Rat repair.

[70stroker]

Looks good man, id like to do a bedside filler but after I dont want to redo my paint im just goin to doing a stake pocket filler.

[swamp rat]

Well nothing accomplished today. I got an electric abrasive 3" cutoff tool from Harbor freight for Christmas, never used it till yesterday, as i was using it to rough the door opening it started to loose RPM as it got warm. I figured today was the day i better get it exchanged under there 90 day satisfaction guarantee, made it by a day or two..

So driving there, spending time in the store and home killed most of my morning..

I did buy one of there 18" metal brake forum tools to i can make the filler tube cover for the bed.

EDIT: I should add, both of my key fobs have now failed dor my DD> so now tomorrow i need to go buy new ones and get them programmed and cut.. another nice chunk of change... and time away from the truck..

[Mustard72]

Nice work. Planning a bedside filler for mine, too.

[Dean'smeanmachine]

hey cool. looks good, keep at it man

[swamp rat]

70stroker, Mustard72, Dean'smeanmachine,


Thanks for the compliments, now i just need to find a bit more time to finish it!

[freakshow108]

Keep plugging away buddy! Spring is almost here, and before you know she will be done!

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by freakshow108

Keep plugging away buddy! Spring is almost here, and before you know she will be done!

Thanks Randy, i'm just bummed right now because i have had 2 super nice mornings to get some work done and another tomorrow and all these things i got to deal with keep popping up, its frustrating.

Still trying to decide if and when i get the rust repaired if i should attempt a piece by piece paint job in the yard (under a car cover of course)... Or just shell out some big bucks....

[swamp rat]

Well I'm working this weekend again, had a late start today because i was up late working on my new cluster, but i was at least able to get out there for about an hour today before work.

I'm still fighting that large high spot that starts at the body line and go's up about 3-4".. I have been able to move some metal and made some improvement but i want that large high spot out before i weld in the door, I'm half tempted to take a cutoff wheel and make a slit right into the center of the high spot in hopes it will lay down but kinda afraid i'll open up a can of worms (oil canning maybe?) that i don't want.

I'm to the point that if i had a patch panel in that area i'd probably go ahead and cut the area out and weld in the patch.

I can at least say my stud gun works and Fedex just delivered a dent puller i ordered to work some of the smaller creases, it looks like a rivet gun but has a round cage that attaches to it to the working end to localize the pull.

EDIT: I know the ridge has a couture the length from the rear of the truck to the well opening, just using the level as a reference.

Here,s a link to the tool:
Ding-Near-Perfect Dent Puller : Amazon.com :....
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.
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[Dean'smeanmachine]

keep at it

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

I'm still fighting that large high spot that starts at the body line and go's up about 3-4".. I have been able to move some metal and made some improvement but i want that large high spot out before i weld in the door, I'm half tempted to take a cutoff wheel and make a slit right into the center of the high spot in hopes it will lay down but kinda afraid i'll open up a can of worms (oil canning maybe?) that i don't want.

I'm to the point that if i had a patch panel in that area i'd probably go ahead and cut the area out and weld in the patch.

I wouldn't recommend cutting it at this point as there are other options. Since you have a stud welding gun, you already have a perfect tool for shrinking small to medium areas. I use mine with a shrinking tip to pull down crowned areas. I also use a shrinking disc for larger, heavily damaged areas, but from what I see in the photo, the stud gun would be best. Not sure if your gun came with the shrinking tip, but they are available from numerous online sources and probably your local auto refinish supply store.

Start by locating the highest part of the crowned area. You'll need to remove the paint so the gun can do it's job. With the shrinking tip inserted, start at the very center and heat a spot for 1-2 seconds then release the trigger and continue to hold the tip against the metal for several seconds. Move out about an inch and repeat at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock. If needed, move out another inch and repeat in a circular pattern. Some guys lay out a spiral pattern, but I prefer concentric circles. Some guys will tell you to cool the hot spots with a damp rag or compressed air, but the procedure works fine without it.

Like nearly all metal and body work, this can be technique sensitive. It is very easy to over-shrink a high spot. But you can always fix that with some draw pins and filler. High spots have to come down regardless if you want the panel right. Good luck!

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

I wouldn't recommend cutting it at this point as there are other options. Since you have a stud welding gun, you already have a perfect tool for shrinking small to medium areas. I use mine with a shrinking tip to pull down crowned areas. I also use a shrinking disc for larger, heavily damaged areas, but from what I see in the photo, the stud gun would be best. Not sure if your gun came with the shrinking tip, but they are available from numerous online sources and probably your local auto refinish supply store.

Start by locating the highest part of the crowned area. You'll need to remove the paint so the gun can do it's job. With the shrinking tip inserted, start at the very center and heat a spot for 1-2 seconds then release the trigger and continue to hold the tip against the metal for several seconds. Move out about an inch and repeat at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock. If needed, move out another inch and repeat in a circular pattern. Some guys lay out a spiral pattern, but I prefer concentric circles. Some guys will tell you to cool the hot spots with a damp rag or compressed air, but the procedure works fine without it.

