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-   1961 - 1966 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks (https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum40/)
-   -   1966 F100 Short Bed Styleside Metal/Body/Paint Work (https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1578338-1966-f100-short-bed-styleside-metal-body-paint-work.html)

doug64f100 11-20-2020 12:48 PM

Well it had me fooled. All the other great work you've done, I would have bet you made that too. I'll have to check that company out. Thanks.

dubya TF 11-20-2020 02:33 PM


Originally Posted by theastronaut (Post 19587369)
It's ABS plastic made by Classic Dash, I think its hydrodipped to look like brushed metal.


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for that info! Looks killer as is.

78ShortBed- 11-20-2020 07:00 PM

Fooled me. I figured it was new, and metal.
Wonder where/who has/had the original ford stamp for those original inserts.
May have gotten scraped, as most dies/stamps have over the years.

Vandy23 11-21-2020 08:32 AM

Excellent work! The dash is going to look great.

theastronaut 12-23-2020 10:26 AM

14 Attachment(s)

Originally Posted by Vandy23 (Post 19588426)
Excellent work! The dash is going to look great.

Thanks!!


The next step was to finish the dash- shaving the glovebox/ashtray/radio and making vent bumps.


Decided to use the centerline of the defrost vents to locate the two A/C vents in the middle of the dash panel. I messed up and didn't consider that there would be A/C vents added when I originally cut the blank dash panel so part of the vent bump was off the edge of the new panel.

Attachment 280709

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Reference on how much the bumps needed to be raised.

Attachment 280711


Roughed out with a mallet and sand bag.

Attachment 280712


The table on the new bandsaw had the same radius as the dash panel so I used it and a chisel end hammer to sharpen up the edge of the bump.

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Corner vent bump.. lots of shape to fit a bump around.

Attachment 280717


I cheated and cut a few reliefs in what would end up as the vent opening to help the surrounding metal flatten out easier.

Attachment 280718


The finished dash.

Attachment 280719

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theastronaut 12-23-2020 12:22 PM

11 Attachment(s)
The cab corners didn't have much rust but I wanted to cut them out anyway to make sure the hidden rust was taken care of. The left corner was also crunched and would be easier to straighten off the truck.

Attachment 280698

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Making a patch for the rusty spot.

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After blasting- bottom edge is wavy and doesn't match up well with the corner section.

Attachment 280703


After straightening the flanges.

Attachment 280704

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Brushed with SPI epoxy to seal up the cavity.

Attachment 280706


Same process on the other side.

Attachment 280707


Another thing I did was remove the inner roof brace, mainly for access to straighten the roof skin, but also so I can widen it so it can be welded back in on the outside of the roof rail edge instead of the inside. That will let the headliner to fit flush along the roof rail.

Attachment 280708

theastronaut 12-23-2020 12:50 PM

10 Attachment(s)
The rockers are in great shape but I cut them up anyway...

Stock rocker profile-

Attachment 280688

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I made a cut in the 90* corner, hammer/dollied the edges flat, then flipped the cut off piece down to make a flat face but keep the inner stiffening edge.

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After welding and grinding the welds flat.

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Passenger side.

Attachment 280695


These panels are galvanized and it's cold enough to not be able to weld with the shop doors open so I pulled out the ghetto welding fume extractor I rigged up awhile back.

Attachment 280696


Reason for cutting the rockers- the thin rocker lip shows under the door, and since the doors are rusty I'll have to make new door bottoms. After talking with the owner we decided to eliminate the visible rocker edge and lengthen the doors instead. This will clean up the lines down the side of the truck and make for less work since there will be two less gaps to set.

Attachment 280697

65navyf100 12-23-2020 01:17 PM

Slick idea with the rockers! Cool!

53deere 12-23-2020 02:22 PM

For a custom that dash looks great. The same with the rockers. That is going to be one clean looking truck.

doug64f100 12-29-2020 02:01 PM

That is some killer work right there! The dash is amazing. I wish I had skills like that.

dubya TF 12-30-2020 01:38 PM

It's got me wondering what drive train is going in this beauty?

theastronaut 12-31-2020 01:55 PM

2 Attachment(s)

Originally Posted by 65navyf100 (Post 19641089)
Slick idea with the rockers! Cool!


Originally Posted by 53deere (Post 19641186)
For a custom that dash looks great. The same with the rockers. That is going to be one clean looking truck.


Originally Posted by doug64f100 (Post 19650238)
That is some killer work right there! The dash is amazing. I wish I had skills like that.

Thanks!!!



Originally Posted by dubya TF (Post 19652064)
It's got me wondering what drive train is going in this beauty?

The owner has already swapped in a Coyote and Magnum T56, and it has independent front suspension and a four link in the rear done by Fatman Fabrications.

Attachment 280671

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78ShortBed- 12-31-2020 03:42 PM

Sweet.........

theastronaut 01-12-2021 03:03 PM

12 Attachment(s)
Got both cab corners cut off, blasted, primed, repaired, and welded back in. I could've bought repro cab corners but I wanted to cut these out higher up to make access to the back of the welds easier, plus all the body lines are already in the right place on the original panel so going back in everything lined up exactly.

Attachment 280622

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I made a new lower section to weld in.

Attachment 280625


I used a steel block and a chisel shaped hammer to make the drains.

Attachment 280626


New panel welded in.

Attachment 280627


Found a spot with filler...

Attachment 280628


Minor damage underneath.

Attachment 280629


Straightened.

Attachment 280630


Welded back in.

Attachment 280631


The last detail on the cab corners- The inner panel flange stuck out past the outer panel, so I ground the edge of the inner down flush with the outer.

Attachment 280632

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theastronaut 01-12-2021 03:31 PM

6 Attachment(s)
I pulled the doors out and went ahead and cut the door bottoms off to prepare for fixing the rust and lengthening the inner flange/outer skin. They turned out to be in pretty good shape with only the easy flat areas needing to be replaced.

My next step will be getting the cab back on the frame, along with repro fenders so I can shrink/stretch the door skin and fender into one constant shape front to rear, then I can base the shape of the lower inner door frame flange off that shape. I'll also need the door and fender on the cab to set the length of the inner flange so the bottom of the door matches the bottom of the corner and fender.

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