83 359 pete good idea/bad idea-good bad idea

It depends on the panel, door panels don't have sealant on them, cab and sleeper panels will, roof caps will.

you can use any type body panel sealant. We have used window weld by 3m, and almost all paint & body supply houses sell panel sealant. Some are 2 part and some are not. Put a thick bead on, when you pull the Huck's with the rivet gun it will squeeze out the excess. If you do the carriage bolt idea, you'll more then likely have leaks in due time.

 

That is the downside to this site. It's your truck. You do what you feel is best. If someone doesn't appreciate your work, there are others that do. I, for one, really enjoy watching some one redo old iron. I watched Oxbow redo his and Grubby as well. I haven't the patience nor the ability to take on the task, but appreciate those that do. Gotta keep us posted with pics though. Just sayin.

 

It's not a downside. It's reality. Taking on a project of this magnitude is no cake walk, but what is wrong with saying, hey, your doing a good job, but make sure you do it right. Anyone that's done anything in their life will tell you, any time you try to cut corners, it almost always comes back 10 fold. Do it right the first time. I have no issues with someone restoring old trucks, BUT, someone like myself, I do 100% my own work except paint and body, I can appreciate the work that goes into a project. It may not be done or perfect, but to hear a person say, I was gonna do this, but it just wasn't the right way and I had to make it right. That's makes a guy like me smile.

I've done it, I had my 379 down to 2 frame rails and a suspension, put it all back together 110% right. I know what it takes. I've replaced panels, put sleeper boot openings in, rebuilt my 132" sleeper, stretched frames, it's no easy task, but do it right is all I say about any projects.

 

Ez you might not appreciate this guy's lack of tact, but he is right. Bolts won't stay tight. Something else I haven't seen mentioned is rivnuts. They're the threaded inserts where the sunvisor, and stacks bolt to the cab. They require special tools to install too.

 

It seems like your committed to refurbishing your 359. I hope you can see it through. I refurbished my 1985 359, it is a lot of work. I run the truck everyday along with my 1986 359. There is always something else to be done on any truck that works everyday. But I will say the older Pete’s and KW’s are worth putting the money into in my opinion. One piece of advice I do have is take your time to do each job right the first time. And don’t let others influence your work too much, because most of the guys that have negative opinions, have never been able to complete any kind of build like the one your attempting. Your welcome to PM me or get my phone number if you have any questions. I would prefer not to post too much on here bc I don’t need the sea of negativity from wanna be truckers.

 

Here is my fleet. 1985 359, 1986 359. Both with 7fb 3406B motors.

 

Anyone that would say anything negative about your trucks or YOU for that matter, deserves nothing less than an ### whooping!

That some beautiful iron.

 

I agree. Beautiful!

 

Those are some outstanding looking 359s. You have a very nice fleet.