Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

If possible and speaking from my experience, if you are going to be replacing any floor along with the rockers i would advise you to not install the engine and tranny until your welded, primed, seam sealed and painted in the bottom. I'm still scratching my head on how to deal with painting past the frame, exhaust ect..

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Thanks! The stock panhard bar clears the cover just fine. But Since I lowered the rear 4" I need to get an adjustable rod. Not sure if they are fatter than the stock bar. If they are, I might run into clearance issues then.

Well poop Swampy... I might just tear into the rust then instead of installing the engine and tranny. I should probably tighten down the cab mount bolts, since it's just sitting on the new mounts with the bolts finger tight. ;)

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Swampy, looking at the truck again today as I was crawling under it buttoning up the last few clips that hold the brake lines to the frame... everything I need to do to the cab, floorpan and rockers is outboard of the frame. Should be no problem priming, painting, and any sealer I need to use.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Ok, I found out after I started that I needed to do a partial floor pan and the front cab mount on the driver side, I had planned for the inner rocker, outer rocker and lower A pillar, turned out much more in depth than expected, I thought they were gonna be fine but one of my forum friends told me to get out a sharp ice pick and start testing any rusty or pitted areas.... Low and behold..

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

LOL... :lol:

Well poop again... Guess I'll get after it to see if some of the metal is bad beyond the frame rails. There is surface rust of course... but... it is an old GM truck... so I need to really check.

Rust never sleeps.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Cut the passenger side rocker panel off today. Was able to assess what a rusty hunk of junk I'm working with. LOL. :lol:

I only have one pic for now.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Wow! I just read through your entire thread, and first off, glad you were ok after the accident! Second, glad to see another "local" on here and getting some great work done on your truck! I look forward to seeing it at some of the Northwest C10's meets and other shows! Like so many of the others have said, I too really like the black top with the medium green!

Joe

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Thanks Oly! There are quite a few local PNW cats on here. It's pretty cool! I am planning on attending some shows and get togethers when she's runnin' again!

I have a few more pics of the rust from the passenger side rocker panel during and after removal.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

The sheet metal fairy came! :lol:

I went over to Dreamers Rods & Pickups NW in Everett, WA and picked up a lot of tins to get the cab floor, kick panels, cab corners and rockers all fixed up.

Time to get after it!

Some of the metal in the floor is a tad pitted in some spots, but there is still good metal until about 2" from the edge of the inner rocker. I bought the front cab floorboards just in case it gets a little hairy in there and I need more metal. If I don't use them, they will be up for grabs here in the local WA North Puget Sound area.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

My rust repair is only about half done but follow the link in my sig and read back about 5 or so pages from the last page and get a look at how i did mine. Now that one side is done of i had to replace the whole forward mount i'd probably see about drilling out the spot welds on the inner support rail from the bottom instead of attacking from the top like i did, if you can i'd see about replacing the mounts first before cutting out the rest of the rust, by doing so will help keep the rest of the floor and repair in alignment, once the support is welded into any metal not being replaced and then the holes transferred at the A pillar.. Then cut out the A pillar and fit up the new one and transfer the holes from the cab support to it, but don't weld it in yet until the rest of the panels are all fitted.

Oh, keep in mind that cutting the A pillar where the top of the outer rocker attaches keeps your cuttoff wheel a safe distance away from the door nut plate and cage.

I highly recommend taking measurements of the door opening and mark the location of the measurements for reference, i'm also a firm believer in welding in some support structure to hold the openings in alignment

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Thanks Swampy! Great job on the patch panels in your rig! I'm not going near as deep as you did into the floor pans. I bought the larger toe pieces "just in case", but so far I am only needing to take out about 2" to 4" out of the inner rocker and floor. The "outer floor and inner rocker" panel I bought is probably gonna do the trick. I have a lot of surface rust that I will treat with Rust Mort and then primer over once I'm done welding.

