The Super Duper Haggis Hauler

[Captainfab]

Sorry but I don't have any pics handy. You might scroll thru some of the build threads on '60-'64's and see what the factory setup looked like.

Also casey g built a nice watts link in the back half he finished a month or so ago.

http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=692657

[MacQuigley]

Thats a nice set up on casey g's truck John and some lovely welding. But a bit beyond my curent skills level.

I was thinking more along the lines of this, though Id need to adapt it slightly for my wider 62 frame.

https://www.cachassisworks.com/p-265...t-rearend.aspx

[MacQuigley]

Well I didn’t get much dome this weekend. I had the first car show of the season on Sunday and it took me most of Saturday to prep the Land Rover (always takes longer that first time each year).

Anyway a little progress was made on Saturday and I got another coat of clear on the rear fender.



Again the lighting in the garage doesn’t do the colour justice. It’s a good but darker than it looks in the picture. Anyway I need to flat it back then polish it up to remove the dust fragments but Im happy with the finish. Not being a painter I think with care and time I will get the finish I want on the truck.

So yesterday I made a start on the drivers side rockers. Now that I had the parts I needed (thanks again Ian) I took the plunge and started cutting.

This is what I started with



And this is where I ended up



The rear door pillar bottom could have been saved. It was cracked and I could have welded it up to be honest, it was thin and I had the part so it got cut off and will be replaced.




Its still to be trimmed to the exact size yet.

As for the front door pillar lower, what more need I say



So its got cut off and unfortunately showed that the front cab support was worse than I thought



So it will get repaired. It was filled, almost its entire length with a mixture of rust and sand or mud. No wonder it was rotting!

Fortunately I do have a replacement cab support but it was intended for the passenger side, so and order is already away for another (plus rear supports – just in case. At $17 each Id rather have them here)

Sadly I wont get anything much down now until Saturday morning, as Im heading away shortly and wont be back until Thursday (business, not pleasure). But Ive a long weekend coming up the following weekend so I’ll make up for lost time (may even have my suspension upgrades by then, IF I can make up my mind what I want!).

[Grizz1963]

Mate !!!!
That is absolutely gutting.

But at least you have the skills and balls to take it on and finish it.

Fender looks great.

[MacQuigley]

It is what it is Rian. It is worse than I was expecting but not as bad as it could have been. Ive repaired worse before but it does mean more time before I get it on the road.

Om the positive fromt my dad's new ali short block 509 arrived today. OK so he isnt planning on replacing the 454 in his Cobra until after the summer and Id do the same myself but at least all the engine parts I will be needing are now here in Scotland.

Looking forward to drooling all over the 509 when I get back later in the week.

[Captainfab]

I agree the fender looks quite nice

[MacQuigley]

Progress is slow on the truck or has been the last couple of weeks but hopefully things will move on a bit now.

I eventually finished that rear fender on Saturday. Again the photo doesn’t do it justice but Im happy that I can do this myself now (though its going to take ages):



I was having my dad and aunt over for a BBQ on Saturday so I went over to collect him and help move this:



That’s his nice brand new crate short aluminium 509 block!

This is what he is going to be replacing



And that, less its ali heads and a few other components, is destined for the C10 

So up on Sunday (late and with a somewhat fuzzy head!) I made some more progress with the cab and the drivers side rocker etc





That cab mount is only tacked in place. Im going to take it back off tonight as Im not happy with it. I took my measurements off the old one using the holes at datum points but the holes on the patch are not in the same place. Not even sure they are close. So the hole through the floor to mount it onto the frame is not quite right. Options are to take it off and move it which will mean the holes at the front will be way out. Or open up the hole a little towards the rear. Im wondering of the second option wouldn’t be best as it will give me a bit if the best of both worlds.

Hope all the patch panels are not as poor as this (though I was expecting as much as very few aftermarket panels Ive ever used are perfect or even close!).

[MacQuigley]

Oh and I came back in earlier today to find these delivered from Captainfab



Thanks John!

[Captainfab]

Wow, that took a while. I would have thought you would have had those a week or so ago. But I am glad that you at least got them.

[MacQuigley]

I think it would have been near middle of last week if Id not been away when the tax invoice arrived. I had to pay that first before they would deliver. By the time I got back on Thursday night and paid it, there was no time to arrange delivery on Friday so if came out to me yesterday.

Anyway its here now, so Ive some more work I can be getting on with. Thanks again John.

[MacQuigley]

I was having a bit of trouble getting the new floor section in but after a bit of persuasion last night its finally just about there.



Basically Id been just a bit cautious cutting out the old metal and had left a little too much in the footwell. Also I had to cut the returns off at each end of the patch panel.

There is still a bit if fettling to be done. None of the wholes line up yet but at least the contours of the floor patch panel match the original floor.





Off from tonight until Tuesday so I should have this finished over the weekend as long as I don’t pick up any problems.

