1978 LPB Teardown and Rebuild

[Awl_TEQ]

Welded on the flange in the rear corners after trimming them to the correct length

 

[Awl_TEQ]

Working on the structure under the roll cage landing in the front corners

Stock

Mine

 

[waiting for time]

Working on the structure under the roll cage landing in the front corners
View attachment 548295
Stock
View attachment 548296
Mine
View attachment 548297

Wow, that is great stuff.

 

[merbesfield]

All 80 but I also use the maroon scotchbrite in the 2" and sometimes a 36 grit 2"

2nd the 2" 36 grit and Maroon scotch bright. Nice combo. Good ole flap disc work real well also, but be careful they are aggressive.

 

[Awl_TEQ]

And so it continues...

Drilled through the sheet metal

match drilled the new cab mount, counter sunk

made up the landing plate for inside. The stub of tube represents where the cage will land or there abouts

 

[Awl_TEQ]

The goal was to minimize the loss of foot room so it is tucked about as far out of the way as possible.

 

[Awl_TEQ]

A few more random shots

 

[Awl_TEQ]

Moving on to the other side I removed the original structure. I found one small area of rust.

I cut it out

And welded in new material

 

[Awl_TEQ]

Shorten the rib

cut out the rib end

shorten it and weld it back in

plug the hole with new material

 

[Awl_TEQ]

My new favorite tool for grinding down the weld bead/tacks. I borrowed this one from work but I will be buying one eventually. It allows very accurate and fast removal of the bead without damaging the surrounding area or making a lot of heat. You have to keep the tool moving or you will dig a groove but with practice you can be very controlled. You can see the rib end patch at bottom right of the photo where I removed the bead flush. The tool is a Dynafile belt sander with a 1/2 x 18" belt in 80 grit. This brand is industrial strength and very pricy but you can get them a lot cheaper from CP and others.

Fabricated the new cab mount and attached it to the old structure.

Match drilled and counter sunk like the other side

 

[Awl_TEQ]

Bead blasted, phosphate washed, epoxy primered - this was done last Saturday and I will weld them in place on Tuesday to see if the epoxy primer welds better when cured.

 

[crushers]

i look forward to seeing this in a few weeks, damn pro work...

 

[Awl_TEQ]

Absolutely!

By then I will have the cab re-assembled in order to finalize the roll cage but I will be concentrating on my bed build and likely welding, welding, welding

Send me a PM or email on the list when you have your schedule figured

 

[Awl_TEQ]

I meant absolutely in regards to your potential visit, not the quality of the work.

 

[whitey45]

Well your work is absolutely bad ass!

 

[crushers]

i would have to say ...
both.

living down here you see "artists in bondo", to watch someone take the time to form steel ... well ... it is refreshing.

 

[DanS HJ-45]

The goal was to minimize the loss of foot room so it is tucked about as far out of the way as possible.

Don't forget to check the window cranks while you are busy preserving foot room. Or, at least ask if you are OK with having to open the doors to roll the windows up or down.

I'm just sayin'... It is possible to overlook such details.

Nice work there! You are positively flying through the sheetmetal!

Dan

 

[Awl_TEQ]

My front drop will be tight to the top and windshield and then goes through the dash beside the side defrosters. Then it runs from the inside of the dash bending outboard and down just off the inner door hinge bolts. So it will be well away from the crank.

I've looked real hard for conflicts in the layout and only recently realized the door limiter assemblies would hit the cage when closed so I have adjusted the drop tube with another bend. It's hard cuz I took it apart so long ago now I can't remember what it looked like.

 

[Gusb]

My new favorite tool for grinding down the weld bead/tacks. I borrowed this one from work but I will be buying one eventually. It allows very accurate and fast removal of the bead without damaging the surrounding area or making a lot of heat. You have to keep the tool moving or you will dig a groove but with practice you can be very controlled. You can see the rib end patch at bottom right of the photo where I removed the bead flush. The tool is a Dynafile belt sander with a 1/2 x 18" belt in 80 grit. This brand is industrial strength and very pricy but you can get them a lot cheaper from CP and others.

I've been looking at these - what do you think of electric? The Milwaukee 6101-6 5.5 Amp Bandfile (1/2" x 18" arm) for example, seems to be around $200.

 

[Awl_TEQ]

Electric is fine too. I'm just all set up for air. One thing to watch might be the speed though. This air one I have is not terribly fast with regard to belt speed even at full tilt. Reminds me of Crushers comment of slower speed being better. Perhaps counter-inuitive but the unit removes material at a decent rate without heat build up. Faster than the 2" for sure. I have a catalog at work for Dynabrade and could look up the speed of this unit for you to compare tomorrow.