Rat repair.

[freakshow108]

Nice score on that dash!

[swamp rat]

Next on the list is the trailer hitch, With tank install taking up frame space this hitch fits perfectly on the remaining frame without having to run bolts thru both tank and hitch, being as the tank is aluminum i dont want to put that much force on the tank flanges cause it may over time cause a cracking problem.

I have posted here to ask if this hitch is truly heavy duty enough for the intended purpose:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...2&postcount=23


Right now the truck has a gawdy home made bumper, probably weighs about 100lbs, I was hoping I could just cut the welded trailer ball mount off the bumper but i did some preliminary measurements to my new hitch and the receiver receptacle stops about 3" short of the rear of the bumper. here's a pic showing the width of the bumper. So i picked up this non period correct bumper on the cheap but would still like to find a period correct nice bumper thats a little more heavy duty.

[70stroker]

Love the build.

After I am goin to be running the same gas tank and have been looking for a hitch do you mind takin some pictures of the hitch and tank mounting points in relationship to crossmembers and what not.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by 70stroker

Love the build.

After I am goin to be running the same gas tank and have been looking for a hitch do you mind takin some pictures of the hitch and tank mounting points in relationship to crossmembers and what not.

Here's another old pic

The hitch bolts to the frame behind the rear cross member which is just behind the rear of the tank, the other hitch i have that was off of a 76 Chevy had mount points that extended forward past that cross member so didn't want to use it. The new hitch has 3 bolts per side just as the old hitch but there just closer together.

I'll certianly post more pic's as i progress

[swamp rat]

Moving along to the tank and filler, I also purchased another 10X20 car cover, going to set it up right behind the other one to give me room to (hate to say it) pull the bed off again. Right now the tank is bolted to the bottom of the frame rail, i want to move the tank flanges to inside the rail because the filler is about 1/4" below the top frame rail, I was going to do it way back then but i was in a hurry to get the bed back back then as i needed the truck, and didn't take the time to remove the cross member and move the tank even tho i knew the filler hose would rub on the upper frame rail. So i need to back up and fix the tank before i install the hitch. This pic is about ?? 2-3 years old??

Then once the tank is fixed i'll start on the filler door and tube, and yes because i have never done any body work the thought of cutting my bed side is pretty nerve racking..

I have bought a few items to help with the door install, right and left hand snips and a stud welder gun and puller, plus some mud, high build primer, sanding blocks, ect.

[swamp rat]

Oh, before i forget, the truck does handle way better than it did with the Rancho front springs and 40 year old rear springs and blocks, and the new ball joints and tie rod ends ect, i still think there is room for a new rebuilt steering gear from Red Head, but that's way down on my list. http://www.redheadsteeringgears.com/

And i'm STILL waiting on my replacement seat cover from Truckseats, this has been going on for a real long time.... Yes I'm becoming pretty impatient over this...

About a month ago I ordered a repair inner and outer panel for my passenger door but put it on a stock order thru Classic heartbeat, i figured i have time before i can get to it, if I'm successful then i keep moving forward with sheet metal repair, if not i will need to work a lot of OT and find a body man.

[Vintage Windmills]

Good to see progress again, good score on the slots and dash! Tires under 10 years can be remounted, so you have time. I can't believe you'd get a ticket for that, I'd think you'd have to have obscene protrusion for it to be an issue unless you live in a utopia that has no real issues for cops to pursue.

Keep in mind that the area that will suffer is still the lower part of the front fenders and even with flush or narrower fitment, that area still gets a ton of rock chips unless you have flaps.

I think your new rear bumper must be like mine? 80's style?

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Vintage Windmills

Good to see progress again, good score on the slots and dash! Tires under 10 years can be remounted, so you have time. I can't believe you'd get a ticket for that, I'd think you'd have to have obscene protrusion for it to be an issue unless you live in a utopia that has no real issues for cops to pursue.

Keep in mind that the area that will suffer is still the lower part of the front fenders and even with flush or narrower fitment, that area still gets a ton of rock chips unless you have flaps.

I think your new rear bumper must be like mine? 80's style?

I will probably continue with plans to polish the wheels them regardless and give them a shot to see if the width grows on me, I have wanted slots for years. Maybe not where your at but it is ticketable over here to be outside of the fender wells, but i do believe the cop would have to be in a bad mood or just an ass. It may not look so bad when mounted. I was however shocked to find out how expensive the lug are gonna be..

Don't tell nobody but the bumper came off of a 4 letter F word. I have given thought to trying to modify the old bumper being as i have a Mig and Plasma cutter till i can find a different period correct bumper that i like.

