[RHClarke]

Hi Mark,

It is good to hear that you are making progress. My front fenders got really chewed up and look horrible even after rolling, pounding and cursing. Keep me in mind if you find a 45 HUP donor truck.

Yeah, the body looks good, but the photo hides a lot of faults that I need to sort out including a gap between the old and new roof lines, uneven lines on the side where the roof meets the side wall, and some gaps between panels. I will be filling the gaps by welding and grinding. A little body putty and body fill should "tart" her up enough to cheat the eye.

I strongly recommend the removal of all floor plates in the cab. I found a lot of rust and eaten away metal that would have not otherwise been readily found. It is worthwhile to remove the two small plates that rest under the door frame and butt up against the rear wall.

Your springs should be an easy fix. I am anxious to hear about your front spring shackles - mine were worn to the extreme. I had them welded up and rebored and resleeved. Time will tell if the job was true enough. I start reassembly once I find new spring mount pins.

Keep me in mind if you find a 45 HUP donor truck. I am looking for:

front fenders (small)
replacement shackle mounts (front long and short versions)
replacement spring mount pins
choke cable
NOS mirrors (at a reasonable price - stop laughing...)
HUP rear seats (bench, small fold down and two small corner seats and
replacement sliding roof hatch.

Please post your list and I will see what I have in the spares pile

Cheers