Like nearly all metal and body work, this can be technique sensitive. It is very easy to over-shrink a high spot. But you can always fix that with some draw pins and filler. High spots have to come down regardless if you want the panel right. Good luck!

Hi Vic Thanks for the reply!

In the pic's the high spot I'm showing is right on the body line and extends both upward and downward with the worst being above the body line, if i do shrink above and below the body line should i attempt to shrink the body line as well? The high spot on the body line is the area I'm having the hardiest time dealing with.

I understand what your getting at with the shrinker and will see about finding a shrinking tip. I was also told a few years back to buy a shrinking disk but never got that far before i got side tracked on this truck due to injury/house remodel. Here's the past history, thanks again Dieselwrencher for letting me invade his thread.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=426756

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

In the pic's the high spot I'm showing is right on the body line and extends both upward and downward with the worst being above the body line, if i do shrink above and below the body line should i attempt to shrink the body line as well? The high spot on the body line is the area I'm having the hardiest time dealing with.

I would save the body line for last. As you smooth out the adjoining areas, the body line will move, so you may not have to do much to it. Above the body line, the inner panel hinders access to the back of the outer skin. That said, there is still some room (up to a point) to use a dolly. When I have access to both sides, I usually try to work the area to the desired shape using a combination of on or off dolly and hammer technique. If the panel still has a stubborn crown, I break out the shrinking tip but use it sparingly. By going back and forth between shrinking and hammer/dolly, you can sneak up on the shape you want. The link you referenced has a very good explanation of hammer and dolly theory. However, in the real world, we don't always have room for some of the techniques in the tutorial.

[Xeen]

The pros use a flash shrink gun when the metal is stretched out like that and short of using one I don't know of another method that would give a similar result, maybe Vic has some ideas for you.

[swamp rat]

Ok Vic thank you again.

I'm leaving for work again soon, just too tired to get out there and work on it today. Getting ready for a nice corned beef cabbage, potatoes and carrots lunch, the house smells great!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Getting ready for a nice corned beef cabbage, potatoes and carrots lunch, the house smells great!

Faith and begorrah, Mike! Are ye fortifying yerself for drivin' the snakes out of Spanaway?

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Faith and begorrah, Mike! Are ye fortifying yerself for drivin' the snakes out of Spanaway?

LOL! Man ya just about made me spit out my pop tart!

[Mustard72]

Good eats! Not the Pop Tart, though.

[swamp rat]

An no serpents be drivin away! LOL!

[Dean'smeanmachine]

Dont you just hate warps..lol

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Dean'smeanmachine

Dont you just hate warps..lol

Maybe with more corned beef and cabbage that warp will end up moving fast?

[swamp rat]

Ok be sure to visit this thread in the near future

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s....php?p=6578527

Thought i'd post the original picture of the rear quarter dent, man if there was only a dent Doctor back in the late 80's.... Amazing how much more damage i have caused just trying to pop the dent out myself..

[swamp rat]

The last couple of days(or in this case late nights) i have been working on the bezel i bought, it has been taking up space on my desk and i need the space to get my taxes done.. Here's the before and after pic, still don't know when i'm gonna get around to installing it. Polished the lens to remove the scratches it was really hazy, repainted all the needles, replaced the temp gauge and cleaned it up a bit, there was a film of some kind allover the speedo, tried soap and water and didn't faze it, ended up rubbing it with carnuba wax for about 1 hour and got most of it but not all

[JayB331]

Really nice work on the instrument cluster!

[Mustard72]

Got a dent very similar to that one on one of the four bedsides I have laying around for Mustard (still all covered with snow). They all stink, so I might have to use the one with the dent, so it'll be interesting to see how you handle that one.

That cluster looks really nice, by the way. Makes me look forward to digging into mine. I've heard about toothpaste working well for polishing up the lenses, too, but I really don't know why that would be different than any other polishing compound.

Hopefully you can get to your taxes now and spend the refund on your truck

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Mustard72

Got a dent very similar to that one on one of the four bedsides I have laying around for Mustard (still all covered with snow). They all stink, so I might have to use the one with the dent, so it'll be interesting to see how you handle that one.

That cluster looks really nice, by the way. Makes me look forward to digging into mine. I've heard about toothpaste working well for polishing up the lenses, too, but I really don't know why that would be different than any other polishing compound.

Hopefully you can get to your taxes now and spend the refund on your truck

I should be back at the dent stuff tomorrow and thanks also... I used Flitz on the lens with a microfiber, i was suprised at how much of the haze it took out. The biggest time consumer was painting the needles, i did it with a small brush and my shaky hands, took 3-4 coats to get it to look right.