"filler placement on side panels

[NAM VET]

Studied the older thread on how to fit the "filler" that goes on the two engine compartment side panels, and doing a test fit on my just repainted panels. I think I have the positioning fine, but it takes a lot of force to push the filler flat on the panel, so the small lip is mashed flat. I think if I even manage to do so, it will tear my plastic rivets or tear the rubber fillet itself. I recall when I took of the old stiff filler, it was flat to both panel and fender. If I just snug the filler up and place my glue and rivets, it will leave the small flip proud on the panel, and not have a smooth curved of rubber to panel. Let me see if this picture shows what i mean.
[URL=http://s663.photobucket.com/user/h ... .jpg[/img][/url]

[NAM VET]

well, after reviewing the pictures and advice from others in the past on this forum, and test fitting the welting (filler, according to the military), there really is only one way to attach it to the side panel. I can see how it will compress the small "C" groove on the side panel when the panel is bolted in over the fender. So I put on some adhesive, placed the welting on the panel, the only way it actually fits, used some clamps to hold it precisely, and will let that sit overnight. While I have the brass small rivets for this, i ordered 3/16 plastic push-pin trim "screws", so my next plan is to heat up a nail, melt a hole in the filler via the rivet holes, and push in one of my pins. I ordered I think a hundred for about 15 bucks or so. If you are interested in where and how to get them, let me know, and I will post to this thread. PM's don't seem to work well for me.

all the best....

NV

[m-37Bruce]

I used brass rivets and washers, they do splay out quite a bit, I'll see if I can find a pic?

[just me]

I used the correct split riviets. They had them at ACE Hardware.

[NAM VET]

I haven't put in my trim push pins, and would prefer to use the brass split rivets, I have some, but what tool and how did you actually use them? The way the old ones were on my truck, they must have used some sort of pliers to press and then split and curl the ends. Any suggestions for me?

Made up about 600 rounds of 9mm for a shoot tomorrow, will finish up another 500 or so this am. Was over to the machine shop, my block went thru its first hot tank, will have several more during the machining process. I am going to have the shop make up a fuel pump block-off plate for me; they are unavailable from the vendors right now. I have arranged some part-time shifts in an ER up in Charlotte the next few months to help pay for all this. I did this for the GT3 engine repair, caused by a Porsche mechanic a year ago. Ordered a Hella 24 volt horn from Summit; my military horn just bleats. I am very pleased with how nice my HVLP system works to put such a nice semi-gloss Gillespie coat on the fenders and other panels. Was a lot of work to get my metal parts, including all the bed wood metal supports and other parts ready for paining. Had most of the small parts sandblasted, cleaned, Ospho in the fender rolled seams, primer, sanding where necessary, more primer, then two coats of Gillespie thinned with Xylene, some finish sanding inbetween, and boy, they look good. I don't have the experience nor the equipment to deal with rust hole repairs. I am cleaning the Dodge bolts that are still usable, repairing the threads when necessary, but if too damaged to use, I have bags and bags of Grade 8 bolts and nuts from Fastenal. I have some left over ARP fasteners for some places. Plus a bag of assorted square washers from Snake River where the fastener is going to be visible.

a picture.....

I hate, absolutely hate snakes. Way out in the Plane of Reeds, along the Cambodian border, there was this very small hamlet, only reachable by boat. There was this elderly Jesuit priest there. I was there for a week as an advisor to the local troops, and asked him what he had to protect him from being killed by the local VC, and he showed me a revolver. I told him that was pretty useless, and gave him one of my submachine guns, a .45 Grease Gun, and some mags. Showed him how to use it. I always did wonder what happened to him, and a few years ago, read his obituary, and I was relieved to hear that he survived his combat tour and lived a long life of service to his faith. Likely one of the few Jesuit priests who carried a SMG in his ministry. In one of the huts, the family kept this big snake to keep the rats at bay. I have always wondered why it did not kill any of their children in the night. Big heavy creature. This is the village where I had my first moral encounter with a little girl who had been shot, and had to come to acceptance of the terrible things that happen to helpless people in wars.

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[sturmtyger380]

The last time I did the rubber install of the side pieces we had these black soft steel split rivets. Not brass ones. Used an ice pick to poke a hole in the rubber and hold the rubber in alignment to the hole. Then put small C clamps on either side to hold the rubber up to the metal. Pushed the split rivet in the hole and opened the legs of the rivet with a screwdriver as much as I could. Then took another small C clamp and put that over the head of the rivet and the open legs and screwed it down. (Sounds strange. ) Anyway...... it gives you a really tight situation to hold the rubber down.....

