What have I gotten myself into...what next lol

[markrazz]

well first time doing body work and cut out the wheel wells and rear floor and kinda got think WTF....
Where do I go from here?
Por 15 frame?
Change shocks?
Change body mounts?
A little overwhelming when you actually cut out a few parts and wonder MAN did I bite off more than I can chew...
What would you do on a this budget build ?
Also behind the wheel in the first pic is a small piece of metal that was rusted out is there a replacement for That?

 

[obijuank5]

Take the radiator cap off. Change everything else. Put it back on.

 

[Bent77]

Take the radiator cap off. Change everything else. Put it back on.

Finish it with a sawzall and add big tires, done

 

[markrazz]

That’s some great feedback thanks for sharing...I feel smarter just from reading that reply

 

[Bent77]

That’s some great feedback thanks for sharing...I feel smarter just from reading that reply

Planning on fixing it? There’s not much budget about it. Plan on learning the body trade

Look at greg72 and his thread for an idea how deep you’re going to dig

In all seriousness, another tub might be easier and strip and blast the frame

 

[HankScorpio]

One step at a time. Be realistic about what you want to achieve. Forget about perfect restorations and make it back to a good driver. Nobody is going to lift your carpet and check your welding. Your first welds will suck and they will get better as you go. Try and avoid butt seams, they are tough to weld. A bit of an overlap will help a lot in places where it is possible. I have driven trucks with street signs riveted over rust holes, they still went to the mountains just fine.

 

[tRustyK5]

What do you have as far as replacement sheet metal? There is "budget" and then there is reality. Something solid needs to replace the crap you cut out...

 

[markrazz]

I have alot of replacement parts that I bought from a guy For $500 all new LMC stuff when decided to go a different route
The rear floor area BUT when I placed it out it was shorter than the original floor
Wheel wells
Larger rear floor pans
Front and rear supports
Doors

Also bought a used welder and fig I can rino line or such after so like you mentioned it will hide welds

Should I worry about replacing mounts, shocks, ect or is that really needed?

I just want a fun driver to drive around with top off not a show truck but don’t want to have to redo it again in a few years and don’t want to mis steps so I have to go back later to do it

Thanks

 

[Bent77]

I have alot of replacement parts that I bought from a guy For $500 all new LMC stuff when decided to go a different route
The rear floor area BUT when I placed it out it was shorter than the original floor
Wheel wells
Larger rear floor pans
Front and rear supports
Doors

Also bought a used welder and fig I can rino line or such after so like you mentioned it will hide welds

Should I worry about replacing mounts, shocks, ect or is that really needed?

I just want a fun driver to drive around with top off not a show truck but don’t want to have to redo it again in a few years and don’t want to mis steps so I have to go back later to do it

Thanks

I’d look at the mounts, but I’d guess they are in the same condition as the sheet metal. You’re at a point where most of them are easy to get to, so replacing the rubbers and whatever else is damaged in there would be easier

Maybe best to take a clip board and write down everything that’s needs replaced or repaired before you go any deeper. Price things out. Then double that because that’s how it seems to turn out

 

[markrazz]

Thanks so I cut a torch and a welder and this is my plan let me know if it’s a good start

Change rear shocks while I have easy access...
Any suggestions on cheap replacement?

Change the real body mounts
Not sure where the best option is to find these and do they come in rear only or do I need to buy a whole set.?

Cleaned up the frame a steel and will blast it a couple more times with air compressor before I brush paint it with corroseal rust converter and then spray paint it with rustoleam undercoating spray and rustoleam rust stops spray

Then add the rear bed and wheel wells screw and weld together....

Do I need to add some kind of support cross members under the rear bed section the original I took out had some and the replacements do not..
Would there be an easy metal strip option I could use?
Any advise appreciated.

Am I missing anything that you might suggest doing at this time?

 

[sponsoredbydad]

Living in California it's hard to believe that much rust is even possible. I would suggest while your at it cut in a bolt on access panel for future changing of the fuel pump. Just take it slow and easy and it will eventually become a truck again. Big deep breaths, I put off a job I cut out for 2 years because it overwhelmed me. When I actually got into it I finished it in about 3 months.

