1985 Chevy M1009 (CK5 build thread part 2)

[cheavyk10]

Didn't get much done last weekend, as I helped a buddy work on the fuel pump in his '94 Suburban. Turns out the "shop" that worked on it last spliced the in-tank pigtail with butt connectors, which failed.
Back on in a bit yesterday, the process has taken an incredible amount of time to get everything cut and fit just right. I actually started with the outer rocker first, then cut the floor pan patches to make sure everything fit and was happy. Nothing is welded in just yet.

Foot well patch is dialed, also drilled some holes to plug weld it to the floor support:

When I was done and cleaning up yesterday, I sprayed a bunch of Seymour rust converted into the hidden areas. I plan on spraying Seymour self etching weld through primer on all the bare metal edges to be welded. Also, I picked up a new welding machine, a Titanium MIG 170, and have been messing with the setting and such to get my sheet metal welding just right.

 

[Chickntrk]

I got the same welder last year, very nice unit for the price imo, way better than the Chicago electric it replaced

 

[cheavyk10]

I got the same welder last year, very nice unit for the price imo, way better than the Chicago electric it replaced

Nice! Glad to hear a positive review. So far it has made me look like a way better welder than I really am...

 

[cheavyk10]

Here's the aforementioned new welding machine I purchased, and I got the cart as well, which makes it super handy:

Also got in a few hours in today, cleaned and primed some sheetmetal, and started welding:

I don't have compressed air, so I have been using cans of keyboard cleaner/duster to cool the welds. It works!

 

[Truckman4life]

I'm not a patient person and I weld lots of heavy stuff at work that can handle the heat. I have a hard time not pouring the heat to sheet metal and warping the crap out of it.

 

[cheavyk10]

I'm not a patient person and I weld lots of heavy stuff at work that can handle the heat. I have a hard time not pouring the heat to sheet metal and warping the crap out of it.

I'm with you there! I just want to lay down a fat bead and be done with it. This process is taking forever...
The best part of this type of work is you end up going back and grinding away probably 85% of the weld....

 

[joshuak]

...
The best part of this type of work is you end up going back and grinding away probably 85% of the weld....

Sorry if I missed it, but are you making it "easier" on yourself and using 0.023" easy grind wire?

Nice work regardless, enjoy the updates.

 

[cheavyk10]

Sorry if I missed it, but are you making it "easier" on yourself and using 0.023" easy grind wire?

Nice work regardless, enjoy the updates.

Thanks!
I'm using Vulcan brand 0.025, ER70S-6 wire. So far it has ground away OK.
I am aware of the easy grind variety, I just haven't tried it yet.

 

[Conner]

I'm with you there! I just want to lay down a fat bead and be done with it. This process is taking forever...
The best part of this type of work is you end up going back and grinding away probably 85% of the weld....

This is way too real. LOL

It looks like you're doing a really good job and getting everything fit really well! I recently finished a lot of rust repair on my Blazer, and it sucked a lot but it's definitely worth it once you're done.

 

[cheavyk10]

This is way too real. LOL

It looks like you're doing a really good job and getting everything fit really well! I recently finished a lot of rust repair on my Blazer, and it sucked a lot but it's definitely worth it once you're done.

Thank you!
I followed your thread and saw you had quite a bit more to tackle than me. Of course I had a couple of "Oh shit" and "well, here we go" moments when I finally saw the amount of work I had to do. It's been 20 years since I did any body work and I swore last time I would never do it again...haha

 

[cheavyk10]

More Progress!

Inner rocker is done, and mostly welded. It is all welded up to the cab mount brackets though. I also drilled holes in the bottom of the inner rocker pieces to plug weld them to the outer rocker lip. Next up is weld, grind, and repeat, and then finally burn on the outer rocker.

 

[cheavyk10]

Gettin' There:
grind, weld, grind, etc, etc

I've got a few pinholes to deal with here and there, but I went ahead and glued the outer rocker on today:

 

[cheavyk10]

Finished up last weekend by spraying the passenger side floor with the Seymour rust converter, which made the floor look 100 times better. Seam sealed the edge, used maybe a tablespoon of Bondo to smooth out the seams, primed again, and finally shot some CARC Green today.



I am very happy with the way the CARC substitute paint lays down, and its thick!
Tomorrow, I will spray the passenger floor with the CARC green, then all that's left to do is reattach the military power cable with some rivets, and put the slider back on.
Then I get to start on the drivers side!

 

[Cucv_M1008]

Finished up last weekend by spraying the passenger side floor with the Seymour rust converter, which made the floor look 100 times better. Seam sealed the edge, used maybe a tablespoon of Bondo to smooth out the seams, primed again, and finally shot some CARC Green today.
View attachment 518308
View attachment 518309
View attachment 518311View attachment 518312View attachment 518310
I am very happy with the way the CARC substitute paint lays down, and its thick!
Tomorrow, I will spray the passenger floor with the CARC green, then all that's left to do is reattach the military power cable with some rivets, and put the slider back on.
Then I get to start on the drivers side!

I've been telling you how awesome that paint is. Glad you finally used some! It looks great.

 

[cheavyk10]

Passenger floor is done (of course I got dusty shoeprints on it already):

Ordered up the drivers side sheet metal from LMC, and added new aluminum door sill plates (the old ones were hammered) and new door weather striping (which you can see in the above pic - the original set was gross and sticky, like someone used spray adhesive on them).
Also got this sweet new drivers seat:

Drivers side rust definitely isn't a bad as the passenger side, the inner and outer rockers look good...so far.

Next steps are pull the slider and start grinding on the floor. I'll probably cover the passenger side with a welding blanket to keep it looking nice.

 

[Cucv_M1008]

Passenger floor is done (of course I got dusty shoeprints on it already):
View attachment 518667
Ordered up the drivers side sheet metal from LMC, and added new aluminum door sill plates (the old ones were hammered) and new door weather striping (which you can see in the above pic - the original set was gross and sticky, like someone used spray adhesive on them).
Also got this sweet new drivers seat:
View attachment 518669
Drivers side rust definitely isn't a bad as the passenger side, the inner and outer rockers look good...so far.
View attachment 518670
Next steps are pull the slider and start grinding on the floor. I'll probably cover the passenger side with a welding blanket to keep it looking nice.

It's gonna be sweet!

 

[cheavyk10]

Hey everybody, Happy New Year!
Not much new to report, as I was out of town on vacation over the holidays.
I did start a little cutting and patching last weekend though (I only took these pics for whatever reason):

Lunch time view:

And, got some Rapco spray paint cases in, for an upcoming scuff and rattle can repaint, along with some new hubs and GM floor mats, for the future later.

 

[Cucv_M1008]

Ohh new hubs!

 

[cheavyk10]

Ohh new hubs!

Yea, it was a Black Friday sale, they were $200. Nothing wrong with the old hubs, I just dislike the plastic dial along with the 1/4 turn action.

 

[cheavyk10]

Almost there!
Man, I just wanna drive this thing....

It was very satisfying to spray the Seymour rust converter, finally. (wet in this photo, it dries to a nice matte)

Of course its far from perfect, but good enough for this old soldier.
Next up to do is the seam sealer, then lay down the final coats of the 383 Green. And I need to fix the gun mount bracket where it attaches to the floor.