[mjensen]

Looking great!!! I think I missed it though. What vehicle was the filler door from? I'm going to have to do the same thing to mine.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by mjensen

Looking great!!! I think I missed it though. What vehicle was the filler door from? I'm going to have to do the same thing to mine.

Its from an S10, don't remember the year but guessing late 90's?

[Dean'smeanmachine]

looking real sweet

[swamp rat]

I started out my day today at 4:30 am waking up (groggy as hell) and drinking my coffee, then taking my wife to the oral surgeon to yank a tooth and a few other things to her upper jaw (whatever you call it) to prep for a tooth replacement, another $2000 bill on my Visa after insurance. Whats another temporary setback... LOL!

I got the car canopy up behind the old one and lashed then together last Monday, of course it was raining when i did that.. Then i scrounged up a couple wooden crates from the scrap yard at work to use as stands to set the bed on. I also bought 3 sheets of plywood to act as a temporary floor under the engine hoist as the ground is pretty soft, i let it dry under the cover for 3 days then got started.

First the tailgate and the 100 lb bumper had to come off, then i rounded up a couple 2X4's some clamps and extended the lift out, not the best but it worked better what i rigged up the last time i pulled the bed, thanks to this forum for the ideas, i did forget to add some wood under the bed rails so all the weight was on the bottom of the flange (woops) but i didn't do any real damage thankfully.

I ground the rivets and removed the rear cross member after i clamped a piece of square stock across the rear of the frame, i didn't know if it was gonna spring in or out, so just being cautious. i tried 3/8 a bolt in the rivet hole but it was a little sloppy fitting so i dug around and just happened to have the perfect step reamer, just .006 larger than a 7/16 NF bolt with a pilot the same diameter as the existing rivet hole, off to the hardware store for 7/16 Grade 8 bolts nuts and washers.

One of the reasons i wanted to pull the rear cross member and make it removable was so i could hopefully gain access to the 2 bed bolts above the tank, last time i put the bed on i couldn't reach the two bolts to put the two nuts and washers on no matter what i tried. The bolts are much closer to the rear of the tank and with the cross member removed i can get my Popeye forearms between the tank and frame rails enough to access the bolts. The only problem with having rear cross member removable is the top of the cross member needs the to also be bolted and the nuts and washers would no longer be accessible, so i think the solution will be to weld the nuts to the inside top of the cross member and then i should be able to access the bolt from the top without too much trouble, hopefully!

The other reason of course is i want to put the tank between the frame rails instead of just bolting it to the bottom so the filler will be up higher. there is currently 1 1/4" from the top of the tank to the top of the frame rail, i have some 1" square tubing that i think will raise it up enough to allow the rubber fill hose not to rub on the frame, as a back up i also have some 1 1/4" square stock as well. The only other option i can see would be to ether cut a notch out of the frame which i absolutely do not want to do, the other is get a torch (another purchase) and heat it up and bend it down.

I guess the only other option from all this would be to take the tank to a weld shop and have them remove and re weld the flanges lower on the tank but i'll save that as a last resort..

[Dean'smeanmachine]

lookin good!

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by sboris

Excellent progress. Love those slots, hope you use them.

I sure plan to!

Originally Posted by JayB331

Nice work Rat, and glad you're feeling better!

Thanks Jay, so am I!

Originally Posted by Dean'smeanmachine

lookin good!

Thanks Dean!

[sboris]

Excellent progress. Love those slots, hope you use them.

[JayB331]

Nice work Rat, and glad you're feeling better!

[swamp rat]

Today I welded a couple nuts on the top underside of the rear cross member so it could be bolted from the top, and then thru bolts and nuts on the bottom.

Removed the tank and slid it between the rails, realized real quick i needed way less that 1" of spacer to get the tank high enough. when i mounted the tank on the bottom of the rails the first time i used rubber washers to isolate the tank and eliminate the contact of dissimilar metals, seemed like a good idea at the time so i did it again today.

Went to the hardware store and bought a foot of 1/8" rubber sheet and cut it into strips, first i used some 1/8" X 2" angle iron i had laying around, then 2 strips of rubber then the tank followed by another strip of rubber, then another smaller piece of angle for an upper cap followed by lock nuts. it don't look pretty but this isn't a show truck, if i find the rubber was a bad idea then I'll just have to pull the bed and change it out to something like steel strap. Oh, it looks a little funny because i notched the rear of the tank flange to clear the spring mounts on the underside of the frame, but the tank flange is wider than the rubber strips and angle and there is now plenty of clearance for the hose to not hit the frame..

Then i brought out the new Curt hitch and mounted the two center holes thru the existing holes in the bottom of the frame, still need to drill 4 holes. Looking at it the frame rails sure seem thin, i cant help but wonder if the frame will end up bending under the weight of towing..

