rusted interior panel help. '91 K5
#11
I just picked up a '91 K5 that has the normal rust areas (rockers and lower quarters) but I also have an area that I cannot find a repair panel for. It is in the rear seat, kick panels, where the front seat belts attach. Does anyone know of a source for repair panels for this area? I would really hate to have to fab that area as I havn't done that level of work in a while and I am very Rusty<<pun intended.
I'm just going to cut out what I can, blast the poo out of the panels from behind and underneath then weld in what I can, where I can. Seal it then have the floor sprayed with bedliner. I'm considering re-locating the seatbelt attachment point to a place above that panel and behind the pillar too - at least theres some structure there and you can get to it.
For what it's worth, that part is spotwelded and "sealed" all the way around save those two bolts. If you've got rust on that structure piece behind that panel, be sure to fix it best you can too.
Good luck man!
#12
my first 'Burb had this issue as well.
i was giving my wife S**t for banging her boots off in the Winter, and getting slush 'n crap all over the inside of the windshield and dash pad. i was always cleaning the inside of the passenger's side of the windshield & dash pad area, and of course she denied it was her.
i figured out where the mess was coming from the second Winter i had it, when i was backing up in deep snow, my son was laughing his *** off! i looked in the mirror @ him, asking him what he was laughing @, he just pointed to his little sister sitting in the passenger seat.
i looked over, just in time to see chunks of snow flying through the air-landing on the dash pad & windshield-and my daughter covered in snow! turns out i had a 3" hole in the panel that dropped down from the rear cargo floor, to the floor pan for the rear seats. it was right up against the side panel, and of course the carpet didn't cover this, so everytime i reversed, it spit s**t all over the inside of the truck.
i of course apologized to my wife-who gave me that look, that we all know
i was giving my wife S**t for banging her boots off in the Winter, and getting slush 'n crap all over the inside of the windshield and dash pad. i was always cleaning the inside of the passenger's side of the windshield & dash pad area, and of course she denied it was her.
i figured out where the mess was coming from the second Winter i had it, when i was backing up in deep snow, my son was laughing his *** off! i looked in the mirror @ him, asking him what he was laughing @, he just pointed to his little sister sitting in the passenger seat.
i looked over, just in time to see chunks of snow flying through the air-landing on the dash pad & windshield-and my daughter covered in snow! turns out i had a 3" hole in the panel that dropped down from the rear cargo floor, to the floor pan for the rear seats. it was right up against the side panel, and of course the carpet didn't cover this, so everytime i reversed, it spit s**t all over the inside of the truck.
i of course apologized to my wife-who gave me that look, that we all know
#13
This is a very common rust area. The good thing is that there are no complex bends in that panel so it should be easy to bend up out of sheetmetal and just welded in.
Now the reinforcement behind.... That is a different story.
Now the reinforcement behind.... That is a different story.
#14
I also plan on smothering the area(and the rest of the truck for that matter) with some sort of undercoating. When I get around to doing it I will also draw up a template of the channel and panel to upload here for other unfortunate souls
.
#15
I have a feeling the seatbelt attachment point is the reason the regular suppliers don't (won't?) carry a replacement panel. The liability would be substantial with DIY-ers. I don't understand why GM put it at a weak point though, the belt hardware wasn't attached in any way to the structure piece before the rust took it out. Go figure.
Last edited by bwguffey; 11-29-2009 at 08:30 AM.
#16
I'll have to snap some pictures of this area when I strip the outer sheetmetal off the donor fenders I have. They were off of a mid-80's K5.
#17
#18
Hey Trusty did you every get you b-pillars fixed?
#19
Not yet, I have been fixing more important things (in my opinion) like tie rods, drag link, stabilizer, (had a BAD death wobble) and a gaping hole in the roof @ the drivers door, which turned out to be more of a job than I expected. I started grinding/cutting the rusted area and found a sh** load of bondo. Looks like a tree fell on the roof at some point and instead of trying to pop the dent out they just bondo'd the heck out of it (directly over the paint). Now that I have the more important things taken care of I am a little short on cash for panels.
#20
Not yet, I have been fixing more important things (in my opinion) like tie rods, drag link, stabilizer, (had a BAD death wobble) and a gaping hole in the roof @ the drivers door, which turned out to be more of a job than I expected. I started grinding/cutting the rusted area and found a sh** load of bondo. Looks like a tree fell on the roof at some point and instead of trying to pop the dent out they just bondo'd the heck out of it (directly over the paint). Now that I have the more important things taken care of I am a little short on cash for panels.
I'm fixing to chop the entire roof section off of mine from the B pillars to the windshield frame - Bought a '74 with a good hard top and I'm going to convert my '86 to a full-convertible top. Shame you're not anywhere around here, I'd hook you up with an entire roof plus a freshly painted fiberglass top.
Good luck man!
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