Gotcha.
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.
colbystephens' '73 blazer build!
- Thread starter colbystephens
- Start date
ok, so i got the bed all herc'd up. i'm pretty stoked about it - looks killer, feels durable. i'm looking forward to getting those sliders installed so i can get the front all herc'd up.
started by roughing up the surface with a couple brillo type pads, then cleaned it up with xylene. my boss loaned me his respirator (xylene is some seriously nasty sh!t)... and i'm a dumbass and couldn't figure out how to put it on at first....
got it all figured out tho....
i purchased a little paint mixer attachment to run off my drill. i'd definitely recommend one of those - that's some thick stuff and the drill did a killer job of keeping the particles suspended. i spun the drill in the herc. every few minutes to make sure i'd get real even coverage with the particulates.
after the first coat, i was surprised at how much you could see thru the herc to the paint below:
i was a bit worried, but i had really gone overboard in doing the prep - and the final result was exactly what i wanted, so this must have been normal. Final result:
the following pic is to show how much of the soft top rails were herc'd: as much as possible, but not enough to rub on the top. i had wanted to go over the edge of the bed rail - where you can see the POR-15 continues down the side of the body - but that would rub on the windows every time i installed or removed them:
i decided to replace all the hardware with stainless to make it look nicer. fwiw, it's 5/16 coarse.
it adds a little class to the rugged bedliner...
so whatchy'all think??? i love it.
started by roughing up the surface with a couple brillo type pads, then cleaned it up with xylene. my boss loaned me his respirator (xylene is some seriously nasty sh!t)... and i'm a dumbass and couldn't figure out how to put it on at first....
got it all figured out tho....
i purchased a little paint mixer attachment to run off my drill. i'd definitely recommend one of those - that's some thick stuff and the drill did a killer job of keeping the particles suspended. i spun the drill in the herc. every few minutes to make sure i'd get real even coverage with the particulates.
after the first coat, i was surprised at how much you could see thru the herc to the paint below:
i was a bit worried, but i had really gone overboard in doing the prep - and the final result was exactly what i wanted, so this must have been normal. Final result:
the following pic is to show how much of the soft top rails were herc'd: as much as possible, but not enough to rub on the top. i had wanted to go over the edge of the bed rail - where you can see the POR-15 continues down the side of the body - but that would rub on the windows every time i installed or removed them:
i decided to replace all the hardware with stainless to make it look nicer. fwiw, it's 5/16 coarse.
it adds a little class to the rugged bedliner...
so whatchy'all think??? i love it.
awesome! I guess running a hardtop I am only going to want to herc to the inside edge of the rail so the tops seals don't get ripped up every time the top comes off. Looks really good man!
edit: maybe I missed it but did you take the whole bed down to bare metal and por-15 it then herc it or just rough up and wipe down?
edit: maybe I missed it but did you take the whole bed down to bare metal and por-15 it then herc it or just rough up and wipe down?
Looking good Colby!
You just rough it up. POR15 and Herc stick to painted and rusty surfaces that have been roughed up better than bare metal.
reddog64
1/2 ton status
This is one of the best looking and functional mods to teh inside of your bed! I put 1 1/2 gallons on my K5 bed in my 74 (very thick)
You'll be glad you did this!
You'll be glad you did this!
like ajmblazer said, i only had to rough up my bed. i did hit each of the seam-areas and the front/rear edges with POR15 first tho, just as an extra precaution since they will see alot of wear and tear. you can see in some of my pics the "outlining" i did with the POR15. you simply use something like steel wool or a brillo pad to rough up the surface - basically take the sheen off.
you would probably be better off to do as you stated and not herc over the edges of the bed rails. nice thing about the soft top is that it doesn't have the rubber seals like the hard tops.
reddog - Wow! 1.5 gallons on just the bed of a k5!! that's crazy thick. why so much? i think the 3/4 gallon i used was plenty for heavy use.
ok, so i started cutting out the rockers tonite so i can start taking care of the rock sliders... picked up the steel for a good price today. when i cut, i made sure, this time - learning from past mistakes, to make sure to cut low enough to allow for quick-release hinge pins. unfortunately, i found more rust there than i'd expected. here you can see the rockers cut out, revealing a wall of the rocker box that's been rusted all the way thru. on the ground below, you can see about 10% of the amount of crap that fell out once i cut the rocker out:
Those rocker boxes collect a TON of sh!t!! my '83 didn't have such elaborate rocker boxes. anyway, i decided to cut the whole thing out and replace it with angle-iron supports attaching from the sliders to the body mounts. should be lighter weight and less rust-prone too since there won't be anything to retain dirt/grime for the next 40+ years of this truck's life.
