That is some serious turret repairs tortron. Add to it the windscreen pillar repairs you've already done and I think you're lucky you haven't been involved in a roll over or you wouldn't have fared very well. My hat off to anyone with the skills (and guts) to fix this kind of damage. And I thought my crusty rocker sills were bad...
In any collision I think it would have exploded at the seams, especially before I did the fire wall. The other side will need doing too as it has the telltale poorly sanded and painted finish.
It's alot more work than I had hoped for when I first got it, but I figured I would get a year or so before the hidden sins showed up.
Keeps me busy on the weekend, I'd rather be doing cool stuff to it, but rust work is probably cheaper
Not too bad at all, might have to watch I don't warp the rest when welding in the patch, looking inside it's just the outer skin that's rusted, might get away with a 2" strip along the bottom rather than up to the belt Line. Random hole at the top of the belt Line under the U, no rust around it. Top rail section is pretty rusted too, all the seam welds have let go so at least it's not too hard to seperate that. Hinges are well rusted, if I really had too I think they could be revived but I'm on the lookout for replacements, possibly the end mounted removable f150 ones (or whatever is cheapest and available here)
Might be the same panel beater who put that patch in has done the previous work on my truck (I got the parts truck not too far from where this one used to live) I can't stand these rough patches and a ton of bog, the time taken sanding could have been put into doing the patch nicely
Actually just stripped the tailgate to test a new wire cup brush, Il hit my cab roof next, paint stripper is no good on a half inch of bog unfortunately. Will have to get a sheet of steel before I can start on the tray, and I'm going to build a sheet metal bender widen enough to do the width of the tailgate and any future sills
Also to get some seam sealer and cavity wax, it wouldn't have rusted with a bit of seam sealer in there. Unlike my Morris minor bootlid that needs redoing, my 10year old repair has rusted through, I was foolish enough to put it back to original - the original drain holes are a half inch from the bottom and only empty out when you open it up and have it run down your neck...
Have covered the shed in bog dust and cooked my grinder, but that's the majority of it done. Major oil canning over basically the whole roof, quite a bit of shrinking will be needed. Some old pitting and in one place it's actually made a pin hole, so I might need to brush down the surface rust inside the cab and see if the other bits have thinned it out much. IMG_20180107_173754622.jpg IMG_20180108_113336988.jpg
I have a feeling the roof was caved in and it sat for a while outside. Most of that brown on the roof is actually some kind of coating, there wasn't any actual surface rust on it, just pre existing pitting. Almost wonder if it was rolled and that's a replacement roof that warped badly when the apprentice put it in. The spotty patches appear to be torch marks from attempted shrinking. Fortunately the left side has a more intact roof line and there's no bog over the windscreen and rear window tops so I have some edges to work to
I guess the 5 gal tin of Bondi was on special that week
Trying to limit my work to the roof and A pillars, I'd like to frame off and fully strip it, but I also want to drive it this decade
2nd gen RY - 4.222 limited slip differential that I got months ago. Now cleaned up, painted and I threw some new cylinders and springs at it because they are so cheap online, topped up with fresh oil too. Should swap out with no issues. I got a 2nd gen rear rubber line but it looks like the 1st gen will fit fine. Hardlines are different, with the 1st gen having a T-piece and 2 bleed nipples, the 2nd gen has the line going to the LH cylinder and then across to the RH cylinder with a single bleed nipples on the right. Might be a little harder to bleed.
