The plan

I love the look of my truck, the patina was earned the hard way and it is a thing of beauty. Unfortunately the rust has weakened both doors around the bottom and the fenders at the mounting points those repairs will have to be done. The required work will cause the patina to be destroyed by new patches and welding. I am searching for replacement doors and fenders but, they would alter the trucks patina as well. The overall plan is to preserve the patina as much as possible and get the old girl running in stock form. If the stock drive train is too far gone then the project really might change but, for now it's far cheaper to get the truck running under it's original systems.

In addition the wood in the box is completely rotted out. My father has signed on to repair the wooden box floor as a retired carpenter / cabinet maker he is well qualified for the task. So off comes the box today which will expose a few other trouble spots needing my attention.

The fuel tank looks like Swiss cheese, the exhaust looks as if you sneezed it would fall off and the brakes will require repairs.