restoration Front restoration of GMC 352

[HWade]

Hello Mate

 

Your making a good of it, keep up the good work, nice to see you have help with the restoration.

 

regards

 

 

Howard

[R Cubed]

 

This is the back edge of the side with lower part of the inner brace cut out.

 

 

Here is the front edge of the lower part of the inner bracing cut out to remove all the rusty bits, so easy with the plasma cutter.

 

 

This is the out side of the panel with the old lower part cut off.

 

 

This is the out side bottom part of the main panel cut back to remove all the rusty bits.

 

 

 

Here you can see the front corner which is where the three panels meet up.

 

 

This is the front lower corner again showing the different parts and areas of corrosion.

The separate green bit fits on the end of the rusty corner bit just to the left of it. Outer skin remover further up to enable rust removal.

 

 

 

Old and new, this is the replacement part for the bottom of the main front corner piece which runs vertically from top to bottom of the front edge of the side panels, this is a thicker piece to the main panel skin.

 

 

Close up of new bit

 

 

 

New panel bent up and almost ready to fit but need to carry out some slight cutting but looking good.

 

 

Above two pics of the new panel I have made to replace the rotten bottom edge of the side panel, still needs a little adjusting and then welding in and spraying up. But whether it will fit ....who knows....

Edited January 24, 2010 by R Cubed

[Bodger Baz]

looks like those panels could do with being grit blasted ;-)

[R Cubed]

Hello Mate

 

Your making a good of it, keep up the good work, nice to see you have help with the restoration.

 

regards

 

 

Howard

 

Thanks Howard, sure you must have been here with yours !

 

Only I have chosen the hard route to dismantle the cab insitu. I am getting there with it soon will have lots of paint and will be sorted.

[R Cubed]

Fantastic work Rich and a nice thread to show how to take the cab to bits.

 

Thanks Jack, biggest body sort out I have done yet on my truck but should be good for another 60 years once finished :wow:

 

Need to sort out the bonnet hinges, some clever sole has welded the hinges to the cab cowl :mad:

[R Cubed]

looks like those panels could do with being grit blasted ;-)

 

Well you would say that wouldn't you....:cool2:

 

 

Know of any good blasting places.

[Chrisg]

I hope Rosie is keeping you well supplied with tea & cake

[R Cubed]

I hope Rosie is keeping you well supplied with tea & cake

 

Of course she is you know what a good girl she is. :cool2:

[R Cubed]

Here is the finished rear cab panel just need some green paint !!!!

 

 

 

Here is the new pane I made for the side panel

 

 

 

This is the other side panel of the cab looks worse but is a bit better I have just cut the rusty bit out

 

 

 

Here the rusty section has been cut out

 

 

At present I am making a new panel for this side will post some more later in the week

[R Cubed]

Back here again,

 

Had some help again over the week end and some lovely weather too, so got on and removed the rest of the cab off the truck.

 

First thing was to unbolt the main floor from the two cab chassis rails once this was done it was possible to remove the main floor so just leaving the cab cowl and dash assy in place fixed to the cab chassis rails.

Here you can see the cab chassis rails just outside the trucks main chassis rails.

 

 

Just a little pointer to what is what.

 

 

Below you can see the main floor panel and the seat base frame.

 

 

This is the main floor panel again but with the seat base removed.

 

 

This is the left hand side cab chassis rail, also showing the position of a floor support bracket. These rails are bolted to the cab cowl in the corners, a fiddly job, once unbolted these rails can be removed.

 

 

This is where it came from these are handed so there is another one on the right hand side of the truck floor

 

 

This is just rotated forward to see the other side of the bracket.

 

 

Looking forward into the cab towards the engine.

 

 

Once the cab chassis rails have been unbolted off the forward part of the cab it now leaves the cab cowl and dash assy free of the truck, NOTE remember to keep your eyes open for all the little wires and cables and earth straps you have missed which will stop you getting too far.

The two most important ones are the water temp capillary tube, break this off and its time for a new gauge !!!!!!!! the other is the flexy hose the oil pressure gauge, just down by the foot pedals.

 

We have just started rolling the cab off the chassis.

 

 

Important Note......

 

When getting friends to help ensure they don't take all the weight of the cab and then slip over, if this happens you get !!!!!.

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THIS

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Well after the initial crash and bang, I went for the camera first, well you would wouldn't you, then it was "oh are you ok over there" After some mumbling and other words which are best left to the moment, we got back on with the job.

 

 

 

Below is the dash and cowl off the truck.

 

 

Here I have marked the fixing bolts which at this point are the only ones holding the two bits together there are 7 bolts across the top part of the dash which have captive nuts, very handy. the far outer two bolts on the dash panel do have loose nuts, then the last two are at the far outer edges of the dash but on the underside lip, theses again are nuts and bolts.

 

 

This is the last bit at the moment this is the cab cowl.

