Thread: Project Special K

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Dave when yoy say stitch welding, do you mean welding the entire seam solid, or stitching in welds along the seam, and then body filing the gaps? Not sure, thought I'd ask.

Well, not sure stitch is the technical term, just what I use.... I start with a tack about every two inches along the seam, let everything cool on it's own, then add another tack and keep going in that manner til the seam is filled completely. If you work at it, get the voltage and wire speed set correctly, doesn't take much to finish the seam off other then a bit of grinding and sanding... Best part is, once the seam is filled it's never again going to serve as a trash and moisture collector!!!! Big thing is getting all the trash, rust, and seam sealer out befor you start welding. It's a long, slow process but when done correctly it won't cause any distortion or warping of the skin.....

Coming along nice Steve. That thing really has a solid body and frame.

Don

Dave that makes sense. Also using the cutoff tool to clean the seam makes sense too. Boy when that thing is whizzing near your ear for 20 minutes it's enough to cause ear damage! I was worried that if I didn't do something to the outside of the seam, that the whole rust process will start all over again. I do like the look oof the seam though. It gives it the old time truck look!

Don thank you. Yep the frame and leaf springs are in alot better shape than I would have guessed. Today I'm going to paint the frame, and work on the cab behind the bed portion. I don't want to leave the bed lying around(just not enough space for everything apart!)

It's the new girl and me today, Pretzel got to go to work with my wife!

I got a fair amount of frame painting done with POR15 today. Unfortunately there was a nasty wind blowing that sent little seeds from my neighbors Euculyptis trees all over the tacking paint. I moved the truck back into the barn to finish it, but the fumes started to get pretty bad. So I stopped for the day. The frame and leaf springs came out ok. Here is a few shots:

Frame is looking good, but the dogs are prettier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah
They are lucky I don't paint them. I like the Por 15 stuff, but I got glossy in a pint, because the semi gloss only came in quarts at my paint store. It was a little shinny for my taste, so i HIT IT WITH SOME TRIM BLACK i HAD LEFT OVER FROM THE ENGINE BAY. (caps lock, I hate that button) Anyway, I'll crawl under it this weekend and paint every thing I can get at then call it quits on the frame painting and move on to sanding and grinding and welding.(if my welding shield ever arrives in the mail!) But yeah, I'm happy with it, and it is coming along pretty quickly. Thanks Dave.

On our '47 Ford/'89 S-10 we used POR-15 also. Holds on pretty good so far. I was concerned about the note on it not standing up to UV rays, so I got some rattle cans of Rust-O-Leum Hammered Black and sprayed that over the POR. So far it's alright! If we ever get it done and on the road -- we'll see! It's certainly a whole lot better than what we had --- RUST. haahaa. Perley

Yesterday was filled with skinned nuckles. I was trying to get my old grill off the truck. I think there must be 16-20 bolts, all rusted, holding it on. Some are so strategically located that removing them in certain sequences is the only way to get to the next bolt. After 3 hours, and about 60% of them snapping off , I stopped for the day and worked on the Honey do list, and barbequing a tri-tip! The only way I could get a few off was losen them enough to get the sawzall in there enough to bight in.. I had to laugh cleaning up, two air ratchets, 1/2 inch hand rachet, 3/8 " drive hand ratchet, cut off tool, three box end wrenches, 5 different screw drivers, jack stands and lift, sawsall and several balde carcasses, etc... And it is still on tight! I figure this is one of those chip away projects, where you take turns working on it, then move on as it wears you out. I really feal for those Ford assembly line guys 60 years ago. This truck is basically bolted together everywhere. Some of the bolts are in such tight spaces that it would take 30 minutes with two box end wrenches get snug them up!
Now I see why we discuss the price of bolts and other hardware. I'd never consider, ever putting any of the survivors back on the truck!
It also makes me fret over the old bolts still in that are holding the cab in place! One accident an the cab may go flying off like an ejector seat in A James Bond film!

Well heck, if it was easy and painless everybody would be doing it!!!!!

I don't have a lot of patience with old body bolts....Usually I just drill or cut them out and replace them with a well placed weld or two or three......

My hat is off to someone who actually takes the time to take it apart and put it back together the way the factory intended it be done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dave
I actually went out and bought a hack saw blade that has a handle on one end, and the blade is free on the other end, to try and slide it between the panel seams. If that doesn't work I'll try the drill idea, if it'll fit in the tight spaces. I have three left to take out, all with stripped heads, I wish they snapped as easy as the strip!
I also got two ratcheting double box end wrenches 9/16"x5/8" and 7/16"x 1/2" as these seem to be a 48 Ford's best friends!
Wish I had them yesterday! My wife looked at my arms and hands and said OUCH!

Sawzall is truely man's best friend in the old truck department. I spent about two hours removing the last three rusted bolts off the grill. The last one I was under the truck in the wheel well upside down for 20 minutes cutting it off. All I can say for Ford is they use good steel on these old trucks!
So I finally got the grill out. Now all I have to do is strip the paint off the replacement, sand and prime it, then put it back on with new bolts that hopefully will never need to be removed again!

I love how the blood fills the top of my head while cutting off some of the bolts, the factory had to have just to keep something from coming loose........LOL
BradC

Yep Brad, could you imagine being the poor quality control guy, having to crawl around under there and everywhere else just to make sure one of the assemblers didn't miss a bolt?

Well I put together the gas tank on the MIG welder and went to town! Not nearly as easy as it looks! I played around burniing small holes in the sheet metal and then repairing them. I wouldn't even make Frankenstein look good!
But after a while playing with the feed speed, voltage settings and gas flow I sort of got the hang of it. It takes a lot of grinding to clean up all those mistakes!
But it was fun! And I still can see! I bought one of those auto darkening helmits so it worked great. I even forgot to put the welding gloves on and torched a spot on my left palm.
Score another point to the FORD Gods!
I'd post pictures but I'm too embarrassed !
I also repaired the cut in the frame from removing the motor mounts. Best of all, it looks like I sold the old engine today, and got to keep my oil pan and timing chain cover for the new long block. I figure I'll buy new Billet pulleys and probably get a new harmonic balancer unless he doesn't want the old one. All in all a very good day. The guy comes for the engine tomorrow! Yeah, shop space at last!