73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Body, Glass & Paint => Topic started by: hotrod24 on February 06, 2008, 10:53:25 pm
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(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/SUNP0014-1-1.jpg)
well as you can see it is not to good my rocker panel is bubbling up and and the floor board has a few holes that i repaired now i know some of you has done this so how much work would i have to do or i could pay someone to do it because i ain't a much of a welder
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For what you'd pay a shop you could buy a mig welder and learn to do it yourself. Welding is easy but just takes practice. I would guess if it's just patching, replacing the rocker and painting you'd probably be around $800 bucks
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well it is not the welding really because i done some of it in school what i am worried about is cuting that i will cut it to big or something like for new rocker panels
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Buy a full rocker instead of a rocker cover and you can cut the whole thing right off. With a welder and some sheetmetal, a grinder and some elbow grease you can do anything.
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what is the diffreses in a rocker panel cover and just a rocker panel
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The cover is just what it says. A slip on cover to hide the rust. A full rocker needs to have the outer cab corner, & old rocker cut off. It also needs to have the door, & outer fender removed to install.
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Dont let that lil bit get u down...that looks like fun.....my truck is in worse shape...and i gotta replace entire panels...Yours looks like some patch panels
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Rednecks right, that ain't bad here is what I started with on my son's truck and I had never done it before just tired of paying to have it done when I could learn to do it myself at least if it looks like crap I did it and didn't pay someone to do it.
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Keep in mind you are just masking the problem and the rust is still in there and will keep growing.
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Yea I know that. I was just trying to fix the problem for right now before it spreads, but that would not help anyways, I really do not have the tools to do it right now. I think I need a cut off tool to do it.
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cut off wheel, tin snips anything will work that will remove the rust. If you get rid of it and coat it even with a hole in there it should be ok for a while. From the pic it looks like there is a lot of scaly rust in there.
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Thats kinda like puting a band aid on something that needs stitches.
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yea dont be like the guy i bought my truck from..on the cab corner he used 1 gallon of bondo and a shop rag.....on the tailgate support he used cardbord and bondo...And then on the cab floor he used a license plate and duroglass...and on the kick panel he used bondo and what looks like foam....just ask ill post some pics of what it looked like when i removed it all lol.....As for some starter tools http://www.harborfreight.com/ has cheap tools that work well body hammers cut off wheels and so on
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yea i would like to see some pics Redneckchevy
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For body work, you shouldn't have a weld bead that is that pronounced, but you would grind it down with an angle grinder either way...
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The welds should be a series of spot welds.
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o317/jjsabol/IM001154.jpg)
It's hard to see, but my welds are all spot welds. It took me 1 to 2 hours to weld the floor in. You need to spot weld, move to another area, spot weld, move to another area, spot weld.......etc. Keep that up until the whole panel is welded. The series of spot welds will make one continuous weld when finished.
After a couple of welds STOP and let the panel cool to the point you can touch it. This keeps warping to a minimum.
Example:
zzzztttttt zzzzzttttt zzzzttttttt
z z
z z
z z
t t
t t
z z
z z
z z
t t
t t
t t
zzzttt zzztttt zzzttt zzzztt
Keep going until it makes one continuous weld.
You can grind down the weld build with a cut off tool if you want to save money. I bought a die grinder with flap disks to grind down my weld build. Die grinder from Home Depot of Harbour Freight is cheep.
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ok cool i was just afraid that i would weld to much and mess it up
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Dont worry, you'll mess up here and there and you'll learn how to fix your screw up until you get it right, it just takes some practice. I'm totally self taught and learned everything the hard way.
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Thats a familiar site. All of my trucks before 81 had the same thing except for 1
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You should see the van that's in my shop right now. The whole entire body is held together by the running board and one piece of rust!
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suck it and see! I used to do banger racing before I bought my project and more used to smashing and bending instead of restoring! By the looks of the fender it might be easier to fit a new one for time and looks purpose.
I recently started work on mine-worse than I thought! more holes than a tea-bag! The old metal is well pitted and the more i cleaned the rust out the more holes appeared! I'm ending up replacing outer sills (rocker panels) and cut the old ones off with a with 4.5" grinder with cut off blade and a spot weld drill for the bits that are left. When I started I couldn't understand why I was getting white powder instead of sparks then realised over the years it had taken more filler than a dentist! Loads of work to do this side of the pond but a new hood and fender on order should be an easy fix for a few bits!
I'll get some picks up soon but the best advice is - measure twice ~ cut ONCE!!
and take your time.
