bkahler Posted November 23, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2023 More progress on the bed panels. First coat of primer on both and he's starting to add filler for all of the rust pits. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David A. Posted November 23, 2023 Report Share Posted November 23, 2023 Looking good! Those bed sides were the hardest part of my truck. It was a very long and tedious process. The worst part is that if you do it right, no one will ever know how much time and effort you have invested in it!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted January 10 Author Report Share Posted January 10 Bed panel repairs are moving slowly but still moving These pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago. He's working on getting the last section flat. I believe the panels are now ready have primer applied. The weather has been on the cold side so he's waiting for slightly warmer weather before doing so. After about 28 years of waiting I just might get to drive the truck on the street this spring! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 Hopefully my messing with them a few years ago didn't come back to haunt you! Happy to see them being put to good use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted April 1 Author Report Share Posted April 1 On 1/10/2024 at 1:09 PM, ggdad1951 said: Hopefully my messing with them a few years ago didn't come back to haunt you! Happy to see them being put to good use! We'll never know.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted April 1 Author Report Share Posted April 1 Ok, I've finally got a few things that worth an update. The bed panels are done and the front fenders are mostly installed. I'll be the first to admit the bed panels aren't perfect, but they are good enough for me. The trick is once installed, drive fast enough that people don't get a good look at them The panels are still at the painters, which is good because I currently don't have any room to store them. I've had a lot going on and the shop was packed with stuff so it's been really difficult to work efficiently. I finally managed to make room and once the front sheet metal is all bolted into place then I'll be able to move things around to make an assembly area to build the bed. This morning we worked on fitting the front fenders. Started on the right side and fought it tooth and nail to get the gasket and bolts between the front of the fender and the front nose. The left side we were able to apply lessons learned and it went a lot faster. The bolts holding the fenders to the nose are now tight, but the bolts holding the nose to the radiator frame are still loose. We're having difficulty getting the door gaps to stay put. I can pull the nose on the left side and get a decent gap but after letting off on the pressure it moves back closer to the door. Tightening the bolts on the left side don't seem to help it stay in position, it still springs back somewhat. The passenger side gap is slight larger than it should be so I think the cab needs to rotate slightly. I'm currently struggling with finding a method to pivot the cab (the four bolts are loose). I believe the front left bolt is somewhat of a pivot point and what needs to happen is the passenger side needs to pivot slightly forward. What's the best way to do this? It's been around 28 years since I dismantled the truck and its kinda weird to see fenders on the truck! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted April 1 Report Share Posted April 1 Ah....aligning all the parts....the PITA step. Lots of ways to adjust not just the cab but the fenders and hood. I fought the cab for a while on FEF and ended up ovaling a mounting hole to get things lined up. Bear in mind most of these boys never lined up that great in the first place and you knda end up with some compromises IMO. Remember you can shift the doghouse around a bit, not just the cab. The rad support should allow some movement front/back/up/down/twist. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted April 1 Author Report Share Posted April 1 Yeah, PITA pretty much sums it up. Your comment about the radiator support got me thinking, so I went and took a couple of pictures that might explain a lot. The front end does not seem to be centered over the frame supports. I've been stuck on the idea that the radiator support is where it needs to be, but now I'm thinking that's not true. If it get the time, tomorrow I'll loosen the two nuts holding the frame in place and see if that gains me anything. Stay tuned.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted April 2 Report Share Posted April 2 When I needed to straighten up the cab on the 1-ton, I put a trolley jack between the running board and the cab floor just to get the weight off of the rear cab mount, then kinda shoved the door frame and rechecked the gaps. The jack wheels allowed the cab to move a tad without any metal-on-metal screeching. