1972 Blazer - 'Bullet' Project

[1949gmc]

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

Arizona

Oh, you and your rust free floorboards can just be quiet! LOL! I'm just kidding. We got something that you don't got, though, nor do you want it: LAKE EFFECT SNOW! My desktop weather channel thingy says I'm supposed to get 8-12 inches by Friday morning. What can I do.... it's January. Gotta expect it sooner or later.

[1949gmc]

Originally Posted by lks dcvn

Not sure on the doors yet - the set on there isn't too bad - some rust here and there.

I also have a set of truck doors that I might use - haven't got that far yet though.

When I get there and I have a need - I will be in touch. Thanks.

No worries. I'm thinking of putting them on the parts board as I need the dinero. Wanted to give you first shot.

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by 1949gmc

Oh, you and your rust free floorboards can just be quiet! LOL! I'm just kidding.

Hope he has some thick skin, showing us easterners those floorboards


Nice work so far on the rust, lksdcvn! What you are doin' is the hardest part of the resto. Hope the new heater works out for you, nice to be warm when your doing a difficult task

[1sik52]

Originally Posted by lks dcvn

Today's progress - more bone chilling time in the garage - high of 28 today -

I ordered a set of the floor supports from GMCPaul today [Pic 1] - hopefully they show up by the weekend so I can see how they look mocked up in position - they support the floor area under the corner of the floor where my rust hole is.

I also need to pick up some weld through primer tomorrow/this week since the paint place was closed today by the time I thought of it.

Pix of the progress.

[Pix 2 & 3]

I cut out the floor to test fit the inner rocker patch - came out pretty close. I then mocked up the B Pillar patch and got it cut down close enough

[Pix 4 & 5]

I then wanted to see how the outer rocker looked mocked up so I put it on and got a few pix to show it on the truck...

You gotta love how the rockers have about a 1/2 inch gap up on the A pillar and they dont meet.

[Firebirdjones]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

Hope he has some thick skin, showing us easterners those floorboards

It just rolls right off

[Firebirdjones]

Originally Posted by 1949gmc

Oh, you and your rust free floorboards can just be quiet! LOL! I'm just kidding. We got something that you don't got, though, nor do you want it: LAKE EFFECT SNOW! My desktop weather channel thingy says I'm supposed to get 8-12 inches by Friday morning. What can I do.... it's January. Gotta expect it sooner or later.

Ya ya ya

That snow is rough. I'm from Cinci originally.
If that isn't enough we seemed to get hit with 3-4 inches of ice, then 8 inches of snow on top, power lines down, no electric for weeks. That seemed to happen consistently 4-5 winters in a row.
So we got the heck outta dodge.

[lks dcvn]

Got an email that my new heater showed up today at my house from FedEx. - I hope this thing works like it should.

I will be spending some time in the garage tonight when I get home to get some stuff done. Hopefully, with less layers on...

1. Apply rust sealant paint on the inside of the torsion boxes [need to warm them up to do this so the paint can cure].

2. Get patch metal ready for the rear floor where it meets the step up on the B pillar.

3. Maybe start on the front floor support and then work my way out.

Hoping to make some progress on this blazer this week.

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by lks dcvn

Got an email that my new heater showed up today at my house from FedEx. - I hope this thing works like it should.

I will be spending some time in the garage tonight when I get home to get some stuff done. Hopefully, with less layers on...

1. Apply rust sealant paint on the inside of the torsion boxes [need to warm them up to do this so the paint can cure].

2. Get patch metal ready for the rear floor where it meets the step up on the B pillar.

3. Maybe start on the front floor support and then work my way out.

Hoping to make some progress on this blazer this week.

Gotta love the heat, hope it works out for you. Just waiting for the new pics

[lks dcvn]

OK - got the main thing I wanted to get done tonight - out of the way...

painted the inside of the torsion boxes...I got them up to temp - the new heater works pretty good - and then put a coat on them to keep them from rusting away.

They had some scale and some minor pitting - but they were solid enough to use I killed the heater - no fires thank you - and then went to work.

Right now the garage door is open [for a few hours] to let the combustible fumes out so I can get to work tomorrow evening. I was getting hungry so I stopped for dinner...

Here are a few before and after pix. No more rusting from these guys...

[lks dcvn]

I have been working here and there on this thing and got some time tonight to get some minor welding done...I stink at welding, but the metal is solid - I tried the bend/pull/break my welds (within reason) after I got done with spot welding - nothing broke loose so...solid enough for me...

Don't laugh at my welding - I am still learning.

Using the front cab mount that I goofed up on a few posts ago I cut that down to make a floor patch since the 'lip' on it was the same size as the floor/step lip - pix will make that much clearer...

Now my outer floor extension patch fits right in there and I can burn it in once I get the front cab mount in there solid as well.

Trying to find time to get this thing moving along...slowly but surely.

This is taking me forever, but I find it rewarding to see that I am saving something that would surely rust out around here.

[1956cameo]

It might be at a slower pace than you would like, but your progress is looking good. I am like you; it is always nice to have a rust free body to work with, but knowing you brought a rusted out truck back from the brink is always rewarding.