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thanks man
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Depending on where the rust is... you may be able to alter the panel some anyway.
I have a couple spots bubbled up on my '87 K5, but they seem close enough to the fenderwell that I may be able to
just cut it out, dress it properly, then mount some nice wide flares. That oughta help a little with tire clearance, too.
As for rockers and the cab corner... I think I'm good there, except for a couple spots inside the doorway, on the step.
I'm not looking forward to it, but it's gotta be done.
Sometimes I really miss living in New Mexico.
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today i pulled back the carpet and my floor has got a lot more worse then it was last year i better get a shop soon and as soon as i get it in there i am going to start on the floor and the rockers and order the kit from chris
this is from last year it is not that bad
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/SUNP0014-1-1.jpg)
these pics are from now
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0724.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0722.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0721.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0720.jpg)
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Now i don't know if its just me,but it seems that this era of trucks seem to be more susceptible to rust then the prior era 67-72's.Did GM do something different? I know allot depends on the region your in,but even here in northern Nevada allot of the 70's era GM trucks have rust.They do salt the roads in the winter,but only just before the storms.
Just an observation,but it seems like the 67-72 GM and Fords don't seem to have the same problem,my buddy has a 71 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x and i have a 72 ford 3/4 ton 2x and neither of those rigs have an once of rot on them.
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if the rust is to close to kick panel would i have to replace that to because the kick panel has no rust at all or could i just weld the new floor Piece to the kick panel
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If there is no rust on the kick panel then you can weld to it.
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If there is no rust on the kick panel then you can weld to it.
thanks my kick panels are free of rust so all i need is a rocker panel and the floor
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Originally there were no welds there. The factory installed seam sealer in that joint. The floor was bent (making part of the inner rocker) down to meet the kick panel at the rocker panel. Where the hole is in the rocker to bolt the fender up to, there is three layers of metal at the fender hole location.
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o317/jjsabol/IM001101.jpg)
When I repaired mine, I cut out the floor, dug out the seam sealer at the joint of the floor and the kick panel, cut out all my spot welds, then removed my kick panel and floor. I then installed the new kick panel, checked the alignment and spot welded it back in. When I installed the floor, I only spot welded the floor to the kick panel and resealed the joint with seam sealer. I made sure to get plenty of sealer into the joint. I sealed the joint from the inside and outside.
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o317/jjsabol/IM001153.jpg)
This is how bad my kick panel was when I got to this point.
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o317/jjsabol/IM001097.jpg)
Hope this helps - good luck.
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yea that will help me a lote i have never done this before
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well jeff i think i am going to have to replace the kick panel to i think it is like yours was and i know yours is not a 4wd but my transfer case cover is rusty on one side and where it bolts to the floor is it fixable
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0729.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0728-1.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0734.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0731.jpg)
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I am not familiar with 4x4's. Any metal is fixable though.
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what would you do
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Get a different one.
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The metal looks solid - sandblast to get rid of rust and paint?
If the footwell is solid (no holes) sandblast there also and paint. Use you screwdriver to probe and see how solid the metal is.
If a panel has rust, you need to evaluate the extent of the rust. If the panel has surface or superficial rust but the panel is still solid, you can either sandblast to get rid of the rust and prime the panel or convert the rust using one of the many product out there that do that (ie.. Eastwood rust convertor, POR-15, Chasis Saver etc...). Now if you probe with the screwdriver and start poking holes through the rust, then the rust needs to be cut out and replaced with new metal.
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I was refering to the center hump. By the time you get done screwing around trying to fix it you might as well get a new one.
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I was refering to the center hump. By the time you get done screwing around trying to fix it you might as well get a new one.
That's fine Harold ;D, I figured so. I was reviewing the whole thread and wanted to elaborate on what I said before.
:D What you see as replaceable - I see potential in that part. Just about everything I painted on my truck, looked like that :D I can picture in my head a sandblasted cover with some nice powder coating or maybe some nice epoxy with base and clear.....hmmmmm there is potential :)
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Blazin you were talking about a new center hump for a replacement 4X4 truck, where would you get one?
By the way I agree with some of the comments others have made about using the air cut off tool saves time and is about the biggest bang for the money as tools to do this kind of work. I finally graduated to a Plasma Cutter (waited many years to finally afford one) but if I could have only one tool to use other than the cutter, I would definitely use the cut off tool.
