for starter. Moved coil +, loomed it all the way back inside. No wires under passenger side.

[robber grin]

Working on hood rust repair

[LVPhotos]

Fabed and installed license plate box. Wired light. All bolts in.

[awbrown]

I put ol' blue up for the winter .. she is safely parked in my new storage bulding...
.

[LVPhotos]

Originally Posted by awbrown

I put ol' blue up for the winter .. she is safely parked in my new storage bulding...
.

BOOOOOOO! Sorry about your winters, it's hot in the summer but winter in the desert is way better than the snowy side.

[earl84]

To each their own, LVPhotos. I've lived in a lot of places, deep south, Mojave Desert, NW, NE, Midwest, mountains. I prefer 4 seasons, green vegetation, and like winter better than 100+ degrees and 90 percent humidity. There is good and bad everywhere you go.

[endlessearth]

Low and level.

Before:


After:

[pimpston65]

started to rebuild my starter!!!

[hardwaycooke]

Finished my 3:73 install. Used an original Eaton Posi Carrier, rebuilt, polished and ported by a retired engineer who actually helped design these. He has some great write-ups online about the older Carriers as compared to the new carbon ones. Anyway, topped it off with a new LPW Ultra Diff cover. Now to break it in and then Vroooooooom...

[schpeen]

All dinoed
out

[Grizz1963]

Not a Lot.

But got some photos......


IT HAS BEGUN........ NO TURNING BACK NOW.


Greeted by this before 09.00 today.

Driven by Bob the Magician.






Tools of the trade.




I met Bob a few months ago when he picked up a pedal kart for his son Alfie that he had won on Evilbay.

Typically of me, we started to chat and ended up talking jobs and hobbies...... so it was agreed that I would use him to pull the dents on my trucks door where it had flipped open before.

I still need to find a pair of Jeep Cherokee "door straps" to replace the stretched original ones.

Bob started dressing a few of the small dents on the bonnet for me.

Made it look so easy, I also made him a wooden tool to help massage the metal. Made me feel useful as he is so bloody skilled.



Then onto the door to open up the first crease......

The filler at the bottom of the ground back section is about 8mm thick, camera does not capture it well.

Loads of holes from previous damage repairs, I suspect the door was damaged again after the repairs were done in the USA before exportation.





Then I got to help...... now there was no going back.

The clips that hold the wide trim onto the door screws in, and I managed to unscrew one, the others we just ground the heads off, and dropped the bits inside the door for attention later.
I believe the new trim I will be buying when I have saved up the cash, from Mar-K, comes with new clips.



NINJA !!




Next up came the fun, magical part.

Using the "Wriggley Wire" welded on with this special tool.

Bob showed me, and then made me do the next few.



It fuses these wriggley wires to the body metal with current, then you get to pull the metal back with various tools and also tension, with added hammer and dolly strikes.

MAGIC !!!







PRO at work.

Hook in as many hooks as you needed and welded on and into the crease.







MARTIN had come over earlier from taking his Rottie to the vets, to take a look and learn as well.

He made a few very short video clips which will give an idea of what happens. Excuse the finesse and aspect of the clips, it is an iPhone 6 so quite technical (rofl)

The violence levels vary, and finesse is the name of the game in stretching and shrinking metal.

CLIP 1

Dent Pulling part 1 - YouTube

CLIP 2

Dent Pulling part 2 - YouTube

CLIP 3

Dent Pulling part 3 - YouTube


Bob dressing the steel after the wires, which he alternated as he went along.



Bit by bit the crease came back, as well as the swage line which is really badly creased.

Next up it was the time for a pin puller. Same as the wriggley wires, apply current, fuse to door, pull.





At this point Bob was trying to fill the holes we opened up with some of the pins, a couple took, but the rest would not seat.

So I brought out the Mig Welder, thinking that would be sensible, Martin, being the hero, who welds plate most days of the week took the welder out of our hands and proceeded to burn a hole and create a blob....... OOOOPPPS !! (OK, I admit, it was not his fault, though I would love to blame him)
After 5 years, the bottle of CO2 that Oldbus had brought me from Germany had just expired. BUGGGERR !!!
No Problemo..... Or so I thought, I have a fresh bottle of Argon/CO2 mix, specially bought for the trucks welding, just quickly change bottles and we will be back on track.

