Building a custom classic cruck can be an overwhelming activity, particularly when lots of bodywork is required. But one of the tricks to making a truck project manageable is to look at individual parts instead of the entire thing. That’s what Jake Brazille did with this ’64 Ford.
Jake Brazille, of Jake’s Place...
Jake Brazille, of Jake’s Place in Florence, Oregon, decided it was time to make some repairs to his Dad’s once pristine pickup. The first step was assessing what had to be done. It was decided to start with the hood.
Built by his father in 1996, the pickup’s cab was extended 14 inches and then all the early sheetmetal was dropped onto an ’87 chassis. Since completion, the truck has seen plenty of use and the rigors of a truck being used like a truck has left some scars. As Jake is in the body shop biz, none of the needed repairs presented problems, the only difficulty has been finding the time to make them. So, rather than blow the truck apart, Jake sneaks in a few hours here and there and is fixing the Ford a piece at a time. As that’s not unlike the way most of us work on our trucks, we decided to follow along as he made some typical repairs, fixing dents and eliminating rust, to show how they are done. Removing a simple dent is a matter of knocking down the high spots with the hammer and supporting the low areas with a dolly; and while that sounds easy enough the learning curve is steep. But the best teacher is experience and you only get that one way.
If there is one lesson to be learned when repairing dents it’s to never hammer on one side of a panel without backing up the other side with a dolly. The hammer should have some crown, or a high spot in the center so the hammer blows can be concentrated on the dent, not the surrounding metal. That’s why you don’t use any old hammer other than one designed for bodywork. (For a rundown on body tools, check out the August, 2011 issue of CCT.) Dollies come in a variety of shapes so finding one that is the proper contour for the panel isn’t normally a problem.
Although there are a variety of methods to repair rust, the best way is to cut it out and weld in new metal. Thanks to wire feed welders this particular task is considerably easier than it once was, but caution is still required to keep from warping the metal with too much heat. Lots of tack welds work better than one continuous bead.
Follow along as Jake makes some basic repairs that many trucks will need, maybe yours is one of them. Start in one area, take your time and stick around for more tips on bodywork that you can do at home. CCT
Typical of old repairs that...
Typical of old repairs that have gone bad, there were several areas on the hood where filler had broken loose. This was on the left side.
In almost the same spot on...
In almost the same spot on the opposite side there was more cracked filler.
To make life easier (and to...
To make life easier (and to stay warmer on an Oregon coast day) the hood was removed and put on stands inside the shop. Before repairs began the emblem was removed, which lead to the discovery of more damage.
When the old filler was ground...
When the old filler was ground away Jake found a series of dents that could have been repaired requiring less filler.
We hauled out a selection...
We hauled out a selection of our vintage body tools help make the metal straight. The low crown hammer and dolly were used to raise and straighten most of the damage. The picks, or pointed ends of the hammers were used to pinpoint the hammer blows in much smaller areas.
The time-honored method of...
The time-honored method of dent removal is hammering on the high spot while using a dolly to support the surrounding metal.
In some cases hammering off...
In some cases hammering off the dolly is useful, in this case it would also tend to move some of the metal to the right. This can be a useful technique if the panel next to the dent is distorted.
Occasionally double panels,...
Occasionally double panels, or other obstacles, restrict access to the damage. In such a case applying upward pressure with a spoon, while hammering around the edge of the dent, will raise the low spot.
When time is short its not...
When time is short its not uncommon to fill a dent rather than remove it. In some cases the pick end of a hammer is used to make indentations for the filler to stick to. Jake elected to straighten the area so far less filler will be required.
After the filler was ground...
After the filler was ground away on the front of the hood it was obvious the area around the emblem had been damaged and filled. Double panel construction made it impossible to reach the back of the dented portion for repair.
To pull the dents, Jake used...
To pull the dents, Jake used a “stud gun” that spot welds “nails” to the damaged area.
Here the nails have been attached...
Here the nails have been attached to all the areas that are low. When the damage is repaired the nails are trimmed by cutting off the stem and the remainder is removed with a grinder.
A special slide hammer grabs...
A special slide hammer grabs the nail; the slide is then used to pull up on the damaged area. In some cases when a dolly or spoon can’t back up the damaged area the slide hammer is used to apply upward pressure while the surrounding area is knocked down with a body hammer.
Some telltale rust bubbles...
Some telltale rust bubbles on the leading edge of the hood led Jake to some rust damage hidden under some filler.
To make the necessary repair...
To make the necessary repair the rusted outer skin was cut away with an abrasive wheel.
An electric shear was used...
An electric shear was used to cut a patch panel from 16-gauge sheetmetal.
With the outer skin cut away...
With the outer skin cut away rust damage to the inner panel was apparent. It would also have to be cut out and patched.
The rust in the inner and...
The rust in the inner and outer panels was cut away. The marks on the outside of the hood indicated the size of the patch needed for the inner panel.
The inner patch was cut for...
The inner patch was cut for a flush fit. It was put in position and tack welded from the front.
The finish welding on the...
The finish welding on the inner patch was finished from the back. The welds were later ground smooth.
The outer patch was cut to...
The outer patch was cut to fit flush, it was then tack welded in place.
Repeated tack welds were made,...
Repeated tack welds were made, and then the areas between the tacks were filled in until the patch was welded solid.
With the metal work done the...
With the metal work done the repaired areas were given a skim coat of filler.
After an initial light sanding...
After an initial light sanding with a dual action sander with 80-grit, the repaired areas were sprayed with flat-black paint to act as a guide coat.
The key to getting sheetmetal...
The key to getting sheetmetal straight is block sanding. Here the guide coat is sanded to indicate any high or low spots. Minor imperfections can be fixed with the application of primer/surfacer and more block sanding.
After grinding the welds and...
After grinding the welds and applying a thin coat of filler the patched area looked like this after blocking. Note the bare metal areas, indicating those are high spots. Another thin coat of filler was all it took to make the repaired area flat.
Some filler was required in...
Some filler was required in the area around the emblem. First, it was sprayed with guide coat. Then, to preserve the peak in the hood and keep it straight, Jake applied several layers of tape to the right of the peak.
Using a flexible block, Jake...
Using a flexible block, Jake sanded the filler on the right side of the hood up to the edge of the tape. With one side done, the other side of the peak was taped and the left side of the hood was sanded to the tape. The end result was a perfectly straight peak.
To fill any minor imperfections,...
To fill any minor imperfections, such as pinholes, a coat of finishing glaze was applied to the repaired areas.
With the repairs made the...
With the repairs made the entire hood was sanded with 320-grit paper in preparation for primer.
Sanded and wiped down with...
Sanded and wiped down with prep solvent, the entire hood was then primed.
With the hood repaired Jake...
With the hood repaired Jake can now turn his attention to the rest of the body. Eventually the hood will receive more primer/surfacer and the entire truck will be block sanded in preparation for paint.