So if you want to replace panels, flooring, or about anything else get yourself a small MIG welder and a cut off tool. For what it would cost you to pay someone else to do what you want to have done you can purchase your own tools and learn how to do this yourself. Granted you'll need things like tin snips and so on, but these aren't real expensive. A word of advice, if you decide to go this route, buy decent tools because they will last longer and do a better job, plus a better MIG welder will have a lot better adjustments for low heat welding. Oh and the suggestion about small welds (spot welding) is a fantastic suggestion. Too much heat will distorte what you are working on, and this us created by welding in one area, where spot welds don't create near as much heat.
Good Luck, this is how most of us learned. It's not brain surgery, it's metal repair. Although I think brain surgery is easier because brains all look the same, where metal repair is definitely different each time you do it.
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Hey hotrod,
I kind of agree with what everyone has said, even though they are opposites. Sounds strange, I know, but if you have access to a sand blaster, or even spend some time sanding it probably is usable. I think I have used worse.
However, you have to consider the cost of a new,or better used part versus the time and money you will put into repairing the old one.
I had a hard time justifying the repairs to my core support, but I had the tools and steel laying around, and considered it a learning experience. (maybe even therapy?) If I had been in a hurry, I could have justified replacement.
It is all a matter of spending more time, less $ or more $, less time. The choice is yours.... I, however would repair it.
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That is an idea I haven't used in a while, but it's one that works well and it's cheap to use plus you get great results. Yeah if you have access to a sand blaster I'm sure you could use that tunnel piece (as long as there isn't any holes in it, and if there are it would depend on how many if it were worth fixing or not) A sand blaster would clean that piece up and make it look like new (sort of anyway) once that is done use some rust inhibitor, etching primer, and paint it with a decent paint. Once you're done that part might very well out live us all, OK OK OK, last a fairly long time.
If your piece is hole free, I would reuse it in a heart beat. I have asked around and I don't really even know if that part is available new or not, so you might have to fix it any way? What ever you do with it, never throw anything away until your project is completely done. You would be surprised how much stuff I've thrown away through the years only to find I'd wished I would have kept it. This goes for even the smallest parts as well, a lot of times I've found the smallest parts are the most expensive.
One little thing to remember especially when installing parts in areas you won't see once they're installed, if you can't see it that's where rust will appear and there won't be anything you can do about it. Never just use a primer, always use a good etching primer it metal is exposed and then a good paint. When primer dries it has pores that moisture will definitely get in those pores, the moisture will then restart any rust that was already there and create more. Once a piece is painted water won't get through unless the paint has been chipped or damaged in some way (weather, chemicals, etc) and exposes the much metal under the paint. If nothing else use a can of good spray paint over the primer just to seal the metal.
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i think i am going to have to replace both sides of the floor and rockers and one cab corner the place that i am worried about the most is the part of the floor where my transfer case cover goes oh and one of my cab supports is just about gone i pushed on it today and it made a 2 inch hole
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here is a couple more
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0736.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0735.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0730.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0733.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0732.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0737-1.jpg)
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what should i do for now to save the floor because i am saving for a shop and i can not spend much money could i sand it and put some rust conveter on it and it would be good for now
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well I'd buy a can of por-15 or something like it, and do them in it.
I did the floors in my monte carlo with it, just bought the por-15 and not the prep stuff, hit it with a wire brush by hand, then one on a grinder, vacuumed, applied it as directed.
It stuck great and protected the rusted parts, but it did scrape off a couple spots due to me throwing seats in on the bare floor. They say it will if you don't use the marine clean and metal etch stuff, but it hasn't got worse, it didn't scratch off more or any new rust, or get worse. it cost about $35 and was well worth it. One quart is more then enough for truck floors.
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cool i will do that
well I'd buy a can of por-15 or something like it, and do them in it.
I did the floors in my monte carlo with it, just bought the por-15 and not the prep stuff, hit it with a wire brush by hand, then one on a grinder, vacuumed, applied it as directed.
It stuck great and protected the rusted parts, but it did scrape off a couple spots due to me throwing seats in on the bare floor. They say it will if you don't use the marine clean and metal etch stuff, but it hasn't got worse, it didn't scratch off more or any new rust, or get worse. it cost about $35 and was well worth it. One quart is more then enough for truck floors.
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also if you do got the extra go ahead and get their other 2 products to make sure it lasts as long as possible and works the best, and they have this like fiberglass mat, sheet, it helps cover pin holes of the have an epoxy stuff too.
I was gonna do the mesh sheets but I had big holes.
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i dont have a sand blaster so i thank i will sand it and put some rust converter on it and i hope that will do for now
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When I replace a center hump I get one from another truck. Your floor really doesn't look that bad. I have fixed ALLOT worse than that.
