I've gathered a few ancillary parts here and there but I haven't spent any hands-on time since I started job #2 in April. Not a fun stage to be at, interior is ready to reinstall, fuel system is 100% restored, brake system 100% new. Have control arms and full suspension clean and ready. '99 Dana 30 needs a cleaning but it's ready to go under. Main thing is cleaning down to paint/ metal from the front of the frame to the rear of the cab. Address any rust, prime, paint, re-undercoat. Then patch the floors, and everything can start going back together.
So... in the corners at the firewall. I've always thought that's a horrible place to have water and dirt trapped, with all that seam sealer in there. Someone on another forum said maybe drilling a 1/16" hole or two might be good for drainage. Anyway, I wanted to get it all out and see what's what. My feeling is if there were a few small gaps to allow water to drain through, no seam sealer would be needed, with a good coat of primer and top coat of enamel. Assembly plant guys plastered the bottom side, too. I pulled it all out top and bottom. Sure enough, the seam sealer on the bottom creates a reservoir for moisture once the top side loses adhesion after some years.
I pulled the bottom edges out a hair and pushed a couple additional channels with a small punch between the layers for plenty of drainage. Circled in purple above, there is the drain channel that was designed into it, but assembly covered it both sides with seam sealer. This will all be stripped to metal, primed, painted and undercoated again, paying attention to maintain drainage afterward. It'll be behind new fender liners and easy to access, check and maintain as needed. But I think with good coating and easy drainage, rust won't be an issue afterward.
I opened up the corner at the right of the channel as well after this pic. Passenger side below- the gaps aren't as large as they look, i backlit it with a really bright LED lamp for the pic.
