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Salan's 1980 Something

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salans7

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Firewall patch is finished, just needs paint. I haven't done the fender mount yet, but will probably tackle that next week. I have a rust hole in the lower part of the firewall that I want to knock out first.

Really glad to have the firewall back together. Just wish the PO (

) had never lifted the cab by that mount in the first place.

Gary Lewis

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Administrator

sure gets around. What a job he did on both your truck and mine.

But your patch job looks good and will work out well.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

salans7

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Gary Lewis wrote

sure gets around. What a job he did on both your truck and mine.

But your patch job looks good and will work out well.

I've now fixed or removed everything that

did to the truck. Now it's a matter of fixing what should have been fixed properly the first time, like the rocker panel rust and the back of the cab rust.

salans7

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

I finally finished fixing the broken outer firewall panel, so I put the fenders back on the truck this weekend. I still need to fix a small spot at the transmission tunnel, but can do that with the fenders on. I already removed the molding from the door after this photo was taken.

I'm glad to have the old girl back to looking like a truck, and not having rusty doors that are full of bondo.

Gary Lewis

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Administrator

Looking good, Shaun! That’s PROGRESS!!!!!!!

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

grumpin

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

In reply to this post by salans7

Nice!

Dane
1986 F250HD SC XLT Lariat 4x4 460 C6-Sold
1992 Bronco XLT 4x4 351W E4OD
1998 GMC Sierra SLE K1500 350 4L60E
Arizona

salans7

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

After a few months of no progress (Florida is hot), I finally made it back out and finished up the firewall repairs. Used the good sheet metal from one of my old doors to make the repair panels. A few booger welds later and she's nice and solid. I still need to paint and seam seal the repairs, but I'm glad to have this done. Next rust repair project is the passenger side kick panel, and then either back of the cab or the rocker panels. I still need to determine whether I want to make the back of cab repair panels, or rob a section from a junkyard truck. There's a body line in the back of the cab that I might need to replicate, hence the uncertainty.

Gary Lewis

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Administrator

PROGRESS!!!

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

salans7

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Gary Lewis wrote

PROGRESS!!!

I'm trying. lol. Now that the weather is better and my new job isn't as stressful as my old one was, I'm hoping to get some more stuff done on all of my trucks.

Gary Lewis

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Administrator

I find working on trucks relieves some stress - although it sometimes creates stress on its own.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

salans7

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Like wondering where to find sheet metal patches before realizing you have so much sheet metal available that you can literally fix every rust hole on the truck AND plug all the holes in the firewall.

salans7

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Recently I've been working on cab wall rust repair. The previous owner just welded some sheet steel over the rust, but that's not the right way to do it. I cut all of that and the rust out, and am working on grafting in some clean metal. I'm no expert at this and I don't have the fancy tools, but my repairs will last for years and will be just fine on this old work/farm truck.

Today I was able to finish the patches for the floor, and for the back wall. I had to recreate the lip that the back wall spot welds too as the original was swiss cheese and needed to come out with the wall. Tomorrow I'll be welding the floor patch in, and then welding the back wall patch in. Once that's done, everything will receive some POR15 to keep the moisture out.

Gary Lewis

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Administrator

Shaun - How did you recreate the lip? That looks like quite a challenge.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

salans7

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

This post was updated on .

I measured how far into the truck and how far down the back wall that the patch needed to go, and then added a 1/4" to account for shrinkage. I had to cut two pieces and then weld them together to make the patch because my door sheet metal wasn't long enough to span the gap.

For the bend, I measured everything out, marked the patch, and then used two pieces of long flat steel bar on either side of the patch to hold it in my vise. I had the bar sitting right on one of my marks, so that when I bent the other side, the steel would keep a straight bend. I had to do it twice due to the size of the panel, but it worked. It was crude, but it'll work perfectly for what I'm trying to do. Would have been easier with a brake, but I don't know anybody with one and it was just quicker to do it this way.

Gary Lewis

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Administrator

Good plan, Stan.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

salans7

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Burned in the new cab floor "flange". It took a few hours since it's such a long piece and it's a little chilly in Florida so the metal wasn't exactly staying warm. I had to keep hitting the metal with the heat gun prior to every stitch. I was also jumping around from side to side to try and keep the patch from warping. Tomorrow I'll tackle the back wall patch, and the high is 81 which should be better than the 72 degree high I had today. Rain is in the forecast though, so I don't know how much time I will have.

ArdWrknTrk

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Administrator

Looking good, Shaun!

I can tell you're already more comfortable with your welder.
I hope the rain holds off and you can get it buttoned back up.

salans7 wrote

It's a little chilly in Florida so the metal wasn't exactly staying warm.
Tomorrow I'll tackle the back wall patch, and the high is 81 which should be better than the 72 degree high I had today.

Years back I remember laying on ice to weld a front sway bar mount back into Alex's Mustang.
The wind was drifting snow under the car and when the shielding gas got blown away the ensuing sparks set my greasy sweat shirt on fire.

Jim,
Lil'Red is a '87 F250 HD, 4.10's, 1356 4x4, Zf-5, 3G, PMGR, Saginaw PS, desmogged with a Holley 80508 and Performer intake.
Too much other stuff to mention.

Gary Lewis

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Administrator

It is 29F here and I was thinking that 72F would be plenty warm. But I will admit I've not welded outside and on body panels at that temp, which probably take just the right heat setting in order to flow but not blow. So I hope today will be "just right".

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

salans7

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Thanks guys! It's been raining all morning, so not much of a chance to do anything unfortunately. I really need to figure out a shelter for my concrete pad so I can work rain or shine. My shop took a tree hit a months or two ago, and it's not worth fixing due to how poorly it was built. I'll likely be looking into a new shop build, and will likely have a carport added on to cover the pad.

I definitely would not want to be out in less than 40 degree weather trying to do this, but when you have to, you have to. Luckily on this truck, I don't have to. The temps are going to be hovering around 60-70 high and 30-40 lows through the first week of December, so we're unusually cold here currently.

That's a funny story Jim, although I'm sure it wasn't at the time. I always make sure whatever I'm wearing is likely to ignite as I've seen way too many stories of clothes on fire when welding.

salans7

Re: Salan's 1980 Something

Mother nature held out just long enough to allow me to prep and burn half of my repair patch in. Lap welds up top, plug welds at the bottom to mimic the factory spot welds. I'll finish the rest up either sometime this week, or over the weekend.

I had to be careful because whatever rough texture paint they used on the back of the cab occasionally tried to ignite, as did the goopy stuff they tried to hide the rust with inside the cab. Florida man needs to leave trucks alone.

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