 

[Blue85]

Where you're at, it's easiest to cut the rest of the floor out and put in all new floor, which is sort of a bolt-in affair. Every inch of seam you butt weld will be like 15 minutes of weld and grind. When you multiply that out to 80" of seams, that's 20 hours of labor, maybe double that for all the blow-through fixes and do-overs if you're new to it. So especially if you have some/all of the LMC Blazer floor panels it's worth saving all that labor. Plus, the rear edge of the floor has to come off anyway to check and repair the tail pan.

Check out that tail pan and the tailgate mounting areas to see if they are solid enough to save (by just cutting and patching the rotted areas). That assembly is kind of complicated so once you are doing a lot of cutting and fabbing, it makes sense to replace the whole thing. You can buy the whole tailpan assembly for $100 or so, but you have to lift the whole body about 6" to install it. The rear panel "walls" are 6' apart, as is the inside of the rear quarters, but the piece is like 6.5' wide and has tapered sections to clear the frame rails. Definitely easier with the whole floor gone, though.

Yes, you want supports for the floor. If not getting stock-style replacements, it should be feasible to substitute square tubing or something similar.

 

[markrazz]

Where you're at, it's easiest to cut the rest of the floor out and put in all new floor, which is sort of a bolt-in affair. Every inch of seam you butt weld will be like 15 minutes of weld and grind. When you multiply that out to 80" of seams, that's 20 hours of labor, maybe double that for all the blow-through fixes and do-overs if you're new to it. So especially if you have some/all of the LMC Blazer floor panels it's worth saving all that labor. Plus, the rear edge of the floor has to come off anyway to check and repair the tail pan.

Check out that tail pan and the tailgate mounting areas to see if they are solid enough to save (by just cutting and patching the rotted areas). That assembly is kind of complicated so once you are doing a lot of cutting and fabbing, it makes sense to replace the whole thing. You can buy the whole tailpan assembly for $100 or so, but you have to lift the whole body about 6" to install it. The rear panel "walls" are 6' apart, as is the inside of the rear quarters, but the piece is like 6.5' wide and has tapered sections to clear the frame rails. Definitely easier with the whole floor gone, though.

Yes, you want supports for the floor. If not getting stock-style replacements, it should be feasible to substitute square tubing or something similar.

Thanks
I think the rear tail pin only has a couple holes so will remocpve and patch
I still don’t understand why I have 3 replacement rear floor sections but it too short?
What the solve it on this ?

 

[Blue85]

Are they Blazer panels? Yours is 80's, right? I've never had all 3 pieces, but I saw a thread on here where somebody did it and it worked.

I still think you need to get the back of the floor off the tail pan. The front seam underneath isn't sealed from the factory and between them is surely filled with rust.

 

[RubberFloorMat]

I’d find a rust free tub, as new as possible. Then bolt all your stuff back on

 

[Blue85]

Have you pulled the front carpet out yet? There is surely some work there. How's the outside? See what kind of other Blazers or tubs you can find and compare the two approaches. If the donor needs much work you may be better off following through on the body that's already cut up. While it's a lot of parts, I think you can buy the all of the floors, wheel wells, tailpan and supports for under a grand.

How are the tailgate posts? Typcially with rust like you have on the sides of the tailpan, it has also crept into the lower tailgate posts, making a tailpan swap difficult. From the pictures, the tailgate looks pretty decent, no? That you've done this much work with it in your way tells me you're afraid to remove it and have it re-attach. You said you're planning to patch the tailpan, but you might not find solid steel to weld to on that one side. I still think the back of the floor need to come off, which means unbolting the rear body mounts, which means the tailgate has to be off.

 

[diesel4me]

Now would be the time to replace that filler neck tube too,maybe the gas tank too,seeing its all pitted and will likely weep gas or let fumes escape after the body work is done and you start driving it..its a sucky job doing it later with the body work all done..

