Tub replaced, or factory? First 40 rebuild. (1 Viewer)

[h82crash]

I have removed the bedliner, a chore but I survived, and I was able to see the tub. I saw some things that raised questions in my mind, but now I am thinking the tub was replaced. Of course there are plenty of bolts broken off in the tub by the PO, so it can't be that recent and I've had it for 6 years.

Anyway, is this how it is built at the factory?

 

[DangerNoodle]

Looks factory to me.

 

[Pierps]

Yeah, everything I see there looks reasonably factory to me too, in the sense that that's how the factory assembled the tub and dash (welded and bolted in those spots). The missing bolt at the base of the A-pillar is kind of weird, unless you removed it. Some of the welds look like they maybe went down a bit cold, but it's completely possible that it came that way from the factory. My floors had tack welds in similar spots in the footwells, but the beads were a little longer than yours (around an inch or an inch and a half). Yours look like they're just a single tack and they look a bit tall (like the heat setting was too low on the welder).

But overall, I see nothing that is concerning.

 

[h82crash]

Thanks. I would have thought production welds would look better than that. Yes, I removed the bolts, they were in over the top of the bedliner.

 

[zerotreedelta]

Looks factory as well, although might have been a Friday afternoon or Monday morning build for the welder. I found a few of those while redoing mine...there was a real doozie on one of the rear jumpseat frames after pulling the seatcovers.

(I will cut some slack though - there's a video on YT of the assembly line. The welding equipment was not what we have today...)

EDIT:

 

[PBGCSR]

Love that assembly footage! I had not seen it before. I and can almost see my '65 FST (red) in there! Thanks

 

[zerotreedelta]

There is also a part 2, in case it doesn't auto-play: Part 2

 

[Chungas Revenge]

There is also a part 2, in case it doesn't auto-play: Part 2

Ok, I still didn’t see the Ouija Board they used to align the body panels..??

 

[Pierps]

These videos are amazing!

 

[middlecalf]

I remember being scolded for not using the hood support rod when the hood was open rather than leaning it back on the roof, but that was ok to do in the factory .

I don’t know, those are pathetic factory welds. So are mine, but I’m not factory. That hinge bracket looks compromised at best.

 

[zerotreedelta]

This was one of the factory welds on one of my jumpseat frames - original, never repaired. Similar to the tub above, welds ran a bit cold (as well as some fitup issues for the seat that didn't help).

Given these rigs were the combination of basically hand-built, but utilitarian...I can see how a few bad welds made it out the door. There were a few runs in the factory paint on the in interior, too...shhhh.

 

[Pura Vida]

This was one of the factory welds on one of my jumpseat frames - original, never repaired. Similar to the tub above, welds ran a bit cold (as well as some fitup issues for the seat that didn't help).

Given these rigs were the combination of basically hand-built, but utilitarian...I can see how a few bad welds made it out the door. There were a few runs in the factory paint on the in interior, too...shhhh.

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View attachment 2937948

Those are the things that make it extra cool. Beauty spots