Firewall and tailgate, part I

The firewall/cowl seam was popped in several spots.  Not from rust, though, which is fortunate.

It's just an old, cattywampus farm vehicle.

The section in front of the driver and by the hood hinge mounting holes is by far the worst.  All kinds of ugly going on here.

I started by drilling some holes for plug welds.

My favorite gigantor clamp worked well here, getting the firewall pulled somewhat back into place.

Blurry spot welds and seam welds.

I wasn't worried about getting it in perfect alignment.  (Nothing this little Jeep is in perfect alignment.) This was actually more about getting a solid structure under the hood.  The four holes in the pic below (in the sunlight) are where the hood bolts on to the body.  I've got to make sure that there's no weakness or play in this area.

The base of the tailgate was split wide open thanks to the expansionist qualities of rust.  Fortunately, this section isn't a key structural section.  The hinges attach on either side of this split.

Here's a shot from the "inside" of the Jeep.  Using a wire cup on the grinder, I was able to see rather quickly how thin the metal was in some spots.  It was like tissue.

Offending section removed.  Now I have to get in there remove all of the rust that I can.

Oh yeah, it's a little warped. To give the grinder (and the neighbor) a break, I whacked it with a sledge hammer for a few minutes.  The block of wood proved more a hindrance than a help.  So much for not making any noise.

Back in the garage under the rear of the chassis.

 POR-15 at work again.  Notice that it is already starting to blacken the cancerous section on the left edge.

Given how much of the tailgate is covered in surface rust, I decided to coat the entire thing.  Now I'll let it sit as the conversion process takes place.