Today after lunch I removed the front clip off the woodie. We finally had some good weather and the afternoon sun shines into my red shop til about 5:30. I spent the day rolling around on the concrete, first heating all the fasteners to cherry red, then the pb blaster. About 50% came undone, the rest were sawn with a cuttoff wheel, or the torch up under the fenders. Anyhow, as usual the angle I could get on the fasteners sent the shower of sparks directly at my face, hair and ears. Then I'd roll over onto a red hot bolt head or hit my head on a bumper bracket. By the time I got the front end clear of all it's bolts, I just rolled it over in a sommersault move and there it sits with the busted old headlights facing the concrete.. I came up to the house about 6:30 and my wife told me to get in the shower and leave my filthy clothes in the utility room. I don't normally feel old, but some days are beginning to get a bit trying. Oh well, everything is accessible now and there are lots of new, clean mechanical parts to install with good bolts with anti-seize on them. I'm hoping it gets more pleasant after this, and of course the weather is getting better now too. End of rant

 

GB, I feel your pain, everyday. And it really sucks to start getting old enough that the body doesn't comply with the tasks at hand. A couple hours of work makes me feel more like 84 than 64

 

Everytime I think about having to get up and over those tall and wide front fenders to work on something my body says Whoa! Wait! What! But then I get up there and am happy there is so much to lay on. And the metal doesn't even flinch at the amount of downward pressure my body is subjecting those great fenders to. Those 70 year old fenders are always there to support me!

 

I know what you guys mean. At 63 before I get under my truck to do some work I think about what I need, what I might need, and maybe a little of what I don't need. I can't get up and down like I use to.

 

Still, it has to be better than watching golf on TV...

 

While I haven't tried it, that sounds even more painful than rolling around on a bunch of cut off bolt heads.

 

GB I feel for you, I know it for sure. I had to pull the front fenders, grille and related to get my engine and transmission out. Much easier coming apart than going together I did learn. No fun trying to line up fenders, grille and inner fenders by yourself. I needed 4 more hands and arms for sure. Got plenty of scratches, cuts and other injuries.

 

I have removed the front clip of a jailbar as a one piece unit multiple times. Then back on as a complete unit. On my panel I replaced the clip with one that Scott 'tinman' and I pulled off a truck in Montana. This is my first time taking apart the inner fenders, rad support, grill panel etc. I plan on doing an initial painting of the new parts I'll use, then build a front clip and install it once again as a completed unit. I Just got back from napa with 2 more cans of PB Blaster. Looks Like I'm gonna be removing the running boards. It does not look fun. Carraige bolts on top that spin and the bolts are up inside the 'U' shaped support. Arggggh..... Looks like the cutoff wheel between the running board and the bracket.

 

Move over to working on a COE and automatically feel 10 years older than working on a conventional truck.
No. F'ing. Room.

 

You got that right......I have to twist up like a contortionist to get at a couple of the spark plugs on my COE. Getting under the dash is virtually impossible...

 

Having been a Motor Sgt in the Army, I am well versed in the need for flexibility when crawling around on things with tracks and gun tubes etc. Now days, I get stuck trying to get out from under the dash of my '46.

 

I always took pride in doing so much in life in my younger days such as football;,motocross, and even the occasional barroom brawl. Now I dread the pains from those days every time i climb over or under the trucks.The cracking sound coming from my joints show all around me just how old i'm starting to be.