I took a LOT of measurements and cut the door pillar and kick panel out last night. There will be pics later on.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Score! Finally found a drivers side front fender! Been looking all over hell and back for a GMC font fender in decent shape. I got more than I could ask for as this one has NO rust, just a couple small fixable dings. I had to make a 3 hour round trip for it, but it was worth it!

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Fixing rust always sucks, that is the big hold up for my truck! Score on the fender, gmc fenders are a lot harder to find than chevy, especially in good rust free fixable condition like ours

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

I don't know if you have used this type of stripper but i have one similar, its dark grey or charcoal in color, and a 3" dia, i think it works super on taking paint off of sheet metal, i think i got mine at Ace hardware..

https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Black-Ro...ing+disc&psc=1

I also have one on my 4.5" grinder but its super agressive.

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Those look like they will work pretty slick. I need something better than what I've been using on my mini disc sander. Those look like they fit the small disc

Thanks for your suggestions on this thread! All help and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

That's looking great Gas! Glad you found a straight fender! I can't wait to see how the new pieces fit in for you!

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

More metal carnage! :lol:

The inner rocker and the rest of the cab floor was cut out yesterday. Whoever was in charge of spot welding these cabs together needs to throat punched HA! Just when you think you gat them all, there will be 9 more in a 1" space to hold 2 panels together.

Anyhoo... I cut the rear cab corner off as well. The rear cab support was pretty much shot so I cut it off and fabbed up a new piece and welded it on. Hit the whole shebang with Rust-mort and let it dry overnight. Will shoot some primer over it all later today and see about fitting some new metal! :metal:

My stepson has been a big help (that's him in one of the pics using a cutoff wheel) as these almost 50 year old knees and back don't care for too much of working on the floor. Also I have Livrat on speed dial, and he has been of great help to walk me through this whole process! Thanks Mark!

And again, thanks to all of you who have posted up in this thread! I appreciate it all! Creeping Death will ride again!

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Awaiting primer and new metal! :metal:

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Progress!

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Got the outer floor extension mocked up and made a mistake on the measurement of the area that meets the pinch weld in the toe-boards. I cut it just a little short... :lol:

So I'll have to cut a small chunk to weld into that small gap. Oops! :dohh:

I have the outer cab extension marked from below as I scored a line along the cut out area. If that makes sense. But I'm going to add a 1/4" to that scribe mark so I don't cut it too short as well.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Im glad you decided to fix the 'ol girl. Your work looks great!

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Me too! I can't imagine not having this rig. Even though the only original parts to the truck are the cab, bed, passenger front fender, engine and transmission. :lol:

Got the outer cab floor extension all cut and clamped in ready to weld. Working swings this week so I ran out of time to start the 348,000 tack welds on the panel. :lol: So will start that tomorrow morning.

However, I might just hang the door first to ensure that the rear pillar is not wonky so everything still lines up.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Yes hang the door and check it, but nothing wrong with a few strategicly placed spots before mounting.

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Starting the tack weld madness today until I ran out of wire in my MIG. :lol:

Anyways, I got quite a bit of it welded in, and there is also a shot of the inner rocker being held up to the new metal to see how rotted out it was.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Great to see you making progress. I assume you'll be painting the new panels to match the old (instead of a color change). One of my favorite color combos on this site.

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Your son and you mist be pulling double shifts on them spot welds, I cant get nothing welded that fast, but i get about 2-3 hours a day average.

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

When this truck does finally get a coat of paint it will be the stock Medium Green and black top again. One of the main reasons I bought the truck was because of the color. And the 4 headlights! :)

It went quicker than I thought it would. :) Even took my time and let the metal cool after a round of tacks. I still have a lot more to tacking to do, and I also have to do some "rework" to the rear cab floor area as this is the one spot where the patch panel didn't fit the best. Actually it's the only place that has to be modified on the whole panel so far. This is a really nice piece of metal to work with.

However I do think that when they stamp these panels they should just not even punch out the holes for the cab supports to bolt to. The holes are no where near close to lining up with the holes in the stock cab supports. They should just leave them blank with no holes so you can mark and drill your own. You can see in the one pic where I had to hog out the holes quite a bit on the front support.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Weld, grind, weld, grind, weld, grind, weld, grind... :lol:

Almost have the outer cab floor extension welded all the way in. Have some more welding to do towards the rear that is behind the cab corner by the seatbelt mounting hole.

