Righty Tighty

After Brian and I beat ourselves up two weekends ago trying to install my plow frame, I figured I better bolt it in place. After a trip to Lowes to get a couple new bolts and staring blankly at the set up, I determined that I needed to cut more out of those shackles so they would clear enough to allow them to move freely. I thought for a moment that it would be easiest to take the shackle off, but nope. That didn't work. So I decided to separate the top piece of the frame from the bottom. Broke two of the four bolts, actually one broke and had to cut off the other. Good news! I found two spares in the console. 

Once the bolts were out, I dropped the bottom half and cut another half inch off the shackles. Jacked it back in place, bolted it in and it looks much better.  I need to get one more bolt for the front, but otherwise it's all tightened up, including putting the bumper back on. 

Once that was done, I took a break to watch the Skins get their butts kicked for a bit, then came back out to bolt down the top. Got the header screws in and just one bolt on each side of the bed, but that's good enough for now. 

That done, I thought I might have enough time to change the broken glass in the hatch. In retrospect, I should have taken the hatch off, but I thought I might be able to get it off without shattering the thing to pieces. Mind you, it was already shattered, but holding in place. I put tape on both sides and tried to work the rubber free. Well, the glass wanted to come apart anyways and showered me with little ice cubes.  After sharing them out of my sleeves, I spent the next half hour sweeping up the glass. 

I would have had enough light to put in the new glass, except when I pulled the rubber off the hatch it revealed a bunch of rust holes. Gonna have to fix

That before I do anything else. Hope I can get it done before it rains.  

Braking news

Trying to get Hanky ready for Carlisle and the Nats. This will be the first time in years that I'll be able to go to both. 

When I went out in a rescueission to help Brian Huver a few weeks ago, the tears drums were a bit noisy. When I pulled one I realized that the shoes were worn down to the rivets and gouging the drums. Doh! How did I not notice this earlier?

I had bought new hardware a while ago and got new shoes, and fetched a pair of drums from my stash at Mom's. Got 'em all installed and adjusted. Now I even have a working e-brake! 

I also sanded down the new quarter panel and gave it a coat of etching primer. I kinda like that flat green tone. 

Of course, fix one thing and something else breaks. Today while taking the Scout out, the rear view mirror came off in my hand. Add it to the list of things to fix. 

Into the light

I got so wrapped up in trying to get Hanky ready for Pinelands, I forgot to post my progress. I'll just skip to the punch line and let you know that I made it there and back, even if I was a day later than planned. 

I had hoped to get there on Thursday night but the Fates conspired against me. I got the quarters and endcap on and the gas tank back in. I did some finishing welds on the floors and seam sealed and coated everything. I cut a light gauge patch to put down over the hole in the bed and I still need to finish the outer rocker and dog leg, but the important stuff is done. 

I put in the roll bar while the bulkhead was still in, so now the bulkhead is staying cuz it's not coming out without the roll bar coming out too. I just zip tied it to the roll bar for the time being. It's not going anywhere. I also was quickly reminded that with the PT Cruiser seats I need longer seat belts. The S10 belts I have now just arent long enough with the taller seats. I have some from a Suburban that I'll try out. Later. 

When I was ready to pull Hanky out into the light for the first time in a while, it started right up, so I thought I was good. But here come the Fates. First it decided to throw the a/c belt, which in turn threw one of the alternator belts and shredded it. Rather than putting the a/c belt back on, I just took out the pump. It's just dead weight now anyway until I hook up on board air. 

Then the starter decided to crap out. After noodling with it for a while late into the night and again early in the morning, Brian Huver gave me the new starter out of his Wagonmaster. A friend in need is a friend indeed! Anyway, that installed I was ready to go. The truck ran great all

weekend with the exception of another starting issue. It would sometimes just click on a turn of the key and other times it would give a brief pause between turning the key and starting to crank. I think that's unrelated to the original starter issue. 

I'll deal with that later. See my thread about starter woes on the BP. 

So all in all, Pinelands (even as dry and dusty as it was) was a great success and great to have Hanky back on the trail. Still have work to do but it got me there and back again. All told, I think I'm up to about 130 hours in this driver's side rebuild. 

Would I do it again? Nope. But I don't regret it one bit. 

Working things up

This afternoon I managed a few hours in the garage. I finished welding the bracket that will hold the end cap to the rear sill and bolt up to the tailgate pin. That worked splendidly and once trimmed a tad, it seems to fit quite nicely.

Since that piece fit well, it was time to put the outer quarter back on to see if I really am getting this thing lined up. Sure enough, everything seems to be good. Just need to get a measurement from the tailgate before I make that bracket placement permanent. 

I also started messing with making a filler using Mike Moore's piece as a buck. You can see it sitting in the bed in this shot, with the outer clamped in place too. Once I get that filler piece put together, I'll start tacking all these big pieces in place. With any luck, that might just be tomorrow. 

Keep your fingers crossed. Up to about 87 hours now. 

Well...

The plan was to spend the majority of the weekend working in Hanky. But, well, it was really nice outside and, well, I ended up doing yard work, planting flowers, veggies and herbs and going to a lacrosse game.

