WC 53 hinge area progress

[Adam in Wa]

The strip of metal below the tailgate (I don’t know what it’s called) on my carryall was beat up pretty badly. Since I was rebuilding the tailgate hinges I decided to remove the center section and weld in a replacement. The damaged strip is 16 gauge and I don’t have the tools to form an exact replacement, so I made it from two pieces. I used a spot weld cutter to remove the damaged piece. Once apart I decided to remove the entire piece and treat the hidden rust. I welded the cleaned and treated ends back on and then cut the center section to length. The center section has about a one inch curve in it, along its length. This would be very difficult to fabricate in one piece. I found a small crack in the lower left corner of the tailgate opening, and the factory welds were fugly, I will be addressing those at a later time.

[Adam in Wa]

Getting there… but too cold to paint. 22 degrees F (-5 C) in the open area of my shop.

[wc 9 and 12 owner]

Nice work I need to do this to my Wc 10 carryall

[Leno]

Hello!!
How well finished and finished, very professional.
I admire the ability, means and time to develop all this great work. Good luck, it's turning out great.

Regards.

[Kaegi]

looking great!

[Adam in Wa]

[Adam in Wa]

[Kaegi]

good as new!

[Adam in Wa]

Btw, these are original reflector housings, with new reflectors. I was able to save them with some blasting and rust treatment, probably not worth the time, but many reproduction pieces leave a lot to be desired.