We started in on the tear down to figure out just what we are starting with, and oh my, as much of a fan of using what you have, the previous owner took this too far. My first plea is if you don't know what you are doing, please, do nothing! I'm pretty sure the last guy working on the GMC just grabbed whatever was laying around that was flat and mudded over the top of it. Then drove through a muddy field to add another inch of real mud over the top.
Fenders - not salvageable. Inner brace missing, bondo over the top of rust and paint. That hole in the door, filled with window screen. Fortunately door skins and fenders are interchangeable and reasonably easy to replace. An astute eye will note missing brace on driver side - jamming a piece of flashing inside the fender does not constitute a proper repair!
The floor was even more of a masterpiece. Wonder what is under all of this bondo? I wasn't expecting metal...
...but also was not expecting a roof shingle.
The next few are just typical rust demons from the 60's. Radiator support has a few holes, as does the inner fender. All easily replaced or repaired (correctly!)
The floor in the front corners of the cab have been "repaired" multiple times, or maybe just once poorly? The welds, if you can call them that, are gobs of disconnected metal across multiple patches with enough mud on the inside just to make taking them out miserable. This all has to go.
Finally, a couple teasers. For the parts we can save (those that no one tried to repair!), we're giving them a good cleaning and preventative clear. Eventually everything will be stripped down, correctly painted and a patina applied. We don't want to lose any more parts to time. BTW, for those that don't know, the hood is specific to GMC and not available. It looks similar, but not the same as Chevy.
