Deadbeats 1997 Centurion Conversion

Well I did paint the inside of the doors today. Here is what it looks like when you pull with a stud gun, bet that wouldn't take long to rust and cause the bondo to bubble.



I went ahead and painted over the holes that were drilled for the bondo before to prevent moisture from coming through and causing the bondo to bubble.



I then taped up the door drains and poured the Rustoleum into the door bottoms and moved it to both corners and let it self level by removing the tape from the drains.



I was taking my mirrors off and found that when one was smashed it created a nasty dent that I couldn't see so I fixed it while i was there. Masking tape is your best friend to create straight body lines.

I gutted the interior and cut out the rear glass. I didn't take off the doors and prime them because the paint I poured in the bottom was still a little bit wet so I'll let it dry.

I pulled the rest of the trim and the headliner this afternoon. Took the plunge and cut out the front windshield as well to fix the leak and rust behind it. Just a tip for anyone cutting one out, drop the dash down so you don't hit it. I cut it out with piano wire and the razor long bar without too much effort.



The line that looks like a crack or hole is the windshield primer and some urethane showing, as far as I can tell it is just surface rust but I will know for sure when I clean it up. I am sure there is some pitting and some small holes judging by the larger bubbles on the right side of this picture.

from what i've heard, windshield techs, the ones who don't know what they're doing, will scrape the paint away when removing the old urethane without replacing it. when the new 'shield gets installed, water rests on the bare metal and you have rust.

deejaaa said:

from what i've heard, windshield techs, the ones who don't know what they're doing, will scrape the paint away when removing the old urethane without replacing it. when the new 'shield gets installed, water rests on the bare metal and you have rust.

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Yeah, and sometimes when they use the little saw it beats the paint off where the end of it hits, outside the urethane and makes it rust the same way. Which leads to it rusting through and under the urethane. I'm really not sure how I am going to tackle this rust, I know my dad will say to grind it out and debur it clean as I can get it but I am thinking maybe a chemical solution to really get it all out. We used to treat something like this with RustMort but I might use something like this:
http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-s-rust-dissolver.html

I worked a couple hours yesterday. Took the doors back off and stripped the tops and they are now ready for primer. I need to organize all the crap in the cab and pull the nasty carpet and pressure wash it. The windshield pinch weld had a couple tiny holes in it, I am going to put POR patch on it and por15 in the groove.
My POR15 had rusted a little bit on the frame and I wrote the support team and after sending a few emails back and forth, one of the reps sent me a gallon of stripper, the degreaser and etch metal prep, and a quart of POR15 paint for free. These guys seem to stand behind their product. The engine, where I used the correct prep has held up great. Guess I 'll strip it and try the frame one more time.

I bought this undercoating gun with a hose and the universal cup to paint all the holes up by the windshield on the inside that I can't get with a paint gun so I can seal it all off. If they work they will be cheaper than 2 cans of the spray from Eastwood with the hose and I can use what paint I want in them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/322041216492
http://www.ebay.com/itm/332057474006

that seem to be a problem with the application of POR: removing all the rust then applying it. POR stands for Paint Over Rust. the metal prep puts an etch to give it something to hold to. i cringe when i see the smooth preparation and then POR applied.

My frame was rusty, not smooth by no means. I told the rep that I removed the loose rust and degreased it and painted it. I hasn't peeled but the rust is coming through a little bit. I am definitely going to top coat it this time, the inner c channels where I put the silver POR15 and rustoleum black as a top coat look just like they did the day I painted them. Most of the frame in this pic is dirty but I cleaned a spot out so the rep could see what I was talking about.

I started removing the outer rockers and I need the inner rockers/backing plates but can't find them for a suburban or a crew cab gmt400. Why is it they have them for the newer models all the way up to 2013 and from 87 to 47 but not 88 - 98? This was the same case with the bed crossmembers. I really did not want to have to fab these, that is not my strong suite.

Just to follow up from last night, yes, I did learn that you can fix rocker panels with foam, but it doesn't work. And the second pic shows where they cut these trucks, I have fixed 2 now and both had to have the floor patched and the backing plate repaired, but this one needs the whole backing plate. I have found the front repair sections, the same as a standard cab, but nothing for the rear or a whole replacement.