Lock on Tommy
All the panels are now stripped of paint, bog and RUST! Apart from some small parts on the front wings all are mint
 
Even though all the blurb says that the one piece windows (tinted) and the bear claw latches are an easy install and can be fitted to a painted truck. I thought I wouldn't risk leaving them until the truck is all painted not with my luck anyway. So I started with the bear claws. Fit the template cut the hole. Fit one bolt that locates in an original hole, mark 4 more holes drill and fit... Ha Ha.. how easy was that then.. yep it was that easy. Apart from having to re-hang the doors perfectly again which is no mean fit all on ya own (Billy No Mates) but I did do it after much swearing and cursing and trapping of fingers the catchjob was easy.
 
I found you can get a real nice effect on the polished stainless, by pushing hard on the drill and don't stop pushing even when the hole is cut. So the drill chuck hits the nice polished stainless and turns a real nice groove in it... arghhhhh Twat! Then its just bolt up the striker using original holes. I bit of fettling and the doors shut peach and with a reassuring latch sound. Great stuff Just a note I ordered the weld in mild steel ones, but put P-S in the part code, I thought it meant plain steel.. doh
 
Now then that was easy wasn't it. What I did think was great, was that in the original advert (now changed) for these easy fit Alderman Bear claws it was stated that you used all the original handles and levers. To my surprise when they arrived there was a note saying that they don't in fact use the original levers at all to lock.. er just open ??? Derrrr.. so what ya gotta do? Well they say you can only lock using the outside door lock... so no locking from inside if you drive through a dodgy neighborhood ;o)... As I don't have a passenger lock and the holes was welded up I had to hatch a plan or I would not be able to lock the passenger door ever...... You can see a turned nob on this side that is what I came up with.. cost next to nowt and took a few minutes to make so why the fuck aren't they fitted from standard?? I will just have to lengthen a tad for when I put door cards on.
Twas this simple to make, a bent bit a steel and a spare nob.. ;o) Mind you took me hours to work out what I needed to make first..
 
One piece windows should be cool as fuk, they do away with that crappy quarter light that never shuts properly and mine where in a right state, would of cost more to replace all the parts Glass was also all chuffed, so less to get the one piece kit and in my opinion would far better and suit the style I am after to. They are toughened smoked grey superbly finished and are curved so no major door surgery. so the instruction proudly said. And they can be fit to a painted truck ha ha ha ha ha ha... Yeah right with my talent and ham fisted ability no fukin chance er and I was right I was later to prove!
First you have to split the quarter light mounts and it says knock em down and use them to glue felts on... na I cut the blighters right off as I fear they might scratch the glass and to be honest I tried to knock em down and it would damage the door tops in my opinion. Then you have to cut back the top mounts in the upper door, er with a hack saw the instruction said.. I would like to fukin see ya.. Tossers.. I used a 1mm plasma cutting disc, even that was no easy task either and I did mark the sides with grinder | knew I would (wont be seen) then you drill it and that's that, apart from fitting the channel and felt etc, I will do that once painted ;O)
 
This is the real piss take, it says cut out the metal to the template.. er yeah..left is the template hole. What you are after removing is the inner skin to this size.. it says use a die Grinder... must be something totally different in the states as you tell me how you can get in with one?? In the end I cut the hole to the bigger size one on the right and got in with the plasma disc again and an air saw.. was still not easy and took friggin ages. You even have to cut out metal above this hole which has compound curves to brighten up the proceedings.. A proper plasma cutter that's what ya need..
 