I did manage to get about an hour in tonight and got the wheel well patch tack welded in place. I think it will work. Now to get a few more tacks on it then get the end cap back together and on the truck. 

Mike Moore was kind enough to send a few NOS wheel arch filler pieces home with me from my visit a few weeks ago. I'll use them to fashion a new one rather than using the fiberglass one that I have. That will come after the end cap is on and the inner quarter welded in. 

Paint it black

Spent about 4.5 hours in the garage today. Got the sill plate patch welding in and then cut out another hunk of the bed floor. The middle floor brace was more solid than I expected. I cut out the outer six inches or so and fitted a patch for it. 

Then I covered it all in POR15. I'll let it dry over night and weld it in tomorrow. 

I then turned my attention to the end cap, cutting two pathed for it and getting one of them welded in place. 

Up to ~82 hours. 

What, more rust?

Since I don't have welding gas, I figured I'd cut out more metal. Why not? The bottom of the wheel well hump looked pretty rotten I was going to save that until later, but why wait? I have a cutting wheel ready and waiting. So I spent about an hour cutting out more questionable metal. 

I'm debating whether or not to use the wheel we patch I cut out of 22 gauge (I think). I have 16, but that's going to be murder to shape. I figure I can reinforce the 22 if need be. Assuming I don't burn through it when I weld it in. 

I hate meeses to pieces.

Catching up from the weekend. On Sunday I decided that I needed to focus on the rear corner a bit son that I can tie in the inner quarter at both ends. 

First thing I needed to do was finish cutting out the rotten rear sill. And what did I find? A mouse best of course. 

The good news is that I was able to cut out the rusty rear sill plate in the bed of the truck. 

The bad news is that my cut off wheel disintegrated and shot a piece straight up and it shattered the glass in the rear hatch of the truck's top. 

The good news is that I have a replacement piece of glass at Mom's.

The good news is that I have some pieces of scrap metal that will be perfect to rebuild the sill plate. 

The bad news is that I left the valve open on my bottle of welding gas last time I welded and it all leaked out. So no welding for me today. 

Good news is that I can go get a new bottle tomorrow. Okay. Maybe not but I'll go this week. 

I should have plenty to keep me busy in the mean time. 

It's just a little hole

I guess I needed a reminder why I need to wear my leather bud when welding. Especially when under the truck. Burned a hole right through my carharts, the t-shirt underneath and just singed the under shirt I had under that. Glad I wore two shirts. 

Running time 80 hrs. 

Pop pop

Yeah. I still have lots to learn when it comes to welding. Good thing I have a grinder. 

78 hrs. 

More floors

The floor panels are in, but I stil have some clean up work to do with the stuff underneath. Spent a couple hours on that today. Hoping to wrap that up tomorrow and will share pics then. 

Running time ~76.5 hrs. 

Weld some, grind some

Tonight I got the patch for the step welded in and the welds ground down. I think it will hold. I haven't yet welded it to the floor because I want to level the floor before I put in the stringers and weld the floor to the outer rocker.  

Once all that is done, I can move on the the dogleg and b pillar. 

1.5 hrs in the shop tonight. 

Progress

This post from Sunday Feb 15, 2015:

Got about two hours in the garage yesterday. POR15'ed the floor patch and welded in and painted a small piece in the inner rocker. 

Baby steps. Running time at about 72 hrs. 

Three Days Straight

Well, this is unheard of. I actually got to work on Hanky three days in a row. Monday was the third and although I got slowed down by migraines (ugh), I did manager to weld in the floor and cut the piece for the face of the step. It's nice to actually see progress! 

Oops. Blurry pic. I'll post a better on in the next installment.  

Running time ~75 hrs.

Etch n Sketch

Progress has been slow of late but I got a few hours in the garage today. I cut out a small area of rot in the inner rocker and sprayed the inside with inhibitor while I have access and cut a patch to weld in. 

Then I washed and laid out the floor panel, covering it with acid soaked paper towels to etch it for painting with POR15. I'll do that tomorrow morning. I hoping to get the little patch and the floor panel both welded in tomorrow. That will feel like real progress. 

Back at it

Okay, Hanky is feeling a bit neglected. And rightfully so. I have moved things around it, but hadn't out a wrench to it in some time. I changed that this weekend. 

On Friday I took Heavy D over to Boulevard Sales to get a sheet of 16' sheetmetal. 18' would have done, but they didn't have any. Let me say first that Boulevard is not the best place to get sheetmetal. The price is good (I think) at $55 for a 4'x8' sheet, but their storage shed is less than waterproof, so I'll be cleaning off a tad of rust staining. Meh. I can deal with that. Just be warned that a sheet of 16' is a lot heavier than it looks. 

On Sunday I broke out the cardboard, pencil and scissors and cut a template to fill the gap between the inner quarter and the floor and to form the sweep of the panel down to the lip. Then cut it out of a smaller piece of 16' I had from Lowes. Fits like a glove. 

Now to cut a template for the floor. Since 16' is too heavy for my brake, I'll cut the floor and face of the step separately and weld them together. But before I got to that, I decided that I might as well cut out one of the old patches. I mean, I'm here, why not. 

Anyway, after a couple hours of work, I called it a day. At least I made some progress. Larger holes and one piece cut to fill them.