BUILD THREAD Gbody gigolo Continued..

[Cte069]

This will get you caught up..

Gbody gigolo

New guy putting on the brakes to say "hi". Newish owner of a 84 Monte SS T Top that needs some love. I figured I should stop cruising the site absorbing everyone's knowledge and contribute alittle. I know enough to get into trouble but smart enough to ask for help :unsure: Last pic is a...

gbodyforum.com

So we are in it now.. after ripping out header panel to replace I noticed pass side a pillar lost a little structural integrity. More I thought about it, more it bothered me. Comparing it to replacement part there is a pretty good chunk of metal absent.. Water was getting in header panel and settling in pass side a pillar and running down pillar from the looks..
Anyway here are more deconstruction pics..

 

[Cte069]

Update.....

Busted out plasma cutter..

Just working it down with spot cutter, prying, trimming with plasma as I go. Plasma cutter was a handy tool made it alot easier, didn't have to use a cuttoff wheel. Learn a new trick plasma on low setting makes a nice pilot hole for the spot cutter to go in, shaves off so much time not having to drill..
Fyi before someone comments I had the water hose setting on top of the plasma cutter 😮, only started one fire...lol

 

[Cte069]

So I watched a dude on YouTube replace a A pillar without taking the fender off just removing the top bolt.. which he didn't show, just said he did that. I tried that, that is a as seen on TV movie magic... At least in my case. There is a dang spot weld right behind the fender bracket that I couldn't chisel out. I backed off of it. Last thing I want to do is put the chisel through the inner metal mounting skin. Sunlight was fading didn't have the time to remove fender. I just clean up the trash left by the spot weld cutter, picked up my tools and called it a day..

 

[Cte069]

Sorry no pics, just update. I'll get some pics up next week hopefully. Got the A pillar off pretty cleanly. Got the new a pillar fitted and tweaked. Had to do more hammer n dolly work to the lower a pillar than anticipated. Had to work the area where it ties into upper front door opening. Now just a lot of prepping, rust treatment, paint, weld through primer, drilling holes in replacement parts to spot weld. The unglorified time consuming work that is hard to push through..

 

[Cte069]

Got A pillar pre spot weld holes drilled and header panel front holes drilled and weld primer sprayed. Got rust converter sprayed on car. Throw some primer on car tomorrow after converter cures and do some welding.

 

[ck80]

With that much rust running down the a pillar, how long before the firewall rots from the inside out if it hasn't already?

In my northern time I saw many hinge pillars rot, especially near the seams and down near the rocker panel. I'd wonder about that area too.

 

[Cte069]

With that much rust running down the a pillar, how long before the firewall rots from the inside out if it hasn't already?

In my northern time I saw many hinge pillars rot, especially near the seams and down near the rocker panel. I'd wonder about that area too.

It has a foam ish like material pack inside the A pillar that probably saved the firewall. However in my case it held the water inside my A pillar and rotted out a hole in bottom of a pillar in which the water ran out down the outside of firewall in-between the door and rocker panel and of coarse to the sh*t floor pans. The door, rooker all was painted and looks decent. There is some surface rust, nothing that scares me. This far into it, if I find more, just means more metal to replace. Not scrapping to much time into it.

 

[mclellan83]

 

[Cte069]

Exactly my frustration at times, usually just have a beer before I start beating the crap out of things..

 

[Cte069]

Got them in, just alot of clean up on both.