The quest for "RelicRun Readiness"-Part 2:
For many months I've been slowly digging out bindi to see how much rust was hidden. Mainly in the DS quarterpanel areas and wheel well top, which coincidentally was where the PO stored his open bag of rock salt...
Long story short I finally stitched it together to have enough structure and support to safely attach the rollbar. I also had to cut out and patch in new metal on the wheel well sides where the braces were spot welded. My welds are ugly, and not ground down, because I'm still very much in the middle of the repairs but the new wheel well top is in, the rollbar support braces from realsteel are stitched in, and the new holes for the rollbar are drilled with bolts. I'll still need to do some more welding for the braces for further strength and to attach captive nuts etc. also need to repair one leg of the rear seat and to attach to wheel well top with to-be fabbed brace.
Leading up to this point, in previous months I fabbed up a new silk horn & body mount, lower quarter patch, and lots and lots of patches for the quarter panel. It's till raw, ugly and a work in progress, but the general shape and structure is there. I still have lots of pinholes to fill and dolly work to do before primer and skimcoat etc.
I ran out of wire and also my welds were getting bad due to needing a new tip... so I called it a mini-milestone and sprayed the raw steel and put on the rollbar and started drilling holes.
Ugly as sin, but probably the safest the truck has been since I've owned it... still got lots to do though.
Even installed my tire carrier for the first time!
The before:
The middle and after:
