I made a game plan up a few months back in terms of how I was going to tackle the bodywork, with the first step being gapping the front sheetmetal. I decided that once the front fenders and the upper and lower valence lined up nicely, I could disassemble the sheetmetal, send the cab and doors out to get sandblasted, and move my attention back to the bed and rear fenders. Once the cab returned, I'd knock out the door gaps and body work on that and everything would be ready for paint.
Therefore, the first thing I'm going to be doing is gapping the front sheetmetal, starting with the passenger fender to upper valence gap. I've worked the front sheetmetal carefully over the last year or so to get the gaps as close as possible in bare metal so that as little filler as possible will be needed to get everything nice and straight. It's going to be a steep learning curve, but if I can do it, anyone can!
Instead, I simply grabbed...
Instead, I simply grabbed a DA sander, slapped on an 80-grit sanding pad and went to town. I liked this idea as it also gave me peace of mind when it came to removing any lurking Fast Etch from the surface of the fender. Eastwood recommends using their PRE product to neutralize the Fast Etch if the area is not to be sanded down further.
Satisfied with the results,...
Satisfied with the results, I then continued on and treated the rest of the fender. Here you can see the section that I hit with the DA and the area surrounding it that has only been treated using the Fast Etch.
Compare the passenger side...
Compare the passenger side fender in the last photo to the driver's side untreated fender in this photo and you get an idea of how well the Fast Etch works in removing light surface rust. I eventually did away with the wiping technique and started applying Fast Etch using a spray bottle and brush to apply it on a larger surface area. This technique worked great.
Here you can see the gap area...
Here you can see the gap area between the front passenger fender and the upper valence. Note the difference between the area that was treated and the area that was masked off. Masking off the gap worked great to prevent any Fast Etch from running down between the two panels, but we'll need to hit the area with the DA to get it all nice and even.
Here's the same area after...
Here's the same area after a minute or so of DA work.
One spot that can be troublesome...
One spot that can be troublesome when it comes to bodywork is where a weld has been made and ground down but may not be perfectly smooth; i.e. cratered. Here, a hole has been welded up but not very well. While I could go back over it with the TIG welder and fill in the cratered areas, I really don't want to risk shrinking the surrounding sheetmetal any further than it may already have been.
In this case, a simple skim...
In this case, a simple skim coat of plastic filler will be fine. However, it's a good idea to hit the cratered area with a wire wheel to ensure that it's nice and clean beforehand. Any dust, debris, or moisture trapped under body filler will wreak havoc later on down the road and we don't want that!
And here's what we'll be using...
And here's what we'll be using to get the sheetmetal nice and straight; 3M Bondo Professional Gold premium body filler.
Before applying any filler,...
Before applying any filler, you're going to want to liberally wipe down the area using a product like 3M's General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner which will remove any FOBs (foreign objects) as well as oil, grease, sweat, etc. Remember that there are all kinds of oils in and on the human body and any time you touch the panel, you're leaving something behind. Take a nice bare piece of sheetmetal and put a nice sweaty hand print on it and come back in a week or two and you'll see what I mean!
With the surface nice and...
With the surface nice and clean, I mixed up a batch of filler and spread a small coat across the length of the fender gap. Immediately following, I used a small screwdriver to split the filler and create a nice, even gap. Depending on the width gap that's desired, anything from a small blade screwdriver to the plastic spreader itself can be used to "drag the gap."
This is what the area looks...
This is what the area looks like right after the gap has been made. It's not beautiful but remember that most of the filler is going to get knocked off anyhow. One thing to keep in mind is that you don't want to build up the edge of either side using plastic filler as it can and will chip or break away, leaving a big, ugly gash. If more than 1/16-inch or so worth of filler is required, you're best to bust out the hammer and dollies and work the sheetmetal a bit closer.