Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Thanks LeatherMan! I've seen some threads on here that just amaze me to no end what they're able to do with the rust repairs. A really great thread that I came across was "Project Jezebel" by sgaylord, he has done some serious repairs on that cab and it turned out great (http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=342284)

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

I did do a little work today (real little), and you experienced folks can't laugh :lol:

I had to build a brace to go around the rear cab support from some poor measuring on my part. I also made a very scary cut for the cab corner.

First scary cut because people will be able to see it :lol:

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Patchwork quilt

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Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

good job man!! Thats HARD work, lots of time and for me, nothing to show, keep at it!

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm hoping to get this passenger side finished soon so I can move on :)

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

You worry too much. I think you're doing a great job on the cab of your truck. Keep up the good work.:gmc2:

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Thanks! I really appreciate that.

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

I didn't have a whole lot of time this weekend to work on the truck, but I did do a couple of things. I didn't like the way the welding looked on the floor, so I cut out a patch and replaced it.

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Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Great job man.

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Thanks! I appreciate that.

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Well, I finally found my couch to be uncomfortable enough to actually get off my butt and work on the truck. It still doesn't look like I got a whole lot done, but it was a lot for me :metal:

Test fitting:
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Welded up. I must say, I think it turned out okay for a NOVICE! :lol:

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Now off to grinding the excess weld off...not my favorite part ;)

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Couple more:

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Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Not bad at all. Keep up the good work.

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

You know, if I could weld better I could probably save money on grinding wheels :lol:

All ground down and ready for filler:

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Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Thanks! I hope to get to the floor tomorrow.

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

I really planned on doing a whole lot more today, but I got discouraged with getting the new floor to fit. So, I walked away.

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

I think you are doing a excellant job, I 'am in the same boat as you, no welding or bodywork experience at all and i have to do cab corners, rockers and cab mounts too. I just a little nervous in taking on that ascept of the project.:gmc2:

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Thanks! I appreciate that! You know, it's not too bad once you get into it. The hard part for me is getting the panels the way they need to be. It definitely could be better fitting, but I'm pretty happy with the way it's working out.

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Nice project, and very cool story and history on the truck! Don't give up on it man, you're doing a great job for a novice. I'm no pro either but the way I learned was to do just exactly what you did. Start cutting and replacing. :lol: The biggest tip I can give is to cut your pieces bigger than what you mark and then you can trim to fit in case you have some cuts that aren't straight or square. Nice job, keep it up!

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Thanks for the words of encouragement! It means a lot to me.

I know what you mean by cut bigger than the marks because it has now bit me a couple of times with the floor. I have the floorboard bent up and ready to go, but I haven't spent a lot of time working on it as work is crazy right now (no complaints). I also have to work on my air compressor as it builds up way too much water, so I'm going to build a dryer for it.

I'll be excited when this cab is done because I'm needing to work on something new :lol:

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Okay, so this doesn't look like a whole lot, but I promise...it took a lot to this point :lol:

This is my test fitting. I hope to weld'er in tomorrow.

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Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Okay, so I've had this piece in and out about 300 times. Finally, I was able to get it to fit to my satisfaction. Started welding it to the braces. Oh, and nevermind the holes I still have to fix ;)

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Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Well, I still didn't get much done today. I ran out of cutting wheels, but here's where I'm at.


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Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Well, it's been a long time since I have been able to get out and work on Ol' Blue, but I have the passenger side complete!!!!

I'm pretty proud of my work considering I'm a computer geek :)

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Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Looks like your doing a great job to me. I'm still in the collecting parts phase of mine before I start cutting out the rust. Keep up the good work.:metal:

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Thanks! It has been fun, and it feels good to finally have the passenger side done. Now I need to get off my butt and get the driver's side done.

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

your story sounds pretty similar to mine! my 69 was also my grandfathers! i cant wait till the day she is back on the road again. good luck with your project. sounds like you got plenty of help! wish i had a bunch of neighborhood kids that wanted to help!lol. i live too far out in the country.

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Well, I had plenty of help that day. They haven't been back since :lol:

Yeah, I was very excited when my grandma gave it to me after my grandpa's passing. It's always meant a lot to me. I really can't wait to have it rolling again.

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Making some progress today! I'll have pictures later this evening. So far I have cut out the A and B pillar, and I'm getting ready to cut the outer floor out to replace it. This side has a lot more rust damage than I expected, but the new pieces should cover everything.

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Here are the pictures of today's progress. It's amazing that I did more in one day than I did in two weeks on the passenger side. Funny how a little experience can help out.

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This can be fixed with a little rust encapsulator right? :lol:

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Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

New parts:
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All the old crap:

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Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

wow that is alot of old stuff

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Yeah, but it came out easy on this side :lol:

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

haha:lol:

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Very nice work! You're doing a great job. Keep up the great work!

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Thanks! I'm hoping to get a little more done today, but I'm pretty sore from yesterday :) I'm not used to manual labor :lol:

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Got a little done today. Takes time for those of us with short attention spans and low abilities :lol:

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Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Keep up the good work, your thread is getting my psyched up to start mine. I think I might be a little on the insane side though. Mine is a daily driver and I'm going to try to do the RH outer floor, rocker and cab corner in one weekend. What do you think. Can it be done? Or am I :crazy:

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Thanks! I appreciate the compliment.

You can do it in one weekend for sure, but there is a lot of measuring...measuring....bracing....measuring....measuring some more, and then when you think you have it...measure some more :lol:

If this is the first one you have ever done, I would study the excellent threads on this forum and get an idea of what you are about to attempt so that you have a good idea of what to expect, because chances are you will need to replace more than just what you described. For an example, I figured I would just need to replace my rockers, floors and cab corners. Once I removed the rockers, then it revealed the rust (or should I say absence of metal) on the A and B pillars. This set me back on my budget and timeline, but it is was definitely something that needed to be done.

This board is an excellent resource and gives even this novice great confidence that the job will be done right.

If you have any questions, please ask and I'm sure I can find someone who knows the answer ;)

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Thank you for the great info and pictures. I have looked under my truck and the floor supports look great although the kick panel at the floor has a small hole in it, I am hoping that I can just fabricate a small patch for that. The truck (my flatbed) spent all of it's life in Sedona Arizona as a service truck for the city so I'm not sure where all the rust came from. Unless they use salt on the roads, I never went there in the winter. Did you ever get the impression that you needed to brace the cab after removing all of the old metal or did it seem to be pretty solid still?
I know what you mean about this website, it can consume more time than you think when you get sucked in;) It truly is an awsome site with ton's of great people that share a common interest.

Keep up the great work on your truck.

Re: 69 GMC "Ol' Blue"
 

Thanks again! I didn't get anything done because of the Daytona 500 today :)
I would suggest bracing the door opening at the very least. I didn't do that on the passenger side, and had a little trouble with the door opening moving around.