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Okay, Ive been putting this off for too long and now its gotten to the point of almost not doing...almost!....but I have had this truck since new and it has not let me down so I feel like I owe it to the reliable beastie to bring it back from certain and imminent death! The rockers are going to be the first order of business...well second really, I already rebuilt one of the front fenders...... rocker front, rear, and rear cab corner gone!.....  there are plastic inserts and foam inside the fenders and rockers....I understand why as Ive seen 2 layers of metal where they come together rust out....but it seems like once the spot welded seam at the bottom was compromised, it let in road salt and the rest is history. It looks like there are crumple zones designed into the bottom seam...good for safety, but not for eventual rustout....  It looks like a long road ahead, but Ill take it one section at a time, I guess. You guys have inspired me to tackle this, otherwise I would never have gotten the grinder out! thanks for looking... JP |
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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Don't taunt me, let's see more of your Dakota, I love those trucks!
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Don't taunt me, let's see more of your Dakota, I love those trucks! Ill get some more pics for you guys....it really has been a great truck....looks like the rockers will be easier than the cab corners...It looks like I have to take the bed off to get to the back corners of those! I'm still up for it at the moment! JP |
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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My advice would be to break it down into manageable tasks, cut it back to soild metal and get rid of all that poisonous foam, as long as you don't get hung up on perfection and can weld nothing is that difficult.
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I sold mine four or five years ago... Still miss the damn thing...  |
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BT
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,772
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Love these and have a huge hankering for a large yank truck.
Please share more.
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Ill work on small sections at a time like suggested...thanks.....
yeah, they are nice trucks...not a full size RAM truck, but not as small as an S-10 either...right in the middle, which is why I like the quad cab..plenty of room for 4 AND a pick up bed....its all good.
JP
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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Dec 10, 2015 23:58:50 GMT
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So I have been making some small progress on the DAK.....While I'm waiting for my sills (rocker covers) to come in I started in on the drivers side fender......it is pretty rotted but salvageable....imho... I cut out one of the offending areas:  made a cardboard template, transferred the shape to some metal and began bending... I borrowed my buddies shrinker/spreader units and began learning how to put nice bends in metal flanges, ect...its opened my eyes to more metal shaping and I would really like to learn all I can...  thanks for looking JP |
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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Its coming along nicely...I worked the part and its pretty close. I am determined to get better at this as I want to restore something worthwhile some day...  this part took the better part of 3 hours...but I am still very new to doing it right and taking my time..... I added the body line by opening the jaws of my shop vice and hammering a chisel into the center of the area...it worked out okay...I also am getting the hang of using the shrinker stretcher machine...those things are awesome. it really allowed me to put curves into the piece that otherwise would have had to have been made up of two pieces of metal and welded together...... thanks for looking JP |
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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That's a very nice piece of tin bending, especially for a first effort, just one thing though, aren't the wings (fenders) on the Dakota bolt on? Would it not have been easier and faster to just buy a new wing? Or is it more for the experience of making patch panels?
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That's a very nice piece of tin bending, especially for a first effort, just one thing though, aren't the wings (fenders) on the Dakota bolt on? Would it not have been easier and faster to just buy a new wing? Or is it more for the experience of making patch panels? spot on with the reason why I did it this way...the challenge and experience. There is something calming about working with metal.....I actually enjoy it! not much done today...got something in my eye and had to go to urgentcare and get it taken care of...couldnt really strain my eyes much after that and was toast the rest of the day... JP |
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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Well, I found some time today and finally got the patch panel welded on to the fender. It fought me getting it to fit just right...In the end it fits fairly well and I only have a few small holes to fill in....  It looks like the rest of the fender is very thin in places....really border line to just replace the whole thing....but I'm determined (stubborn) to improve my skills..... thanks for looking JP |
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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I'm going to have a go at the rest of the fender this weekend. There are 2 more areas of rot...one at the top center and the other up under the front corner. There was a shelf of sorts in there...didnt really do anything except rot out...so I may build in another one, or just an abridged version.
The front piece under the front corner will need a bit of forming so I'm looking forward to that...wish I had a bead roller!
JP
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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That looks good so JP.
Learning new skills is also a good thing.
Funny that at less than 15 years this has disintegrated, but I guess design and environment has something to do with it.
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brc76
RR Helper
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Grizz, it's totally variable here how cars get abused by the environment. Some states use very aggressive grit, some not so much. In England, you'd see 10 year old Mercedes and Audi's looking quite tidy. Here? not so much. I was behind a Mercedes ML this morning, had a massive rust area on the tailgate, looked like the center of the boot would come away if you touched it! I've seen 5-7 year old Mazda's here that have little sill left, and it's also considered fine to drive.
Go to the south or west of the USA and it's not the same. cars don't get the wet salty conditions and last much longer in better condition. I think the pacific northwest is also pretty decent to cars, but I may be incorrect there.
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Grizz, it's totally variable here how cars get abused by the environment. Some states use very aggressive grit, some not so much. In England, you'd see 10 year old Mercedes and Audi's looking quite tidy. Here? not so much. I was behind a Mercedes ML this morning, had a massive rust area on the tailgate, looked like the center of the boot would come away if you touched it! I've seen 5-7 year old Mazda's here that have little sill left, and it's also considered fine to drive. Go to the south or west of the USA and it's not the same. cars don't get the wet salty conditions and last much longer in better condition. I think the pacific northwest is also pretty decent to cars, but I may be incorrect there. Its quite accurate that our part of the country is much tougher on cars than the southern part or far to the west.....NY is notorious as is most of the tri-state (PA, NY, CT, NJ) area as well as New England for being very tough on cars in the winter. We also have a gravel driveway, which does not help with moisture seeping into all the pinch welds, ect..... soldiering on: heres the next patch to consider:  and the piece that came out:  thanks for looking! JP |
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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CAD design to the rescue:  The shape fits well. There is a slight curve along the bottom bend, but otherwise its on a very straight part of the panel. Any ideas for forming the bottom bend efficiently?....there is a radius of about 1/4-1/2". for the front corner, I have decided to take the fender back off again to do it..It really needs to be flipped over to do it right. Of course the fender comprises of the inner structure as well, so the hood is attached.... ah well....thanks for looking  JP |
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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little by little....I got the panel cut and shaped and it looks pretty good...I will have to tweak it a bit, but overall I'm happy with it  Of course Ill treat the inner fender to some rust treatment and clean it up as much as I can.... JP |
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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I get you re gritting JP.
Here in the UK they grit as well.
Of course in South Africa where I am from, there is no gritting and you will get 30 you old cars with no rust, but the coast is a bit less forgiving.
Making progress is a good thing.
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and the whole rig....yes, the bed is toasty too....I may go for replacement panels....though I have seen whole solid beds for sale second hand.  thanks for looking! JP Finally we get to see the whole thing, every time you post I think about my old truck, and how much I miss it... That's it, I'm browsing ebay! |
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