My '84

[SJTD]

After spending an inordinate amount of time fixing the bow I put into the inner side of the window opening I fixed the crack.



I don?t know how real welders do it but to keep from blowing away the edges I put in some material to run the bead out on.



Welded.




Finished.






While I had the Dremel out I opened up the hole for the tailgate lever. I had to work at it to get out so hopefully it will go back in easier without messing up the paint.






Tried removing the shelf paper but it was too far gone to peel off even with heat so I removed it and the paint with the heat gun and a scraper. Found this; must have been a pin hole in the vinyl.







Next was the holes for the aluminum trim. I was going to use filler but with the potential of the inside seeing moisture I decided to weld them.






There was some crinkly paint above the key so remove it and found this. Looks like the paint cracked and let water into the plastic filler.





In painting the body I found the factory spot welds to be a problem. Upset metal around them really messes you up when sanding even if you?re not looking for a perfect job. From now on every one of the buggers I find gets hit with the disc sander to knock it down to flush.






Treated the rust spot with Fertan. Next week I?ll see how it looks. Maybe break out the spot blaster.

Be gone to Mule Days next week but hope to have it painted the following weekend.

[Achilles]

Good to have a visual of how u fixed it. Thanks

[Carnuck]

Don't know if it was mentioned but the up/down wiring of the gate motor isn't the same for all years. Earlier ones grounded to the body and put power to either wire for up or down. Awesome stuff otherwise.

[SJTD]

Didn't know about the early wiring. I wonder if the new system is better. Seems like it requires fancier switches.


Got some prep done and sore fingers from sanding the sides of the tailgate but no paint.


Treated the rust spot with metal etch. I think the brand is Krud Kutter. Had it already mixed so didn?t look at the bottle. I used to use Jasco but can?t find it anymore.

Squirt, let it sit, scrub with wire brush, work at the pits with a pick, repeat until clean.






Filled the welds. Bearing in mind that they are at the bottom of the tailgate on a DD I?m calling these good enough and ready for 2k spot putty to fill the 60 grit scratches before priming.



The dents above the key need more work. Three surfaces with a crease between two of them. Had something like this on the quarter panel that I never got right.

[SJTD]

Haven’t posted in a while but making some progress. Trying to keep up the posting really makes you appreciate the extra work some guys do with their threads.

Got the tailgate ready for paint. The white areas in this pic are actually galvanizing that I didn’t sand off. There was quite a bit of it that was corroded. Took those areas down to the steel and treated it with metal etch. That gives the steel the gold color.



Primed with epoxy and painted then shot Raptor on the interior.




While I was at it I shot the quarter window trim. This is what happens when you try to get the last bit of Raptor out of the gun. Going to need some sanding and another coat.




Wet sanded the exterior with 1500 and buffed it with McGuiars 105 on a wool pad. Still need to use the 205 on foam. Looks better than in person but it’s almost good enough as is. I have two things going for me where the paint’s concerned. It’s a light color and I’m not looking for show quality.



Of course I’d like a paint job like Strode’s but I don’t have the ambition to do it myself or the money to pay for it and I’d be hesitant to use the thing for its intended purpose.


Here’s a plant that sprouted under the kitchen window at the Lompoc place. Should I pot it for inside?

[DarkMonohue]

The tailgate looks great!

Here?s a plant that sprouted under the kitchen window at the Lompoc place. Should I pot it for inside?

Totally. I'll bring over some Tecnu.

[SJTD]

Since I don’t like the metal pin sliding in a slot design on the window lift; here’s something I’ve been working on when I should have been color sanding the body:






Installed on the tailgate regulator





An update on the Coroplast headliner. After several months installed without the interior lights or edge supports, stored in the insulated garage where it still gets pretty warm, the rear piece is sagging a little in the center.




The front section is not. Maybe because it fit a little tighter.




If I push up where the dome lights belong it takes out the sag so I think it will be fine once everything is put back in place.

[SJTD]

Used 3M urethane seam sealer on the bottom seam



Put in some sound deadener/vibration dampener/CLD/whatever you want to call it on both front and back walls




This stuff



It's thick, 106 mil I think, and not as spensive as some of the big names. Pretty sure it's really butyl as advertised. Stuck my nose right in the bag when I opened it and could barely smell it and neither gas nor lacquer thinner dissolve it like they do asphalt.

[SJTD]

Got the body color sanded. Seriously considered not sanding the whole roof and only doing the visible areas but I went for it; the peel was pretty bad up there.

Had to touch up a few places where the paint was a little thin. I?ll sand those on Friday and buff it out. Glad I used SS nonmetallic. Easy to repair.

When I was doing body work on this quarter panel it was really flimsy with the big hole for the filler so I welded the metal cup on the inside, stiffened it right up. Kick myself every time I see it that I didn?t put a drain at the bottom. The ID at the bottom was a place where I started to see gray so I resanded the area with 400 and gave it a few more coats. Have I mentioned I?m glad I used SS?



My ebay score. A buck plus $25 shipping. Felt bad so I sent the guy my minimum bid of $15 after I got it.



This is all I really wanted; the .48 area ratio turbine housing. This is supposed to wake up the SD33T motor by making the TC spin up quicker; boost comes on right off idle. Stock is .62.

Might have it ceramic coated if I can convince myself that a coating a few thousandths thick will make a difference and hold up. Anyone have experience with it?

[DieselSJ]

My ebay score. A buck plus $25 shipping. Felt bad so I sent the guy my minimum bid of $15 after I got it.


Might have it ceramic coated if I can convince myself that a coating a few thousandths thick will make a difference and hold up. Anyone have experience with it?

I ceramic coated the exhaust housing in my TE06H. It really cut down on the underhood heat. I also did the inside and outside of my downpipe and my exhaust manifolds.

[SJTD]

Where'd you send it or did you do it yourself?

Somewhere I've got a link for a source for do it yourself stuff. They claim it's as good as the professionally applied coating.

[DieselSJ]

Where'd you send it or did you do it yourself?

Somewhere I've got a link for a source for do it yourself stuff. They claim it's as good as the professionally applied coating.

Had it done at a local shop when I lived in San Diego. I have a local guy here in Phoenix that has done some parts for our desert racer and the finish has been great.

[SJTD]

Thanks to Achilles’ thread I opened up my motor for a look


It wouldn’t have kept the window from working but it would top and bottom out hard. If your glass movement seems to lag then start with a jerk your motor might look like this inside.

I found some urethane bushings from Energy Suspensions and modified them.






Put some sound deadener in the quarter panels




A nonscientific test. The camera was centered between the sides and I tapped on the panels with my fingertips. Might be wishful thinking but the difference seemed more evident in person

http://vid371.photobucket.com/albums/oo156/anotherjoespics/Public%20Stuff/100_4842_zpsb3cozlbj.mp4

I dunno if there's a better way to insert a video.

[Achilles]

Yep, that is exactly the way mine looked inside. The bushings are a good choice. Lookin good.

[SJTD]

Yeah, certainly better than what was in there. I looked but my local stores didn't have the bushings you used.

What's strange is that I'm sure I opened this thing up in the late 90's and lubed it based on my recollection and the MoS2 grease. I certainly wouldn't have put it together like that so the bushings crumbled with the thing parked with the window up.

I've got the relays installed and mostly wired. Maybe I can get the tailgate installed this weekend.

Just had an interview about a transfer to Pueblo. That'll sure mess up progress if it happens.