Sunday, March 23rd
I decided to take advantage of the first beautiful day we have had in several months. Taylor went down for her nap and Sarah was working on the yard. I decided to work on something easy and get myself back in the grove of the restoration mindset. I pulled out the bench-seat and inspected the cab floor. Very good shape. The seat back seems to have the original cover, while the bottom looked like it was repaired with a yellow rain slicker. I removed the covers and padding and threw them in the trash. Seat and springs are in great shape so I started sanding the base pan. The majority of the rust came right off, but I didn't have the right paper for the project so I will finish that up later. Your thinking big deal, but I was like a kid in a candy store. Working on the seat, as I figure out what direction to take, gives me something to do.
While I'm working on the seat, Taylor comes out to the garage to see what I am
doing...
Taylor: "What are you doing?"
Me: "I'm cleaning off the rust."
Taylor: "Why?"
Me: "Rust is bad for metal. See this orange stuff? That's
rust."
After a few seconds I realize that she is quiet, so I look up to see what she is doing. She is staring at the truck with this funny look. The whole truck body is a faded red primer and you can tell she is thinking...
Taylor: "That's a lot of rust!"
Me: "I think I hear mommy calling you."
April, 2003
I should probably inform you that after some thought, I am starting at the rear of the truck and moving forward. I don't want to make repairs to get Rusty street worthy, and then have to remove everything for painting. I want to have all the body parts disassembled for paint and then when I piece her back together, she will stay that way.
Over the past month, I've been doing some small things. After I got the seat all sanded down, I started working on getting the bed off the truck while I waited for the different coats of paint to dry. This was one of those steps that was a lot of work with little results.
I immediately ran into a snag - there are a lot of "clutch head" screws in the bed assembly. I went online to Chevy Duty and ordered a set of "clutch head" screwdrivers and the "bed-to-frame" bolts, washers, nuts, and pads. While I waited for the screwdrivers, I moved on to the plywood that was acting as a bed floor.
This piece of plywood must have been in for some time. Even with penetrating oil, I couldn't get any of the bolts to budge. The bolts into the cross members have flat, round heads and are impossible to get a grip on (The original configuration has a square-holed washer that keeps the bolt from turning. These are missing on Rusty.) Now, in the last 5 years, this is about the hundredth time I could have used a simple "skill saw" in my toolbox. Setting a low cut height would have been a snap to get the plywood out. But, being hard-headed and lazy is a bad combination. So I opted for the trusty drill and Dremel to cut the plywood out. This only added about an hour to the 15 minutes it could have taken with a saw.
Sorry, but I didn't take any pictures of the plywood; The next day was garbage day, so I promptly hauled it to the curb. Anyway, the plywood was a solid 3/4 inch cut, and it makes you understand how it can be an excellent replacement for the old, original rotted wood.
Over the weeks in April, I alternated between painting the seat, hosing down the bed bolts with penetrating oil, cutting off bolts, and cussing. A good night for me would be to remove two bolts. Since I bought new bed hardware, I didn't care about the existing bolts. The best solution for me turned out to be NOT using the penetrating oil because 1) the bolt heads may not turn and I wouldn't have to worry about getting a good grip on them and/or 2) the bolts would simply break with enough force. I eventually got all the bed cross-sills out and the bed-to-frame bolts.
I wanted to completely disassemble the bed, but I was having a hard time with the fender-to-bedside hardware. Those clutch-head screws suck, and strip very easily. I didn't want to chance damage to the bedside by drilling/cutting them out, and it was simply too awkward to get at them from under the fenders. So, I just removed the whole bed as one piece (minus the tailgate and the front panel). Actually, Sarah and I managed to remove it ourselves with out much trouble. I laid it upside down in the garage. This made it easier to get at the bolts. If you decide the do this, I recommend removing the steps, but leave the front and rear cross-sills attached until you get it in the garage. Now, the bed is disassembled and ready for sanding and paint. For now, I'll just put it aside until I get the other body pieces off.
Once again, I am extremely happy with the shape of the body and frame. Everything seems to be surface rust and the frame is cleaning up nicely. Using the angle-grinder and some heavy-grit disk (or paper) is making it a snap. I plan on getting the rear portion of the frame sanded and painted next. I'll also be replacing the rear leaf springs, shocks, and taking a look at the brakes.
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