Also i did some preliminary barnyard measurements and I'm a little concerned if this hitch will extend out far enough with the bumpers i have so i came to the conclusion i'll probably put the bed back on tomorrow first, then take a good look at the bumper situation, i know I'll ether have to modify my existing bumper or try and mount the other one, or maybe just make a new one?? beginning to like that option.

[swamp rat]

Well well, one step forward and 2 steps back again...

A trip to the hardware store and then wrap up a few loose ends then decided to put the bed back on to see how far out the back the hitch sits when using the one existing hole in the bottom of the frame. I picked up the bed and got the dunnage out of the area and backed the truck into place, lowered the bed down and got it aligned as good as possible then relaxed the lift. It took me a while to figure out why the bed just wouldn't slide that last inch to get back into place....

Before i raised the tank the vent was low enough that it was under the bed cross member, guess i forgot about that when raising the tank, even worse if you look at the pic's where the cross member sits it was plain as day.. Oh well

So I had to lift the bed back up, pull back out from under it, remove the hitch and unbolt the tank from the frame and fuel line, reposition the tank forward while using a 2X4 to gauge the clearance to the vent (yes a 2X4 is 1.5" and the cross member is 1.75") then take measurements from the rear of the frame to the tank, pull the tank back out and reposition underneath the frame and transfer the mounting holes from the tank back to the frame and put it all back together again then re bend the fuel line a bit and shorten and re flair it. The tank was moved forward about 1 1/4".

I also decided the hitch could be moved rearward almost another inch if i plugged the two existing 3/4" holes in the frame and re drill all 6 holes. Welcome to my welding booth complete with wet dirt ground, yea its been dumping all day again and the water leaches back under the cover. Oh my 220V extension cord had to be run from the garage outside and under the car cover too. The pic shows the top which was welded first then ground flush, then welded from the bottom.

[swamp rat]

What i was faced with this morning.. I decided to straighten up my work bench a little and then mocked up the hitch where i want it and clamped it in place then gathered up the needed drills and called it a day so i can get ready for work. Didn't get a pic of the mock up but by welding up the existing hole i was able to extend the hitch out another inch.

[swamp rat]

So this week i haven't been sitting idle, but i have only been getting in about 2-3 hours a day to work on the truck, that included dragging all the tools need out and back in again.. I hate not having a shop..

I have had the bed on and off two more times this week test fitting and checking everything, the tank is now positioned so not to interfere with the bed sills, and i had to cut the leg off the angles i used as a top cap to bolt the tank in because i couldn't reach the bed bolts. I'll leave the bed unbolted for now in case i need it off for body stuff.

I settled on the hitch position and drilled the 6 holes and got it drilled and bolted up, I decided not to push it and left about 3/4" from the rear hole to the edge of the frame, i was originally going to move it back further but decided safe would be better than gaining another 1/4" out the back.

As i may have mentioned i wanted to retain the cross member in the stock location because its very close to the rear springs and shackles, If i just removed or moved it i think it would have allowed the frame to flex too much. The other reason was so i could access the tank bolts on ether side of the tank that i couldn't reach from the front, And it worked, with the nut welded to the upper leg of the brace i can run bolts in from the side, and the bottom bolts and nut's are accessible from underneath.

Lifted the bumper i picked up on the cheap up to the truck, i hate it, so I'll keep looking.

Anybody know if any of these 1/2" hols in the frame are factory?

[swamp rat]

I got the gas fill door surround cut and made my preliminary layout of where i want the door, I'm not worried about cutting the hole anymore, but i still have some rippling problems I'm trying to get out, i was working the lower portion using the hammer off technique and got a high spot out but in the process it created an even bigger high spot on the upper section..... Go figure

I need to pull my inner bed fender wells soon, i'm seeing some pretty nasty looking rust on the back side where they bolt to the inner bed.
I'll give it another go soon but probably not this weekend, there is a swap meet tomorrow downtown i want to check out, then i got to go to work.

[swamp rat]

I need to get these fender wells off pretty quick too!

[sboris]

Good progress. Keep picking away. The no shop thing I'm sure is a pain, but your definitely doing good without!

[Dean'smeanmachine]

not having a shop must be a pain...im spoiled with my nice one...... Good job!

[swamp rat]

Well its not much but its something, the rain has been non stop for days until about an hour before i left for work yesterday, but i was able to get a little bit done today..

Guess i got over the "fear factor" on poking a hole in my bed, still need to fit it a little more

I still have some couture issues that need sorting out but i thought maybe this might help me get them worked out ether by relieving stress or gaining access to the back side?

Kinda surprised at how much rust is back there, makes me cringe thinking about the cab....