ERRRRMMM..... ?? NOPE.

Can you see the problem ??




YUP.

Female-Male or Male-Female.

So I needed an adaptor for my regulator. (suspect I have one hidden away somewhere)

So Bob just finished up as far as he could, as he had another home visit to do today.



Up here he could not do anything where some idiot had tried to crowbar open the quarter light at some point.





After Bob packed up and left, I went to Rainham to pick up a 3 speed Raleigh Shopper bicycle in need of attention.
Hammerite paint and a flat front wheel is the opening bid, but I have a plan.



Then I shot over to Machine Mart in Maidstone as I managed to get a 20% VAT Free discount voucher off a member on Rods n Sods to meet Martin and to do a group buy of tools we both needed.
I got an electric Impact Wrench, Oscilating DA Sander, two half packs of discs for the sander, 50 each in medium and coarse grit which Martin and I always share half and half, as well as the adaptor for my welders gas bottle.

My little pile in heaven.



This weekend has been wet, rainy and relatively miserable.

Nicola really only saw me this morning when I took her a cuppa tea and last night for a bit.

Yet, when I came in from all my "Manly tasks" the house smelt rather good and I found these in the kitchen, with a lovely casserole in the oven, cooking away, as well as a Summer fruits oven baked crumble.......


MY LIFE IS GOOD !!





That is all for today.

Next episode soon.

[rickywideglide]

took apart heater i got and cleaned it up,


should have took a before pic

[Palf70Step]

You have been busy!!

[Kenfuzed]

Put together a fan shroud. I'm using a larger 19.25" fan that I found at the swap meet, which has made it a challenge when combined with my motor which is in the forward position. You can see in one picture that there's only ~5/8 space between the corner of the blade and the P/S pullet nut.

[Lugnutz65]

Removed the pulley from my 1965 era 37A alternator and swapped it onto my new 105A one wire alternator. Have not tested it yet. Swapped it over so the alternator will properly line up with the fan and crank pulleys. Reused my original alternator brackets.

[Grizz1963]

Have started to clear out the garage so that I will have space to do the bodywork when I get going.

So tonight I removed the chrome smoothies and fitted these Japanese 4x4 wheels that my buddy Scott (Jabbo) dropped off here about a year ago.

They will be perfect to roll the truck around on, and are OK to get dirty etc.



I do love this quick Snap On jack.

Up Up and away.



Job done !!

I also used the new impact wrench I bought yesterday to undo the nuts, what a pleasure to have the "right tools".

It is brutal for sure.

I will not be using it for most fastening jobs.



Just before I pulled the truck back in, I looked down the side and again just grinned at how Bob had managed to sort out the creases yesterday.



I also started to move stuff into the caravan shed, as my bike trailer needs to go to Martins mums place 30 miles from here, into her garage.

Once the space is liberated I can move my motorbike across and put up the wall I want to add to keep the rest of the garage reasonably dust free.

The blasting cabinet needs to be assembled too.

[schpeen]

dyno matted wow what cool stuff!

[65Gregg]

I had to pull one of my headers to replace a freeze plug, the one above the starter. Since I had one off I decided to install the Sanderson block huggers my kids bought me for Fathers day(2 yrs. ago). Until now I haven't been motivated to take them off but since one is off, why not. I mocked the new ones up and they will make an improvement routing plug wires, removing plugs etc. Just need angled reducers and gaskets to put it back together.

[Grizz1963]

Truck time tomorrow, well, sort of. Working on clearing the garage.

Sold my Sachs Madass tonight.

Stripped off all the side trim on my truck after work.

Looks rubbish.

[Chevy Fleetside]

I drove up to napa and picked up a 92 LT1 out of a Vette. Got the engine componants and wiring harness for $260. Now I just have to figure out what I am going to do iwth it.

[endlessearth]

Working out the kinks to get it low and level.

[rickywideglide]

Originally Posted by endlessearth

Working out the kinks to get it low and level.

truck is looking good, just noticed your 6 lug now?