64 C10 Stepside "Jaybird"

[Grizz1963]

Just loving this Bret.

Fender repairs are part of my futur.

[bj383ss]

Originally Posted by mjh1965

Glad to see you back at it Bret , as they say progress is progress . Shame about the drivers door , but the wing is looking good

Thank You Martin. I will get the driver door sorted shortly.

Originally Posted by clemdaddy

Nice work on the right fender and the door. Looks like everything will fit together just fine though sometime the micro adjustments can drive you crazy. Keep after it Bro.

Thank you Clem. You got that right. By the time I figure out how to get everything just right I will have to blow it apart and paint it.

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

Bret,
Glad to see you back in the groove... Looking good. I too used nail heads to fill holes, worked great.

Thank you Don. I stole the Nail head idea from you my friend.

Originally Posted by Grizz1963

Just loving this Bret.

Fender repairs are part of my futur.

Looking forward to future endeavors Rian. HeHe.

Bret

[bj383ss]

Started early this morning at 730 sharp. Put in about 8 hours today. Suppose to rain the next two days so wanted to make the most of today.

So here is where I left off with the fender. I spent about an hour getting it fit just right and rechecking all my measurements to make sure it was in the right place.

20171002_085520 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171002_085514 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Some tack welds to hold it in place. I went very slow let it cool completely and planished each weld with hammer and dolly.

20171002_091919 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

This part would have to be shaped after it was welded in securely. These aftermarket parts never fit properly. They all require massaging.

20171002_091929 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

After the patch was secure flipped it over to replace this mess. Took 2 measurements to the mounting hole to get it back in the same place.

20171002_093939 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171002_093943 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Cut the old piece above damage and test fitting the replacement.

20171002_094728 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Cut line.

20171002_094730 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Cut to size and clamped in place.

20171002_100724 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Decent fit.

20171002_100727 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

One of my measurements to verify it is in the right vertical position. Also more of the ugly original paint of my truck.

20171002_100736 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Had to put this clamp on the outside to put some curve in since the brace was cut right in the middle it was sagging.

20171002_100742 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

After I tacked the brace I put it on the truck to verify it was right. It came out perfect. This fender hasn't been on this truck for almost 4 years.

20171002_104922 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

This bottom mounting hole is about 3/4" big so there is plenty of play to move the fender around.

20171002_104935 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171002_104944 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

With it verified it was in the right place plug welded the brace in.

20171002_113145 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

With some primer and undercoating no one will never notice anything happened here.

20171002_114654 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171002_114658 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Dealt with this part next. Massaged it into place.

20171002_115024 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Stitching it up very slowly. VERY SLOW.

20171002_121239 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

In fact to keep busy during cooling I drug out the front bed panel to see if I could get the bow out of it. I didn't take any pics but I took a 2x4 and a BFH and beat the hell out of it til I got it pretty damn straight. I also knocked out about 8 really bad dents that were from stuff sliding forward in the bed.

So while waiting for the fender to cool I decided to start stripping it.

20171002_142759 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

2 work stations in the shade with the Big fan blowing. Was a beautiful 84* today. I worked til 5p.

20171002_142808 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Before

20171002_142803 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Drilled out the rivets and took these buggers off. My FIL had a vinyl tonneau cover on it.

20171002_143614 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Aching neck, back, arms and 3 hours later.

20171002_164953 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

20171002_165012 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

The fender is almost stitched up. The the next thing is putting a patch right above this new piece. The bottom patch wasn't quite long enough.

20171002_165017 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Quick pass with the dual action sander and some 80 grit. These bed pieces are galvanized from the factory. I tried my best to leave as much of it as possible.

20171002_165537 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

I have a little bit of rust at the bottom of the panel I will have to treat and one small pin hole I can weld up with a nail head.

20171002_165541 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

That's it for today.

Bret