1982 K5 - Current project: 3/16" diamond plate floors

[SafetyHelmet]

My project is a 1982 Jimmy, and she's already had quite a bit of work done. 454, overbuilt TH350, D44 front, 14 bolt rear, Eddy 1406 carb that is getting replaced with a Q-Jet after the body is fixed up. From behind the front seat mounts to the back of the bed, it's all diamond plate. Unfortunately, the guys that did it didn't do a real good rust-proofing job, so some of is currently getting attention. Otherwise, the body's in great shape and will just need paint in a year or so.

My goal for this truck is to have a durable fair weather driver that is reliable and looks good from 5'. Once I get there, I'll focus more on 4x4 capabilities, drivetrain, and the motor.

Motor info: I believe it's a 1978 but am hoping an engine guru here can tell me more- T1029TST..... CRF1499556 any ideas guys???

 

[magik235]

Nice

 

[82355]

The best tip on rebuilding that carb is throwing it away.

Martin

 

[COCHEV]

Yep, you'll be happier with a quadrajet....

Also, check for the casting number on the back of the block, behind the drivers side cylinder head. Kind of a pain when its in the rig

 

[swettysblazer]

As far as the body work goes, as jt512 told me when I was doing mine, "it's only metal, if it doesn't fit, cut it out and re-weld it."

 

[SafetyHelmet]

Good point. My girlfriend's dad used to be a welder, so I am hoping when we visit over Thanksgiving he can teach me a bit.

Updates so far:

-Installed a new throttle return spring (the double spring style) from Spectre. The one I had was rusted and really weak, so the throttle would stick sometimes above idle. Accel pedal is harder to push now, but I feel like it gives me a lot more control- also good since the Jimmy is a pretty bouncy ride right now.

-Modified my garage door opening to be able to get the Jimmy under a roof for pending winter. I need to clear out some more space to be able to work in there, but I got the truck in with about a quarter of an inch of clearance to spare. Had to let 12 PSI out of the tires too. For winter storage, anything I need to make sure to do with the tires to prevent cracking or flat spots?

 

[SafetyHelmet]

Forgot to add that I also got the motor running on the manifold vac connection versus ported. Runs a heck of a lot smoother now. Makes me a little concerned as to what the inside of the motor looks like, as the PO didn't seem to know much at all about things under the hood itself.

 

[454Sub]

Flat spots on bias ply tires are a given. Just keep them aired up to normal driving air pressure and they will be ok. When you drive it again it will be like rolling around on square tires till they warm up and round out again, but thats normal.

If you have radial tires this wont be a concern.

 

[SafetyHelmet]

Good to know, thanks 454Sub. The Jimmy has Dick Cepek LT375/65R16's which apparently are radials.

In other news, while I have a number of small enhancements planned for this winter, it looks like I mainly need to start saving up for the cab floor repair. Best quote I have gotten so far is around $2800 to take the body off, weld in new flooring and get things painted. An alternative would be to buy a welder, learn to weld, and just make the rest of the floor custom diamond plate like the rest of it.

 

[wage92]

you can get a good welder and learn a lot for 2800 bucks. So what if its not perfect, its a truck, not a show car. as long as its functional and you learn something, thats worth a lot right there. my .02

 

[SafetyHelmet]

That's what I'm thinking too. I finish up my degree in March, and then I might go to a technical college nearby to take some actual welding classes.

I also have a 2000 XJ that has a rust problem that I'm totally willing to practice on. What kind of welder would be the best option to learn? Ideally something good for bodywork, but also usable for heavier duty stuff like fixing a frame, making a custom bumper, etc...

 

[454Sub]

MIG if you can afford it, a stick turned all the way down can weld sheetmetal, but you will be doing alot more cleaning and grinding.

 

[swettysblazer]

Get a name brand MIG. Hobart, Miller, or Lincoln. If you can swing it, get a gas bottle at the same time. I have a Hobart 140 with a bottle and it rocks. I did my tailpan and my sliders this summer with it and I would recommend it to anyone.

 

[SafetyHelmet]

Awesome, thanks for the tips. That Hobart 140 has some great reviews. When you guys are doing repairs on bodywork, do you stick to steel?

I am guessing I will need to replace some of the custom diamond plate floor as well since I have found some rust areas on it under the bed liner coating. Maybe I should just finish the whole floor with squared off diamond plate? It's definitely a hell of a lot thicker than replacement floor pans.

 

[wage92]

I also have hobart 140 and its great.

Word of caution. Some diamond plate is aluminum so im assuming you are referring to steel. If it were me in this situation, i patched my floor with run of the mill 14 gauge steel plate. Was wicked cheap, so i didnt care if i wasted any or messed up and had to grind it off. But if you really wanna do diamond plate you could. Pictures of what you are talking about would help a lot.

 

[SafetyHelmet]

They must have used steel, because some of it is now rusty and flaking under the bed line coat they put down. I'm kinda bummed. I inspected the floor and underside of the body some more tonight finally and found more rust than I noticed initially. It's probably not as bad as I think, but I've never done welding, serious rust repair, or paint, and have no friends locally to help show me how. Gonna be an interesting project, plus side is I can't really make it too much worse!

Front area under drivers side

Rear corner of drivers seat area

Its similar on the passenger side and I think the rocker corners have some brutal rust hiding too. Definitely found some bondo'd areas as well. What do you guys think? The visible exterior has very little rust, but it seems like the whole underbody side is rusty. Is it fixable by an amateur or am I better off not risking things and having a pro take over?

 

[SafetyHelmet]

Couple more pics...

Fixed my door slamming needs with some 1/2" PEX..

Drivers side interior rust

Some diamond plate photos for those curious..
Passenger side rear seat area

Drivers side rear seat area

Drivers side rear corner

 

[wage92]

Wow that actually looks like a really nice job they did. Those pictures from underneath look like its just paint flaking off? Or is it clean through?

 

[swettysblazer]

Agreed, thats a solid start at least. Mine was ten times worse and it still doesnt look that good

 

[SafetyHelmet]

On the inside, the back area is awesome. I think I'd like to eventually sand blast it, and redo the bed liner, and hopefully get it a little more rust proof. On the under side of the truck back there, I don't see diamond plate- so maybe the lower part of the body is still original sheet metal, and is rusting out.

I think what I'm going to do is plan on welding up my XJ for practice, and next week drive the Jimmy up to the body shop guys to look things over and offer some advice. They said if they did it for me, they'd take the body off and repaint everything. If I do it, the body probably isn't coming off, since I have no facility to accomplish that easily- just a run of the mill 2-car garage. I for sure would love to have them paint the whole truck at some point once I get the rusty bits eliminated.

As far as getting to bare metal, I have a bunch of hand grinding and sanding tools. But would a sand blaster be faster/better? I've also never used one, and only have a little 6 gallon compressor. I've used power washers and paint sprayers plenty though in house painting.

Finally, sorry for all the newbie questions. I like to have a solid plan going in to a project and you guys are really helping me figure it out!