[ibrown50]

Mine looked pretty much the same, the form was very good and the holes were no where near, I "stretched" mine with a carbide burr. The panel was slightly short at the rear too but workable. I still haven't sorted the holes for the lower front wing (sorry fender) bracket. Have fun this weekend, I'll look out for your updates

[MacQuigley]

Thats pretty much what I have planned for tomorrow morning Ian, out with the burr and start "stretching". It is pretty much the same with patch panels the world over.

[MacQuigley]

No other way to describe this but Im a bit pissed off this afternoon!

Before I decided on the truck I had been considering a Camaro. Always wanted one and regretted passing up on one nearly 30 years ago when I could have bought it for £2000 (a lot to me then).

My mate's brothers brother in law has one but my mate wouldnt talk to him as he had always said he wouldnt sell it.

Due to unfortunate circumstances my mate happened to be talking to his brothers brother in law only to find out he sold it at Christmas just passed! Wait for it -

He sold it for £500.00, about $750.00! And no there is no zero's missing from that!

The nugget paid £5K for it a good while ago and about the same in parts including a complete brand new interior!

Worse, he told my mate that had he known I was looking for one I could have had it for NOTHING!

The buyer, put oil in the motor and air in the tyres, fired it up and drove it onto the back of a trailer!

OK I already have one and a bit projects on the go and other things to do but for nothing or even £500 Id have stored it somewhere until I was ready.

To put that price in context the cheapest same year I can find over here is £30,000.00. Most are well up on that figure!

Oh and it was a 68!

Oh well. Maybe next time!

[mjh1965]

I have sent you a PM yesterday and resent it today . I once got asked if I wanted an old mk1 cortina by one of my dads friends at the time I was to busy doing my first house and declined . I later found out it was a MK 1 lotus cortina and I could have had it for next to nothing being that it was a friend of my dads . Some you win some you loose . Still hurts though .

[MacQuigley]

My wife would say "Whats for you will no go by you"!

To that I say Thrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrup! (thats a big blown rasberry just in case its not obvious)

I love her, but she talks crap!

Lotus Cortina. Thats more painful than the Camaro!

[MacQuigley]

Quick question, If Im fitting a fill outer floor and rocker do I need to fit the inner rocker panel as well or does the outer part of the floor patch panel act as the inner rocker?

[ibrown50]

Bill if your floor repair panels look like this then they incorporater the inner rocker,



The outer rocker fits over like this

[MacQuigley]

Thats what Ive got Ian. Wasnt until Id finished welding the floor in this morning and started to offer up the rocker that I started to have second thoughts about using the inner rocker.

Still have one problem. The inner rocker (on the floor secton) is about 11cm deep at the rear and less than 10 at the front therefore doesnt fully enclose the outer. So I may need to use the inner rocker patch panels I bought to filly box it all in.

[ibrown50]

I drilled and plug welded the outer rocker all the way around including the top, mine lined up perfectly with the inner rocker along the underside, the biggest issue I had was getting the door gap right along the bottom..



After drilling the outer if fitted it and marked where the spots welds would be took it off and sanded just enough of the e-coat primer off the let me weld it



and then after welding dressed it with a bull nosed carbide burr, that way you can leave a little indentation which looks like a factory spot weld once you've painted it.

[MacQuigley]

How the day started



And how its just finished



Progress!

Tomorrow I'll follow in Ian's steps and get the rocker on.

BTW checked the passenger side floor patch panel and the inner rocker there is a different size, though at least its the same at both ends.

[MacQuigley]

With the rocker tacked in place and the door hung everything looks just about OK.

Th egap at the bottom isnt quite even but I thing I can sort that. Thing is do I repair the door now before fully wellding up the rocker?

As the picture shows the corner of the door has been puller out slightly. So I think Its probably a better idea it fix that now befor I weld up the rocker and find I have to adjust it (slightly - as there is little movement anyway!).

[MacQuigley]

As Kirk said to McCoy in Star Trek 3 "my god bones what have I done?"

I know how he felt (or feels as its 300 year in the future!!!)?



Kirk of course had just blown up the Enterprise!

However unlike Kirk I have to put this back together and I dont have a Scotty!

Oh wait! Im from Scotland, hopefully thats a good omen!

That said, It just dawned on me 30 minutes ago that I forgot to bolt the inner rocker and cab suport together before I tacked the outer rocker in place.

Oh well I guess thats getting ground off tomorrow. I guess I knew that hence I only tacked it in place...........

One step foreward, 3 steps back!!!!!!!!!!

BTW the photo was after much shot blasting and chemical treatment.

It really looked like crap before!



My wee shotblast pot is good but its not great. Ideal for the like of this where I cant get in with an angle grinder but it takes time even with 270ltr of air.

[Grizz1963]

Amazing resilience Bill.

You really are knocking it out the park.

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

Nice work! What you had to begin with was pretty ugly.