The cutout for removing the sending unit is a idea worth considering too--why they didn't put one factory I dont know,but it was stupid for them not too..
It's much easier to replace an electric fuel pump from inside the truck,rather than have to drop the gas tank outside on a rainy day..

Unfortunately nearly every K5 and GM truck up here looks like that or worse,even newer ones under 10 years old already are having frames rot badly--some trucks the body rots away, but the frame stays solid ,even with factory paint or undercoating still intact--others are just the opposite,the body aint so bad--but the frame rotted in half ,the metal peels apart like delaminating plywood ..more of that type of rot seems more common around here,the frame fails first..
Just about every 2000 and up GM truck has the rear shock cross-members crumbling away at the least..

You can use "Uni-Strut" U-channels to make good bed cross members and stiffener supports for the bed mounts..you can get it from Lowe's,Home Depot,or places that sell electrical supplies..

Barn door track is also a good substitute for those bed cross members,places like Tractor Supply sell it..heavy gauge and galvanized,like Unistrut..it'll outlast the truck,maybe the owner too..

I have cobbed quite a few GM trucks back together in the past,I dont consider myself any good at body work,I just welded,brazed,bolted,pop riveted or drive screwed "new" metal over the rotted sections I had to chop out and wasn't that concerned with good looks,I just wanted it solid again,safer,and not get a shower every time I drove thru a puddle..

I used whatever I could get free or cheap--galvanized furnace ducts ,file cabinets,old fridges and freezers,washing machines,I even found a stainless steel freezer at the dump ,I cannibalized to use the metal to patch up one of my Blazers..

I have used a section of the roll of galvanized metal from a swimming pool to patch over a whole K5 floor in the past too,in one big piece..used cardboard boxes to make a template of the floor and traced it out,cut it..it stiffened the truck up remarkably..

I did splerge and buy replacement rockers and cab corners rather than fix them on a few trucks,others that did not have that much rot there just got patched over,and skim coated with Mar-Glass filler,and undercoated..

I had just as much joy driving and camping in my patched up trucks as I would have in a new one,and I wasn't afraid to scratch them or carry stuff either..form over function was and is fine with me..

That does not mean I wouldn't like to have a "pretty" restored truck though..I just don't think its worth all the time and effort restoring something to perfection your going to scratch,beat up and use ,(or even get hit by someone while driving or in a parking lot)--when it takes only a few seconds to destroy all that hard work..

 

[Jimmywood]

That’s some great feedback thanks for sharing...I feel smarter just from reading that reply

I feel ya, I got a similar response from obtank5 something or other, suggested that I keep the doors on the truck during a frame off restoration, not sure how that’s possible. We’re in a similar situation as far as rust goes, we’ll need to sift through useless and valuable information. I think that the good info will be somewhat apparent, I hope. Best of luck

 

[bp71k5]

I feel ya, I got a similar response from obtank5 something or other, suggested that I keep the doors on the truck during a frame off restoration, not sure how that’s possible. We’re in a similar situation as far as rust goes, we’ll need to sift through useless and valuable information. I think that the good info will be somewhat apparent, I hope. Best of luck

Take the advice. You for sure need a way to brace the door opening when cutting out and replacing the rocker box area. If you have doors now, put them on and verify the gaps and that it opens and closes well. Then build a brace from the door hinge to the latch area to keep the opening locked while you work. You can take the brace off temporarily during the work but don’t weld in any new panels without it on there.

You can search for the guy who went all the wait to paint and didn’t do this and then couldn’t close his doors. My build thread also has a similar story, but was easier to correct since it wasn’t painted.

 

[Jimmywood]

Take the advice. You for sure need a way to brace the door opening when cutting out and replacing the rocker box area. If you have doors now, put them on and verify the gaps and that it opens and closes well. Then build a brace from the door hinge to the latch area to keep the opening locked while you work. You can take the brace off temporarily during the work but don’t weld in any new panels without it on there.

You can search for the guy who went all the wait to paint and didn’t do this and then couldn’t close his doors. My build thread also has a similar story, but was easier to correct since it wasn’t painted.