time to tackle rust (1 Viewer)

[BILT4ME]

I also got my hardware store MacGyver on in order to salvage the otherwise nice bumper ends. The studs that were glued into the ends were rusted really bad and I had to carefully yank them out in order to get them off the bumper. There was one casualty but I saved the day with a cut off toilet to drainpipe bolt after I peeled up the area surrounding the old fastener for the studs, tucked them under that and then I glued them with some Gorilla glue and then finished with a little JB Weld marine epoxy putty. These babies are solid.

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Can you come to my house and organize my toolbox please.......

 

[Red Merle]

Can you come to my house and organize my toolbox please.......

Sure! I will come down in March to use your press so I can swap out my bushings and I will get you dialed in.

 

[BILT4ME]

Sure! I will come down in March to use your press so I can swap out my bushings and I will get you dialed in.

Well, I just got all my bushings and such delivered, so maybe I'll be ready to install by then......That's 6 months from now, so that's about right on how my schedule normally goes.......

 

[Red Merle]

Well, I just got all my bushings and such delivered, so maybe I'll be ready to install by then......That's 6 months from now, so that's about right on how my schedule normally goes.......

Same here. I am going to button this project up and then take a break til spring, I think. Kinda getting burned out at the moment and want to actually drive this thing again.

 

[Red Merle]

I made further progress today. I was able to get most of it back together. The fender matches perfectly in daylight. Still waiting another day for the bumper to cure but I also found a couple of cracks in my headlight brackets where they attach to the body. I am going to try a new to me product that I saw at the body supply store to shore those up since replacements cost more than my house. Still need to make a little adjustment to the driver's side lower valance fitment, but I am happy overall with my efforts thus far.

 

[Bludozer]

I made further progress today. I was able to get most of it back together. The fender matches perfectly in daylight. Still waiting another day for the bumper to cure but I also found a couple of cracks in my headlight brackets where they attach to the body. I am going to try a new to me product that I saw at the body supply store to shore those up since replacements cost more than my house. Still need to make a little adjustment to the driver's side lower valance fitment, but I am happy overall with my efforts thus far.

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Love how much care you are putting into that (used to be) rusty cruiser. There will never be more of these 80s than there are now and you have really turned that thing around. Amazing work.

 

[Red Merle]

Love how much care you are putting into that (used to be) rusty cruiser. There will never be more of these 80s than there are now and you have really turned that thing around. Amazing work.

Thanks man! It has been a lot of efforting, but it's a sweet truck that deserved to be brought back to respectability. I easily have over 1000 hours into it, but I am not a fast mechanic and I do a lot of detail work that most people, especially someone with a rust free truck, wouldn't want or need to do. I think I have around $16,000 into it($3K purchase price plus around $13K in parts and machine shop work($600)) but I have pretty much gone through the whole truck and have replaced or refurbished pretty much everything at this point. It runs and drives like a new car and I have been able to drive it the entire time with the exception of a couple longer breaks.

Not sure what else I could get for that price, but my suspicion is that it wouldn't be anything I enjoy as much as this truck.

Totally worth it.

 

[Bludozer]

Thanks man! It has been a lot of efforting, but it's a sweet truck that deserved to be brought back to respectability. I easily have over 1000 hours into it, but I am not a fast mechanic and I do a lot of detail work that most people, especially someone with a rust free truck, wouldn't want or need to do. I think I have around $16,000 into it($3K purchase price plus around $13K in parts and machine shop work($600)) but I have pretty much gone through the whole truck and have replaced or refurbished pretty much everything at this point. It runs and drives like a new car and I have been able to drive it the entire time with the exception of a couple longer breaks.

Not sure what else I could get for that price, but my suspicion is that it wouldn't be anything I enjoy as much as this truck.

Totally worth it.

Totally agreed. You have completely resurrected you 80 with your own hard work and skill. Not a lot more rewarding than that.

 

[Red Merle]

Got it mostly back together. Still a couple of finishing touches and I have to detail the motor now after cleaning the hood blanket. It looks better, but I need to pull it down to deal with some rust around the plug holes and I would like to spruce up the blanket at the same time. I kinda want to use my sewing machine to go around the entire edge with some material and shoot some 3M Super 77 in as I go to glue the cloth back up in some of the cut-outs. Any other ideas?