Dabomb's 1985 Jimmy - Rust Repair/Floor Replacement/Upgrades: TPI Swap

[ryoken]

really your supposed to "step" your sheetmetal when doing that.. they sell various tools for it from an air stepper, to an air hammer bit..

but you can often cheat by just kinda bending the last inch or so down slightly... hammer/block of wood when done, etc.. just can't let it fock up your gapping....

I like to seal em up.. than install a pop-in a plastic plug (like Adam recently bought) at each end at the bottom if feasible.... like 3/4 or inch hole.. that way I'm can douche paint up in there..

i'll actually take my gun, put it down to stream and spray it all up in there till it's dripping out the holes.. but, that's me...

 

[dabomb6608]

really your supposed to "step" your sheetmetal when doing that.. they sell various tools for it from an air stepper, to an air hammer bit..

but you can often cheat by just kinda bending the last inch or so down slightly... hammer/block of wood when done, etc.. just can't let it fock up your gapping....

I like to seal em up.. than install a pop-in a plastic plug (like Adam recently bought) at each end at the bottom if feasible.... like 3/4 or inch hole.. that way I'm can douche paint up in there..

i'll actually take my gun, put it down to stream and spray it all up in there till it's dripping out the holes.. but, that's me...

Yeah my dad had mentioned just that tool. He said he thought we had one somewhere but wasn't sure. (We've moved 2 times in about 3 years) Maybe we can find it and put it to use. If not I will try and come up with something...

Yeah I saw those plugs. I actually was planning on ordering me up some as well once I saw him include the link on amazon. Needed 2 anyways for the factory body plugs near the rear of the front floor by the rise up to the bed. I'm sure I could replicate that use of paint quantity to get some drippage going.

 

[dabomb6608]

Going to stop by a local store today and see if they have one of those flange/punch combo tools that does both the "step" and also punches a hole for a plug welds. Tonight I plan on doing more work on the rocker to get it ready to be installed.

Here is a link to the kind've tool I am referring to.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SXT-SX280?seid=srese2

 

[ryoken]

yup, that's one... I run an air hammer one, mucho faster.. but no punch...

 

[dabomb6608]

yup, that's one... I run an air hammer one, mucho faster.. but no punch...

We have a air hammer I'm almost positive. Is what you run just an attachment for the air hammer or is it a whole gun itself?

I went during lunch to look for one and they didn't have one. I guess the company they were using discontinued them and now they are looking for another supplier. Think it was like Sunex or something like that.

 

[ryoken]

many companies make that style.. I actually think there's a horrible freight version...

this is the bit I'm talking about.. not as user-friendly as the other style for beginners, takes a bit of getting used to.. but it's stooopid fast once you get the technique down..

http://www.tooltopia.com/tool-aid-9...TEGDmtgOCJbkjMhzIuNCNdjnkpMm-85wIoaAgst8P8HAQ

 

[dabomb6608]

Yeah there is a harbor freight one that's got a lot of bad reviews. I'm staying away from it. Looking at one from summit right now. I want to order from somewhere that will get it to me fast. Hopefully by this weekend. So I can get the rocker welded in.

 

[dabomb6608]

Since I am now waiting on a flange/punch pneumatic gun I decided to spend last night getting the roll bar out of the way and then start doing some patch work on the passenger side. That side is in a lot better shape compared to the drivers so I wanted to get it started on the path of looking better. I cut away this section and then made up a replacement section. You can see a previous repair that had been done next to it.



Wasn't too happy with how it was welding. I don't know what it was, but it seemed to be doing whatever its called where it just pops a lot. Not really a continuous pop. I don't know if my wire speed was too low or too high. The metal was flapped disc'd before I started welding so it was clean metal.
And my ground was on a freshly flap disc'd spot of the floor.

The support underneath that spot looked to be in decent shape. A little rusty but solid. I cleaned it up the best I could then put a coat of zinc on it before closing it up.

