The Bodywork..  Fixin Rust:

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Frist I need to finish taking things apart.  got the dash out..

Some house cleaning needed here.. yuk.   Now it’s easier to see the floors.  The only thing I found behind the dash (other than dust) was a stereo install gone terribly wrong.  Doors and hood next.  Oh and the ECU is clearly visible on the right.  Totally original.  No rebuild writing on the top and I have a spare.

Feb 13 2016:

I’ve had the Sidekick for a week now..  and making good progress.

All the doors and hood are off.  The rear windows are out and in a safe place.  Bumper covers off.   I even got the headlights out.  It’s been warm enough outside to use the hose.  So I washed the dash, the bumper covers and the heat ducts.  Those are things I can stash away where they will stay clean.  Here’s another video…

Feb 16 2016:

It was so warm outside that I was able to paint the underside of the hood in the sun.  I’ve also removed the two fenders and the front cowl.

Which leaves a very naked looking Sidekick.  I now have the opportunity to clean and paint all the nooks.  I’m painting inside the motor compartment as far as I can reach.  I also built a new Battery tray.

The old one was in bad shape.  This one will have the proper hold down and a rubber mat.    As far as the fenders go…  I’ve ordered a new left side one.  The one that I took off is cracked and bent.. and not worth fixing .. A new one is cheap.

Feb 27 2016:

I’ve done a few things more.. but it’s been slow..   Distractions ! lots.

I’ve got most of the floor patches done.  I’ve built new seat belt mounts on the rear fender wells.  Welded in place.  when I start chipping away at the rust more of the metal disappears.. So the patch ends up bigger than planned.  That’s ok..  Surface rust you can grind and treat ..  the Rotten stuff needs to be cut out..

All done the interior patches now… and I have a new favorite tool.

The air / hydraulic riveter..  yes.   I rivet  a lot of the pieces in..  cause it pulls them tight.   Generous amounts of sealant..  and good to go.

Here’s the floor patch on the passenger side..   I also got the rear wheel wells painted with spray on box liner..

There’s no covering for these, so this is the way to keep them nice.  Never used this product before… we’ll see how this works out.. it’s pricey stuff.

March 6 2016:

Last week we pushed the Sidekick outside and covered it  to make room in the shop..  The Argo 6×6 snuck in for a quick fix.. and is still there.. but there’s lots of room to work on the doors.

Here’s the right side door.. I started on that one because the door skin was loose from the door and needed to be welded back in place.  Other than that.. it’s in good shape..  Two dents to take out and some black paint and good to go.  I’m still waiting for the locks to come.

so changing a white door to a black door is no big deal.  The semi-gloss black is very nice..  hides imperfections better than gloss.  I’m dragging my heals with the doors because I’m still waiting for those locks !  Weeks and weeks .. go by.  Oh well I’m finished the right side door.. It’s all assembled ( except locks)

So it gets put by the door.. for later.  This time I put the weather stripping back on before the final paint..  I’ll mask it off and it will keep the paint from dusting the door frame.

March 14 2016:

The doors are all painted and rebuilt , ready for the power locks.  So I’ve put them aside tidied up a bit and moved the Sidekick back into the shop.   Next is painting the interior.    Time for a new page:

On to Page 4..