83/84 swb stepside long time build

[rip2174]

tested the panels. Just need to drill holes for the steering, brakes and and the AC hose bulkhead.

[rip2174]

couple small goodies came today. Both look like pretty good quality stuff. Going to the the Lokar shifting sensor and indicator later when I figure out where in the dash i'm mounting the indicator. (vert or hort)

[rip2174]

got the firewall all welded up today. just need to do a little clean up.

[rip2174]

Friend from working taking his burb to the Blueberry festival. Cool trailer.

[rip2174]

Finally got all the welding done on cab floor and firewall. Really hate welding sheet metal. No patience for it. Ugly work, but its all getting covered up. Also got my buckets in and brackets welding in for mounting. Welding some angle to the tunnels for later to mount boards for the electronics in the console.

[rip2174]

I should put some new floor pans in, But i feel Id really mess it up with my current welding skills. So for now going to clean it up real good and coat the floor with chassis saver. It will give me a reason to tear it apart in 5-10 years. LOL

[rip2174]

So got the under side all cleaned up. Cheap oven cleaner and a pressure washer works awesome on the grease and grime under there. I know. ugly welding. But you will never see it unless I run you over.

[rip2174]

Didnt read the directions on Chassis Save on dry time and second coat, just assumed an hour for second coat. Nope!! 3-6 hours. Will be tomorrow before 2nd coat.

[rip2174]

Going to scuff this tomorrow and apply a 2nd coat. Let cure 2 days and scuff and cover with a Wurth product that is for undercarriages. Supposed to seal, slight sound deadening and be chip resist. Then cover that with a coat of satin black.

[rip2174]

I managed to get back out in the garage the other night and apply a 2nd coat. Let it cure for a day then scuffed it and sprayed it with

[rip2174]

Underside done. Turned out pretty descent.

[rip2174]

Started on cab floor. Going to sandblast the door jams. A little rust in there then primer. Ordering some lizard skin to spray everything below windows and the ceiling.

[tinydb84]

Looking good man. I love those firewall panels! I saw that burb on Instagram. Very cool!

[rip2174]

Originally Posted by tinydb84

Looking good man. I love those firewall panels! I saw that burb on Instagram. Very cool!

Thank you. Starting to make some head way.

That burb is a pretty cool ride.

[rip2174]

I think I got all the frame stuff done. Got the sway bar, rack and pinion and motor back in and all bolted up. Everything seems to look pretty good. Hopefully no more big hiccups.

[Vega_67C10]

Great work, truck looks really good.

[rip2174]

Originally Posted by Vega_67C10

Great work, truck looks really good.

Thank you

[rip2174]

So Ive been thinking about installing a third brake light to help been seen. Been looking at LED flush mount lights when a bell went off in my head today. I was staring at a light and said that sure looks familiar. I bought a set of lights for the original truck like 16-17 years ago. I decided to look for them. I said theres now way that they are LED. Then i found two sets of tails lights and one third brake light. Holy cow they where LED and still in the original packaging.That saves my like 350 bucks. LOL

[rip2174]

Installing light wont be too bad. But all the welding and body work to make that seam go away? That will be hard . Sure will look cool I think.

[Alex41]

From experience...use a cut off wheel on your grinder and cut into the seam a few inches at a time to remove the factory seam sealer. You may cut through the two panels but by only doing a few inches, you can stop and weld it up before you separate the roof. This makes welding it back together much less messy. That sealer burns and splatters something horrible.

[rip2174]

Originally Posted by Alex41

From experience...use a cut off wheel on your grinder and cut into the seam a few inches at a time to remove the factory seam sealer. You may cut through the two panels but by only doing a few inches, you can stop and weld it up before you separate the roof. This makes welding it back together much less messy. That sealer burns and splatters something horrible.

Thank you for the advice.

[rip2174]

I want to get this thing back together and drive it. So going to hold off on brake light and shaving the cab seam for now. Focus work on getting it together. So I sanded the ext of cab done and applied some epoxy primer. This way I can finish the firewall and then put cab on frame and work on ext bodywork later.

[rip2174]

I learned the basic paint and body stuff from my dad when i was younger. Been awhile since I messed with any of this stuff. Bought this little cheap LVLP gun and have to say my little compressor does well with it and its a pretty easy gun to learn. Only 70 bucks and comes with 3 nozzles and needles.

[rip2174]

slowly working on fire wall. I remember know that I hated filler work. It's going to take me longer than the normal person to get it smooth, but I'll get there.

[rip2174]

New steering wheel from LMC. Really nice for the price.