So the VIN tag is on overhead of door frame, indicating i have a 65, not a 64? My family story seems to be flawed but, still love the truck & excited to get started!
Glad to see that you finally got it home.
I mentioned this a time or two before, but right after one of my "super-tunes" my '66 GMC 1/2 Ton with the 305E, 3-Speed got 15 1/2 on an approx 500 Mile trip, mostly Hi-way.
Like all good things, there are challenges.
Rust in 3 spots that concern me. The hood, paint peeled as i washed and then put my finger thru the metal.
More concerning is at the cab overhang; same place both sides, can anyone suggest steps i take to repair, if possible. I worry where the rust/water goes as much as where the leak originated... anyone see this before? What suggestions do you have on repair?
Rust is scary. The good news is "it's just metal". You can cut out the small holes and weld in new metal from a donor car or if the hole is small, you can just weld up the hole. Then just grind it down and paint it - good as new.
For that roof, make sure to spray in some rust killer before sealing up the holes. Kents makes an "inner panel rust-proofer" that comes with a straw. Many guys have used it in the roof panel and door panels with great results. Just poke the straw in, dowse it all down real good as far and wide as you can reach, and let it dry. Then seal it up and call it good. It should last another 100 years.
If you don't know how to weld, take her to a welding shop or a welding school and they'll weld it up for you. But you need to do the cleaning work and rustproofing yourself.
The first thing i learned about having a classic truck was probably the most important. "No one cares about your truck but you."
People will tell you it's cool, they'll slap you on the back for a job well done, but not a single person on earth will take the loving care with your truck that you will. In fact, they're more likely to kick her, do half-rear jobs, and take short cuts with her repairs than to do her right. Every. single. time.
There's great welders on here. Bodywork guys too. I think WDShafter may be a bodywork guy, but I know he's a painter. I wonder if you can just be one or the other?
Anyway, rust on these thick old trucks isn't a killer. You can fix just about any part of it with a little willpower and a $100 tombstone welder.
Good advice from FMAP. Good news is sheet metal repair is not too difficult and is done by us all. (thin metal welding, however, does take a lot of practice). It's just cut out the old and weld in the new. Bad news is the windshield brow is PITA. Good news is you have to take the windshield out anyway because it's cracked and you have roof dents to fix. The real good news is that every rust area you have, INCLUDING the windshield brow, is available as a new patch panel, at pretty reasonable prices. There are welders and there are welders. You need someone who has done a lot of thin work. Some fixes may be done with just sheet stock. Use the pre shaped patches whenever you can.
The rule of rust fix is only fix what is rusted. Leave original metal. Don't cut more than is necessary. You only use as much of the patch panel as will meet this rule.
Dents are a separate entity and are repaired as per normal dolly and hammer or whatever new pull method you want.
Take off your emblems and trim now and store them away. They are valuable and hard to find in good shape. I.E. "V6" and "Custom", chrome strips.
Hood should come off for dent repair. Leave hinges attached to truck. Before removing bolts at hood, drill two 1/8 holes thru hinge flange and hood (don't poke thru hood!, use a stop). Drill these as far apart as feasible. Then when you put hood back on, use two drill bits in each hole to act as alignment pins, then install bolts. Hood will then be back to original position. May be OK then or at least close. Do this with any hinge or applicable assembly set. This can save hours of fiddle diddle with a very heavy hood or door to get them to fit/align.
A "stop" can be the end of a wooden 1" x 2" or whatever thickness is required. Drill a 1/8 hole in the end of the wooden piece. Be sure the bit stick-out is sufficient to "stop" bit from drilling too deep. Hold the other end of the wood piece with one hand and drill the hole in the metal.
It is very, very important that you identify all rust. It can be hard to detect if under the paint. You have to poke all over with a screw driver to find it all. Areas surrounding a visible rust out are usually thinner (tapered), on their way to rusting. So be aware of that. Too thin, cut it out.
None of this is trying to teach anybody anything. Many folks have more experience than I. You probably do. Just jotting down my thoughts and experience. Hope it makes you more comfortable to know that all this stuff has been done thousands of times.
Last edited by AZKen; December 16th, 2018 at 08:15 PM.
AZKen, thanks for those thoughts. I am not skilled in welding but not afraid to try either... can you recommend a place for the molded metal especially around the brow & window areas?
I have another washing/scrubbing to do then should be aware of all rust spots. Dent pulls, bondo, then file to fit/paint to match (temp rustoleum) will follow. Window will prob be put back in for weather reasons after weld is done. Will replace window after final paint.
pages. I buy a lot from these guys.
If your windshield is cracked, you probably can't put it back in.
Last edited by AZKen; December 17th, 2018 at 06:09 AM.