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that makes me feel better
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this is when i pulled the carpet off and used a dremel to reshape the bolts because thay where to rusty to put a socket on them i had to resize them so i could take them out
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0725.jpg)
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today i sanded and used a wire brush that work ok what could i use that would really get down in there like that i could use on a drill
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Anything on a drill will not be able to get into the pits - you will have to either use a sandblaster or a rust converter. I bought my (pot) sandblaster at Tractor Supply for 99.00. Do you have a large air compressor?
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i used a wire brush on a drill on where my transfer case cover goes and that worked good but when i got to the floor it did not do so well but yea i do on a big air compressor
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OK thats great - now go and buy a small sand blaster for 99.00 and some sand blast sand (use a resperator) and start sandblasting. You would be suprised at the results. Having a large air compressor is half the battle ;D
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ok i might do that
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eastwood has a speed blaster that's only like $45 and it holds the sand in the top of it, might hold less sand and take more time to load but what the heck it's cheaper.
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Unless its a pressure blaster its a waste of time Do you have a compresor big enough to run one?
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would this sand blaster work and i have a 20 gallon air compressor
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34202
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What is the CFM rating for you compressor? That blaster req 6-25.
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would this sand blaster work and i have a 20 gallon air compressor
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34202
That is the same sand blaster I have but a 20 gallon compressor is not big enough. When I asked if you had a large compressor, I meant an 80 gallon, two stage compressor. I have an 80 gallon, two stage and it will make my compressor run constantly. Sand blasters are air hogs.
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That blaster looks like a decent rig, but also looks like a pain to fill with the funnel deal. Mine looks like a huge soup bowl on top, and the plug hangs down inside with a T handle outside. It drops in the opening hole. Then you open one corner of a 50 lbs bag of blast, flip it and place it upside down over the hole. It drains in while you go get a cold one. Mine holds about 80 lbs of blast. A 60 gallon two stage 5HP compressor is the smallest I have ever run it off of. I could tell while blasting that the pressure was dropping. have to stop 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through 50 lbs of blast to let it recoup.
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http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=1328&itemType=PRODUCT
that's like the one I mentioned and a guy used it on his truck and it worked good removing rust and dirt and grime build up. It was on 67-72chevytrucks.com
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last night i got some rust remover and rust converter it was cheap but it might work for now is it a good brand
http://www.kleanstrip.com/
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would a 20 gallon work
would this sand blaster work and i have a 20 gallon air compressor
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34202
That is the same sand blaster I have but a 20 gallon compressor is not big enough. When I asked if you had a large compressor, I meant an 80 gallon, two stage compressor. I have an 80 gallon, two stage and it will make my compressor run constantly. Sand blasters are air hogs.
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No.
I think that is why he said " That is the same sand blaster I have but a 20 gallon air compressor is not big enough "
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ok thanks harold i guess i will wait and get my shop and then get a bigger air compressor
No.
I think that is why he said " That is the same sand blaster I have but a 20 gallon air compressor is not big enough "
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Yeah rebuilding a truck without a shop, and tools is about imposible.
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well rebuilding anything can be done anywhere, but you really need a solid pad to jack stuff up on and move around, and a roof over your head helps.
I done everything on my monte carlo half outside no roof and in the yard, and half under a carport that leaked and concrete, including paint. My air compressor was a small one on 2 wheels for about $150 from lowes, not a big tank not even 20 gallon and not big on power, but it got the job done.
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today i am going put some rust remover and rust converter on my floor is there any advise that anybody can give me
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Use a stiff brush to remove as much loose rust as you can, then apply the rust remover/converter per the manufacturers instructions. :)
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ok thanks i am going to put this on and then when i start tearing my truck down i will get a sand blaster
Use a stiff brush to remove as much loose rust as you can, then apply the rust remover/converter per the manufacturers instructions. :)
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well today i got some rust remover on the floor and it works good if any body is ever working on your floor and you want the rust down to the bare metal use a brush knot cup that goes on grinder
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?keyword=+brush+knot+cup+&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
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yeap same cup I used on mine when I did my monte carlo floors.
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As you can see i took my seat out i got tired of it being in the way but i got some more done on the floor my grinder stopped working on me so i am going to have to buy a new one
more rust to fix
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0768.jpg)
this is where my grinder stoped working
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0769.jpg)
rust remover
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0770.jpg)
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Good work Hotrod. Check the brushes in your grinder.