Here you can see the metal is slowly being removed and the door hinge needed circumcising aswell, You then re drill this for the new channel to bolt to, once I was happy it was all clear inside the door for the glass I welded the cut out section back in place.
You can see a bit clearer in this picture the section that needs to be cut out of the inner door making the hole bigger made life easier, in fact I don't think with my tools I could of done it at all with the template hole that comes with the kit... and as for on a a painted door ha ha yeah Ok not this guy..
Door latched and one piece windowed it was prep time for the doors, the drivers one was a doddle a little leveling and it was done. The passenger. was a nightmare. The old door lock hole was badly welded up, I knew what to do didn't I... I will make it real neat with my welding.. I took my time, I spaged a bit and then went and started on a rear wing while it cooled, spaged a bit more let it cool and so on.. the last little bit I thought fuk it I will finish it, as not much left and booooing the door edge oil canned...
Now this door was absolutely mint, apart from the lock hole it was perfect... er not any more.. I am not exaggerating, I actually puked when I realized what I had done.. A tear wheeled up and I just was just so fuking pissed off I cant tell ya, I phoned Nige Stephens and got his advice on metal shrinking, I tried that and really just made it worse so.... I walked away, I shut the garage I cried. well nearly. Next day I took a deep breath and beat on it for a while, got it as near as I was ever going to and bogged the bugger up, it is real flat now so it will look OK but I still feel sick about it... I can be such a twat sometimes.
 
The rear cab seam I welded some time back, I had now stripped the paint enough so I could fill and prep it along with blending the brake light.
 
I filled and flatted the seam about 3 times and every time I had some spare
filler from doing the doors I stuck it on the rear cab. So there was definitely enough on to flat. I bloody hate flatting and finding it is low and have to add more to get a level was not going to happen this time.. The final sanding and prepping seemed to happen fairly quickly and is pretty damn near perfect. Just a bit of fettling to do round the break light I was real chuffed, I just shot some zinc primer on for now. I am going to wipe the cab before it goes to paint with some phosphoric acid ( rust neutralizer) but the primer shows me where any imperfections are and to be honest there aren't any.. Hey I got one right!
I need a new wing for the drivers side really, but at $550 just for shipping and a $350 tag for the front wing... this baby is gonna get beat upon and filled. unless I can find an old craftsman who could wheel it flat for me.. The wing is hammer marked everywhere from a past repair, the shape is there its just so far from flat, it is going to take a load of work and more skill than I have I fear.
I trial fit the new sidelights and what a load of shyte, at first I was blaming my grill conversion, but I remembered I kept the light shrouds as original I just changed the centre piece. so after about 3 hrs filing and grinding, they fit pretty good , the other side was no where near as bad a fit as this one..
A job I was fearing and I asked ever single person who came to my garage what they would do to fettle the bed sides, they needed some serious panel beating on the top that you just couldn't get to for the stake pockets.. Nobody really came up with a plan I liked. So one day in a fit of madness I drilled out the rear stake pockets. Then I could get at the top edge that was badly bent and damaged and beat on that bugger for a while. ;o) Hey it worked, I just needed some new stake pockets now Ha Ha easy eh??? I went to my local fabricators and they made me a pair in no time flat £20 result $98 + shipping etc from the states, so I was chuffed and they were made longer so I can roll the ends for a more flowing fit to the bed sides cool eh.. They are going to take a lot of time are these bed sides but should be a little smoother and different to the std ones work.
 
I managed to scrounge a better cowl vent, but I cant make it a useable one as I wanted, as the heater unit stops it shutting Boo... So it will be welded shut.. it will keep the theme flowing though I suppose, along with rest of the smoothed cab and modernized windows etc..
Here is just another pointless gratuitous shot of my painted hood I love it, I did need to make sure it still followed the cab cowl line though really and it does. thank fuk for that.
 
So here are most of the parts ready for paint, apart from the bed sides and the rear wings that is.
It is funny when I look round the internet at peoples projects I see amazing and perfect work. I get a bit embarrassed at the naivety and amateurish work I do, but I want to document it, one for my own gratification and two hopefully it will have elements that help others who may be just as crap at stuff as me.
Well that's about where I am now 17th March 2007.. tomorrow is Mothers Day so no working on the truck for me. Stuff needs doing round the house now, in the garden, in my work, in my life .... how the hell I am going to get this sucker done I have no idea and everyone says the hardest part is yet to come, where I am at is a doddle. Many an abandoned project got way past where I am at.. so keep sending me positive vibes guys .. I need all the help I can get xxx Holmsey ;o)
Page 22 |
