Fixing rust under a windshield seal

This Landcruiser came to me with the windshield and liftgate glass removed (and went home that way, too). It was obvious to the owner that naval jelly and a wire wheel wasn't going to cut it after removing the glass, so he brought it to the shop I work at.There are much worse cases of rust out there, but this one was missing part of the windshield mounting flange, so it was definitely time for a fix. Apparently there weren't many left hand drive diesel ones made in 1990, and this one is in nice condition otherwise.

Heres how it looked: (click pictures to enlarge)

Luckily the rust had not attacked the inner panel, so with proper caution, I was able to make the repair without removing the dash. That would have been a huge expensive project! The liftgate wasn't rusted through but was badly pitted. These pics are after the dash area has been protected with several layers of masking tape, then masking paper, then duct tape, then cardboard sealed with duct tape and moistened with a spray bottle, then a welding curtain sealed with tape. May sound like overkill, but I was working very close to the interior, and experience has shown this method to provide good protection against welding sparks. The hood was given the same treatment but with a layer of plastic foam padding rather than the wet cardboard, and the battery was disconnected at the ground terminal before welding.

The dark stuff is Eastwood's rust converter. It worked very well. I cleaned the metal first, with a 3M XT Clean n Strip disc, then poked around with a sharp punch to open up any weak rust pitted spots, then brushed on the converter per the instructions.

These pics show it prepared for welding, and two flange patches laying in place. I ground off the rust converter where I needed to weld, then carefully closed everything up with a mig welder. Then, using a 1/8" thick cutoff wheel and 40 grit on a 5" grinder, I smoothed out all the welds. It was time consuming, tedious, and in an awkward spot!

I finished that work out with a coat of Evercoat's Metal Glaze ... the liftgate got the same treatment, to fill pits.

Then it was primer time. DuPont urethane primer surfacer, three coats.

Heres the finished product after paint- glad to have been able to keep it simple. There were some large hole plugs in the firewall (for wiper linkage access) and thru those, I was able to coat the backside of the repair with epoxy primer using a small disposable acid brush for corrosion protection.

  Hope is not lost when you see rust. Just about anything metal can be fixed!

F-100 shaving door handles

Bear with me, these pics jump around a little, I'll explain as I go. Starting with the handle already removed....

This is the right side. I almost forgot to get a pic before cutting on my Sharpie line. Already started the cut.

Chopped it out with a 3" cutoff tool using a 1/16" thick disc. Cleaned it up after this, with a carbide burr.

We actually had an old donor door for this truck, so I cut two patches from it to match the curvature of the door at the handle. That made life simpler. Here I have taped one of the patches up behind the hole.

Then I dusted it with black spray paint and pulled the tape. Thats a magnet holding it up, but now my patch is marked off. I then put the patch in a clamp and cut it on the black's edge. 

Heres the ready to zap patch, after fussing over it for awhile to get the gap like I want for welding.

OK jump to the other side, I got in a hurry. This is what it looks like after carefully welding.

And there you have it! After carefully and patiently grinding down the weld, I sprayed a light coat of self etching primer to prevent flash rust until the rest of the door is ready to prime. I was told to just fix the hole in the door, other plans are in place for how to open it but I don't know how just yet.

F-100 left bedside metal straightening

First thing I did was to tackle the left bedside. The idea is to get the metal straight, then cover it with epoxy primer and move on until the whole thing is ready for the bondo stage. I didn't get a pic of it in primer, but you can see how there had been quite a bit of patching and straightening done already. The tail lamp panels were welded to the bedsides but the welds were unfinished. I also finished the front stake pocket cover. The wheel opening and the area behind it needed a good bit of hammer and dolly work

This last pic was just before primer.

Reference shots for the F-100

Well, you saw the before pics of the truck body but its a little hard to recognize, devoid of trim. Another customer (has a '69 Bronco in the shop) showed up in this rig one day. I siezed the opportunity to grab some reference shots. It helped me see what has already been modified on our project truck, and helped me make some decisions on my repairs. So heres what a stock one looks like, although this specimen also has a non-stock tailgate so I'm not real sure how those looked.

Ol' one eye got another bumper.

I know- why is the Impala still winking? I need headlight adjusters, only two were still any good.

Did get this filler panel straightened and sprayed so I could put the more of the grille and the bumper on. Look'n better! Hopefully next week the hood will be on and the 283 will smell the coffee.

New Meat - 1962 F-100

 This is the latest hunk of metal I've been asked to restore. It will be straight and beautiful when finished. Heres a walkaround so you can get a better look. It is a 1962 Ford Pickup, the "unibody" kind. I don't know a whole lot about these, I am a GM guy. But as far as I know, it will be silver and use a four valve 4.6L engine. The bed floor will be carbon fiber. The fenders and hood are fiberglass. Some areas of the truck have had really nice sheetmetal work done. Then some areas were unfinished, and in my opinion the hood has lots of room for improvement. The patch panels on the bed and across the back of the cab, and the fully fabricated tailgate, the bed floor bracing, and the alterations made to the chassis are of remarkable quality. It is my job to pull it all together and get it ready to paint. I will have lots of help along the way, as I am only one member of the team. Follow along if you like, and watch the transformation!

This post shows the "before". Much of my work is done, but much still lies ahead. Check back because I will be posting pics of specific repair areas as time allows. Thanks for stopping by!



Click on the pics to see full size.

Check out the huge patchwork! I have seen these trucks have a tool box door down where that patch is. 

 Dig the fabbed from scratch tailgate! It is a work of art.

 Yep, those bedsides are SINGLE-walled, you can see where the old bed floor attached, and the bed floor braces. That metal has to be very straight to look right.

 Here you can see the notched frame and partially repaired cab back panel.

More fab work inside, a wicked console and some filled areas in the dash.

 Uh-Oh. Look how crooked the top of the hoodscoop sits.

 Underneath the front, with hood down.

 Engine compartment, more fab work.

 These hood hinges are awesome.

 This is under the scoop. Not awesome.

The drip rails were shaved away, and the split welded shut. Now we have awful gaps around the tops of the doors.

I will make caps for the old tailgate hinge area.

 Cab corners and floor from underneath, lots of work needed. One side has a new rocker and sill partially installed, and I'll replace the other side as well.

Thanks for looking. Stay tuned if you are interested!