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Good work Hotrod. Check the brushes in your grinder.
thanks vile it is coming along good
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i got a new grinder so i am back to work on my floor
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today i started back on the floor and put some rust converter on it and let it sit then i sanded on the driver side and it is not as bad as the passenger side just a little surface rust
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0870.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0871.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0872.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0873.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0874.jpg)
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I see it comming pretty close to you cutting out all the bad areas and welding in new metal..
thanks
pat
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yea i can not wait
I see it comming pretty close to you cutting out all the bad areas and welding in new metal..
thanks
pat
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dude I love welding but after a while it gets to ya! cut-grind-weld-grind yawn lol
just make sure you get a decent welding mask -- I've got a light sensitive auto one and its the bizz
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I got one of the old fashioned ones that ya gotta flip the lens before ya weld, once i get some things squared away i`ll be buying a new mask for my welder as well.
thanks
pat
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well i started on the center of my floor and where the seat goes it is just a little rusty but if i dont get it off right now it will get bad
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0906.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0907.jpg)
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I gotta give props to you guys who will take on that kind of project. If I saw a fraction of that kind of rust on a truck I was going to buy, I would just walk away. Well, if it was surface rust, that can be ground down but flaky rust and holes in weird spots frighten me lol
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well i got this part done all i have now is the drivers side and i am done with the floor for now
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0915.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/103_0914.jpg)
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well i got my seat back in and trust me it will come back out this is just for now when i get it inside i will replace the rockers and the cab corners and then it is going down to the frame
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here's on philosophy when trying to do something myself and cost being an issue. i always stocked up on manuals, read what i can on the internet and ask everyone on forums that are more knowledgeable than i am how to repair it. everyone has a different opinion so going with repairing or replacing has both it's pros and cons. but... when you're going to come down to repairing something you usually end up having to buy more tools and whatnot to repair something rather than just replacing it. but when doing something yourself, that benefits a little more cause the next time you hit a smaller or less than needy spot, you have all the stuff already sitting on your shelf to fix it, know what to to for the repair, etc. if that makes sense rather than seem like i'm talking backwards. i don't like having to replace too many things that i have to order in from somewhere and wait on for more than 2 days. so rather than do something like that i'd rather repair it. my cab's in almost perfect condition but the wreck i bought has a floor almost similar to yours so i'm trying to get rid of it to someoene that can use it before it sits to long and rots even further and becomes totally worthless...
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If i was over there and had the room, I'd drop the cab off the chassis and repair the lot. You can get most the panels and repair kits from Chris, the ones he can't do are sourceable. Unfortunateley I have had to fabricate a lot of the smaller panels and patch the odd bit here and there mainly due to the fact I cant wait 2-3 weeks for shipping!!
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great job guys! this thread has been a good read for me since i was looking for write-ups on floor/cab support replacement. i have to do this on my Jimmy. i'm more than a little nervous but i gotta learn sometime. i notice ya'll don't have any kind of bracing on the cab to support it while the floor is out...are these cabs just strong enough that you don't need it? i definitely don't want to end up with a warped body because i missed a step, lol. does anyone by chance know where i could find a total write-up on replacing pans from start to finish? sorry, i'm a stickler for instructions. when i don't know what i'm doing i want to know every step from wake up and eat breakfast to do victory burnouts through the neighbors petunias...haha
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well it has been a bit since i worked on my floor and it has got worse
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd224/74chevy/SANY0102.jpg)
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Hey, at least it's only one layer. Mine was 3, counting the replacement floor pan that was screwed down on top of the rest of the mess.
That pic is proof that rust doesn't sleep. (compared to your first pic)
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hey as you can tell i need to sand blast very bad so i am going to get one but i dont no what sand to get i thought maybe this
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95546
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I use Qrock from our local brick/masonry supply company. It comes in four sizes 0 through 3. Zero being VERY fine to #3 being coarse. I usually use #1 or 2. I have also used regular masonry sand that I bought from Home Cheapo, but you have to screen it before use to get the big stuff out. I use regular window screen.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT - Use a respirator/mask if you use anything with silicone in it!! That includes what I listed above. This is to prevent you from developing silicosis.
Some here use black beauty that you can purchase from your local Tractor Supply. I would not buy it on line. The prices are outrageous and you have to pay for shipping. Do you have a local quarry? You need to find a local source, because you will go through a boat load of it
Hope this helps ;D
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yea thanks i do have quarry close bye that would help alot
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I used Patriot Blast (Black Beauty) on mine, I think it was around 13.00 for 100# bag locally.
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wow that rusted fast!