1981 L200 'ClubSport'

[tortron]

Another weekend, another tetanus shot


Trying to avoid long narrow patches like this, better to reproduce an entire panel where possible to avoid warping and it's usually less work in the end. But no pocket money for a bead roller this time around. Just need to copy the rear section of the wheel well and this side is done!
Have already made up the strengthening sections months ago.
Not sure what I will do about those tie down bars. I might alter them and put some inner panels so I don't damage the bed sides with a load of gravel

[tortron]

And another slightly more in-depth one




The outside edge needs to come to a point in the middle to match the lines of the bed side

[tortron]

All stitched up and plugged together. Finding a few small pinholes, some previously tacked closed, and a few old patches. Explains some of the slight fettling required to get everything to fit flat to each other. But that's ok.

Attached some of the wheel well enforcement's. Decided to drill some drain holes in them all. This will let me fill it with paint and chassis wax later. Also some in the smaller sections for the same reason and also to access the inside of the tie down bars. Need to pick up a few meters of 1" tube to replace the two rear ones (rusted out where they meet the wheel well, caused by those supports) have decided to keep them as they won't be in the way of my future plans. So will need to punch a hole in my new rear patch and weld the pipe before the re-enforcement can go back on.




Nice and ridged again.

[geezer101]

It'll be solid as a rock - freaking awesome

[tortron]

Each year on Easter long weekend I do some rust repairs (firewall, a pillars etc).
This year I didn't, instead I went and bought another rusted out Morris minor.
Unfortunately I still have rust to repair on this cab......
Foolishly I had it in my mind that it's just the sill, no worries.

Nope, more 3 layer mitsi rust.
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Looks like I have some hedgehogs to evict...

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Have to cut some sections of the lower door frame out to get access.

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This is the most of it cut out
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Its pretty extensive. Also today I learned that the front cab mounts are 3 layered. Guess which one is rusted through...

There's some crusty repairs in there, so il tidy up what I can. Not too worried about how the floor looks inside but il make it solid again. To get access to the inner layer of the cab mount I have to either cut out the footwell floor, or unstitch the thicker underside plate. I don't have time to do either right now, so I'm going to leave a nice flange on my patch to tie into when I do. (I'm probably going to have to take the cab off as there's rust in one of the rear ones too.)
Otherwise there's several inner sill sections that need totally remaking.
Coffee break now, into the fab soon

[tortron]

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Ground out all the blobs
Made a new inner piece
Made a new upper sill section
Reattached the bit of sill I cut out.

Have also reattached the bit of lower hinge panel I cut out.

Need to now make up the step down bit of sill that goes at the front, reattach the section of door frame I removed. Make up some bits to replace the rusted out bits of door frame I have removed

[tortron]

Oh yah, it doesn't stop there

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Mulling over my plan of attack on reproducing that panel

[geezer101]

Look dude, you just need to scrub this whole thing out and start from scratch. The hidden rust in your truck is frightening. If you had the time, an English wheel, an air hammer and some custom steel press dies I think you could conjure up some mad sheet metal magic. That aside, the combo of your determination and what you've done to tidy it up is inspiring and awesome

[tortron]

Can't be too much hiding right!? At least none of my repairs have turned bad (and will probably outlast the original steel)
Can alway throw a vintage body on the chassis

[tortron]

Funny you mention the press. I have a plan cooking already....
Need to check if the front are the same as the rear, they are slightly lopsided so left and right are a little different.
I may tweek the design a little to a symmetrical middle ground and pump a few out, I don't see any available but have seen several trucks rusted out in the same area
(My drains were totally blocked be sure to check yours guys)

[tortron]

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Oops forgot the bushing, but you get the idea

[tortron]

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Not totally embarrassed to show the finished product. Not bothering to finish the surface any further, but it's under the truck and getting covered in sealant I guess. All the key points are where they need to be. Will drill the hole and trim the bottom edge once on the truck

[geezer101]

Really damned good for hand forming. I'd be happy if was able to pull that kind of work off in my garage...

[tortron]

So. Small issue
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This is not the floor. This is the inside cab mount doubler plate. The floor here is totally gone.

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Just 2 spot welds and some tar holding this corner to the chassis.
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No good, more and more fell off it as I handled it. Have to make a new one.

So i made a dimple die
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I needed 15mm thickness. I have 5mm flat bar and a welder.
I also don't have a lathe, I did unspeakable things to my drill press and bench grinder. Some 17mm ply made the female side.
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I then put in the small ridge with the edge of some 5mm flat and my bench vice, and bent up the edges. Will trim to fit later on

[tortron]

This is why it's a rust trap
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If anyone knows if the floor section is more than just a flat piece with a dimple for the mount please let me know

[pennyman1]

I have a set of rear corners cut out of a clean truck - I will look and let you know

[tortron]

Thats alright, postage down here can be a pain. Im finished one side now along with new sill, and am in no hurry to get into the other side just yet. Am working out of the city now and there is zero parking anyway, so am getting a small motorcycle (because thats a great idea for winter right).

can knock up a side in a weekend now i have made all the tools up

[pennyman1]

I didn't think you wanted them, I was just offering to look for the shape of the floor around the mounts...

[tortron]

Oh yes, that would be helpful

[tortron]

Got to work away from home for the rest of the year. So instead of making or patching the sills I bought new ones from a bloke in the South Island
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He makes 2nd gen ones too. Will mate them up to my originals and check how good they are

[tortron]

Ended up cuttting the whole sill off

Very wierd. I guess it has been replaced before?
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Have now repaired the inner sill at the rear mount, and gone ahead and cut out the corner and part of the cab back/floor. It's just garbage previous repairs

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Most of it is coated with this tar sealant junk which keeps setting alight and is pretty hard to remove. Just let it burn to the ground I think


Anyway. Floor is now in and I can line up the mounts and git er dun

[geezer101]

Yikes. It doesn't get any prettier... Lemme guess - you're going to fab an entire replacement cab by hand next? I ran into a really bad 1st Gen cab at the UPI I scavenge parts from. If your truck never had any previous patchwork repairs done to it, I think it would've looked as bad as the cancerous wreck I pulled the windscreen out of. Awesome work dude

[tortron]

Fortunately there's so many old repairs to the floor and bottom back of the cab that I don't have to try to hard to blend it in. Reeeeeaaaaaalllyyy want to finish this and do some work on my minors

[dash]

fab skills and persistence. Wow! Keep that up, you're gonna wind up like this dude:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww6rDfGeJZI

[tortron]

Hell of a job getting it all back in. But I'm making progress now
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