I don’t know if I’m a sucker for punishment or not, but I really enjoy working on these old girls. I have been waiting for my baby daughter to arrive (due tomorrow), waiting on parts for Grandpa’s C10, and waiting on shipping mistakes. So in the meantime, I pulled out pieces I had started a couple years ago, which I was supposed to be building until the C10 fell back into my world, and got back to work on the 1950 1/2 ton.
I tested out my new welder. It runs beautifully on the MiG setting but I was itching to get the TIG going. I practiced a bit and then jumped in both feet into welding out panels on the box that I am building. I have found it very difficult to get the “stacked dimes” but I have progressed very quickly in my own mind. Now I only have to sharpen my tungsten about once every 15 minutes or so, compared to every other arc! At first things were bumpy and crooked and I had to grind things out to make it look good on the front panel’s front side against the box. The left bed side tube needed a little grinding, and the right even less. A few stitches look very good, whilst others are hmmmmm but still good enough. I will use very minimal filler but it is going well.
I welded out the front panel, left and right tubes of the bed sides with the TIG, and the rear cross sill with the MIG. I love how the TIG heat and warpage is sooo much less invasive. The tubes on the bed sides barely moved. The rear sill however, bowed about 1/8” over 4ft. Pretty good, but I bet if I’d tigged it, it would’ve stayed straight. In all I welded about 16ft with the tig last night and tonight and it is going well. I just have to finish the spot welds for the angle strips (it’s tacked), weld in nuts for the rear sill to bed side bolts, attach/drill the holes for the front panel to cross sill, and I can call this box ready and done for body and paint work.
Some of these photos are older and were in another thread but I figured I keep the whole build in one place. Here’s where the 1/2 ton sits..
Hours
Frame/Front Sheet: 12 hours
Box: 15
Total: 27
I am not including the hours spent swapping the cab and sheet metal from the old one ton onto this truck and vice versa.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SBJwxVHYJTPD8bmv8
