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Spring break starts tomorrow. Am I excited?


Yep. Hopefully I can work “flat out like a lizard drinking water” this break and get lots more done.

Thanks Doyle. Let me know so I can tidy up. It’s so much harder getting to that stuff with littles.

Today the kids and I went out to the farm to do some digging on the parts c20. I removed the rear splash aprons from behind the rear tires. The curves on these seem tighter than the reproductions I bought. I just want to compare the 2 basically. I will use the new ones, but wanted to see side by side. I also researched that the stock 72 gas pedal assembly bolts up and will accommodate the ls style throttle cable so I pulled that too. I will have to make it work on the 70. I haven’t decided if I’m using the 72 pedal or will modify the 70 style to use the 72 rod.

I told myself that I wouldn’t strip that c20, but if it’s 95% complete when I sell it, I’ll still make my money back. It’s only a gas pedal...😬😎

Also, I thought I’d ask Bolters:

Should I count time digging for parts on days like this?

Tailgate issues:

I’ve installed the tailgate. The rear sill had to be removed so I could die grind the holes a tad to get more side to side adjustment. After, I tried to close up the gate and something is really buggered here.

The right side of the gate doesn’t follow the contour of the bed side and wouldn’t close. I noticed that the gate hit the stake pockets which prevented the top from shutting fully. No problem so I pie cut the stake pocket along the vertical posts. I gained quite a bit of room from that.


Attempt 2 to close gate. Much better. The left side I was able to square up and get good gaps. But this right side is a bugger.
I’m not sure if the gate is twisted or not so I have to check it.

The bed is square. I did measure the gate and the right side is 1/8” THICKER at the same spot compared to the left.

I’m not sure exactly what to do yet, but I have to do some surgery here at some point I think.

Anybody run into similar problems with reproduction bed kits here on the Bolt? From my internet readings this seems very common with these tailgates and bedsides.

I trial ran some finishes and methods on some wood. A couple samples were actually the oak wood that came in the bed wood kit, whilst others were some planed birch I had. The aging process looks fantastic on the birch, but it turned the oak an ugly purplish colour. The far top left is the look I want, but I couldn’t get it on the oak today, so more trials are needed with more stains, etc.

I tried the box again yesterday and this evening. The tailgate doesn’t seem to be twisted. Box is square, level, even, etc and I still have that gap on the top right rear. I measured various points and the dimensions seem close enough to be good, so I still couldn’t figure out what/why it was crooked. I dug out my contour gauge and went sniffing. The left and right tailgate contours match the left hand bedside very well, but the right rear bedside is out. A lot. I wonder if the stake pocket area was welded at an angle. I haven’t measured cross corner from front to back on one side (top to bottom corners). Perhaps the right hand bedside is a slight parallelogram when viewed from the side? More digging to come, but I’m thinking I might be using that old rusty 70 bedside for a template/guide/patch if needed to get this reproduction bedside right.

Reproductions really suck. I’ve skipped a bunch of rust repair, but I am still cutting and welding...🤪 🔫

Buyer beware. A lot.

Hours: 406


EDIT: I can see why there are so many projects for sale that have new sheet metal. People buy this stuff thinking it's going to be a simple bolt up. This isn't always the case and people don't have the skill or tools to make these things work properly and have to sell at a loss.

This reproduction RH bedside has been in my kitchen for a while. Level, square, front-back, side-side, corners, top to bottom, GRRRR! So, the other day I took the new tailgate and lined it up with an original right hand bedside from 1970. Guess what? It fits like a glove. No weird stick out, contour is very good, no gap on the back end.

So...

I’ve opened the can of worms.

I am currently splicing the old corner into the new bedside. When I cut the new bedside taillight section out, the whole corner popped and twisted/shifted, hard. There was a lot of stress on that panel there. If I tried to use that piece there, I don’t think I would be able to get it into that position “straight” where it was.

The original ‘70 taillight section fit very well over the rear cross sill. The reproduction required prying and bending to get the stake pocket bottom to slide over the sill. Then I had to rubber mallet it into position and die grind out the holes. The factory GM piece slid over like butter. Just out of curiosity, I tried the old gate on the new bed panels, and it fit like the new gate with the top sticking back and out. Ugh. At least I know it wasn’t the gate’s fault.

Made in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada in 1969...weird that the original box stake assembly would fit properly compared to Made in Taiwan, 2021. 🤪

I am slowly removing metal to get my fit just right. Then I’ll blast the backside and paint it before welding this in solid.

Do you like worms? The reproduction inner panel was 1/8” out compared to the left. Add the twist stress and the contour and I think I found out the problem.

Oh, wait! Is anyone going to bug me about Chinese parts? Don’t you dare!! Bahaha! I feel terrible for people who have gotten into reproductions on a large expensive scale and had it bite them.


Hours: 411.

https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/53115433.jpg

Dang that's a lot of slicing and dicing. Hopefully you have finally worked it out.

I,m getting ready to do my floor pans and cab for corners, I suppose I'll have my own war stories when I get into it.

Looking much better! Original “Made in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada” parts seem to be the solution. I know the gate looks low, but I have adjustment up/down to level it out. It’s hard taking pictures while trying to hold a gate with no trunnion on one side, a floppy bedside, and a stake pocket sitting on a cross sill! 😎


I’m a much happier camper today.

Hours 413

That looks much better! Nice work!

I reinstalled the bed wood after tacking the new pocket in place with 7-8 good tacks. The bed wood is a little tight on the “new” corner. I see a lip on the pocket underside that needs to be tweaked, but I also suspect I may have to sand down the bed wood board on top near this location in order for it to slide under the pocket easily. No big deal. The bottom section isn’t cooperating very well, but I think a slight bend/push should line it up adequately. I’ll get it pretty darn close, then not worry too much as I suspect the bumper will conceal any teeny tiny discrepancies that may be behind it.

I have spot welded about half of this section back together and it seems to be going well. No big curveballs yet.


Well, that’s not true. As I was fitting the stake pocket in place, I dropped it and put a big dent in the outer corner that I had to hammer out. 😡 I also pounded out a couple other minor dents that will be inaccessible once in place. Then I built up a couple areas with weld that had been damaged years ago on this piece.

Still a happy camper.


Hours: 417

Oh, by the way, we had a campfire tonight! The snow is almost gone from my yard.

Halfway home. Still happy!

Hours: 418