I draw the line as far as feeling guilty about hacking a truck up at the
salvage yard. To me, thats what those trucks are there for. I have torched
many patch panels from various parts of these trucks and am lucky to have a
cooperative salvage owner who doesnt crush these trucks no matter how cut up
they are. Never know when a good piece could be used. I do try to hack up
just one or two trucks rather than all of them. The way I figure it, most
old truckers wouldnt weld as much metal into these cabs as I do. They would
find a better cab. I am preserving cabs that are pretty bad off. Makes you
sick when you realize the tens of thousands of these trucks that went to the
crusher over the years.
Deve Krehbiel
Hesston, Kansas
1950 3100 * 1949 3600 * 1948 4400 * 50 3100
www.speedprint.com/Deves50/index.html
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bobby D Keeland" <bob_keeland@usgs.gov>
To: <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2001 8:42 AM
Subject: Re: [oletrucks] Welding Progress Report
> Deve,
>
> I understand your fustrations with the PO hacking up the dash. I
once
> had a 36 F**d Tudor that someone had hacked the entire backend out of,
> apparently with an axe.
>
> When you stop to think about it you have become the 'PO' that you complain
> about. Some day someone is going to go to the same salvage yard that you
> visited and look at the dash of a pickup and curse the 'PO' who hacked up
> the dash that would have been just what he needed. Something to think
> about. We all do what we think we have to at the time. I would have done
> the same thing that you did and let the next guy fend for himself.
>
> BobK
> 51 3600 5-window (project)
> 98 RAM (hers)
> 99 HD Sportster (still in the shop)
> Arnaudville, LA
>
>
>
>
>
> "Deve Krehbiel"
> <dkrehbiel@kscable.c To:
<oletrucks@autox.team.net>
> om> cc:
> Sent by: Subject: [oletrucks]
Welding Progress Report
> owner-oletrucks@auto
> x.team.net
>
>
> 03/07/01 05:17 PM
> Please respond to
> "Deve Krehbiel"
>
>
>
>
>
> Awhile back I shared with you all my dismay about what previous owners
seem
> to think they have the right to do with their trucks. In this case,
someone
> took a pair of tinsnips and cut out a huge hole in the dash to accomodate
a
> much larger radio than would normally fit. The hole wasnt even square or
> neat. It was just snipped out and then holes drilled high and low to bolt
> it
> in. No effort was made to make it look like anything but a garbage truck.
> Okay so I am slowly getting over it but I do have good news....
>
> I went to the salvage yard and had the owner torch out a piece of the dash
> on a salvage truck that was slightly bigger than what I would need to
patch
> my dash. I then took a die grinder and trimmed this piece so it was square
> and manageable to install in the dash of my truck. After sandblasting the
> piece and cleaning the edges, I put that piece up to the dash and drew a
> line around it in the exact place I needed to cut the old mess out of. I
> was
> very careful to measure several times and make sure I cut slightly inside
> the line to ensure there were no surprises. The idea was to butt weld the
> piece into place so I needed NO gaps anywhere. I proceeded to cut the hole
> out of the dash and it was slightly too small (just like I wanted). The
> little 3" die grinder makes the best trimmer for enlarging the hole. If I
> used my Makita grinder, it would have been too aggressive. After I made
the
> hole exactly perfect.. and this is a challenge that takes patience more
> than
> anything else.. I took the grinder with a 120 grit flap disk and cleaned
> off
> the old paint around the hole. This is a very important step before butt
> welding thin sheetmetal. It takes the contaminants out of the picture
> allowing a good clean weld with minimum heat. I then placed the new piece
> in
> the hole and used several welding clamps to hold it in place. You have
only
> one shot to do this right, so the clamping is real important. You need to
> make sure its even with the dash and that isnt as easy as it should be.
> Your
> next hazard is that butt welding thin sheetmetal is not easy since the
> initial amperage from the welder wants to blow a hole in the work instead
> of
> adding weld to it. Strike the welder against the dash first and then
> quickly
> run the weld over the crack. The dash first since thats where the welder
is
> grounded to and makes the best contact.
>
> Once you have it tacked in place in about 6 areas... and only tacked.. you
> cant use the welder like a sewing machine and stitch it up. You need to
run
> a very small 1/4" or so tack in one place, then go across to the other
side
> and do another, and then on top, bottom and repeat until the entire piece
> is
> welded in. Its very tricky because you not only have to worry about
blowing
> a hole in it, but the worst enemy is warpage. If you apply too much heat
to
> one place (and almost none is too much) you warp the dash and it would
look
> really bad afterwards and then almost impossible to repair.
>
> Now, instead of doing what is normal and grabbing your Makita with a
> grinding disc, put a 120 grit sandpaper flap disk in the Makita. Even if
it
> takes longer to do it, it will not be too agresssive and really makes for
a
> smooth base. Also, grinding can overheat the metal and cause warpage. Run
> the flap disc for short periods before moving on to the next area, then
> revisit the areas that are needed. In case it isnt clear, I welded on top,
> not under the dash. Although ones first impression that its better to weld
> under the dash, you quickly get over that when you cant get in where you
> need to easily while doing such intricate work.
>
> After the welding is completed, its my opinion that no matter how good you
> are in welding, there is no getting around the need for a skim coat of
> filler. Welding just doesnt make for a perfect finish no matter how hard I
> try. Trying too hard can warp the work and cause you great pain. I used a
> product from Sherwin Williams called Gray Spot Putty. I put some on my
> finger and just rub it into the places it needed and then let it dry for
> about an hour before sanding with 300 grit. After the spot putty, I used
> Sherwin Williams Gray Primer Filler and then resanded.
>
> How does it look? I would bet there is no-one on the planet that can tell
> this piece was ever welded in. The work came out exactly as I had
> envisioned. I cant imagine anything more satisfying than seeing that
hacked
> up dash transformed into a source of pride.
>
> We spend to much time worrying about our individual rights but when we
sell
> a vehicle to someone else we figure what the heck.. pass on the trouble to
> the next guy, afterall, its not my problem anymore. What we sometimes fail
> to realize is that we are all in this together and someday that person may
> have to make the decision as to wether or not to pull your sorry butt out
> of
> a burning car or something. As to wether I would pull the good ole boy
that
> hacked this dash all up out of a burning car.. I suppose, but I can always
> fantasize! Cost for the entire escapade was gas to drive 180 miles to the
> salvage yard and back, the $25.00 for the salvage owner, $20.00 in putty
> and
> materials, and about 10 hours of my time.
>
> Hope this helps someone! :) (especially if you have a tinsnips in your
> hand!)
>
> Deve Krehbiel
> Hesston, Kansas
> 1950 3100 * 1949 3600 * 1948 4400 * 50 3100
> www.speedprint.com/Deves50/index.html
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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