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted April 2 Author Report Share Posted April 2 8 hours ago, JBNeal said: When I needed to straighten up the cab on the 1-ton, I put a trolley jack between the running board and the cab floor just to get the weight off of the rear cab mount, then kinda shoved the door frame and rechecked the gaps. The jack wheels allowed the cab to move a tad without any metal-on-metal screeching. I don't have the running boards installed yet but I'm sure using the trolley jack with some wood to spread the load it should work. Thanks, I'll give it a try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Los_Control Posted April 2 Report Share Posted April 2 Good luck getting it all sorted. I'm kinda sorta at the same point, getting everything lined up. Everything is all loose and can still be moved or adjusted. I was putting the bed together and realized I needed the running boards installed because they bolt to front & rear fenders. The bed I think is right because I centered it with the zirk fittings for the shackles .... But I can still wiggle it 1/2" in any direction ..... I'm just not going to tighten anything down until everything is installed and connected. I have not even started repairing or painting the rear fenders yet .... I put the truck on the back burner while I work on the wife car. ..... Maybe this summer will get to drive it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted Monday at 06:30 PM Author Report Share Posted Monday at 06:30 PM This past weekend I had a few hours to play around with the truck and I didn't really make any progress with the panel alignment problems. I think I can better articulate the issues now so maybe that will help As a preface, all of the bolts that would allow panel movement are loose. In the attached pictures you can see the front nose is not centered on the frame (as mentioned previously), the drivers side door gap is too small and the passenger side is probably a little large but unfortunately it tapers from top to bottom, getting smaller at the bottom. Something not shown in the pictures are the tops of the front fenders where they align with the middle curve of the door. On both fenders, when the L bracket bolts to the side of the cab (accessed from inside the cab) then fenders are not flush with the door skins. The fenders are recessed an 1/8" to 3/16". It's as if the L brackets need spacers installed. This spot is one of the few where there is no real adjustment other than up/down and forward/back. No in/out movement is allowed for. I would think this means the doors need to be moved inward at the top hinge, but if I do this then the doors don't fit the door openings properly. It seems to me that the fit of the fenders where they meet the doors is the key to getting everything else to fall into place. I believe I understand how to align the fenders up/down and forward/backward but the in/out has me baffled. Tips anyone?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Los_Control Posted Monday at 07:09 PM Report Share Posted Monday at 07:09 PM On my truck when I took it apart, there were rubber spacers in the very front bolts for the core support. Adding spacers there, will raise the front and close the gap at top while opening the gap on the bottom. No idea if you have them in place. I have some new 1/4" rubber I cut mine out of, and were about the same as I removed. I also assume you have new rubber cab mounts .... they probably sit a little higher then the old dried out originals. So even if you installed the same rubber spacers up front ... you probably need to add more to match the new cab mounts. Just my best guess assuming you like the way the doors fit other then that. Just a 1/8" washer may fix the gap you show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Los_Control Posted Monday at 07:41 PM Report Share Posted Monday at 07:41 PM Interesting here .... left side looks centered while right is not. Is it possible one of your frame horns is bent? Have you checked bolt hole alignment with your bumper? Just hard to say which side is off. Myself I think I would get the sheet metal lined up and bolted in place. Then figure out which side needs adjusted and how much. But, if one was bent the bumper holes would not line up .... If they do line up .... then both would have to be bent equally? If you raise the front nose up to fix door gaps, will the alignment of frame horns improve? My frame horns have approximately 3/4" space all the way around the horns ... top and sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted Tuesday at 03:07 AM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 03:07 AM (edited) have ya looked at the floorboard alignment on the pedals? are the gaps at the door and cab door frame near the latches about the same? I reckon once the cab gets squared on the frame, then the fenders can be lined up to the doors and grille panel to the frame. Probably wouldn't hurt to verify that front bumper alignment; if the frame rails are a li'l tweaked at the bumper, that's gonna throw some things off a bit. Edited Tuesday at 03:09 AM by JBNeal clarification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted Tuesday at 09:34 AM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 09:34 AM Brad, also remember the gaps won't look as pretty as a modern....unless you prefit everything and filled and ground, you kinda end up with "best as one can do". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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