in the picture above you can see where the POR15 ends at the door sill. at this point, it's cut all the way up to there - i only have one more cut to get the rest of the rocker box out. i will have to fill a 2.5" gap between the slider and the floor. i will take a strip of sheet metal about 4 or 5 inches tall and run it across the door sill to creat a lip similar to how jeepers have. this should prevent water from running in under the doors and pooling in the foot wells (a problem i have with my current set up on the '83), as well as making it street legal in surrounding states when i run door-less. i think i'll reinforce the top of that piece of sheet metal with some angle iron.
when i cut, i made sure, this time - learning from past mistakes, to make sure to cut low enough to allow for quick-release hinge pins. unfortunately, i found more rust there than i'd expected. here you can see the rockers cut out, revealing a wall of the rocker box that's been rusted all the way thru. on the ground below, you can see about 10% of the amount of crap that fell out once i cut the rocker out:
Those rocker boxes collect a TON of sh!t!! my '83 didn't have such elaborate rocker boxes. anyway, i decided to cut the whole thing out and replace it with angle-iron supports attaching from the sliders to the body mounts. should be lighter weight and less rust-prone too since there won't be anything to retain dirt/grime for the next 40+ years of this truck's life.
in the picture above you can see where the POR15 ends at the door sill. at this point, it's cut all the way up to there - i only have one more cut to get the rest of the rocker box out. i will have to fill a 2.5" gap between the slider and the floor. i will take a strip of sheet metal about 4 or 5 inches tall and run it across the door sill to creat a lip similar to how jeepers have. this should prevent water from running in under the doors and pooling in the foot wells (a problem i have with my current set up on the '83), as well as making it street legal in surrounding states when i run door-less. i think i'll reinforce the top of that piece of sheet metal with some angle iron.
Heh, I remember years ago, like 2000 or so when we were all discussing how to keep crap out of the rockers and the crappiness of the design. Back then rock rails/nerf bars were brand new and people were commenting how you were basically building rails to protect your rotting away rockers...
...then somebody just said screw it, cut it all off, and welded some box tube in it's place.
...then somebody just said screw it, cut it all off, and welded some box tube in it's place.
well, i got the drivers side slider installed. took a lot of cutting to get that damn rocker box outta there! yuk. i'm extremely pleased with how this is looking.
here's the mock up before i welded it all in...
after i welded it:
i havent gotten very good at blending my stitches yet - thats why it's not too smooth. however, they are structurally sound welds - you can see from the inside of the tube and the back of the sheet metal that i got full penetration on it. i didn't blow any holes thru the sheet metal this time - so that was great! i started filling the gap between the slider and the floor too... more on that to come!
here's the mock up before i welded it all in...
after i welded it:
i havent gotten very good at blending my stitches yet - thats why it's not too smooth. however, they are structurally sound welds - you can see from the inside of the tube and the back of the sheet metal that i got full penetration on it. i didn't blow any holes thru the sheet metal this time - so that was great!
i started filling the gap between the slider and the floor too... more on that to come!
chevy wrangler
1/2 ton status
did you brace the tub before you cut the rocker and boxes out??
can i have some pics of the under carriage plez?
i am going to do this to my 73 and really need some details(17year old)so i am not too bright, thanks
can i have some pics of the under carriage plez?
i am going to do this to my 73 and really need some details(17year old)so i am not too bright, thanks
thanks for the compliments guys! i'm really happy with how the driver's side turned out - i'd say i'm 95% done with it... haven't started the passenger side. still to do on the drivers side is:
#1: post pics here!
#2: grind down the welds.
#3: use angle iron to brace the floor pan.
i believe that with the 2x4, it doesn't really need the brace... it feels more stout than stock, however, for good measure i'm going to add the floor braces. angle iron is cheap and fairly light, so no biggie.
i thought a bit about bracing when i cut the rockers out, but didn't do much. one difficulty on my project is that there's no frame attached, so finding a good place to support the body while removing the rockers was difficult. i hung a rope from the rafter of the garage and attached it to the "s" on the hinge (not the hinge itself! didn't want to warp the hinge) and i also took a piece of wood 4x4 and put it on a jack, supporting the middle of the front floor pan (just to the drivers side of the tranny hump, and just to the passenger side of the rocker box) with the jack and wood. i believe that this prevented it from doing any sort of "caving" on the front floor pan.
i'll get pics of the under side after i get it cleaned up and the angle iron supports in. i left the passenger-side-most wall of the rocker box in - it's 2 pieces of sheet metal and quite structurally sound. i thought it would be a great place to attach the angle iron supports.
i contacted DPI and will soon be ordering their outter rails for the "trail riders" sliders... it's a bit toned down version of the deep woods sliders and will really be a nice addition to my integral rocker/sliders. i don't think i could've come up with something as nice on my own for that part, and the price is right for those - $120 shipped.