[VA72C10]

Looks good to me. I want to learn sometime soon and find a decently priced welder myself...

[lks dcvn]

I got some more done last night - but didn't have the camera available...

Front cab mount is now solid and welded in - I shook it to death to make sure it was in there - That is my non-scientific way of testing my welds...

I only get about an hour or so a night to work on this stuff.

[lks dcvn]

Alright - had a full day yesterday to get some stuff done-

Got the outer floor and inner rocker burned in and coated with some rust prevention paint.

Plenty of pix coming up...

I will have to fix my B pillar post patch panel - I got a bit zealous at trimming it to fit and took a bit too much off the top -

[lks dcvn]

more pix. I had to keep welding, grinding and then rewelding to get it all to solid metal without any holes - what I PITA!

[lks dcvn]

coating on and mocking up my B-pillar -

I couldn't get my cut-off wheel or the flap disk close enough to the step up to get the welds ground down smooth - so I left them - they are in there solid - so I didn't worry about it too much...

[lks dcvn]

I got the B pillar burned in last night - so that is done now - some time with a flap disc in the angle grinder should get it very close where only a small skim of glazing putty should do the trick to level it off.

I am wondering about my A pillar patch - I might just buy another patch panel and start over on that - I cut too much off the first one and it might be easier to just get another one.

**UPDATE**
I just bought a psgr side floor pan and another A pillar patch today - should be here in day or so - that should take care of the rest of the psgr side.

I am worried about hanging the door to see how this all lines up. I would hate to start over on the psgr side.

[nuke1]

Cool, lookin good.

[jaros44sr]

[QUOTE=lks dcvn;3777509

**UPDATE**
I just bought a psgr side floor pan and another A pillar patch today - should be here in day or so - that should take care of the rest of the psgr side.

I am worried about hanging the door to see how this all lines up. I would hate to start over on the psgr side.[/QUOTE]

Looks really good, the more you weld the better you get at it. That is a really tough area, as you have about 5 patch panels going in at one area, and you pulled it off...Congrats

You will probably have to tweak the 'A' post patch at the inner rocker to get your outer rocker to sit low enough, generally that is where I had problems. But, all in all it looks like a really nice job!!!

It's not that bad to have to start over, just wish I would have tacked the parts in, as opposed to a full weld. Oh well, sh!t happens, I'll get back to the passenger side one day Luckily the patch panels aren't really that expensive

[my67chevytruck]

nice progress.

[lks dcvn]

Thx for the comps guys - I am working on it almost every night now - by the time I get home, make/eat dinner and then get out there and warm up the garage - I have about an hour or two to work - which is fine by me - by then I am usually pretty tired of welding/grinding/etc. and I am ready for a break.

7 hours of sleep, 1.5 hours of working out in the morning and 8 hours of work away from the truck makes me forget how bad the process is and I am ready to start again -

I did get my flap disk up near the step and cleaned up the rest of those welds so they don't look so 'natural' anymore.

I can't see how this would go any faster in the warmer months - I would spend more time with a cold beer in my hand than a welder.

I miss the warm months. ~12 weeks and counting...

[1956cameo]

Keep up the good work its really starting to take shape.

My timeframe for progress effeciency is the exact opposite of you. Since I live in a humid subtropical environment I try to get as much work done as possible from mid November thru Early April. That is when the shop is usually a steady 50-65 degrees. Anything outside of that time frame is miserable. With shop temperatures from 90-105 degrees, with 85-100% humidity. In July and August all I want to do in the shop is sit in front of a fan and chug Gatorade. I cant do bodywork because sweat gets all over the body filler and primer; and if you paint sweat will drip onto the fresh coat of paint!

[lks dcvn]

I got the patch panels today for the a pillar and the floor -

Wasn't expecting them for another day or so - so I got started and got this one to mate a LOT better than my last one. The first one I did I tried to get fancy with - not worth it.

I didn't get to weld it in tonight, but mocked it up and then slapped on the outer rocker to see how it would measure up...little bit of fitting at the front and rear of the outer rocker, but looks pretty close to me -

Over the next few weeks I should (hopefully) get the passenger side done and then move over the driver side...

I will weld in the a pillar and then tack in the outer rocker and install the door and front fender to see how it looks - makes me wish I had an empty door shell to use...instead of heaving the loaded door around.

Wish me luck to get this side done in the next week or so. I can't wait to get to the other side.

I am booked on Saturday for most of the day so I might only have Sunday morn/afternoon to get to work on it.

[Chevyman63]

Nice work Dude!! Lookin good!

[lks dcvn]

Got the A pillar on yesterday and then tacked in the outer rocker and hung the door and the front fender - fit pretty good actually - although I need to get my door lined up a bit better...it didn't help that I removed the hinges from the doors first and then the hinges from the a pillar []

I did some more fitting, but it was getting cold so I headed inside to take a break...

I plan to get the floor patched up, the door and fender back on then swing the truck around and get started on the driver side of things. That side (I am hoping) should go much faster -

I need to clean up the front fender and see how it looks without surface rust on it...I might just swap doors, but have made that final decision yet.