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Old February 1st, 2013, 01:40 AM
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FetchMeAPepsi FetchMeAPepsi is offline
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Truck: 1962 4x4 GMC CECILIA
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Default Re: 1962 GMC 305V6 4WD Slow DD Build - Cecilia (Pic Heavy)

Rear Stepside Fender Removal


This was pretty straightforward. I talked to a guy that supposedly knew "everything" about old trucks (he was probably 25 yrs old lol) and he swore that the bolts were welded in after being run into nuts that were welded to the frame.


Doesn't look welded:



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Being of the hard-headed tight-wadded Scottish variety I grabbed an oversized Phillips and gave it a quick spin. It complied after just a little effort. Harumph! Turns out they're just fancy Phillips head screws with regular washers on the back side, followed by a lock washer, and finally a regular run of the mill nut. Oh, and rust. LOTS of rust.


Since I have to de-dent them and paint them anyway I decided to remove them. Here's a breakdown of the entire process start to finish.



Tools you will need:
  • About 12 hours of time, give or take an hour. Better allow a whole weekend.
  • Two hands
  • Can of PB Blaster
  • Ratchet
  • One deep well 1/2 socket
  • One shallow well 1/2 socket
  • One standard hammer
  • One pair of vice grips
  • One more person if you're lucky (not required)
  • A beautiful wife to bring you drinks when it's 108 degrees outside
  • and Gloves if you're a leetle girly man






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We're going to PUMP you UP!!!


First off, these are kinda heavy and the rusted bolts can be daunting, but honestly I've got a bad back, a busted hip, and I weigh a buck 75 after a big meal so if I can get these off so can you. I promise.
Just glom on to it and get started!


First you get it through your thick head that you're not going to save all of these precious, fantastically patina'd old bolts. I really wanted to. I so wanted to. I spent nights dreaming about a perfect period specific phillips head bed bolts. I even bought

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for EIGHTY hard earned bux in order to get them out.
However reality has a way of kicking you in the face when you want something too much.





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Note the beautifully rounded out hole.

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If I had it to do again and owned the tools I'd have simply cut all of the bolts off and been done with it inside of an hour. Instead I'm a poor boy with few tools and even less brains. So here's how I did it.


Beginning the night before you should take your can of PB Blaster (or similar spray) and really hose each bolt down well on both sides of the bolt. There are 18 bolts for each fender if you include the bumper to fender bolts. Hit them all really well.




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Be sure to spray both sides of the places where the bumper bolts to the fender too. Those suckers sit in sand, rain, snow, salt, etc. and probably will bust in two when you put any torque on them if you're lucky. If not prepare to lose some skin.




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Once that's done take your hammer and give six or seven light taps (just the hammer's weight really) on each bolt to set up some fluid movement. Do this before 8pm so you don't make the neighbors mad. No sense in turning them off to your truck before you've had a chance to get them hooked on the beauty of it.



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Then get a good night's sleep. You'll need it.



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The next morning go out there and photograph your baby because she's about to lose her knickers.

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Ok, on to the work!


Get your tools laid out beside you within reach. Nothing like needing a socket on the nut only to find that it's 30 ft away and if you move from your current position it'll cause the entire truck to fall over on it's side and end space-time as we know it.



Next take your handy dandy human eating vice grips and clamp them on to the phillips head bolt as hard as you can get them to stick. You'll have to repeat this step several times as they come loose while you're turning the opposing nut.



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If you're lucky enough to have a buddy or one of your offspring helping you, just have them hold the vice grips still for you while you turn the nut on the other side. They can also re-attach them if they come off (if your helper is strong enough. You gotta clamp them down HARD). If you're doing this by yourself you can grab a cinder block and put it in front of the grips so they can't spin very much. It works ok. Sometimes it moves and you scrape a half acre of hide off of your pinkie.




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Then put your trusty socket on the other side and get with it.







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Remember to PUSH or PULL the socket based on what is on the other side of your hand. Don't push if a sharp piece of metal is facing your hand. And don't pull if you're pulling towards a dangerous piece of metal either. Safety keeps you turning wrenches.



I'm using impact wrench sockets because I hate when sockets break off in my hand and I still have work to do. Of course with these being extremely hard, harder than your rusty bolts, you'll end up making some two fisted bolts.




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It happens.

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Oh, and the little struts don't have washers on them. Only lock nuts.





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Also, I just about never found the screw head for this little sucker. I thought it went into the frame somewhere but it turned out to be another in-the-bed bolt buried under a bunch of walnut husks, dirt, and plywood that the PO (previous owner) had used to cover the rotted bed wood. Tada! (Pic is upside down - sorry for my ugly hand)




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These bumper to fender screw/bolts cost me the most skin. The first one sheared off after the second grunt, the second one on the fifth. Blood and water flowed!




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For the other side I actually had to take a bastard file and file it down. Then I broke it off and pulled it through the hole from the back side with my cheap vice grips. Didn't damage any of the body, but the bumper got a few more scrapes on it. Sadsauce.




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Note this bolt (pictured below) on the bottom side of the fender is backwards to the others. The nut is on the inside (facing the differential) instead of facing the fenderwell.





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Because of these lower ones being backwards, you might have to lie down in the dirt and put the flesh eating vice grips on the inside of the fender. This makes them happy because when they break loose and fall they aim for your eyeballs.






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If you take them off from the rear of the fender to the front of the fender you might find yourself lying on your back turning on that last bolt while you hold the fender up with a foot and pray it doesn't fall on your head. Fun!




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And if everything went well you'll be rewarded with a bolt/nut roundup like this one...(pictured in order of removal)




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...and possibly a glimpse at 50 year old paint that has gone untouched since it was first sprayed on by some 20 year old kid named Buddy. Man, there's nothing like that blue/white two toned color on these classic trucks!




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And as for those cheap vice grips (that weren't cheap to me!), well they quit about halfway through. Even this little shaved bit off the corner made a profound difference in how well they grabbed the bolt heads.




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All in all I came out of it with the knowledge that you pay twice for cheap tools (priceless), 12 hours of my life gone along with about 8 inches of skin and a pair of cheap vice grips. Speaking of which, why do they create vice grips and infuse in them a thirst for human flesh? Not funny, Stanley, Craftsman, et al. Not funny at all!
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