WHYDTYTT: What Have You Done To Your Truck Today?

[Gary Lewis]

Spent 11 hours on the bed today and does not look like I did anything to it.

A lot of fitting, removing panels, trimming/grinding & refitting when on the horses.

Once I was happy with the fitting of panels to floor I lifted the sides panels and used white paint so I could mark the floor for trimming& line up.

Left inside lip marked for line up. I also did the outside lip for trimming.

I also had to drill out the oval holes for the front bed bolts. Had to cut bed liner before drilling. I found a wood chisel cut thru it pretty good. I could not find my oval drill bit so had to use a Dremel as the bed bolts are oval so they do not spin.

Before I did any trimming & hole drilling for the said panels I fitted the full bed to the truck to make sure everything would fit on the truck and that the fender lines lined up with the cab lines.

With everything looking good when on the truck I drilled 3 holes (6 total) down each side panel to hold them to the floor. Lifted the full bed off the truck again.

This time to work on the brackets that are fitting to the flare side front cross member.

The 2 L brackets are for the bed running boards. They unbolt from the cross member and with them bolted to the boards and boards bolted to the fender it looks like I can use hex head sheet metal bolts to bolt them to the new style side cross member.

The little triangle parts are spot welded and I am working on them. The support the lower side of the panel by the running board but it will take some (lot) fitting or make something else.

Running boards & L brackets in place, just need to bolt the L brackets to cross member.

Once the front is done I need to re-work the back of the bed/gate area. The style side bed floor is a little longer & higher so a stock tail gate will not work with out a re-work.

Dave ----

I may have an oval bit for you. But mine goes side-to-side. Is that ok or do you need front-to-rear?

Anyway, it is looking good! It takes lots of assembly/disassembly/trim/test/etc to get things right. Will you use plated bolts or stainless? And what will you trim the floor with? As I told Jim on the phone earlier, I'm nursing a ...... scratch where my 3" cutoff wheel got me today, so please be careful - they bite.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I may have an oval bit for you. But mine goes side-to-side. Is that ok or do you need front-to-rear?

Anyway, it is looking good! It takes lots of assembly/disassembly/trim/test/etc to get things right. Will you use plated bolts or stainless? And what will you trim the floor with? As I told Jim on the phone earlier, I'm nursing a ...... scratch where my 3" cutoff wheel got me today, so please be careful - they bite.

THIS.....

.... is a cutoff wheel.

You really want to be careful when one of these decides to come apart.

Ugg, I got up way early because of the time change.

I'm going down to the truck and removing the fenders and cab for Theo this morning.

 

[Gary Lewis]

THIS.....

.... is a cutoff wheel.

You really want to be careful when one of these decides to come apart.

Ugg, I got up way early because of the time change.

I'm going down to the truck and removing the fenders and cab for Theo this morning.

Yes, Croc, that’s a knife. I mean a cutoff saw. Man, that would hurt!

But the little ones are pretty useful. There’s no way a bigger one would have gotten between the lift and the bottom of the fender to get to the bottom fender bolt. The threaded part of the sheet metal nut had twisted off the nut and was stuck to the bolt, which meant the bolt wouldn’t come out. But there was enough room to put the blade of the saw between the head of the bolt and the washer. Problem solved. 😉

As for the time change, I used it well - I slept in. Which was good ‘cause I stayed up late reading EFI documentation.

[ArdWrknTrk]

THIS.....

.... is a cutoff wheel.

You really want to be careful when one of these decides to come apart.

Ugg, I got up way early because of the time change.

I'm going down to the truck and removing the fenders and cab for Theo this morning.

Well, Bill may just get his radiator support hardware.

Theo called and his flatbed lost an axle!

So while I wait for the tow truck to be towed, and him to bring *another* I'm going to hack away.

Because everything else is waiting for him.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Well, Bill may just get his radiator support hardware.

Theo called and his flatbed lost an axle!

So while I wait for the tow truck to be towed, and him to bring *another* I'm going to hack away.

Because everything else is waiting for him.

And just like that...

Cordless tools are very handy!

[Gary Lewis]

And just like that...

Cordless tools are very handy!

Cool!

I was just thinking the same thing about cordless tools yesterday. I have a 12v Ridgid right-angle impact, an 18v medium-duty Ridgid impact, and then the “big” 1/2” drive 18v Ridgid impact. While dismantling the huck I keep a 1/4” socket adapter in the 12v with 6mm to 10mm sockets handy, and a 3/8” adapter in the smaller 18v impact with 10mm & 12mm sockets. And then 12mm and up for the 1/2” drive impact. And that combo has been quite effective. Much, much faster than ratchets or end-wrenches.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Cool!

I was just thinking the same thing about cordless tools yesterday. I have a 12v Ridgid right-angle impact, an 18v medium-duty Ridgid impact, and then the “big” 1/2” drive 18v Ridgid impact. While dismantling the huck I keep a 1/4” socket adapter in the 12v with 6mm to 10mm sockets handy, and a 3/8” adapter in the smaller 18v impact with 10mm & 12mm sockets. And then 12mm and up for the 1/2” drive impact. And that combo has been quite effective. Much, much faster than ratchets or end-wrenches.

Gary,

Should I throw these radiator support washers in an envelope to you, or bring them down to Bill when I drop off his stuff?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Cool!

I was just thinking the same thing about cordless tools yesterday. I have a 12v Ridgid right-angle impact, an 18v medium-duty Ridgid impact, and then the “big” 1/2” drive 18v Ridgid impact. While dismantling the huck I keep a 1/4” socket adapter in the 12v with 6mm to 10mm sockets handy, and a 3/8” adapter in the smaller 18v impact with 10mm & 12mm sockets. And then 12mm and up for the 1/2” drive impact. And that combo has been quite effective. Much, much faster than ratchets or end-wrenches.

It's the cordless angle grinder, with an .045" disc that really makes the combo with the 1380 inch pound brushless quarter inch impact and the big half inch that bill and I both have.

I've got to say the DeWalt 1820 adapter with the 20V Max XR 5Ah batteries really add some oomph to the older 18V tools.

[ArdWrknTrk]

It's the cordless angle grinder, with an .045" disc that really makes the combo with the 1380 inch pound brushless quarter inch impact and the big half inch that bill and I both have.

I've got to say the DeWalt 1820 adapter with the 20V Max XR 5Ah batteries really add some oomph to the older 18V tools.

And *this* is why Theo needs a new cab.

Well, this is why....

[85lebaront2]

Cool!

I was just thinking the same thing about cordless tools yesterday. I have a 12v Ridgid right-angle impact, an 18v medium-duty Ridgid impact, and then the “big” 1/2” drive 18v Ridgid impact. While dismantling the huck I keep a 1/4” socket adapter in the 12v with 6mm to 10mm sockets handy, and a 3/8” adapter in the smaller 18v impact with 10mm & 12mm sockets. And then 12mm and up for the 1/2” drive impact. And that combo has been quite effective. Much, much faster than ratchets or end-wrenches.

When I go to Pick-n-Pull, I carry my DeWalt cordless set, and can really get stuff off fast. They do allow cutoff wheels due to fire hazard as a lot of the people going there really don't know how to use them. I carry the tools in a bag and the battery charger and an inverter so I can charge them if needed.

Jim, how hard would it be to pull those two air deflectors off the radiator support? They might help airflow on Darth, I have the lower piece behind the bumper and the little top piece that closes the radiator to support gap.