I refabricated the rear section of the cab floor by making 2 separate small pie cuts and then hammering the corner how I wanted it. The patch panel doesn't meet up correctly at the rear cab mount so some "massaging" is in order. That rear floor part and the cab support holes are about the only things that are "wrong" with this patch panel.

It is a really nice option to have this entire outer floor section instead of just the inner rocker and a bunch of hand formed metal pieces to fit the other spots. I would definitely recommend spending the 70 bucks on this panel if you are in need of inner rockers along with an outer rusty floor. Here is where I got mine... http://www.dreamershotrods.com/outer...dgmctruck.aspx Dreamers Rods and Trucks in Everett, WA is the closest place for me to drive to for parts.

Welp... back to more welding, grinding, weld, grind, weld, grind...

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

I just finished reading your thread and I also am glad your rebuilding. It looks good and the time spent will be worth it in the end. Although I suspect that these trucks like Jeeps are never done.

Skip

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Skip... I agree... this truck will probably never be "done".

I finally got ALL the welding done on the outer cab floor extension today before swing shift.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

More metal thrashing to day.

Cut a hunk out of the bashed up hood to make a floor pan patch panel.

Got more grinding to do, as well as a few more welds. Also have to fab up a small strip to weld into the area where I came up short on the outer cab extension.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Also... I forgot to post earlier...

I don't normally preach to anybody about safety and PPE. But I had never used a face shield while grinding or cutting with a wheel until I started this part of my project. My wife got me a face shield for my birthday and it just save my face and possibly my right eye.

Was trying to get a cutoff wheel into a tight area in the toe boards. The wheel grabbed metal and came apart. Shrapnel hit the face shield and also my left shoulder. The Carhartt "Detroit" jacket I was wearing kept anything from embedding into my skin. I do wear safety glasses as well as the face shield. But you can tell from the pic that the face shield got whacked pretty good. Even for a glancing shot.

So... wear them face shields! Today this one saved my butt. Err... face as it were. :)

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Welded in the kick panel today. I will finish that small patch in the toe board and do the final welds and grinding of the floor tomorrow. Then hopefully I have enough time to get the new pillar welded in.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Definitely wear those face shields guys! In fact go for double eye protection, safety glasses and the shield. It's mandatory for all my guys and if you're caught not wearing one it'll get you skidded off site faster than you can get your coveralls off.

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Hung the passenger side door today to check alignment before I start the cab corner and the front pillar. I bolted it up on the exact marks I made before I disassembled the cab and I was nicely surprised that the gaps all line up great!

I never braced the cab at all when I cut into it, but made marks with sharpie pens all over the place and took lots of measurements.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

So I also hung the passenger side fender to make sure everything lined up with the lower pillar repair before I welded it up. Gotta admit it was kinda cool to actually see the fender and door on it at the same time. :)

Lower pillar repair turned out better than I expected.

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Good job!

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Thanks Swampy!

I got the cab corner in yesterday and it proved to be a challenge. The patch panel isn't even close to being useable without modification. The body lines don't line up at all and the rounded area tends to be a little flat towards the door area. So with some tweaking and grinding I got it to line up to what is useable to me. The lower edge that goes across the back of the cab isn't correct so I'm glad the bed will hide that, because getting it to line up at all is kinda hard.

Now all I have left is the outer rocker, and I'm figuring out what I need to cut, grind, and modify to get it to fit right. My door fitment is a pain in the a$$, but I think they are for everyone. ;) But I'll slug this out in the next couple of days so I can get started on the drivers side. :)

Oh, and the pic of the floor is from all the metal I ground off of the welds. It is amazing to me how much comes off after you weld it on. :lol:

Gary

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Lookin good! You are making quick work of this.

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 

Keep up the awesome work man, she's starting to look real good!