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2/08/24 Over the past week, while waiting for my last cab patch to arrive (firewall in the heater area), I have been cleaning up the areas that I previously welded in patches, so I can paint the floor, the underside of the cab and the frame that is accessible. With the bed removed, It also gave me access to the frame behind the cab so I’m using this opportunity to clean, apply rust treatment and paint to this area as well.

The floor, especially the underside, had some surface rust that needed to be treated. I spent several days with an angle die grinder with a pad and a wire wheel on a side grinder, removing as much rust as I could while laying on my creeper with ear plugs, a respirator and a face shield. I could only spend about 5-15 minutes at a clip before I needed to give my arms a break. While my arms were resting, I would spend time cleaning the frame and torque tube behind the cab. What a dreadful task, but one that I wanted to get done. Once clean, I applied rust treatment and some satin black.

During this process, I questioned myself several times, if I should have separated the cab from the frame. It certainly would have made access to these areas a whole allot easier. I envied those that did a frame off restoration starting with a sandblasted frame, better yet, sent it out to be blasted. I know, it was my choice, but with too many irons in the fire, I decided to I needed to go the quicker route.

I’m pleased with the results and ecstatic that this part is done!