1969 Ranger - Project Glory Days!

[sargentrs]

Anxiously awaiting the final on the door patches. Gotta do the same thing with mine. I think Ford must've patented that rust spot 'cuz it's on every door I see Looking good!

[tybob81]

That's for sure on the rust right in those spots! They didn't drain there so it builds up and starts rotting out.

[whiteblur]

Hey Tylerb43, what do you plan on doing to the inside of the doors to prevent further rust? Im at the same point with my doors, Ive got all the trim/mirror holes welded up and the bottom patches in on my driver door so far. I'd like to stop everything from becoming anything more from the inside since the outside will be well sealed up.

[67nukeford]

Tyler, throw me some input on this....

http://fordification.com/forum/viewtopi ... 02#p599502

[68SPECIAL]

I like the idea of mounting the AC Compressor under the alt. When you make that bracket, if you could PM me or post the demisions that would be very hepful. I will be installing mine on a running truck so measuring etc will be a bit more difficult for me when i make my bracket. I will be using the same compressor you have.

[tylerb43]

Hey Tylerb43, what do you plan on doing to the inside of the doors to prevent further rust? Im at the same point with my doors, Ive got all the trim/mirror holes welded up and the bottom patches in on my driver door so far. I'd like to stop everything from becoming anything more from the inside since the outside will be well sealed up.

Well, these common rot spots are a pain, but they're only there because of significant moisture intrusion. Some moisture inside the door comes from condensation obviously, but most came from years of weather beating on failed and corroded window seals and tracks, something I'm assuming you'll replace during a door rebuild, as am I.

I plan on using several products to seal up and protect the inside of the doors. After I cut out the bad areas, I blasted as much as I could to get the remaining crud out of the corners and where the original skin was sandwiched with the inner panel. Then before I weld in the new patches, I'll brush in some rust encapsulator to seal the metal and any rust "spores" that may still exist.

After the patches are welded on, (using weld-thru primer where it makes sense) I'll wire brush the welds I can get to from the inside, and brush them with the encapsulator or epoxy primer.

Another product I like to use on very clean steel is Zinc Rich Cold Galvanizing compound. I used a can of it, (attached to the 18" spray extension that came with my Internal Frame Coating from Eastwood) to coat the inside cavities of my hood after it was acid dipped. It worked great, and should provide a good level of protection inside the door as well. (Plasti-Kote Industrial, 2470N Gray, found at Tractor Supply Company) Finally, I'll use the Frame Coating for the hinge support area toward the front of the door, there's a lot of sub-structure there, and that nozzle extension will come in handy. Oh - and make sure your drain holes don't get clogged up. The way I see it, anything that you can get in there to coat the metal is better than nothing, and much better than it was 43 years ago!

I'm also going to install sound/heat barrier inside the doors. I'm thinking about doing the backside of the door panels too, but I'm not sure if that'll interfere with the fitment yet, so we'll see.

Sorry for the long-winded answer...

[tylerb43]

I like the idea of mounting the AC Compressor under the alt. When you make that bracket, if you could PM me or post the demisions that would be very hepful. I will be installing mine on a running truck so measuring etc will be a bit more difficult for me when i make my bracket. I will be using the same compressor you have.

I'll help however I can, thanks for your interest. I've recently updated my design, and will soon cut a rough template for a fit check before I cut the real deal. I can use a local shop to cut it out with their CNC plasma, but I thought about finding someone with a waterjet to make it a little more precise. We'll see.

[tylerb43]

Alright, I've got the doors all patched up and I'm currently finishing the body work on them. My brother (the autobody expert) came over and helped me do some final tapping and pulling with the uni-spotter, and then the green light to start the filler. He even took the DS door to his house to do some final metal bumping on it.

Here's a quick summary of one corner. (click on to make bigger)



The door patches that are below the lower contour line are a piece of cake, the ones that reach up onto the flat of the door are more of a pain, to say the least. The trick I found (after I did the first one) is to save the pinched part of the door skin if you can, almost the "window frame" of the hole. It makes it much easier to get things lined up again, and makes the back side look a whole lot better. (in the upper left corner of the lower left picture above, you can see a patch I'm making using this technique, where the new metal is tacked to the original "frame" of the corner - it's laying face down)

[sargentrs]

Great work! Keep it up. I'm learning as fast as you can teach me.

[tylerb43]

Thanks Randy! I'm teaching myself as I stumble through this process. I'm not a body guy, or "panel beater" as they are sometimes known, but I'm just doing my best and hoping it comes out well in the end. I know it's probably not going to be perfect when it's finished, but as least I'll have the pride of tackling something that is very intimidating, and pushing through to completion!

[tylerb43]

I finally located and drilled the holes in the firewall for the Vintage Air A/C system, I'm using a bulkhead fitting from Classic Auto Air. Then I coated the cab floor with rubberized sealer with soundproofing. This probably helps very little for soundproofing, but I figured it couldn't hurt for a few dollars and really does a great job of sealing the surface and seams. I'll be using Eastwood's Thermo-Coustic product on top of this coating, and then jute padding on top of that for sound proofing. Hopefully that will make it quiet.

[sargentrs]

Looking good Tyler! Be sure and take lots of pics of that Vintage Air install. I'll be needing them when I get to mine. You're probably about one year ahead of me on your project but I'm doing practically everything you are. I had already planned on all of my build for the past three years and you're executing my plan letter for letter. Thanks!

[tybob81]

Which model a/c did you use? I bought the vintage air super cooler with 4 d ducts.

[69SCJ]

Another amazing project on this site. Fricking great work, and looking good.
(another) Tyler

[tylerb43]

Looking good Tyler! Be sure and take lots of pics of that Vintage Air install. I'll be needing them when I get to mine. You're probably about one year ahead of me on your project but I'm doing practically everything you are. I had already planned on all of my build for the past three years and you're executing my plan letter for letter. Thanks!

Thanks, Randy - great minds think alike, right? If we're so in line idea-wise, I really wish you were ahead of me, maybe I should slow down a bit!

Which model a/c did you use? I bought the vintage air super cooler with 4 d ducts.

Tyson - I'm using the Gen II Mini (http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 10#p596482) And I'm also using Vintage's "Streamline" controls. The Mini should be fine for my truck, it may not cut it for that monster you're building! The Super Cooler should do well in that large space.

Another amazing project on this site. Fricking great work, and looking good.
(another) Tyler

Thanks, Man! And welcome to the site! Oh, and cool name!