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[GMCnet] Recycle existing parts coaches [message #325289] Sun, 22 October 2017 14:06
James Hupy is currently offline  James Hupy   United States
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
Karma: -62
Senior Member
Thursday, Judy and I drove 350 miles round trip in a driving rainstorm to
salvage a front end from a donor coach. A GMC friend had the front and side
panels that we needed to restore another coach that had hit a deer and
sustained front/passenger side damage including the grill and passenger
side headlight bezel, as well as the outer panel surrounding the passenger
side wheel well. It rained heavily nearly all day, and the coach was
outside fully exposed to the elements.
Don't know if any of you have much experience salvaging body panels,
but, it goes something like this. Remove all the parts that bolt on, like
the grill, headlight assemblies, marker lamps, side rub strips, toll booth
windows, windshields, and about nine jillion threaded fasteners that secure
the outer body panels to each other. There are a few tricky hidden ones.
Then, there are numerous pop rivets that secure the adhesive bonded joints
together. Then, take a really good grounded heat gun, (did I mention that
we were doing this in a rain storm?) and heat up the bonded joints until
the adhesives soften, and drive a thin putty knife between the panels.
Follow the putty knife with wooden wedges to maintain separation while the
entire seam is separated. After all the seams are separated, it is a two
person job to wrestle the whole front cap below the windshields off of the
donor coach. Then the side panels can be treated much the same way. Success
depends upon how cautious you are when handling the 40 year old sheet
molded compound panels. They are NOT fibreglas, and polyester resins do not
do an effective job of bonding to them. Epoxy is the name of the game here.
To assist us in removing the panels, the windshields had been removed
previously to our arrival, as were the toll booth window assemblies, and
most of the pop rivets and assembly fasteners. Some separation of the top
seam had been accomplished as well. And plastic tarps provided us a good
deal of shelter from the rain. The owner also cooked a hearty lunch for us.
All this, and he was scheduled for open heart surgery at 5:00 A.M. the
following morning.
That is the spirit of the GMC community as I know it. Friends with
common interests gathering together to help each other out when help is
needed. Does not get any better than this.
All is well that ends well. His surgery went well, he was up walking a
bit yesterday. New/old parts for GMCs, and replacement parts for their
owners. What a deal. I guess I had better get back to that engine swap that
I am doing in my shop.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 GMC Royale 403
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