Project Old School, Part II

Last month, I introduced you all to Project Old School, the newest project vehicle here at CLASSIC TRUCKS. I wouldn't go so far as to say I've bitten off more than I can chew, but that's mostly because I have Chris Daley and the rest of the crew at Totally Polished to lean on. While the original plan was to perform the big window and shortbed stories there and return later for the suspension story, it now looks like the truck will remain there until it leaves as a driver. Oxnard is a long way from Orange County, but I get more work done there than in my garage.

We knew there was a good amount of body filler on the bedsides, but since it had been blocked smooth and there was some metal showing, we had been keeping our fingers crossed that there would be no issues. Man, were we wrong. While cleaning off the areas of the sheetmetal to be cut and welded, we found areas with body filler as much as 1/2-inch-deep (and not just over a dent here or there) areas as large as 18 inches in diameter! By the time we left TP, the bed was thoroughly bodyworked and even had the first coat of primer--which is why much of the bodywork for next issue's installment was performed at this time as well.

For this month, we will concentrate on the actual shortening of the bed and frame. Totally Polished has performed about a dozen of these surgeries in recent years and has it down to a science. After slicing about 20 inches out of the length of the longbed's sheetmetal and chassis, the one other item that needs to be modified is the driveshaft. We took our long and skinny two-piece shaft and left it with Rich at Drive Line Service of Ventura County, where he built us a new shorter, one-piece unit that has a larger diameter similar to the later-model GM products. Follow along as Chris and his assistant, Steve Toomey, perform magic on the battered '64 bed. And, stay tuned for next month when we start welding up holes and slingin' filler.

Look at all that filler. This...        read full caption Look at all that filler. This turned out to be the "good" side of the bed once we tore into it.

Chris began by grinding the...        read full caption Chris began by grinding the areas that will be cut and welded.

This was when we realized...        read full caption This was when we realized we had some serious bodywork ahead of us. See the line of welds a couple of inches below the body line and a foot below that? It's a section of sheetmetal that came from another truck, and it ran the entire length of the bed. It was never bodyworked properly, so by the time we rescued it, it was covered with two extremely thick layers of body filler.

As we worked our way up the...        read full caption As we worked our way up the bedside, it only got worse. Hey, at least we were about to cut out a big section of it.

Once the entire shop was thoroughly...        read full caption Once the entire shop was thoroughly dusted, Chris took his measurements and taped off two lines from top to bottom with masking tape. After all of the measurements are double-checked, he began to cut from top to bottom with a Sawzall. There's an inner bed wall that runs from the body line to the bed floor that also had to be cut.

There's 8 inches we'll never...        read full caption There's 8 inches we'll never need to fix.

Before the sheetmetal was...        read full caption Before the sheetmetal was welded back together, the end of the frame was cut down to match.

On the frame, the 8 inches...        read full caption On the frame, the 8 inches was measured from the rearmost mounting hole and marked. Then the frame was cut off about an inch behind it. We also cut the tail pipes down to right behind the glass packs.

Before any welding was started,...        read full caption Before any welding was started, Steve cleaned up any open wounds with the grinder.

Chris set the rear edge of...        read full caption Chris set the rear edge of the bed in place and checked the fit. The body lines are the most crucial areas and were tack-welded in place first. After determining that everything was right on, Chris tacked the rest of the panel in place.

Once both sides were tacked...        read full caption Once both sides were tacked up and the body lines were rechecked, Chris welded everything up--inside and out--moving around frequently to not warp the metal.

Chris then smoothed out all...        read full caption Chris then smoothed out all his welds with the 4-inch grinder and flap disc. The areas of the bed that didn't need any bodywork still don't.

Next, the front was prepared...        read full caption Next, the front was prepared for the cut by dusting the shop all over again. This corner of the bed was the worst yet. Now we know why the passenger door was replaced and there's a big patch of filler on the cab corner.

After he measured and taped...        read full caption After he measured and taped out his lines, Chris cut out the front section just like the back. Only this time it was 12 inches.

Again, the crucial points...        read full caption Again, the crucial points were lined up, tacked, and double-checked on both sides before being fully welded up.

Finally, all of the welds...        read full caption Finally, all of the welds were ground smooth. Now that the bed was back in one piece, we removed it to shorten the front section of the frame.

A total of 20 factory rivets...        read full caption A total of 20 factory rivets had to be removed before we did any cutting. Chris used a plasma cutter and an air hammer to speed things up. The two bed mount brackets on each side were the first to go. One of them will be reattached later.

The four rivets that hold...        read full caption The four rivets that hold the center support were the next to go. Finally, the last eight rivets that hold the crossmember in place were removed. It will be relocated forward so the link bars can be reused without modification.

A pointy tip on the air hammer...        read full caption A pointy tip on the air hammer worked wonders on the melted rivets.

Now the areas of the frame...        read full caption Now the areas of the frame to be cut were ground clean. The brake line must also be pulled away from the frame to avoid accidentally cutting it.

The factory two-piece driveshaft...        read full caption The factory two-piece driveshaft was pulled out and delivered to Drive Line Service of Ventura County. We don't think much of this one was reused. The link bars were also removed from the crossmember at this time.

Chris marked off all of his...        read full caption Chris marked off all of his measurements based on the factory holes. This step would probably be really difficult if he hadn't already done this a dozen times.

The marks were double-checked,...        read full caption The marks were double-checked, and the lines were checked with a square. The frame was also supported under the cab at this time.

A steady hand and the Sawzall...        read full caption A steady hand and the Sawzall were used to cut out the section of unwanted frame.

All of the edges were cleaned...        read full caption All of the edges were cleaned up around the cuts and in the area that the crossmember needed to slide through.

Chris beveled the outside...        read full caption Chris beveled the outside edges of all four parts of the frame to be welded together to ensure a good, solid weld.

The welding began in the inside...        read full caption The welding began in the inside corners. When everything was determined to be square, the outside corners were tacked. We double-checked that we were right on.

Now Chris welded around the...        read full caption Now Chris welded around the inside with a heavy, solid bead. Then an even heavier bead was welded around the outside of the weld.

The crossmember was cleaned...        read full caption The crossmember was cleaned up with the grinder and slid up between the framerails. Its location was determined by reconnecting the link bars.

The top and bottom were cut...        read full caption The top and bottom were cut off of the extra piece of frame, and Chris used it to box the area of frame that was welded up. Recycling at its finest.

Now the crossmember was welded...        read full caption Now the crossmember was welded into its new permanent location.

The rearmost of the two bed...        read full caption The rearmost of the two bed mount brackets was also reused and should line up with the front and rearmost holes from the two old mounts--if everything is done correctly. Chris even fashioned the welds to look like a pair of factory rivets.

That's it! Other than a little...        read full caption That's it! Other than a little grinding and paint, our shortened frame was complete. All that was left to install is the driveshaft.

Looking at this comparison...        read full caption Looking at this comparison shot, we're pretty sure the Drive Line Service unit will stand up to anything we throw under the hood.

The one-piece driveline slid...        read full caption The one-piece driveline slid through the crossmember and into the tranny, and it bolted right up with the stock hardware.

Were not quite up to this...        read full caption Were not quite up to this point just yet, but that's what our new shortbed looked like when we finally got some DP 90 on it. Check out the weldin' and grindin' portion of our old-school buildup next month.