Picked up my '71 Single Cab today

[dpeters71single]

Another small update for my page here. I finally purchased a MIG welder for myself. It's a Lincoln Easy-Mig 140. It can be used for MIG welding or Flux Core welding. I'm going to be using it for MIG welding - all I need to do is purchase the Gas bottle and the Argon shielding gas and I'm ready to learn how to weld.

I'll also start cutting the rusty sections off of the Single Cab and replacing it with fresh metal. I'll be documenting my progress and sharing this with you all.

Thanks for your patience. I'm sure this will become much more interesting once the "real" work gets started.

I used the truck to haul a load of trash to the local land-fill last week and I'll be helping my brother haul some landscaping bricks this weekend.

I'll update again soon... I promise.

- Doug
:mrgreen:

 

[dpeters71single]

Today, I did a couple of things. Firstly, I had another mission to use the truck as a truck.

My brother needed a load of Bricks moved to his house in Grand Coulee...and since the truck is the perfect vehicle for this type of work, it was drafted into the task.

Here are a couple of photos of the truck at the Building Supplies Depot with the truck ready for action. Sadly, I'm a little new to learning how the camera operates in my smart-phone...so I got a number of photos of the ground when I actually wanted photos of the fork lift loading the bricks onto the truck bed. It was pretty cool...and the truck did a great job with such a heavy load.

Also, today I discovered that the exhaust needs some work. The long tail-pipe extension common on Type II's started drooping and eventually started to bounce on the gravel as we were driving. Once we stopped and had a look, it appeared that the clamp had given way...and that the pipe itself was ok.
With a spare clamp installed, things were much better and there is no more chance of the exhaust rubbing on the ground again.

As a side note...I also discovered that the muffler itself has several holes in it at the seams and will require replacement.

I also installed a new set of wiper blades...just in case I see any rain while I'm driving.

- DP

 

[gninnam]

Welcome back

Enjoy your welding too 8)

 

[dpeters71single]

Question...

My Single Cab needs some of the usual replacement panels that nearly all of us need.
Outer Rockers
Inner Rockers
Cab Floors
Corners
Battery Tray
etc...

My question is about Outriggers and Jack Points.

Can Split Bus outriggers and jack points fit onto a Bay Window? I only ask because Split Bus parts are readily available and Bay parts are more difficult to come by...and often of questionable quality.

I'm not asking Split Bus guys this same question for fear of being Flamed to death. ( you know how they are )

As many, if not all of you know.... My Single Cab isn't going to be a Show Car... it's a work truck that I'm patching as economically as I can and learning about how to weld on....so, to me anyways, "Factory Correct" parts aren't a top priority for me....
But I am planning to replace the parts that rust has taken away...

- Doug

 

[dpeters71single]

Hey everyone, just updating my project again. I realize that things have been slow...but I am starting to make some progress and getting a little bit more brave when it comes to this Bus.
As we all know, it's RUSTY...but I've surfed enough forums and watched enough builds to inspire me to tackle the job myself.

It's rewarding to develop new skills..and it saves me paying someone else to do it for me.
Here's a photo of my '71 SC and the rusted out rear section of the front wheel well.

And now a closer look at the challenge ahead of me.

Basically, I decided to cut out the rusted sections and try to save as much original metal as I could along the way.
The front Jack-point has some crusty spots...but in general is salvagable. The panel above the jack point
where it meets the panel above it needs some work. This coincidentally, seems to be where the loading deck floor
meets the panel below the rear-cab panel.

and here it is once I put in a little effort to clean up the surfaces a bit.

I do have a couple of concerns though. The place where the jack point meets the frame rail is narrow and impossible to
get to with my grinder. I've knocked out the rusty metal with a body working hammer ( the pointy one )...but I don't feel
that it's clean enough to weld to. Advice on how to get into such a tight space?

Here is a photo of the same section that I had cut out...looking from inside the treasure chest forward toward the wheel well.

Where the cargo floor meets the rear of the fenderwell panel ( vertical ) there seems to be a small lip that folds upward from the stamped floor section.
This is rusted, and my question is...do I try to fabricate that panel...or simply butt-weld the cargo floor to the edge of
the fender well panel ( where the big hole is ).

I realize that I need to read more rust repair threads for advice on this...but I also wanted to update you all and let you know that I am working on this...albeit, very slowly.

I have found a Parts Bus that is clean and dry...no rust in the dog-legs, fenderwell and likely the same for the jack-points and rockers. I can't see those parts because it's a Sunroof bus...and it still has its belly-pans intact. I just might salvage those too, for duty on the truck.

Feel free to give pointers, ask questions and offer advice... Flaming is not necessary, I admit right up front that I'm completely new to cutting, and welding...and I'm going to make some mistakes and poor decisions along the way.
But, for me, this is better fixed up and not rusty...than sitting in a scrap yard waiting to be crushed.

- Doug

 

[Rich]

That's great, keep working! You mentioned not being able to get your grinder into tight spaces.. can you get hold of the tiny grinder discs that can be fitted to your drill? Those should help.

Not sure what others think, but I think I'd be inclined to cut that part away as well and replace the whole section with one sheet with a 90 degree bend in it. Saying that though, that corner will be structural support for things you put in the locker area, so you want to get it right. Don't know!

Looking at the pics again, if you can clean up the metal you might be able to weld a narrow plate across the outside along the bottom, with a patch for the larger hole you've cut?

Think about it carefully, as you want to be sure you can clean up all the metal you need to weld to, before you start and then realise you can get to that part to clean it up.