HA along with a new skin!!!!!!!

 

I got a dentpuller that'll take care of that tailgate.... no skin needed.

 

Are you nuts? that is going to take DAYS to "Fix" that gate, when a NEW ford one can be had for $400

 

It'll take a casual afternoon. It's the rebuilding the box corners that are broken off that's bugging me.

 

Gotta put these back in place with nothing to go by.... can't even find a good pic so freehanding it is.

 

So, fiberglassing is not the most fun activity I can think of, not so bad when you're just fixing something, almost fun even but when you have to create a shape in mid air, gravity is not your friend. Buying chicken wire tomorrow and making a cage/cradle to lay the fiberglass onto.

 

Hay looking at putting a 69 crew on 95 powerstroke ext cab 4x4 long box frame. My ext cab has about 6 inches more wheelbase than the crew. I was thinking move the firewall and mounts. I looked back through the tread. Most of early pics are gone do u happen to have them on photobucket or somewhere online so i could look at them. Thanks
Nice build

 

I re-posted most of the important ones, what are you looking for in particular?


Getting the hang of this fiberglassing thing... I think....

Foam insulation mold










This is as far as I got tonight.... should have both sides done tomorrow.

 

That looks pretty good!

 

Pretty sure I'm just gonna end up big-bumpering over these anyways but...





Also got into the electrical today. 3/0 welding cable should spin it nicely.

 

Did you make those molds from scratch?

 

Yes, after a week of screwing around with wire cages and such trying to glass right onto the truck I realized it wasn't going to work. Had a sheet of that blue styrofoam insulation and made a block of cut up pieces glued together (find some kind of actual foam glue), then I made the mold so the piece that came out would actually be smaller and fit inside of the existing step allowing me to build it up to the level of the original box. Styrofoam cuts easily with a very light touch on a hacksaw and sands out nicely.

If I had to do it again however, I would create the reverse mold, create a piece the same size as the original box, cut the box and the new piece to fit together, and then lay the glass down on the inside of the box. Did some research into mold making (never glassed anything like this before) and the key seems to be the mold release.

If I had access to an original undamaged box, I would most definitely create molds of it, especially the corners and wheel arches, then throw them in the attic for later. Seems like a lot of work but once you get going it's really not that bad. Mix resin in a Solo cup, use disposable paint brushes (cheaper the better), lay pieces of glass in a tin roasting pan and dip brush in resin and dab until piece is soaked, grab glass and set on mold or truck or whatever and brush out the air. The more care you put into laying the glass down the less sanding you need to do in the end, which brings me to why I would create the next mold in reverse, it's too easy to build up the wrong areas if you don't pay attention to where you lay it down. With the reverse mold the lines are already there, and anything you lay on the inside really shouldn't need cleaning up, would save a ton of time in sanding and you could bulk it right up. Don't be afraid to drill holes through this stuff to make "rosette welds" or plugs to help reinforce things. Did I mention it's itchy?

 

Local tranny shop closed it's doors, picked up a fresh rebuilt 1356 for $300, little bit closer.

Toss this thing





Yay

 

I see drama ahead with getting a front driveshaft in, no way the crossmember can stay as it is.

 

Is that a F250 or F350 t-case?