Saving the silver 70...

[MrMoMo]

So I also started attacking the "last hole" (which isn't actually the last hole) in the floor behind the passenger seat.

I cut out the floor, drilled a few spot welds and removed what was left of the floor and sub floor as one piece (to use as a template). Ended up cutting the spot welded area out as well, so I could replace the rusted area of the body mount channel.

With the body mount channel completed on the bottom side, I replaced the flange on the top side - interesting to weld, but managed it both top and bottom for the majority - couldn't get the top side where the body mount bolt access hole is, but it's pretty beefcake on the outside so I'm not at all concerned.

New flange in place. (Sorry, pic is sideways) one spot weld drill hole left in the original part of the flange.

So using the piece I removed, I traced the shape outline, then measured and added the flange to what I had drawn.

Next I bent the part to match the shape of the original part, and test fit it in the floor. Once I had the contour of the floor, I bent the flange fingers. Once bent, the fingers on the lower portion were trimmed so they would fit flush with each other.

And next I welded up the fingers. The bottom end is easy, as the fingers close up since the are on an inside bend. The top end I used a trick. Because the bend causes the fingers to open up, I back the gap with a piece of aluminum plate. Steel doesn't stick to aluminum, so the wire just fills the gap between the fingers. Once done, I pop the aluminum off, and weld the back side.

Here is the part welded up and ready for blast/paint:

 

[MrMoMo]

Here is the old part vs. the new part, a decent upgrade I figure. The frustrating part of this, is that because I had a "template" for this side - I know what I put on the other side isn't what was there from the factory. That said - I know it's stronger than the nothing that was there when I took it apart!!

And here it is roughly in place "under" the floor. Pulled it out after this and painted it, ready for install tomorrow.

This now gives me the location of the edge of the floor, (that was gone) which will be the next piece to go in. After that is in, I can make the repair to the wheel well, then put the quarter panel back on!

Here it is from the wheel side: (again, sorry for the bad lighting)

That's all for today! 113.5 hours.

I did discover though that the new winch I bought exactly fits the bolt hols in the ARB - suhwweet...

 

[MrMoMo]

Not a whole lot done today on sheet metal - but I did get my ARB bumper straightened out and the winch mounted (see other thread "expedition on a budget")

I did manage to get the sub floor welded in, and made the floor, and welded that in too.

Here is the sub floor stitch welded in place.

And the floor.... Pretty much the same thing again! Made the same way, blasted, painted on the back, and welded in..... (Not ground down yet.

(Why Apple auto rotates but doesn't allow you a simple fix is almost as annoying as auto corrupt... )

Looks like I'm down to just the wheel well inner and outer at the front - and one filler piece in the back of the wheel well - then it's quarter panel time. After that - the drivers side rocker and the tub is.... DONE! (Don't worry, still plenty more work to do - doors, hood, front fenders..... )

2.5 hours today, putting the total at 116 hours.

 

[NM Frontier]

That is impressive work!

 

[MrMoMo]

Started out today by grinding off the welds from last weekend to get the floor done, and also added the small strip to finish off the back corner where the outer edge of the floor meets the wheel well.

Next I drilled out the spot welds and cut out the upper inner wheel well "hole".

Once that is removed I could access the flange of the outer wheel well and cut the bad section out. (Below)

With the inner removed, I removed the "hole" and made a new piece for the outer wheel well, a fairly simple piece to remove and put back in, with the exception of the jog in the flange. Sanded the lip and painted it before putting the piece in, and then painted the whole part once it was in - in preparation for the next layer.

Outside of outer repair...

And here you can see the jog in the lip on the inside edge. Now ready for the inner lip to be fabricated.

 

[MrMoMo]

So next I cut a piece to fit the inner patch, and bent a "soft" or "bumped" 90 in it. (Made 3 smaller bends to end up with a larger radius bend). Then I smothed the 3 bends with the point on my anvil to get an even more round corner to match the original.

Next I put a bit of a curve on the part, using my stretcher on the lip. Not much curve, but it's definitely not a flat part.

