Thread: Tree Crushed 2500HD Silverado Crew Repair

First things first I had to determine where to cut the outer body panel at to open up access to the inner sheet metal. Using the Spot Weld Cutter I cut out all the spot welds that needed removing. I bought this set of panel separators online and they really came in handy on this job. The cab here is pushed rearward, also towards the driver's side, and the Inner panel is folded up. I had to go much lower than the Driver's side to repair the damage.



Now I have to remove the middle panel without cutting into the inner panel.



There is a few spots with 3 layers of sheet metal and after surveying the Cab welds I really need to save the inside all the way up to where the Back Glass flange is located as it is welded way back into the back of the Cab. Days & Days of work would be needed if I remove the Inner Panel.





Using the green tape as a cutting guide I cut out the Middle Panel.



This folded up piece of Inner Panel I spent quite some time with a body hammer & dolly straightening it up enough to use. I got it pretty close.



Now opening up access to the top seams the inner most seam also must be the lowest.



I'm using the green tape to help guide a cut line to correct the rounded cut made by the Recycler.



To match my cut on the replacement panel you can see how the tape hangs off the right side edge. I'm basically cutting a straight line to work to in the Roof Middle section.



You can see I'm peeling the waste metal away.



Got a good fit now. Clamping is important to the metal doesn't draw while welding. If you look close at the bottom clamping point in the second picture here you can see the corner of the replacement part is tucked in between two panels that go across the back of the cab.



Overlapping the bottom due to the thin nature to the sheet metal provided some extra spine. I left part if the Middle structure intact this time and am going to weld it all up.



the rough in cuts I'm using a Cut-Off Wheel, it really speed up the fitting process. You have to pass something over the edges afterwards as a huge burr remains after cutting. The bur will cause you to have a bad fit up for final cutting.



I'm clamping the panel in well to cut both the original & replacement panel in one cut to provide a perfect fit and the necessary gap in the sheet metal since I'm using a MIG welder to weld the panel in place.



You can see how fine the gap is, this is the relief cut to Butt weld join the panels.



Each weld is like a stitch, I weld a puddle then stop and index my hand over a 1/8 - 3/16 of an inch then make another "stitch" quickly before the glow of the puddle completely fads. Once welded I cleaned all the weld surfaces well with a wire brush before applying Weld-Thru primer over the weld work.



The final panel is fitted rough and I decided my focus was waning so I will finish this panel tomorrow.



Only issue I have is my door gap is a little larger than the other side. $20K to $2500 for the repair I can live with the little extra gap.

Dog gone you do amazing work. Awesome

If I would have checked the door gap before welding in the first piece I could have pushed the back panel in just a 1/4 of a inch to prevent the extra gap but I missed it.

I cut both the top and bottom of the outer C pillar skin overlapping the original metal so both layers were cut at the same time. With the amount of metal to seam I decided to add a piece of backing metal before welding in the Skin.



Since clamping is limited I used sheet metal screws to hold the panel in place while welding it in.



By the time all the welding was complete my shirt was burned up. So many stitch welds sending hot BB's flying each time I pulled the trigger on the MIG gun.



Now that all the grinding is complete I will be rolling on the Body Work so maybe complete the painting over the weekend.



The prep work to get to this point took time today. I had a lot of grinding to do after the welding was complete.

With the seams in the outer skin several skimmings with Metal Glaze was needed. A high spot would pop up and I would have to tap it down then skim that area again till it was all done. It's hard to see the progress in these photos but getting it done.



Just a quick update the bodywork is complete and I'm ready to epoxy prime.

After the bodywork was done I put 4 coats of Epoxy primer on everything. Well it took 2 days in the sun for the epoxy to cure so I couldn't mark it with my thumb nail.



Once the epoxy was cured I sprayed everything with Guide-Coat. This will reveal every imperfection while water sanding so I can be sure to catch everything.



It's hard to see but there is darkened blotchy areas revealing the "Orange Peel" in the primer. If not sanded out it will show in the Top Coat.



I burned thru the epoxy primer in several places and the Data Sheet from PPG Refinish recommends sanding and re-priming if the first epoxy was over 3 days old. I like to Top Coat 1-2 hours after a thinned Tie-Coat of Epoxy is applied. At that point it becomes a very durable Sealer coat as well.



You always want to soak your water sandpaper for a bit before using and some dish soap in the water really helps the paper keep from plugging. Now I used 220 grit to cut the orange peel then 400 grit to finish for painting.



The painting has to take place with both doors open so some real creative masking is taking place. With the Love Bugs flying around as soon as I'm done shooting I have to drive the truck inside so the drivers door has to be accessible too. I have not 2 or 4 but 6 blends to deal with when spraying this time. Fun, fun.

I'm a "Spent Shell" today but today was super productive. The big news - all the painting is done.



Well completion couldn't happen without some anxiety. I saw a Lovebug fly by already. I went over with Wipeout 3 times so I know no old wax or grease is present on the substrate. Dulling any shiny spot I could fine with red scotchbrite I blew down & tacked off while the epoxy was in the "Induction Phase". A coat of epoxy was applied over any exposed bodywork or bare metal before painting.



The first coat of three is down, looking good and the timer is running - 15 minutes for a 2K with the proper temperature reducer and catalyst.



All I had to do was look the other way for a minute. I'm like a watchdog swatting any Lovebugs that get close but this one made it to the paint. They love white and really love the smell of 2K urethane. The battle was great today ending with only a pair of Lovebug legs on the Driver's Side rear threshold. I picked the rest of the pair of Lovebugs out of the paint very carefully.



As soon as coat 3 was on into the shop I pulled the truck. There are 6 pieces of sheet metal and 12 seams in the back where I just painted. I pretty happy with the results. The entire cab was bent over to the Driver's side, not any more.



Now with the paint hard enough no bugs will stick I moved the truck to my big building and started installing the door seals, trim, & interior. I hate to leave that bent area of the rear cross panel in the truck but a unholy can of worms would have been opened if I tried to fix it. You can't see it at all, actually you're looking at 24 years of dirty on the unpainted part of that panel. Not even dirt makes it back there with the Camper Cap in place.

To an untrained eye, it looks brand new John. Great work as always...