1980 F150 4x4 Flareside Project

[ArdWrknTrk]

Good luck today!  

Driving dozens of rivets out is a thankless task.

[Gary Lewis]

I'm glad the drill & chisel method worked well.  That's a lot of rivets, but if you get a system that works it won't be quite so bad.

Speaking of bad, that angle bracket looks BAD!  Yipes, I'm glad I don't have to deal with that.

But your welding and reinforcement looks good.  And if the bolts fit snugly it is going to work out nicely.  

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Driving dozens of rivets out is a thankless task.

I removed 14 more rivets this morning! YES, it is a thankless task. That's 38 rivets this week, and I still have to remove all four leaf spring hangers, and I'm planning to remove the front cab mount brackets as well. This is middle crossmember, the one over the rear of the mid-ship fuel tank. It is in much better condition and only has a couple thin spots I'll have to patch and reinforce. Not so bad. Problem is...I got a twinge in my back while doing this, so I'm out of commission for a little bit while I wait for some pills to take effect. Off to watch Motor Trend for a little while...lol (Junkyard Gold, Roadkill, and Engine Masters).



It took as long (or longer) to remove the four bottom rivets as it did the 10 on the top. That sh!t is UNFUN.

Gary Lewis wrote

I'm glad the drill & chisel method worked well.  That's a lot of rivets, but if you get a system that works it won't be quite so bad.

Gary, it works super well, at least on the frame rivets. So this is my new procedure: Shave the top half of the rivet head off with my zipcut disk so I can locate the center easier, and center punch it. Drill 1/8" pilot hole, and then a 3/8" hole, both far enough through that they pass through the hole in the frame. One little touch with the air chisel, and I'm serious those heads launch into orbit...they just dissappear. The rivets in the crossmembers however are not as easy...the heads are harder to remove for some reason, and take some work.

So 38 rivets removed this week, and according to my math, I'll have about another 30 or so to go. No big deal. No wonder my back is sore...lol.

Happy Sunday guys. Thanks again for all your help.

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

At least your crossmember holes weren't so big as the bushing poked all the way through!

I had to put the patch on top and weld from the bottom, because I wasn't about to pull my cab.

Laying under a flux core weld is not too pleasant.  

Jim,

I've seen A LOT of 1980-1996 Crossmembers like that, with the cab mounts poking through the hole. I was very fortunate that these ones were all still intact, albeit a little thin. At least they were worth patching, and I think now plenty strong.

Welding overhead ugh...
Been admitted to the burn unit lately??...lol.
I did a lot of welding when I was younger, and did a lot of overhead welding with 6011 rods...I remember having burns all over my head and neck...lol. UNFUN.

PS: I'm really loving the needle scaler. I've been using it steadily on all of these parts.

[grumpin]

Good job! Quite the project!

[ArdWrknTrk]

I've seen "frame off" restorations, but it isn't often you take the parts "off the frame" ....

Cory loves a project.
I'm sure it will keep you busy through the winter.

[Gary Lewis]

Well done, Cory!  You are busting right through those rivets.  

We need to write that process down as it is probably the best way to remove rivets.  

[ArdWrknTrk]

6011 on a buzz box is a lot of spatter but it does cut through contaminated material.
Farm welding at its finest!

More than once I've been unable to see I was on fire with the hood down.
By the time you realize that your X is 'really hot' your shirt is cinders.
Chamois cloth is very prone to this....  

[Gary Lewis]

My father pulled me out of my '58 Bel Air when it caught fire from welding.  We put it out pretty quickly with no damage, but I sure couldn't see it with the hood on.  And I couldn't understand his yelling, so he grabbed me and pulled me out.

And I'm sure I was using 6011 as that's all we used.

[1986F150Six]

Rembrant wrote

"New Scotland" license plates... nice!

[Rembrant]

1986F150Six wrote

"New Scotland" license plates... nice!

Ha! Yes, some old motorcycle plates there, and the red one is an "Off Highway" for an ATV that I sold this spring. We have to plate them here.

[Rembrant]

Funny how things go. I had been looking for a couple years for a Bullnose 4x4 Flareside project truck, and could never find anything. So I buy this rust bucket 1980, and then go to all the work of stripping a 1995 4x4 for a donor, and what pops up 2 days ago locally...



It's a 1986 with a 300 and 4spd. Currently not running, as you can probably tell by looking at it. No papers either. It's a little over an hour away. I REALLY don't need it...lol, but I'm stopping to look at it anyway.

The no papers thing can be an issue around here...so it might end up being a parts truck.

[ArdWrknTrk]

That visor is SO period!  

That's usually the way.
Turn every stone and come up empty handed.
Make a stretch, to make it happen, and it seems they pop up everywhere like toadstools!

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

That visor is SO period!  

The body lift is so period too...lol.

I swear to god seeing this for sale raised my blood pressure for the day. I even had an ad placed online looking for one of these trucks. Seriously. Oh well, I have to pass by fairly close tomorrow anyway, so I'm going to swing by and see it.

[Gary Lewis]

Yep, it happens that way frequently.  But, since there is no title then it should go cheaply.  And you can never have too many parts.  As an example, today I realized that Big Blue's transfer case shifter was wonky.  Turned out it was missing two bushings - which I happened to have in another shifter.  

[ArdWrknTrk]

"Bring a Trailer"....  

[ArdWrknTrk]

You're Canadian.

How many hockey pucks did it take to get there?  

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

You're Canadian.

How many hockey pucks did it take to get there?  

Haha don’t even joke, hockey puck body lifts was a thing one time and maybe still is lol I dunno.

[FuzzFace2]

Cory, master of flare sides or is that hoarder of flare side parts

I did not know where to put this but it may help you and others with broken fender bolts.
It is a link to a 77 flare but I don't see why it could not be used on ours.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1635593-77-f-100-flareside-bed-maintenance-repair.html
The guys got skills to do what he did for the jig for the bolts and the patch panels.
Dave ----

[Rembrant]

FuzzFace2 wrote

Cory, master of flare sides or is that hoarder of flare side parts

I did not know where to put this but it may help you and others with broken fender bolts.
It is a link to a 77 flare but I don't see why it could not be used on ours.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1635593-77-f-100-flareside-bed-maintenance-repair.html
The guys got skills to do what he did for the jig for the bolts and the patch panels.
Dave ----

Dave,

That was a great read, thanks for posting. I'm really fascinated with these beds.I'll be rebuilding the bed for this 1980 Flareside project, but that won't be until the spring (at the earliest!).

I'm planning to actually rebuild the bed sides. Bit of a long story, but the bed sides that came loose with this truck are homemade parts. I didn't fully realize until I got them home and examined them further, but it is what it is.



Who ever made them actually did a pretty good job on the tops of the sides, and they re-used the fender humps from an old set of bed sides. I'm planning on brand new sides...almost complete, and I'll just graft the tops on them. I even bought a new set of fender humps used. They're not identical to the originals, but fairly close. Most would never notice the difference imho.

I'm also thinking about going with the wood composite...or fake plastic wood. I saw an old truck with it last week and I thought it looked great.

Anyway, time will tell. That stuff is still a ways away. I'm back to working on the frame this weekend. I still have several weeks to go on it, but as soon as I'm done welding it's getting painted asap and the cab will be dropped back on pronto. Once the cab is back on it, it will start to feel like a truck again...I hope...lol.