Dennisch' Pickup! Frontendtification!

[Dennisch]

How long do car companies usually build replacement parts for?

That all depends on demand. For the pickups we can get pretty much everything, for the Bel Air new sheetmetal is non existing. Door seals, weather stripping is available but not shaped to fit, it's basically the profile you need but on a roll instead of pre formed.

 

[Tornado]

Although scrapyard parts are quite rare to find, it's mostly 80's-90's nowadays, most new parts can all be picked up the day you need them, and if it isn't in stock it will be ordered and most of the time it's delivered within a month.

You can't overnight parts from Japan?

 

[Dennisch]

You can't overnight parts from Japan?

Nope, but maybe from Taiwan, since most of the parts seem to be made there! In 20 years or so I'll have to say I drive a Taiwanese car.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

You can't overnight parts from Japan?

 

[Dennisch]

That's probably why I didn't get the reference. Never watched them, apart from the openings scene of 2.

 

[Slash]

How long do car companies usually build replacement parts for?

They are required to support a vehicle up to 10 years by law. After that its up to them. Ford still builds engines sold as over the counter that has been out of production cars for 15 years.

 

[Dennisch]

It has begun!

Edit!
1,5 hours later.

No filler or dents on the side. Good stuff.

All the red dots on top is filler for the battle scars it endured.

And I found a panel that has been patched and it needs to be replaced.

So far so good. 👍

 

[Dennisch]

So, update time. I've taken the entire bed apart, because all my previous work on the floor turned out to be for nothing. So, off to the blaster it went. First into a low temp oven to burn off stuff that can't be mixed with the blasting agent. And then sand.

Nice and clean, and it started to turn brown already when I got home. So, after a quick grind to take the worst off again, it was time for a stinky 2 component anti rust coating :

Smeared it on both sides to give the protection it needs as long as I am working on it. It has about 500 holes drilled into it, because it probably has seens several wooden floors in its 40 year life span. And some rotten parts. Some small, some somewhat bigger.

This was by far the biggest piece that needed attention. Patched with a home made patch panel. Folded and hammered with Chip Foose precision.

This was a quick test strip just to see if the ye olde brake press was up to the task. It was, up to a certain point, as some folds weren't equally sharp due to 125 years of wear on the press. But that was solved by hammering and thus relocating the folds.

I have more photos, but they're on my laptop and this was all that was left on my phone.

 

[Dennisch]

This post should actually be before the one above this, chronologically. This is where I took off the left bed side, and started removing the goo by applying paint thinner, and then scraping it all off.

It's like playing with Lego!

 

[Dennisch]

Since I have my lights I decided to do a quick mockup to see if and how it would fit!

Looks good enough for a summer's drive!

Plenty of clearance since the chassis doesn't move at all on the leaf springs.

In the first picture you can see a terrible wobble on the top of the bumper, decided that that had to go as well, since I was back there anyway.

3 weeks and I can drive it again. Without paying a single Europenny of roadtax. Good times. Good times.

 

[Dennisch]

Flatbed Progress!

 

[Dennisch]

Just six nights to go! V8 time!

 

[Dennisch]

 

[Dennisch]

The rear is now finished and everything is hooked up.
Now all I need to do is fasten the gasline all the way to the front, reinstall the front indicators and put my radio back in. And then it's a quick look at all the fluids, tyres and off to the apk (mot).

 

[Dennisch]

Also gone to a new home. Sad to see it go after all the work that has gone into it but it's for the best.

 

[Dennisch]

Out with the leaky old.

And in with the shiny new.

This also gave me the quick opportunity to reroute some wiring underneath the dash. Some of the harnesses were directly behind the brakepedal lever. But it was a quick fix thanks to GM's handy plugs on pretty much every harness.

It will work for now but when the time is right I want to make sure that every wire runs as it did when it left the factory.

 

[Dennisch]

 

[Hayden]

Great job on the tray mate, you've put in some excellent work! Looks great 👍

 

[Dennisch]

New indicator return springs! Only the right side worked since I owned it, I bought the springs in June 2012

Finally found the inspiration do put them in. But as always it needs a bit of effort and probably a special tool to release the small tension ring that holds it all down.

And when one does not have a tool, one maketh a tool. As simple as possible.

 

[Dennisch]

Hibernation time!

Like a glove!

 

[Slash]

That parking though.

 

[Dennisch]

All the screw holes welded up. Finished up welding the big patch in the front, and a small one on the top left.

Now it still needs a strip on the front replaced and a similar patch panel like the big one. But I'm beating that one into shape tomorrow.

 

[Dennisch]

I haz a last bit of rot.



Needs to be gone.

I maketh a mold.

Take steel and clamp it down.

Taketh hammers.

And beat into submission shape. Times 3.

Welding should be done tomorrow.

 

[Dennisch]

It took me nearly 4 months, but I finally found the time to finish up the welding on the bed floor.

2mm thick. That welds like a charm. Not once did I burn through. Tomorrow I'll grind everything smooth, apply some anti rust primer, and then coat it in nice shiny black paint. Several times.

 

[Dennisch]

All the grinding was done and I have cans of paint and thinner.

Half a liter of metal paint, and about 15% thinner.

I could see the paint get sucked into the metal. That's good. Tomorrow another layer of paint with thinner and then 2 layers of just paint. When it's dry I flip it over and repeat the steps. Should keep the rust away for a while.

 

[Dennisch]

Front part of the bed is up next! Hardly any real rust but again many holes from the various wooden floors.

The bottom part had a couple of small holes rotted in, and several spots that required massive grinding and polishing to get all the rust out. But since I have the fresh metal laying around :

Shiny. Needs a couple of holes though.

 

[Dennisch]

New shoes!

They won't fit for now as they're 8 bolt and my front hubs are still 5, but parts are acoming to solve that minor bump. And on the rear they also won't fit as the flatbed is made to size with the puny 15" wheels and tyres. But all that needs is a saw and they'll fit.

Edit.

And I need GMC centercaps.

 

[Dennisch]

I knew that since I bought the Pickup that there was a small crack near the top hinge of my passenger door, and that caused weird cracking tin sounds every time the door was open. This week the door started to have trouble closing properly.

10 minutes of work to take it out. It really is like playing with Lego.

The crack has grown. It also had several branches growing every way.

Forgot to take a picture of my awesome welding before I attacked it with a grinder. But in roughly an hour of work the door was fixed and back in place. I just covered it in an anti rust primer as it eventually gets a fresh coat of paint.

 

[Dennisch]

Front part of the bed is up next! Hardly any real rust but again many holes from the various wooden floors.

View attachment 641999

The bottom part had a couple of small holes rotted in, and several spots that required massive grinding and polishing to get all the rust out. But since I have the fresh metal laying around :

View attachment 642001

View attachment 642002

Shiny. Needs a couple of holes though.

3 months later!

All holes welded. The bottom part I had to do over because I folded it wrong and while trying to beat it into shape it only got worse. Alas.

 

[Dennisch]

Finally have the parts needed for the 5 to 8 bolt swap! I will clean it all and paint it black, get all ball joints new and make it a project for the winter.

I can't ****ing wait to put the new wheels on my pickup.