After I matched the curve, I hammered the two ridges in as close as I could, but left the final exact matching for once it was in place

I realized after I was done that this part actually should extend up higher, to cover where the two spot welds were originally, but it's not like it's going to fall apart like this, especially considering the fact that it didn't, with what was there!

I clamped the lip in place while I welded the seam, then plug welded the lip.

Ground down the majority with my 4-1/2" flap wheel on my grinder, then switched to my 2" flap wheels on my die grinder to finish up. Had to keep putting my die grinder down in front of one of my halogen lights, it was icing up and would slow almost to a stop! (That's how cold it is in my shop)

But here is the end result, I think it came out OK...

Bottom holes tomorrow hopefully!

 

[MrMoMo]

No holes barred

Well, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that all the holes are barred.... Managed to get the inner wheel well finished up today. Decided again (like the other side) to do this in more than one piece as it's got quite a few compound curves in it.

But to start with, I had to cut out the rot and clean up the intact parts:

I didn't take any photos of building the first patch, but it's basically got one corner in it, and a bend that's somewhere between 30 and 90 degrees or so...

Once the first half was in, I made a cardboard template for the second half, seen here from the back.

Once I had the shape mostly made, including beating the rib into it, I clamped it into place and started welding up the seams.

Clamped in place from the back.

Next I plug welded the flange, some from the inside, some from the outside.

 

[MrMoMo]

Next is of course sanding - which I did with my 2" flap discs on the die grinder. (60 grit) after touching up a few spots with the welder and sanding it down again, here is how it is.... The wheel well is WHOLE, as opposed to HOLE!!

And with a quick coat of paint to protect it until it gets painted for real... (Now becoming sooner!) And now I can do some seam sealing!

Pretty different from where it was a few weeks ago!

Next is the outer part of the wheel well, for which I will need to temporarily attach the quarter panel - but following that - the quarter can go on for good..

3.5 hours today, and 4.5 yesterday puts me at 124 hours total... (Yikes!)

 

[gkanai]

That is some impressive work! How much bodywork have you done in the past?

 

[MrMoMo]

That is some impressive work! How much bodywork have you done in the past?

Thanks gkanai - I would say my body work experience was limited at the start... I did get some practice on the work I have done so far on the 40 (thread in my signature) but other than that, it's all self taught and learning on the fly....

 

[gkanai]

Great work for 'self-learning.'

Steel is both good and bad- it's bad that it rusts, but it's good in that it is fairly easily workable by even an amateur crafter. Aluminum or carbon-fiber have their own benefits but are harder to work imo.

 

[MrMoMo]

Great work for 'self-learning.'

Steel is both good and bad- it's bad that it rusts, but it's good in that it is fairly easily workable by even an amateur crafter. Aluminum or carbon-fiber have their own benefits but are harder to work imo.

Ooooooooooohhh.... I can just imagine a carbon fiber bodied 70 series! Last for EVER! I will agree that aluminum can have its advantages, but I deal with aluminum every day at work, and trust me, it has corrosion issues as well. It may not oxidize (rust) in the same way that steel does (in fact aluminum oxide actually protects the base aluminum) but any two dissimilar metals placed in contact with an electrolyte present, will corrode. Unfortunately unless you seal out all the electrolyte, use full on isolation, or make everything 100% from the same material (no steel fasteners!) The aluminum will rot away as well, unless it is less anodic than the other materials used. I can't see using zinc or magnesium fasteners!

That said, it is definitely possible to isolate if you make a full aluminum tub (like those from Aqualu for the 40 series). But one little slip up that connects the aluminum tub to the steel chassis, and your aluminum is going to loose. (Especially if you put carbon in the mix!!!

FYI, on the galvanic scale of nobility, aluminum and carbon are about a Volt apart.....

 

[MrMoMo]

Started today out by placing the quarter panel on, so I could accurately make the last few outer wheel well pieces. Made sure I had the height right by aligning the notch on the door with the one on the quarter panel. Made a cardboard template and then transferred it to steel.

I put the new steel in place with the quarter panel on for a final verification that it was in the right place, then made a few welds. Next I removed the quarter panel so I could get at the inside edge of the flange, to plug weld it.