Tracking number looks to be showing my flange/punch tool getting here Friday. Which is fine because my next good chance of working on it is maybe Saturday after work or Sunday after work. I hate it but the good news is I am off from my second job Monday-Wednesday next week so that means 3 full nights of working on it hopefully!

 

[dabomb6608]

Ended up not having to work last night at Fazolis so I got out and worked on the truck some. Started cutting up the drivers side floor a little bit. Didn't want to cut into it a whole lot and allow the floor to weaken much. I cut the forward part of the floor on the drivers side where it was really bad and full of wholes. Not much strength left in it anyways.



Once I got it cut away I started to clean up the kick panel area the best I could. Then proceeded to begin planning how I was going to patch it all. I would've like to do one big piece but I decided against it for ease of making panels and bends. I'm going to have a bend going up making a L on the kick panel for plug welds/seam sealer.



I made this piece then decided I wanted to go full length to the kick panel so I wrote the extra length to be added. I ended up calling the night short because I have been a little sick the past week. I have a long day today, tomorrow, and sunday so I wanted to try and rest up some.

 

[dabomb6608]

My flange/punch tool finally came in Friday. Of course my weekend wasn't much of a weekend because I had to work both days 11-5. Had plans with friends Saturday and then plans with Kate Sunday so I didn't even step foot in the barn.

Good news is I have from now till Sunday night off from my night/weekend job (Fazolis) so I got out there last night to get some work done and try out the new tool.

Here is a shot showing a piece of scrap next to the tool that I tried it out on. Love the punch on it. Literally takes nothing to punch those holes now. The flange tool is pretty spiffy as well. It could use to be slightly more deep of a flange but this will do.



So I got to it on the rocker panel and got it welded on and ground down. Not the best looking but is definitely solid. I could stand on it and bounce around and it would shake the whole truck as opposed to just it moving. Granted I only weigh 130lbs but still.







After I got that squared away I made that patch piece for the front floor and got it welded in. I fought and fought with the welds. They were absolutely horrible. I don't know what I have started doing wrong. I was doing really good with the welds when I did the rear floor. I read up a lot last night when I came inside on welding tips and I will be testing what I have read tonight. I think it was partially my angles of the gun. Hoping I can get back to laying decent welds soon.

You might notice the better lighting inside the barn. Since we just moved to this property in November we haven't had much time to begin work on the crazy mess of wiring that the guy who build the barn did. The lighting was a horrible mess that was inadequate. Almost every light was on a separate switch. Or pull strings. Heck the garage doors had an extension cord running up to them to power them.

Dad spend most of the weekend and yesterday afternoon rewiring and adding all new lights. So no more having to make a walk around the whole garage turning on 6 different lights and then the standing work lights being right next to the truck. He isn't done yet and the garage was about 100000 times brighter then it ever was before. Then we will be moving this massive light that's in a little single car separate stall inside the barn to the main part of the barn and it will be even brighter. We didn't know it worked until dad followed the wiring and it was cut up at the top of the wall...

I will get pics of that thing tonight if I remember. Its pretty huge. Like belongs under a gas station roof or inside a tall factory huge.

 

[dabomb6608]

Made some more progress tonight. Got the rest of the front floor cut out and welded in. Welds seemed a lot better after I starting paying more attention to my angles of the gun. I also had got some of that gel stuff that you put on the nozzle.



After that I started cutting around the rear cab mount on the drivers side to see what the mess would be under it. I knew that body mount was rusted through pretty bad. I didn't expect it to be as bad as it is though....





Do the replacement pieces for this piece go that far back past the body mount? I'm completely stumped on what I should do.

Another question I have is if I was to replace a quarter panel. Does it include the area shown below?



The piece that the rear cab mount attaches to is pretty weak and rusted further up in the quarter. It wouldn't be an easy fix to do any kind've repair on whats there....

 

[dabomb6608]

More progress last night. I got that body mount bushing removed. Ended up cutting the nut up to do so. It finally bugged.



Then I got to brainstorming. Came up with this first.



