GB SISSON
Well-known member
I acquired this 1/2 ton panel about 6 or 7 years ago when I made a deal on 5 jailbar trucks over on the dry side of our state. It was a package deal. All 5 trucks and lots of good extra sheet metal, or nothing. I really was looking for a 1/2 ton PU with a title to build my woodie wagon on. The others were put under various roofs to await their fate. I am now down to just one, the panel. For whatever reason (lack of shed space?) the panel was parked alonside a shed and soon the blackberries and thistles took over. A week ago the only sign of a vehicle in the dense thicket was the two stainless headlight rings glinting in morning sun. The weather is great here in the fall and last weekend I tied a rope to this thing and yanked it out of it's thorney grave. Still air in the badly mismatched tires. One rear is a 31 10.50 15 on a stock innie 15" wheel. Yikes. I had to deal hard to get the excellent rear doors the PO had removed with a sawzall to use on a nicer '40 panel. One side of each hinge was cleanly cut and can easily be welded back together once I free up the hinges. I remember the body was pretty good for the age, but upon towing into my dry, dusty flat area I was rather surprised it had survived 6 rainey seasons in the berry patch and the tin was still very sound. All door bottoms are very solid, rear fenders are very good examples and very rare in this condition. The bottom edges show no thin spots at all. Yes it is beat up and has at least 20 bullet holes in it's hide, but that's no deterrent to me. The front fenders are not too good but I have a pair from a 1/2 ton pickup in my shop's attic that came with the same transaction. Same goes for running boards. I plan to spend this coming winter finishing up my other jailbar projects before I dive into this thing, but wanted to get it pressure washed, lubricated and sorted out and into a shed while it is still worth fixing. Notice I didn't say 'restoring'. OH, it has a G six and a 4 speed crash-box but I have a nice 59 ab on my run stand.
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And I got to thinking about various sizes of fender washers to fix bullet holes. Maybe weld a 16d nail from the back. A handle and a plug all in one. But seriously folks, I can't start in on this thing right off, but putting it into proper mothballs after I get it clean and organized seems like a good Fall weekend well spent. I wonder If I should unload a couple cans of fluid film inside the doors and fenders. Pretty messy though. Perhaps a couple cans of WD40 every six months. Most of all it's getting it into a shed. Then on a dreary winter evening I can free up those stuck barn door hinges beside the woodstove and get the leaves welded back onto the barrels. Would be a big stride having the back doors on. The whole front clip is pretty ugly and it's gotta come off to pull the G6, so I could.........