1st gen has duo servo drum brakes, 2nd gen has leading and trailing. Technically the duo servo brakes are more efficient but I don't think it will be noticeable, both have the same size cylinders, I'm not aware of any difference in the master cylinder or bias valve. The diff was on a 2nd gen double cab which is heavier than the 1st gen so I think it's fine. The pinion flange are different shapes but look like the same pcd. The hand brake setup is a little different but should be fine with the 1st gen cable ends
Forgot to paint the drums, so they are drying now. Il let the paint harden up another day
Ok, into that patch how do these cabs rust out here idk, still have a feeling this thing has been either on its roof or had a new roof, theres some weird seams and double brackets at least it wasn't bog over rust this time ehnot much left of this bracket. cant see this one on any of the body diagrams, fortunately the one on the otherside was complete so I had a rough idea of how it should look. It was spot welded in crooked at the factory. Nice. cad it upif you don't have one of these, get one. so handy for around door frames and inside panelslucky the back of the cab needs repatching because I needed to make some more access for the welder because this section had rusted out where it joins the drip rail area two brackets to go in
Damn, I haven't seen that kind of rust damage in a roof turret. The lousy previous repair attempts didn't help. Or the awesome effort in assembling from the factory either. These trucks weren't loved from the get go (you should've seen the cylinder head I pulled from my original G63B engine, by far one of the worst cylinder head castings that has ever come off a production line). It's amazing that Gen 1's have lasted as long as they have, like the intention was to build a short lived work horse but they've proved to be tough to kill.
Continuing work making some patches getting the cab lines measured out before cutting the rest of the old patch out, then cutting more out to get rid off the old brass workthis side had a poorly shaped door frame in the corner, so that came out too. I'm not 100% on that swage line under the drip rail, but the other side has one roughly in line with the top of the door frame and to the end of the drip rail. So put one in where I guessed it should go a little more fine shaping to go before welding them in, but pretty close. I will also need to make up about an inch of drip rail as this side is missing some
To look for rust? Had a look in the top from both sides and it looks solid. No bog around the aperture either. Some signs of repair in the bottom corners looking from Inside, rough but good enough for an old truck.
I will have to eventually take both screens out before topcoating, I just know there's some nasty stuff around the windscreen, perhaps not rust but caved and paved panels. The 1/4" of bog on the A pillars where there was no damage makes me thing it was blended Into the front aperture.
Perhaps Il just close my eyes and block my ears for a while
I think pennymans recommendation is more to do with the glass getting pitted by the welder. It really sucks to have welding slag embedded in glass and the rubber won't like the heat much either.
oh yeah that is a consideration, I usually drape some leather aprons and damp sheets over stuff like that. For bits like this I try avoid getting anything hot to avoid warping. I think I will get away with it, but then again I don't think I need to go anywhere this weekend no may as well pull it and check for damage
Getting there. Have sprayed a bunch of zinc primer inside before attaching that side piece. I will add chassis wax to the mix once I'm done welding the cab
Right, that's good enough for now. Obviously will need some further work before paint, which wont happen until I shrink all the roof down. With a bit of panel beating I should get it pretty much spot on, I would like to get away with just a coat of primer filler. I might need a smear of filler on the top weld, I couldn't get the roof and patch to sit quite right, so I have a little bit of a valley. I did however just make up a panel spoon to get up in that corner and edge and got it 90% in a few minutes, so theres still hope. Not sure if that line along the inside of the drip rail is supposed to be there, its not there at all on the other side. Might be a seam from where the gutter joins the drip rail. I suppose il replicate it with a little filler. You don't really see it when the gutter trim is on (yes it still fits, I tried. not the drivers side tho, I need to remove a hair of thickness on my new inner A pillar)
how do these cabs rust out here idk, still have a feeling this thing has been either on its roof or had a new roof, theres some weird seams and double brackets
at least it wasn't bog over rust this time eh
not much left of this bracket. cant see this one on any of the body diagrams, fortunately the one on the otherside was complete so I had a rough idea of how it should look. It was spot welded in crooked at the factory. Nice.
cad it up
if you don't have one of these, get one. so handy for around door frames and inside panels
lucky the back of the cab needs repatching because I needed to make some more access for the welder because this section had rusted out where it joins the drip rail area
two brackets to go in
getting the cab lines measured out before cutting the rest of the old patch out, then cutting more out to get rid off the old brass work
this side had a poorly shaped door frame in the corner, so that came out too. I'm not 100% on that swage line under the drip rail, but the other side has one roughly in line with the top of the door frame and to the end of the drip rail. So put one in where I guessed it should go
a little more fine shaping to go before welding them in, but pretty close. I will also need to make up about an inch of drip rail as this side is missing some
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