[NAM VET]

OK, that sounds like a plan, I'll give it a try real soon. Drained and refilled rear axle with Redline Hypoid 75-90 oil this AM.

all the best....

NV

[just me]

I used one of those spur looking leather punch pliers to make the holes in my rubber piece. Marked with a sharpie and punched the hole. Pushed the split rivet through the panel and rubber, used a large screw driver to start to open the split legs. Then used a large Channel-Lock plier to squeeze each leg. It made the same loop as the originals. You just catch the end of the leg and squeeze.

[NAM VET]

Good advice for sure. Thought I would post how and what I just did, in about ten minutes to do both panels. Fenders later. Found my plan to heat a nail and melt a hole via the hole in the metal side panel did not work. I had already used GOOP, an adhesive to attach the rubber filler to the side panel last night. Dries hard, so any squeeze-out becomes hard and transparent.

I used a small tool with a sharp L on the end to press a hole thru the metal hole and then the rubber. I would leave only a tiny mark on the rubber. The used a 1/4 inch drill (with a step-point), and would slowly pull out the sharp tool, and follow it up with my drill. I found I had to use the 1/4 inch drill bit, as trying to use a matching 3/16 bid did not remove enough rubber from the hole to let me push my plastic trim screw thru the rubber.

I stopped when my bit hit metal, I was not going to drill a larger hole in the metal. Then, just pushed the plastic ribbed pin in, then put a nut over the exposed shank of the pin, and snugged it down with a pliers. The plastic pin has a head about the size of the brass rivets. Once I did the first one, the rest of both panels were done in about ten minutes.

Let me try to post a few pictures of my method. The pointed tool is a lot smaller than it looks in the pictures, it is only about 5 inches long. I think the GOOP will also hold the rubber pretty tightly. I had used an assortment of clamps to hold the GOOP attached rubber strip to the side metal panel. Now I have some hundreds of these little pins left over.



lets see....[URL=http://s663.photobucket.com/user/h ... .jpg[/img][/url]

then.....[URL=http://s663.photobucket.com/user/h ... .jpg[/img][/url]

then.... I have placed a plastic trim pin next to the already installed one.
[URL=http://s663.photobucket.com/user/h ... .jpg[/img][/url]

[m-37Bruce]

I was wondering what the other side of the button will look like? I was wrong about my rivets, they are steel and the washer is as well.

Split Rivet Filler Panel.JPG (61.83 KiB) Viewed 2095 times

The pic is not as clear as I thought it would be?

[NAM VET]

Hi M-bruce. Just to clarify, in my picture above, I then pushed the plastic pin in all the way, and the little nibs on the shank do snug up nicely to the inner metal panel. I doubt I will ever take my rubber filler off again, but it would be very easy to just snip off the shank, and pull it out. Being plastic, it won't encourage any corrosion, either. i have just painted the panels with several coats of primer, and two of Gillespie paint. Look nice. By the way, for those contemplating replacing their filler, I can't recall which vender I ordered it from (I have ordered so much I can't keep track of it all), but you get precisely enough to do your truck, and not an inch extra. So if you want to cut off a bit and test fit it, don't cut much off of it!!!

Just in from replacing the pads on my wifes' SUV. Brembo. Then last pm, discovered that somehow, just being careless, I had reloaded about a thousand rounds of 9mm but used small rifle magnum primers in a few, so now in the process of pulling the bullets, and have to re-do them all. My competition guns are sprung for my custom loads, and no need to try to shoot a magnum rifle primer round in them. I use a cam-lock and can pull a bullet and drop the case and powder and bullet into their little buckets in about 5 seconds per....

Nice here in UpState SC, warm and sunny, Now, time for a break.

all the best..

By the way, where is Midloathian? I grew up in the Norfolk area, and finished HS in Northern VA, just south of DC. My sister lives on the New River by Blacksberg, VA. Mary Engles was found on her land, about where my sister has her home, right by the little stream off the hill by the river. What a survival story, 1703 I think.

NV

when the Vietnamese would come to a creek, they would send out the shortest solder, and if he didn't drown, then it was safe for the rest of us to cross. They lost a few short troops. Most of them could not swim.
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[m-37Bruce]

Hey NV, Our place in Midlothian is about 15 minutes from Richmond City Hall with decent traffic, not rush hour. The city/county line bi-sects our property, so I have the best of both worlds, county and city taxes! My question about the push plastic buttons should have said were they trimmed on the opposite end?
Midlothian is in the northeast corner of Chesterfield County, my truck came from Powhatan County Volunteer Fire Company, they used it, or had it titled till 1991, starting in 1970.