Bought a Sierra as Donortruck - now he stay

[Phoenix-LH]

You have no idea. Look at trucks that have lived their whole lives in Michigan. Rockers and cab corners rust from the inside out on these trucks.

Thats why all here said buy only vehicles from California.
In Germany is it the same. Any winter a lot of salt on the roads. And i must confess actually we have in our region no real winter since many years. But if temp fall low ( around +1-2 Celsius) they start with salt on the roads. You need a pretty good rust protection.
Nevertheless the truck come to Germany in 2008 from Texas so his whole live in Germany with minimal care. For this i am glad it is this less damage. I had could be more worse.
Our Chevy 40 years old now was in better condition but he was all his live after Army now 30 years in our hands.

 

[Phoenix-LH]

After we couldnt flip the cab backwards without a possible damage to have a better access on the bottom skip we this idea and go on with welding an undercarriage.
With the doors and still the complete dash inside is the cab much more heavier than the complete empty chevy cab in that process.

So i grind the plan surfaces of the cab just before lift it on the undercarriage.












Now i start to run out of left-over-metal from othr projects in my shop... But i make the cab complete mobil which make any job on it easier.

So we will use also our lifter to become more space under it to work on the bottom, but we need to work over our Head, thats a lot more exhausting as having the cab flipped backwards. However it must be done and a short overview shown there is not much what we need to do on the bottom.



Still in place the old brackets from the Stepinside. This will be complete remove.

 

[Phoenix-LH]

Now the artwork started....



I am not the welder so i go on with cleaning the windscreen from gluerests

Noticed a small damage from our cutting out



I think nothing which prevent a reusing.
Nevertheless we are spoiled with a heated windscreen on our Volvo XC70. The Volvo C30 havn't a heated windscreen (7 years older....) and so i know the difference very well.

Does anybody know if there are heated windscreen replacements for this truck available?

 

[Phoenix-LH]

Thanks 1FastBrick the quote on the stickers is requested
https://www.ecsvin.com/

 

[1FastBrick]

I don't know your laws, But did you know that you can pull the whole steering column and the dash with out removing the Air Bag?

Since you have No Power, there is no danger of the bag going off unless you put it near a heat source or if you energize it in some way.

Once you remove the plastic cover of the dash. the 7mm bolts on the metal bar holding it near the glass attachment point and the 15 MM bolts holding the side bar in are most of what holds the dash Skelton in. Their is also a bar running down to the floor.

 

[1FastBrick]

Now the artwork started....

View attachment 136008

I am not the welder so i go on with cleaning the windscreen from gluerests

Noticed a small damage from our cutting out

View attachment 136010

I think nothing which prevent a reusing.
Nevertheless we are spoiled with a heated windscreen on our Volvo XC70. The Volvo C30 havn't a heated windscreen (7 years older....) and so i know the difference very well.

Does anybody know if there are heated windscreen replacements for this truck available?

No heated front wind screens available. Only the rear has that option. The Front uses the defrost function from the heater on these.

They do have an optional glass with a blue tint at the top for sun.

 

[Phoenix-LH]

1FastBrick i doesn't know that i can pull the whole thing together.
It is not allow to remove the airbags from their brackets but there is nothing what definately said its not allow to pull the dashboard skeleton and steering column with sitting airbags.
I will check this option. Thanks for this info.

 

[1FastBrick]

1FastBrick i doesn't know that i can pull the whole thing together.
It is not allow to remove the airbags from their brackets but there is nothing what definately said its not allow to pull the dashboard skeleton and steering column with sitting airbags.
I will check this option. Thanks for this info.

Glad we can help!!!

 

[1FastBrick]

This was an option on the front wind screen. I find it helpful and anytime I have one replaced, I make sure to get this option even if I have to wait an extra day from the supplier.

 

[1FastBrick]

These are the main points of connection.

Along with the top screws i mentioned the whole assembly will come out. You need to un plug the steering column and remove it first. There are 2 nuts and the stereing joint holding it in. Just keep the wheel straight and dont let it rotate. Keep track of it if it moves and return it back to straight position. Other wise the clock spring can become damaged.

 

[Phoenix-LH]

This was an option on the front wind screen. I find it helpful and anytime I have one replaced, I make sure to get this option even if I have to wait an extra day from the supplier.


View attachment 136025View attachment 136026

Yes i choose this option also on the chevy, dont want miss it.

 

[Phoenix-LH]

1FastBrick thanks for the pics with located the screws. Its very helpful.

Our Volvo screamed on the rear suspension. With 340000 km its an usual worn out thing. We will start today to located the damage on the lifter to order the replacement parts.

We will check and pull of the dashskeleton from the Sierra after finishing the cabcorners.
The whole day yesterday gone by cut out all rusty parts, creating a new innercorner of metalsheet and fit in the new replacement outer corner. Now we will use our zinc epoxy primer before weld in the new corner.
Hopefully today we finished the left corner and can weld tomorrow both outer corners



We will not use the whole sheetmetal. We only cut out whats from rust "infected"






Fit like made for it

 

[Phoenix-LH]

The same procedure than every inner cabcorner
My welder was yesterday to fast that i had a chance to documated the steps.





Any patch an individual build





Ready to weld
The same procedure like shown on the driver side

Prepared all to weld on thursday as the zinc epoxy primer must first dry.

Meanwhile we disambled the heatsheets.



Of course there is always one bolt which break...

No holes the cleaning will shown how much quality is still there

 

[Phoenix-LH]

After 1FastBrick mentioned to be careful by disambling the steeringcolumn does i to be safe translate the section from the steering column from our TM Software.
Indeed there excist a specialtool to secure the spring



I am really glad that i could got this digital TM. It is very helpful.



Meanwhile i got the quote for the stickers


Not a cheap solution but if you spent estimated 4000 Euro for a new professional painting than you dont want cover the stickers to spare the money.

 

[1FastBrick]

Its not cheap, But very hard to get a nice reproduction!!! Alot of companies claim they can do it. But quality is not always good as original.

I never knew of this tool. It looks like original tool is discontinued but OTC makes similar tool for this application. OTC 2551 and price is reasonable.

Kent Moore Tool Division was sold. So alot of tools are no longer available or being made. They also list the dimension below. 1/4 or .250 diameter and 5 inches long. I saw one inserted and the piece on the end is like a little handle or knob to help pull it out. I believe the plastic in the center is for the clock spring because it is also plastic construction.

 

[Phoenix-LH]

About the stickers i am not sure if this is a feature for roadlicencing. Tirestickers for example have also our Volvo. The C30 had last month his annual technical checkup.This sticker was not controlled




On the licenceplace is now a brown sticker which point out directly when the next checkup is schedulded.

But you can be sure if missed the stickers on the Sierra will it be point out as failure...

About the tool:
Fortunately they ship also to Germany. No question if it is available i will spent the money for more safety in disambling.
The steeringcolumn of the chevy was also annoying with the springcomponents but as a simple construction as nontilt without airbag easy to handle.