Had to take today off to take care of some obligations.Was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with a low-sixties high allowing me to crawl around under my panel and look at 'stuff',and sweep her out.Gas tank (not original) and other small parts in the back.Wood floor is solid enough but some deep wear in front of the back doors.From underneath the wood looks pretty good.One of the metal strips on the floor is missing about a foot,another is curled up but would be ok if it was screwed back down.I like the retro look but will probably replace the whole floor.

Got familiar with the bolts holding the bed to the frame,what kind of head is that and what kind of driver will take it off? Looks like a square,I don't have any drivers like that in my box need to buy one.

Tried to bust a few front fender bolts loose underneath,used the rest of my can of WD-40,no luck.I didn't let them soak for very long.I need to get some good penetrating oil and a lot of it.I have an oxy/acetelyne rig but never got real familiar with it,if there is a way to heat them up to break them loose I'd appreciate a few pointers like what to set the regulators or any other tips on how to bust rusty bolts loose.

I think the next move is to get the seats out and brace the body.I'm thinking that I'll go with axracers suggestion and get some 1" square stock and brace under the dash,the door posts,one in the middle and one at the back doors with a 45 degree brace between each one.Any suggestions appreciated,I need to brace the body well enough to lift it off so I can clean the frame.

Going to start taking the front cap off if I have good weather before I get the square stock bought.

I appear to have a 2 bbl 302 from 1969 in this truck.I posted a question and some information in the small block v-8 forum,no answer yet.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...ml#post4395370

Number on metal tag holding coil bracket to head:

302 C 69 5

9-D K292-S

I just noticed that I left the second (bottom) set of numbers off my post on the small-block v8 forum,sorry.I been on several web sites and haven't seen the 'K292-S' anywhere.I'm fairly sure those numbers are correct although the tag is quite faded.

Had a great time with my truck today.

-Shawn

 

Hi Shawn, it's been a long time since I've removed the bolts your talking about but you my try and check to see if the square drive from your rachet might fit, I'm thinking the 3/8's or 1/4 I've gotten lucky that way some times john

 

Shawn, with the fender bolts the easiest way to get them out is to just tighten them and break the nut off. There isn't any sense in trying to save them, as most of the Parts guys have them in stock. Good luck with it.
Don

 

The bolts that hold the panel body are the same as the ones that hold the boxes on the pickups. I ground a 3/8" drive extension down to fit the square hole. When I replaced the bolts I bought hollow head carriage bolts from McMaster Carr. You can't notice they're different unless you get up real close. The ground down extension barely lasted long enough to get all of the bolts out. Now with the new hollow head bolts I can use a good quality Allen wrench to loosen and tighten them. Unless you're going for show judging who cares?

As for the front fender bolts I gas wrench them off with the torch or grind them off with a 4 1/2" angle grinder with a thin cutting disc. That's a less damaging, but noiser way to do it.

 

Shawn:
The bolts on my front fenders were pretty soft. The ones that I couldn't run off just broke off with a little flexing on my 1/2 drive rachet. To replace them I bought grade 5? or maybe it was 8, I can't remember...anyway, I bought the same size bolts and washers from the local farm supply store. Since I'm not going for a concours correct restore (not with a 302 etc).

So far as the square head bolts...Sears sells sets of square end bits. So does Ace, Truevalue etc. I picked up a little set of them and have been surprised at how often I've used them (on other projects) since. This way you don't ruin an extension--maybe two.

 

The fender bolts underneath are not in reusable condition anyway,breaking them off is a viable option.I have a grinder but didn't think it would fit into some of the places,I'll check that out and use a combination of the two no doubt.

I will probably have to replace the bed bolts too but I want the proper tool to take the old ones off and I may need it to put new ones on too,I'll check Sears.

Took the starter off and got the engine numbers and got the tranny id'd I'm thinking.Looks like a '69 302,FMX trans and 9" rear end.I'm going to have to learn more about the gearing because most of my driving is and always has been highway driving,I live 20 miles from everything.

Thanks for the help and suggestions.

-Shawn

 

I made a similar tool like Bob. I ground a short piece of square stock to fit and inserted it into an 8 point socket. Set the ground square section into the square hole setting it firmly with a hammer. At this point if you do not have an 8 point socket, just put an adustable on it. I saved all but one of my bolts and bought one from Macks. If they are rusty, you will need a hot knife to heat the nut and two people and you could still save the bolts. Note that they are a fine thread.

 

If you are cutting the nuts with a cutoff wheel, Instead of cutting them parallel to the panel, cut straight in splitting the bolt and nut into 2 1/2s. It's usually easier than the other way to get the tool in the various places and less likely to damage the panel. Stop just short of touching the panel even if the nut isn't cut thru, a twist with a wrench will finish the job. WD40 is a very poor penetrating oil. Use PB blaster or Liquid wrench. Apply liberally and allow to soak overnite.
Ox-Ac reg settings depend on size torch you are using. Most home size cutting/welding torches will work well with the Ac set at 15# and the Ox at 30# set with the torch valves cracked open so gas is flowing (don't smoke or work near any ignition source when adjusting the Ac keep the unlit open time to a minimum). Open the Ac tank valve 1/4 turn only, the Ox tank full open. Google torch flame adjustment for pix of how to adjust the torch valves and what the flame should look like.

 

Thanks,that is very helpful.I took an HVAC course (two years of it actually) 15 years ago and was thoroughly checked out on oxy/acetelyne silver soldering but haven't done much welding since.My employer encourages all employees including office workers to carry home at least one pair of safety glasses and all the earplugs you feel you need to be safe,will even lend out face shields.They say they have enough revenue from employees staying safe at home and making it to work to cover the cost,I thought it a pretty good concept.

Thanks

-Shawn

 

Always wear a full face shield when grinding! safety glasses are not enough protection.
My face shield has several hot bits of metal stuck in it. My brother is legally blind in one eye from using a wire wheel "for just a moment" without eye protection.
That is a good concept.

 

Yes,I have a hooded face shield I do a lot of grinding.

27 + years building America and not a nanosecond of time lost from an injury.

Safety is always my utmost concern,I have people who need me.

-Shawn

 

Shawn, for the square headed bed bolts i just took a drill bit, just smaller than the square hole, and drilled down until the head of the bolt came loose. Took about 30 seconds per bolt. Biggest problem i ran into when trying to "unscrew" a bolt is you get almost to the end of the thread and THEN IT BREAKS. 10 minutes of ratcheting only for it to break. so I will also second the "tighten it til it breaks method". Good luck on the knuckles too.

Kevin

 

That is a good idea,I think they are too far gone to save anyway.I have plenty of drill bits and a good drill,I will do some wire wheel on a couple and if the threads don't clean up well I will probably just drill them.Once the square part gets rounded out one could even step up the bit size if the bolt doesn't come loose easily.As far as the knuckles I got used to wearing leather gloves a long time ago,I make my living with my hands and play guitar too,got to protect them.

Thanks for a great tip.

-Shawn