Basically taking a decently thick piece of sheet and running it along the bottom. Take and drill a hole for the body mount to go back through. Then I grabbed a scrap piece of angle iron just kind've going out on a limb seeing if it would work alright. Sure enough it was the correct height to match the upside down L that makes up the sides of the body support. So cut the angle iron in half. Then marked where I wanted it to sit in position on my sheet metal piece for the bottom and welded them on.



The welds were MUCH better. I had it on full power and about 50 for the wire speed. It seemed to do real well. Was able to get some "stacked dime" looking welds laid down.

I ate up my last cut off wheel getting that dang body mount bushing off so had to stop after that for the night. Getting stocked up on those tonight and will be back at it to get that body mount fixed. Before I headed in I took a shot of the new lighting in the garage that my dads been working on. Also grabbed a shot of the massive light in the bay to the right of where the new lighting picture was taken from.





Thing is massive. And puts out a good amount of light once it is warmed up. Its not attached to a power source as of now. I think we are going to relocate it to the main part of the barn to get even more light in there.

 

[dabomb6608]

The body mount has been repaired! Very solid and sturdy now. Here's some shots showing how it came together.

I think it turned out pretty well. Not the easiest to get the existing metal clean but I got it the best I could. It's solid as heck though now. Next it's time to start closing up the drivers side floor. Have a plan of attack already for the channel along the rocker panel.

Won't be able to work on it tomorrow. Going to see Rodney Carrington (comedian) in Evansville, IN tomorrow night after work with some friends and Kate. Should be a hilarious good time. Hope to be back at it most of the day Saturday!

 

[ryoken]

looks good.. make sure you weld that nut and the washer so they don't spin.....

 

[dabomb6608]

Sure will! Going to wait till I get a better bolt there. This ones of unknown quality and also slightly too long. Gonna get either a grade 5 or 8 bolt for it. And better washers.

 

[ryoken]

"heavy" washers are always nice.. grade 5 bolts would be fine..

 

[dabomb6608]

Had a good day of working on my truck today! Only had one road bump...ran out of wire while welding some of the floor. Quick run into town for more wire and lunch and I was back at it.

I started the day working out how I was going to do the wire channel along the rocker panel. I had previously got a section of angle iron for the idea I had. Got it cut to length then installed into place. Nice and solid and a good channel. After that I cut away what was needed along the door to replace.





Got it welded in (this was where I ran out of wire). Once welded in I got it grinded down and nice and smooth. Can't even see a seam where the floor meets the channel! Really happy with how that turned out!





I then turned my attention to the back side of the floor on the drivers side. Decided on how I wanted to do it. I did the side panel where the seat belt attaches first. It has a bend to go to the top in that lip next to the rear floor stick outs. Not sure how to explain it. Don't think the picture will show either...

Anyways I got that in first then figured I would do the rest in two pieces. One with the bend going up to the rear floor. Then the rest. I did the one without the bend first. It was a pretty big piece with a lot of separate cuts. Turned out pretty good and I ended the night with getting the welding started.



And yes I remembered to weld the new bolt and washers I put in for the body mount Paul!

Tomorrow morning I plan on getting that finished up then getting the final large piece with the bends done. Hoping by the time I leave for work tomorrow evening that I can have the drivers side finished up and ready for seam sealer/bed liner!

 

[ryoken]

bangin it out!

 

[dabomb6608]

bangin it out!

Heck yeah! The passenger side should really go by quick from what it looks like. Just need to do the rocker, wire channel, similar cut along the door, then some small patching by the kick panel. It wasn't near as bad as the drivers side.

I need to start looking into ordering seam sealer and then my bed liner. I'm going to use the same liner that Adam used on his Blazer. But I'm not so sure on what seam sealer to use. I will need a lot of it since the bed floor will need it done too. Any suggestions? They make it in a grease gun type container right? Last time I used it, it was in a regular tube and was horrible to apply.

 

[ryoken]

I like fusor 800EZ... loads right in a caulk gun..