#1: post pics here!
#2: grind down the welds.
#3: use angle iron to brace the floor pan.
i believe that with the 2x4, it doesn't really need the brace... it feels more stout than stock, however, for good measure i'm going to add the floor braces. angle iron is cheap and fairly light, so no biggie.
i thought a bit about bracing when i cut the rockers out, but didn't do much. one difficulty on my project is that there's no frame attached, so finding a good place to support the body while removing the rockers was difficult. i hung a rope from the rafter of the garage and attached it to the "s" on the hinge (not the hinge itself! didn't want to warp the hinge) and i also took a piece of wood 4x4 and put it on a jack, supporting the middle of the front floor pan (just to the drivers side of the tranny hump, and just to the passenger side of the rocker box) with the jack and wood. i believe that this prevented it from doing any sort of "caving" on the front floor pan.
i'll get pics of the under side after i get it cleaned up and the angle iron supports in.
i left the passenger-side-most wall of the rocker box in - it's 2 pieces of sheet metal and quite structurally sound. i thought it would be a great place to attach the angle iron supports.i contacted DPI and will soon be ordering their outter rails for the "trail riders" sliders... it's a bit toned down version of the deep woods sliders and will really be a nice addition to my integral rocker/sliders. i don't think i could've come up with something as nice on my own for that part, and the price is right for those - $120 shipped.
WOW!!! Cool thread, Colby.
I'm out in Hillsboro...can I come by and see the project???
I just got my Blazer Saturday and have been perusing the forum to get edjumacated on Blazers then I found this thread. Yer makin' good progress for sure!
I'm out in Hillsboro...can I come by and see the project???
I just got my Blazer Saturday and have been perusing the forum to get edjumacated on Blazers then I found this thread. Yer makin' good progress for sure!
sure. i work from 6 till 2:30 mon-fri, and i'd be available sunday too. shoot me a PM w/ your number.
thanks for the compliments.
i work from 6 till 2:30 mon-fri, and i'd be available sunday too. shoot me a PM w/ your number.thanks for the compliments.
well, i went out and got some more steel today. i picked up a couple strips of 6" wide, 22 gauge steel and some... i don't know, maybe 1" (
) square tube to line the tops of my foot wells with... anyway, the goal is to have the driver's side all finished up tonite and i'll try to get some pics posted up.
edit: just rememberd i forgot to get some angle iron for supporting the floor boards... oops! i will be tieing in my sliders to the cage, so i'm going to wait to add support to the sliders till i get the cage concept started...
) square tube to line the tops of my foot wells with... anyway, the goal is to have the driver's side all finished up tonite and i'll try to get some pics posted up. edit: just rememberd i forgot to get some angle iron for supporting the floor boards... oops! i will be tieing in my sliders to the cage, so i'm going to wait to add support to the sliders till i get the cage concept started...
ok, so last night i got 99% done with the driver's side slider. all that's left to do is grind down the welds and make it look pretty, as well as order those tree guard rails from DPI and get it welded in place. i'm really happy with how it's turning out.
to build the lip at the bottom of the door sill, i used 2 6" high sheets of 22 gauge steel and reinforced it at the top by using some 1x1 steel tube. i added one support in the center to prevent bending as i kick it while getting in and out. it's strong enough to stand/jump/kick on.
i gave the ends of the tube an angle to make it a little more nice looking... here's a pic of the piece i built for the passenger side - it turned out much cleaner for 2 reasons: i had already done a practice, and i did all of the construction of it outside of the vehicle.
whatchya think??
to build the lip at the bottom of the door sill, i used 2 6" high sheets of 22 gauge steel and reinforced it at the top by using some 1x1 steel tube. i added one support in the center to prevent bending as i kick it while getting in and out. it's strong enough to stand/jump/kick on.
i gave the ends of the tube an angle to make it a little more nice looking... here's a pic of the piece i built for the passenger side - it turned out much cleaner for 2 reasons: i had already done a practice, and i did all of the construction of it outside of the vehicle.
whatchya think??
[spicoli]All right, Colby![/spicoli]
That looks awesome!
That looks awesome!
Xtremegmc80
1/2 ton status
looks great.. i may be getting ideas..
you know what's tragic... i don't know who spicoli is... 
thanks for the compliments, gents. i'm hoping to do the whole passenger side tomorrow afternoon. now that i've got the "trial side" done, i think i can really plow ahead with the passenger side.
thanks for the compliments, gents. i'm hoping to do the whole passenger side tomorrow afternoon. now that i've got the "trial side" done, i think i can really plow ahead with the passenger side.
