Some pics I've promised...

The first ‘custom’ item on the agenda for this truck was the gas ‘fillers’ on the bed. First on the list, because the truck bed was the one area that needed the most work, much of it underneath and out of sight. I figured if I was going to put all the effort into making the bed look new, inside and out, I just ‘had’ to do this too!

The original gas filler on this truck bed was a style I've always disliked. It protruded from the side of the bed taking away from the truck's lines, was a constant source of “pilfering fun" for kids passing by, and for catching clothing parts if you were walking too close or tying something down.

I’d always favored the setup on the ’79 trucks that had a square filler door covering the gas cap. So, when I found a bed, with those doors on it while scavenging parts in a local scrap yard I made a deal and picked it up. Unfortunately, the bed was in worse shape than mine (so I got it cheap), the filler door area was about the only good (not rusty or dented) portion of the bed.

What I needed to do, was cut a panel out of each bed (on both sides as the truck has dual gas tanks) and swap the ones from the donor, to my original. First, I marked and cut out a panel on my bed (here’s another shot showing some of the other damage).

I would normally cut out the donor piece first, but sometime before I ever saw it, someone had tried (unsuccessfully) to drive the truck between two trees. This had driven this portion of the bed in about 2.5 inches. Unfortunately the pictures don’t really show the extent and depth of the damage. Let’s just say it wasn’t a simple task to pull out, even in a full on body shop, mainly because of it’s location and depth.

So, by cutting out this piece first, it made pulling the dent out level again much easier, although it still took about a hundred stud pins, in several sessions. Eventually after about two hours of fastening pins and pulling with a slide hammer (in the hot sun), I had it close to right. That didn’t include the 45 minutes or with a hammer and dolly to reform the bed line!

So, after a sweaty day in the sun, this is where I wound up. You can see all the measurements, and ‘register’ lines if you look closely. When I said working with one set of hands took more measuring, I wasn’t kidding!

Not very pretty to most eyes and not exactly where I’d hoped to end the day. The panel is ready though, to be pre-drilled. Once I do that, and attach a few rivets to ‘tack’ it in place temporarily, I can repeat the process in the other side!

Today… well, so far it’s been intermittent rain showers, not the kind of day you want to be working with steel and electric power tools outside. So, my next plan is to get about three other guys over here, snake the motor and transmission out of the truck, move the bed away from the front door of the garage and push the truck cab and frame outside. Hopefully I can get that happening by next weekend.

It’s just too hot in the sun to be attempting to do this body work outside any longer. Epoxy’s, body fillers, primers, essentially everything I’ll be using is very sensitive to temperature, and especially to direct sunlight. Think of trying to wax your car in the sun, instead of the shade, with a paste wax. It can be done, but it adds an unwanted level of complexity and ups the annoyance factor a 1000 fold!

Oh, and for those of you who are interested, this is the tool I use to do the rough cut outs, it’s called a ‘cut-off’ tool. The tool on the far right in this picture is an electric metal shear. I use those like you would manual ‘tin snips’, but it’s a lot faster, makes a cleaner cut and is a whole lot less work.

Finally, here’s a snapshot of some of the tools I needed today. I say some, because I’d already started putting things away before I thought to take this. It’s pretty much everything except the grinders, body hammers and dollies I’d already put up. The big blue, pistol looking thing at the top, towards the left is the stud gun. It’s what attaches those studs in the earlier pictures. Right below that is a ‘contour gauge’, you place it up against an undamaged section, capture the contours, and then lock it in place to use as a guide while you work. Much, much faster and easier than making the cardboard cutouts we used to use!

So there you have it, a glimpse into my Saturday and some idea of the amount of work that goes into restoring, just this one corner, of this old truck. Maybe I’m crazy, a glutton for punishment or don’t know, when, to say when. Then again, maybe, just maybe, I keep picturing the twinkle there’ll be in my wife’s eyes when she finally looks at it for the first time, finished. When I open the door for her, let her climb up in the cab, and fire it up for her first drive, and again when she comes back from that ‘test drive’ with a big smile on her face.

In the end, that’s what it’s all about, the finished product, for her. I’ll complain about the work, the heat, the sweat, and occasionally the money… but the truth is I really do love doing this stuff, I just wish I wasn’t so rusty at it right now!! I keep remembering what I could get done in a day, back in the day. Then I end up thinking I can get close to that production level and end up being disappointed/frustrated. So, yesterday I resolved to stop thinking about time, to focus on the task, let it take what ever time it takes, and then move on to the next one.

If you enjoy this type of post, or don’t, let me know. I’ll certainly have a lot more to post over the coming weeks and months.

Thanks again for stopping by!!