Wow! Good work! I would have thought that truck was a goner. I hope you got a good deal and the drive train is good. you are putting a lot of work into it. Regardless, nice job.

 

Fixing the rear door catch on the inside of the sill. Ready to spot in place on the truck now.
Covered the inside of the bracket with weld-through primer, more expensive than exclusive Scotch...

 

Adding weld through primer

Priming truck side

New part welded in

Using electric spot welder

 

Real american rustfix. Add bondo over the damage and paint with a rattle-can

Turned around, ready for the captain’s side

Have new outer sill, will recreate the inner from replacement plates

Looks ok with the doors closed…

 

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Front needs a little work too. Seems the black stuff they put on to cover up the rust made the factory paint come off completely. Need to blast and prime the whole underside obviously. The rust here hid between the layers, this is why you shouldn't lay plates over each other

Need to cut the front in order to get in here

Body mount is okish, need to double up on the backside

 

 

I am not just slapping new steel over old, I cut in the middle and discard the new over the cut line and the old under the cut line, welding in the middle, Fitzee style.

 

 

Cab brackets behind the sills. Made from scratch and free fantasy, as I didn't have a pattern or original. The old were rusted away 100%