Doors and door tops

 Until recently I hadn’t look closely at my doors, but I found them to be terminally rusted on the bottom frame channel.  I decided to pull the aluminum skin off the doors and (buying channel from RN) weld in new bottom channels and them either galvanize or coat the metal frame with rust converter.

Taking off the skin requires drilling out rivets around the handle area (round head solid rivets) and along the top (under the door top) pop rivets, where the galvy capping is attached.  The edges of the skins are then pulled but to a straight position.  Use a putty knife to loosed the putty that is between the metal and aluminum.  The skin will then push off.

Taking off the door tops should be a simple unbolting of 2 studs, but typically water from the window channels get in there and rust them up.  I had to soak mine for 2 days in a combination of power steering fluid and acetone, then do a lot of heavy hammering.  The hammering damaged the threads but the bolts are totally rusted beyond use when I finally got the top off.

There is a way to either unthread the studs (if you can) or drill them out and put in new bolts.  I’m not sure if I will replace the door tops or repair them.  If I keep them they will require new window channels and studs.

Door Bottoms

Door Tops

Removing the aluminum skin

After tig welding a new lower hat channel

Door Tops

As for the door tops, I removed all the framing, channels and glass but to make them usable again I will need to replace the studs and that will require removing the aluminum skin.  The will be a much more delicate process than doing it on the door bottoms because the aluminum pieces are quite narrow.

Still either I repair them or I get replacements which can be used or new ($350/set). So my approach, as it has been to everything, is to try to fix them, and if I mess it up I'll buy replacements. Either way it will be a learning process.

Back door: sandblasted, Ospho, JB Weld to fill all pin holes.  Then application of Internal Frame Paint (Eastwood) then POR15 

Door bottoms: welded, galvanized, painted, skins back on with galvanized cap and new rivets

Wheels

 This truck came with split rim military type wheels.  These are not the “widow-maker” style but the Landrover military style.  The use tubes and tube gaiters.  To repair a tire the side of the rim is unbolted and the tube replaced and then bolted back together a faster and more reliable repair in the field.

I hear the are somewhat “rare” or at least sought after for rivet-counting builds.  Ike told me that the bolts for them are hard to find.

The build sheet I hav for the truck does not specify military wheels and only states that Dunlop 7.50-x16 tires were installed and the rims were black.  The rims on the truck when I got it were 1 limestone and 3 military green.  Later I picked up 2 that were dark green.

In any other build I would replace the wheels with either stock 16” or Wolf wheels and 235-75x16 tires. But in trying to stay true to the factory build I am blasting and painting the wheels black and will put it back with 7.50x16 tires.