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This truck was a shell of its former self. Rust holes everywhere, we started from scratch on this one and went full bore.
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Just scratching the surface so to speak
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We cut out all the rusted metal we could find back to the fresh metal and started the long process of welding in custom cut pieces to fit the folds and contours of the late model tub as best we could. Casey got a couple of floor pans that made the work a bit easier but they still didnt fit without cutting and forming.
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Here you can see some of the floor work coming together. We chose to Tig because we wanted flushed welds for ease of grinding later.
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UGH! looking back on this now I see all the work that went into this truck. It kills me when I find 3/4 inch of bondo on a truck......hammer and dolly people....You can see the liner going on the tub in the last few pics....we do most of our trucks inside and underneath to provide the most protection possible but its important that you treat/repair/grind out any rust you find before doing this.
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After prepping the metal with a hammer and dolly we grind out the old bondo left and then smooth on fiber hair because its quite strong as a foundation for any smoothing done by layers of glazing putty or body filler later. Re seam seal the body panels and do an epoxy coat of primer wait a day or so...wet sand and do a grey primer coat...wait....wet sand and prep for the finish coat. I painted the firewall to be able to place the tub on the frame for painting later. Door bottoms...yay!
Here's a few pics of some of the other things we did while the body was being worked....Spring over cuts and redos, Non American 4 spd and Orion Tcase get together, rollcage going together, disc brakes being assemble and the high steer power steering being fitted on.
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The frame going together with the finished axles and the engine and tranny being installed.....note the tape its a tease on something cool later on.
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Here's an example of why you bring you stuff to me....This is a 3FE system going on to a 2F block. I stripped the ECM wiring down and rewired and relocated components such that it was essentially stock. I planned out the locations for the necessary components to provide stock functions for the engine management system and lengthened, cut, rerouted wires accordingly.
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Here you can see some of the link work. We decided on something simple to curtail the spring wrap for the back axle.
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Casey decided to add rear disc brakes late in the process and so we upgraded the booster and master cylinder. Here you can also see the finished product of the floor restoration and the final stance of the truck. BigHead approves.
