Now lets install the wood. Start from the outsides, slide under the edge strips, line up mounting bolts, blocks, rubber pads and frame holes....easier said than done.... Lay in the next board, this one has the front mounting bolt.... That has to go through the sill, the block, the rubber, the top, middle and bottom of the frame. One lined up fairly well with a large Phillips head screwdriver through the whole shebang, the other required another person to whack it while I was under the truck "influencing" it with a prybar to go into the bottom frame hole. Much swearing was involved. Be shure to seperate them properly with the stainless strips... Each hole gets a carriage bolt, LARGE washer, lock washer and nut. You can place them fairly easily by yourself as you go by standing in the bed hole, but as you run out of room, you need someone to hold them from up top and someone to run the nuts from down below. To get into the cross sills at the top, middle and back, after a few lock washers to the cranium, I devised a plan. I used a flexible nut driver with a standard socket on the end. Fill it with nuts, then put a little weatherstriping cement on the lock washer to hold it in place, stick it up there and start it. Repeat until all holes are filled.
Why is this not a sticky?? Robert, c'mon man! This is awesome stuff! Let's wake up to this stuff! Thanks Russ! You da man! Ken
Looking up from under the floor... Installing seatbelts......run a piece of flat steel under the floor. Drill the seatbelt holes in the floor, through the steel, then use BIG fender washers, lock washers, and nuts. The steel bar will prevent the setbelts from pulling through the floor. The bar stock covers all seatbelt holes.
Here is the rebuilt rear body mount.. Here is where it goes... And installed.... You need a lovely assistant to hold the threaded block from inside for the through floor bolts, the others go through the frame. Pull it out, dis assemble it, cut out the rubber bushings, wire wheel it, paint it, slide in new bushings, re assemble (after it dries) and re install. I got the visors in... I have been fighting a gas leak for a few days. I may have to drill and tap the bottom of the gas tank for larger threads....what fun!
And it lives!!!!!!!!!!! I have to fix a bad manifold leak, but other than that no major problems showed their ugly heads. I did lose the radiator cap, borrowed the one off my truck, and the temp guage has apparently released the magic geenie.
Looking great, Russ! Have you ever used a one piece headliner? I guess I didn't ever get the dividing strip between the front and back halves, so I might spring for the extra $$ and get the one piece. I hear how much fun the two piece deals are, and they are the same junk the door panels are, right? I'm just not to sure that installing a one piece is much kinder than a two piece. BTW~ Who doesn't appreciate a gas leak! I was working on draining the gas out of my tank since it's sat for so long. Thought I'd take the plug out of it and run a wire up into the tank to clear whatever might be around the hole. It helped. Went to install the plug. Of course, when you get older, that eyesight thing doesn't work so hot. As I was trying to get the plug back in, gas ran down my arm and into my armpit. MAN that stung! (Smelled great, too~) Thank God for running water and bar soap. Screw gravity. Good luck with your tank.
That sounds like it's ready to get on down the road! Nice to see Classic Trucks is using your picture to promote the GoodGuys event! Way cool!
Here's Laughing With (at) You ! Paulie , you obviously never worked in a junkyard by the time I was 14 I learned to tie a rag 'round my wrist anytime I was working near fuel things below the source... . Burns like bugger-all doesn't it ? . Next , we'll teach you why it's good to wear glasses or goggles when touching rusty undercarriage things & old exhaust systems . BTW : Russ , that job is looking very good ! .
Your BOOK ! To-day I was handed a self - published book on a Metropolitan Nash Coupe by the man who took it from rusty junk I'da scrapped , to an award winning show car . I don't remember the website but for $50 they did all the hard work and bound him up two hardbound copies . foolscap flyfeaf , etc. , etc. He decided on four pix per left hand page , with captions , and one picture on each right hand page to flesh out the job at hand ~ this thread here is the prefect foil for this AD restoration work ~ I know you'd be famous and sell more than a few to boot . Most folks do not want a dry recitation of the correct bolt head markings , they want to see how their truck goes back to-gether . PLEASE give this some serious thought .
Yeah man! I figured I'd feel something, but not THAT kinda burn! A rag around the wrist~ See, I was supposed to be so fast that the gas wasn't going to make it past my elbow! Then when that didn't happen, it immediately became a battle of wills~ which reminds me~ I need to fill one out...
Paul Jim Carters here in KC has those center strips. They are used, but they have them. They had a whole old trash can full of em! Can't remember how much they were, as I got my used door from them on that trip.
Thanks, Brian! Rats~ If my brother still worked at Jim Carters... Thanks for the tip. Now I know where to go to get one if I can't find any local.
So, today I go out to the garage and find that the 2 gallons of gas that WERE in the tank had now drained into the cab and out through the drain holes(which were working quite well I am happy to say) and all over the floor of my garage. I pulled the tank....no draining it this time....and found that the threaded hole for the fuel line wasn't sealing up. After much pondering from me and my friend, we decided to drain the tank, fill it with water, insert the gas line nipple and braze it in. Seems to have worked. I set the tank in front of the fan to dry out and began oiling the side rails. I also fixed a few electrical connections, installed the new temp guage, tested the fuel guage, and installed the heat shield. The tailgate protector is listed in the catalogs as fitting 54 and up only, but will fit with trimming. Cut about 1 1/2" from one side....measure yours to see. Use a file on ALL edges, trust me, I can't feel the end of my thumb after slicing it on mine while drying my truck. Drill and screw from inside the bed to mount.
I am happy to report that the gas tank fix held. Got the tank re-installed, re painted the seat rail where it had gotten scratched, Reinstalled the guage cluster, finished the side boards and chased down some electrical connections. Over all a productive day. If all goes well, tommorrow will be the maiden voyage, first time in 3 years!
Its on all 4 tires now! I finished the A/C ducts, installed the glovebox, finished wiring behind the dash, mounted the side rails.... Marked off more on the punchlist.... Had a little help from my assistant... He checked the horn thoroughly. (video) I fiddled with it a bit and she cranks right up. The new gaskets made it much quieter. Requires a major choke when cold, then fires right up afterward. (video) Charged up the A/C and man it blows cold. Got ready to go for a ride and come up a cloud.(southerners know what that means), so the ride is postponed for the morning.
I attended to a few odd and ends, tightening bolts, installed the brake switch, found a bad bulb in the tail light and it was time for the first ride.. (Video) (video) Everything went well. I found that the oil pressure line is still leaking a little...what fun! I need a slightly shorter belt and a tail light bulb, but other than that we are good to go.
Sweet looking ride! Way to go, Russ. Another beautiful AD hits the road. I love the videos~ all of them! Seems as though the young lad may be getting hooked on ADs also? I'll have to check out photo bucket for posting videos. That's soooo much better than pictures. Thanks for posting those.