Plug welded and top seam welded:

I also made the bottom corner of the back end, so I could make the last panel that fits just behind it... (I made the part before removing the panel but fit it with the panel removed)

Other than matching the quarter panel I am purely imagineering what is supposed to be here..

Once both were welded up I added the small rear panel, plug welded it in place and then attacked the whole area with seam sealer. Apparently I need to learn to squeeze a little less out.... It really only needs to be a fillet about 1/4" wide, but it just gets everywhere!!!

Also seam sealed inside the wheel well between the inner and outer halves, and along the inside of the truck between the floor, wheel well and the inside of the B post base. Still needs more areas sealed in the wheel well, but this was a good start.

Hoping to get the quarter panel trimmed, tacked and clamped in place tomorrow, but will then let the seam sealer cure for a while before I weld it solid. (The wheel well lip is going to be bonded with the sealer, not welded - same as the other side.)

That will leave 2 small parts left on this side - the bottom corner behind the door (front lower corner of the quarter panel at the door opening) and the rear corner below the tail light. Once those are done, rocker on the other side and the tub is done. (Still have the front fenders and front of the hood!)

4 hours today, puts me up to 128 hours total.

 

[MrMoMo]

Well, it's on!!!!

Did some final trimming, hit the areas that will be inaccessible with some paint, and then spread a generous layer of adhesive on the wheel well lip as well as on the mating surface of the quarter panel. Smooshed it around with my finger to ensure a good solid contact, and then ran an additional 1/2" bead along the wheel well lip.

All that was left to do at this point was position the panel, and clamp it in place...

Once tacked on, I put some clamps around the lip area, as well as the bottom flange behind the wheel, and at the front where it meets the rocker. I will have a little more work in the front as the panel was missing an inward bend at the bottom of the door. For now, I cut it off and made the bend, but once this is set I will need to re-weld a portion back on, which I will do when I am making the small filler panel by the bottom corner of the door.

3.5 hours today bringing me to 131.5 total.

Away for the next few weeks, so will be a while before the next update...

 

[cruiserdan]

I can now say, with a straight face, that I have seen a sow's ear turned into a silk purse........

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Your level of commitment and patience towards this project would only exceed mine by approximately 98% and that is assuming I had the required talent.

 

[MrMoMo]

I can now say, with a straight face, that I have seen a sow's ear turned into a silk purse........

Ha! I might have to get a "prada" badge for it when it's done... (Or would that only be appropriate for a Prado?)

Your level of commitment and patience towards this project would only exceed mine by approximately 98% and that is assuming I had the required talent.

Well, once I started cutting, I didn't have much choice for committing! (Remember it's my wife's truck!)

Thanks for the positive comments guys, light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter!

 

[NM Frontier]

This has really inspired me to get my rust cut out at some point, can you explain those clamps with the blue ends?

 

[MrMoMo]

Body panel clamps, for butt welding two panels together... Handy as heck especially where you can't get at the back of part of the seam. You can put this in, then slide it into a corner, and progressively slide it out of that area as you tack.

Loosen the wing nut, and remove the short square bar from the square hole in the back. Slide the skinny plate through the seam, re-insert the square bar in the hole, then tighten the wing nut, and it pulls the two pieces flush with each other.

These ones are available from places like Eastwood, or I'm sure on eBay... (I have one set of four of these)

I also have a set of four of the blue ones, which I find are actually a little better, as you have two adjusment screws to compensate for different thicknesses of material if you need to. But most handy of all, when used the right way up the Allen bolt also prevents the little square bar from sliding all the way through and falling into the depths of a quarter panel, where they are very hard to retrieve!

Blue ones, from Princess Auto, though I am sure available elsewhere...

4 pc Butt Welding Clamp Set | Princess Auto


The only downside to this style of clamp is the shrinkage between the two panels when you start welding can pinch the clamp in place, really tight! I always remove them as soon as possible after the first few tacks are in, or they get extremely difficult to remove...

 

[NM Frontier]

Rad! Thanks!