 

Edited February 7, 2010 by R Cubed

[AndyFowler]

Excellent posting ! I can see a future working for Haynes manuals if you needed it ! Well done ! :-D

[G506]

Important Note......

 

When getting friends to help ensure they don't take all the weight of the cab and then slip over, if this happens you get !!!!!.

 

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THIS

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]22365[/ATTACH]

 

Well after the initial crash and bang, I went for the camera first, well you would wouldn't you, then it was "oh are you ok over there" After some mumbling and other words which are best left to the moment, we got back on with the job.

 

 

 

Its your own fault for using cheap foreign labour (from Southampton)

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys..............

[Bodger Baz]

don't be so nasty, even monkeys can be trained to do basic tasks, comparing them to scummers is an insult to primates!

[R Cubed]

Important Note......

 

 

Its your own fault for using cheap foreign labour (from Southampton)

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys..............

 

Yea but if I paid peanuts you would be convulsing on the floor and foaming at the mouth.

 

So pay peanuts get dead friends !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bodger Baz]

oh well, i have the key to the shed with a chevy in!!! ;-)

[R Cubed]

Been on and off getting on with the de-rusting of panels, the cab side panels are now done, awaiting priming and paint. got on with the bonnet, issue here was the bonnet hinges were welded to the bonnet due to the fixing bolts being broken off, and then the front bonnet latch points had rotted out, this proved a challenge as those sections of the bonnet are curved in all directions especially down to the front corner :mad: well got on and cut out all the rotted bits and beat some new metal about for an hour or so and hey presto got some nice new metal to re-fix the catches to, I will post some pics of the before and after when I get a chance.

 

How time goes by only about 8 weeks to get it done no pressure then :wow:

[R Cubed]

Here are some pics of the inside front edge of the bonnet before I got my hands on it.

 

 

This is inside front left corner, in top left of pic you can just see the bonnet hook bracket, centre of pic is a rubber buffer which stops the bonnet rattling on the top of the radiator brush guard, there should be 3 of then I only had 2 and don't think they are correct as the recesses are smaller than the rubbers.

 

 

Same as above but this is the right hand side notice the bonnet rubber is missing.

 

 

This is a little further back on the left hand side of the bonnet showing the cut out so the bonnet misses the radiator surround, then on the out side is the hook bracket.

 

 

Same as above but showing the right hand side.

 

 

This is a pic of the left bonnet hook bracket

 

 

This is a pic of the right bonnet hook bracket, this one is only just on there !

[R Cubed]

Here are some pics of the finished cab sides, just need a little filler and paint and all will be good.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the inside of the side panel of the cab, the lower part of the bare metal part is what has been replaced.

 

So after some work here is the bonnet nearly finished, but you can see what has been done, considering I don't have any fancy tools for shaping the sheet metal I think I am doing well.

 

 

This is the outside right front corner, minus the bonnet hook bracket.

 

 

This is the inside of the same corner. Notice my new recess for the bonnet rubber buffer.

 

 

This is the outside left front corner, minus the bonnet hook bracket.

 

 

This is the inside of the same corner.

Edited March 15, 2010 by R Cubed

[R Cubed]

Had some good days, got on and finished the bonnet sorted out the stiffening panel across the front of the bonnet, and sorted out the hinge holes at the other end. So another bit finished.

 

Made a start on the main cab floor quite simple as it is just flat but need to know where the side edges will be once I cut all the old rot off, so spent some time tonight marking and measuring so hopefully get the new bit in the right place.

[R Cubed]

Well here is the the next step of the on going job. This is the cab main floor panel, common problem areas on open cabs are both sides of the floor which bolt to the cab sides and the front sections which have a bracing panel under it to add stiffness.

 

 

Here is the right side of the floor you can see where the rot is and the row bolt holes which bolt the side to the floor.

 

 

This is the front edge of the same side, where all the rot is is where there is a bracing panel under the floor panel, this is spot welded in several places.

 

 

This is a part of the floor cut out

 

 

This is the front part cut out, in this pic you can see the thicker stiffening panel through the rust holes.

 

 

Here I have cut off the edge and replaced it with a new section.

 

 

Here is another view with the cut off front section on top.

 

 

this is the bigger part up to the front edge, just need some tiding up.

 

 

 

 

 

An under view of the panel

 

 

[G506]

R, Have'nt you finished that simple little five minute job yet?

 

[RMS]

R, Have'nt you finished that simple little five minute job yet?

 

 

he's going for the 5.......no sorry 10 year restoration like you! :cool2:

[G506]

I was waiting for that!!!

 

:-D

[R Cubed]

R, Haven't you finished that simple little five minute job yet?

 

 

No..... not yet my ace welder is swanning round the world :nut:

[R Cubed]

he's going for the 5.......no sorry 10 year restoration like you! :cool2:

 

You should be sorting out that coil :-D