I'll have to check out that MC stand at CT! I'll definitely be adding some foam covers and rubber matting. Since these doors where still under repair I wasn't too worried.

 

I use my engine lift (Cheery Picker) with straps. Before use to use a blocks of wood on a floor jack.

 

[QUOTE=e-tek;8928401]Thanks Mitch - I appreciate the comment. What obstacles are you having? There are some really good sites with very helpful members you might want to visit. www. autobodystore.com is one of my faves. Len the owner is awesome and always gives good succinct answers. If there's ever anything I can help with, just PM me.

I'm starting on my 64 F100; biggest hurdle is the door post area on my drivers side; I purchase new floor pans, cab mounts and the pillar post on this side; so my repairs shouldn't be to difficult. Especially after viewing your step process. I also like your door stablizer / lift. Beats the old knee lift & wrench techinque.

Also thanks for the website I'll check in on that site.

Mitch

 

Getting down to it!!

When I removed the rad, the side support fell off (of course!). Here the Rad is repaired:




You can use a solder/lead mix (like used in "lead-filler"), or just straight ("plumbing") solder



Flux is key of course:



Once heated to the right temp, the solder will get sucked in to the space via a capillary action - much like sweating pipe.



The box bed had two pieces of wood bolted to it - not sure why - but of course they held water and crap and rusted the bed out. Here I had to be sure they went in flat, as there's nothing hiding it and a bunch of filler in the bed wouldn't be cool - so I "hammer welded" it. I'll do some grinding and shrinking tomorrow to get 'er as close a as possible.



Weld-through primer...



Butt-welding (tacks first)...



Stayed fairly flat using the hammer and tack method:

 

what gauge steel are you using for your repairs?

 

18G. I just read an article that said they used 20G, which may be easier to shape, but (IMO) thinner metal burns back and warps easily and once it "oil-cans" it's hard to get it solid again.

 

Your stuff looks good. Good to see that things can be repaired!

 

boy i'll tell ya, you have a lot more fortitude than i do, i've junked out three trucks for parts in the last ten years that are three times better shape than yours. good luck, i'm sure its gonna look great when you're done. Dutch

 

Final metal work time!!!

This is a box corner - almost missed it!! Here's the patch fitted over the damaged area. I marked it, removed it and cut on the line.



What you don't see: Cut, fit, trim, weld, grind...



Turned out well enough to only require a skiff of fibreglass filler ("kittyhair"), which seals any pin holes in the weld...



Big rust holes cut out of the floor bed and patched. Butt welded and dollied throughout so as not to warp it and not need much filler.






Skiff of filler....


So,what's left? A little filler sanding, seam sealing, more POR 15 (under the cab) and undercoating, final gap adjustments and a few coats of epoxy primer. This seemed like a long project: month-wise, but really, what with all my other projects and my real job getting in the way (), it really didn't take too long!

I'll take some shots next weekend on its way out the door. Thanks for following along!!

 

Can you guestimate man hours from start to finish? Like you said before, customer is always right and customer get's what he/she wants. As long as customer is happy all is good. Thank you for taking the time to photograph and document progress throughout build. I'm sure everyone feels the same. This thread made for good reading. Good, bad and indifferent. Thanks again.

 

I've decided not to give an hours count here. For one, that is between myself and the owner. For two, there are people on this site who have a crappy attitude and will use it as an excuse to trash the effort. As you said: "As long as the customer is happy, all is good."

- And the customer is happy! This was his grandfathers truck. He has memories of riding in it and it being worked on. He had to find it and buy it from someone who his grandfather had sold it to. I know the feeling - I would pay a LOT to get one or two of the cars that my Dad and I worked on together.

I believe the owner is going to do some engine work, install and repair some interior pieces and just enjoy it, before having it painted. For the money he'll put in he'll have a good driver that will last throughout his adulthood.

Just to put it all in perspective, I've done jobs with similar stories before, and have SEVERAL more lined up. They may not all be "worth it" in a monetary sense, but all are "one of a kind" - to someone. I like doing this kinds of work - because I know, that if I could find my Dad's 66 Valiant Signet (and couldn't do this work myself), I'd happily pay many thousands to have it restored.



Thanks for your comments.

 

Hey Trent - I hadn't seen your post until just now! GREAT progress on your truck - looks like it's come a long way too!

If anyone is looking at the link and wondering, I only repaired the fenders for Trent - he's the one working hard on the rest of it. Should be a beauty when it's done!!

 

Still cathcing up here boys....thanks again for the comments.

I'll try and clarify....while I do normally like to use metal-filler over welds, a lot of these areas are going to be re-exposed to the elements. For this reason I started using the kitty-hair. It gives the same structural integrity (maybe better), but I thought the kitty hair may be better if exposed to moisture, mud, etc.
As for the metal-filler being hard to sand - not so much - so long as you sand it early! I guess it's somehwere between the new "Featherlight" fillers and the kitty hair - which can get really hard fast (no pun intended!)

 

I know from the tech sheet that paint and primer will stick to POR15 IF either you put it on during the re-coat window, or you sand it first. That's reason enough (for me) not to try it. It's either a timing thing or an extra step thing... As well, I have always put filler on well-ground, clean metal - never over primer like some do. Why? Because that's what it says on the can, the tech sheets and is how I've always seen it done (going back 35 years!)

Another point, is that, POR15 should only be applied over RUST or very roughed up metal - NEVER smooth metal. It'll peel right off smooth or painted surfaces, so I wouldn't want to apply POR15 to the new patch panels I've installed.

Hope that helps!

 

The FINAL post - Time to say Good Bye to one 1967 Ford F100!





Remember those GIANT holes in the bed?!



Or this area that was COMPLETELY missing?!




Entire Front End structure replaced:



Tailgate and lower box corners all have new metal:



New floors, lower hinge posts and inners - both sides:



Owner is having a bed-liner put in next week, then doing the mechanicals, interior, then paint.

Thanks all for looking! My next project is a far cry from a Ford PU....