I removed some Oakie assist steps from the truck yesterday. The drivers side's frame-to-step support had been violently removed in the past, probably during an off-roading event. The passenger's side was bent rearward too, and they looked lame, so off they came. The steps were fastened to the cab by bolts through the cab floor, one pair of which on each step were down in the wiring raceway (gutter) below the kickplates. And of course those were terribly rusted. Also noted poor condition of the first few inches back of the front door frame, with small to moderate rot-out (about 1" wide by 2" long). Anyone got suggestions on a repair? I'm thinking fibreglass or sheetmetal patch, but let me know what your experience is. Thanks again. PS also rec'd my catalog.....drooling
You will need to remove all rusted areas and replace them with welded-in sheetmetal. If you try covering the area with fiberglass the rot will continue unseen. Check to see if metal patch panels are available for those areas and start from there. Dval
OK, thanks. I haven't done any myself, but reading the various magazines, I recall you wire brush or grind away all rust from the area to be patched, then weld on a patch. I'll check for the full extent of course, but just thinking out loud here, you're saying perhaps the catalog has ready-made patch pieces for this area. How about any thoughts from you re: putting the various phases of a restoration project into priority. For example, have you done one thing early-on, then later in the project realized that it might have been better to do that step AFTER an earlier one. For instance, I want to go thru the wiring, and am leaning toward a complete loom, since the '69 looks like it has had a series of people splice various things around, with the present condition of a hokey situation. Would it be best to concentrate on the bodywork first, then interior, then wiring, then suspension, or something like that?
There are two things to consider when undertaking this type of project. Those two things drive all the decisions as to the order of priority. 1) BUDGET and 2) TIME Break the tasks down into what needs to be done, how much it costs and how much time it will take. I approach my projects by making safety first. Brakes Suspension and steering upgrades are always first on the list. Engine and drivetrain are second, and then making it pretty. You will find that during all steps there will be small things that can be done that assist in completing other steps. But to be successful work with a budget and a plan. DVal
