Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

I am building an AD firewall from scratch, a lot of work. Very nice job

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

Thanks! post some pics of your firewall

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

... the winter is coming ... and with it more updates???

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

I have actually been working on my truck lately! I have been block sanding and more block sanding!! I have not posted pics because it really doesnt look much different before and after. If my day goes as planned I should have the cab and doors in final primer today!

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

So I have been working on my truck a fair bit in the last few months. Nothing worth posting as I have been doing mostly bodywork and blocksanding and blocksanding some more! I do have most of my interior painted and the outside of the cab and doors are ready for paint. My frame is painted with all new front suspension parts installed, Motor and trans are in for the final time I hope! With all the things happening in the world right now the two trips I was planning on taking in the next month were cancelled so it looks like i can lock myself in my shop and work on my truck for the next few weeks!!! I dont have a box for my truck and my rear frame mods were such that a stock box wouldn't fit anyway so I'm building a box from scratch. I'm not very good at remembering to take pics as i go, but I will try to document my box build if anyone is interested. I had all my panels bent up at a local fab shop as per my crude drawings. Today i started putting the pieces together. This pic is of the cross members I had bent up being put in place

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

This is a close up pic of the crossmember

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

Both boxsides held in place to see how everything fits together. I got most of it figured out today, I'll start welding it together tomorrow. I had all the panels made out of cold rolled 14ga. material

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

Nice, can't wait to see it done. What they charge you to do the besides?

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

I am anxious to see your bed come together. I've worked on mine long enough that I'm considering building a new one. I would like to see your drawings for the bed, and any advice for someone considering the process. I commented on your firewall awhile back and will send you a picture of mine,as requested, when it's welded in. I have held off the install to finish other things before I add to the restriction. Your project pictures are a big help in a lot of ways. How difficult was the dash? I really like the TF dash.

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

I’ve been fitting and cutting my box panels to suit my liking. I usually start with a basic plan, then make changes on the fly. This is how my front bed panel ended up looking. I’ve built a few boxes over the years and I like if the panels follow the curvature of the cab

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

nice touch, very cool

Thanks for sharing

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

if I were doing it again I might grab a floor pan from a newer truck, so I have a steel corrugated floor, then build my own sides and cross rails like you have done. I would also use a tailgate from a newer truck or fab something with a new style latch and trunions. something easy to open/close and remove. the bent panels are a great idea and then simply weld on the round tubing at the top, with the mandrel bent end corners. if you wanted really fancy you could bead roll the flat upright parts for strength and looks, as long as it isn't too thick. 16 ga is usually the max for a bead roller. you would also need to find a bead roller with a deep throat. some steel trailer fenders work well for mini tubs and they are usually 16 ga.

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

Thanks. I honestly dont remember what I was charged for the cutting and bending of the box panels because it was almost a year ago since I had them made. Usually the shop I deal with doesn't charge much for the labour if I buy the steel from them

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

Today I welded a piece of pipe on the top edge of the boxsides. I decided to go with a flat top boxside like the 54-55 trucks had because I want to have a tonneau cover and this makes it much easier to seal out water than on the angled boxside. I ground a groove in the pipe so that the boxside material would sit flush for welding. Hope the pic will help with my explanation!!

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

This pic shows how the two pieces sit nice and flush for welding

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

I was concerned about weld shrinkage as I was only welding on one side of the pipe so I made many small welds, waiting for the part to cool off between welds. Its hard to not just weld the whole length at once but my patience paid off! There was next to no warpage when i was done

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

I hope you can see how straight the pipe is after welding and grinding the welds. I was happy with the results even though I spent most of the day just welding the pipes on both boxsides! Good thing I'm not charging myself much per hour!!

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

It is starting to look like a truck! Its been a long time since this truck was anything other than a pile of parts!

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

If you have basic fab skills and tools, building a box is not that hard. I'm lucky in that I live in a small town with several metal shops that will do my cutting and bending for me quickly, for a fair price. I dont really have any drawings and my box is not the same as a stock box so my measurements wont help you much. I hope you can get some ideas on how to build your own from my pics. The dash was not that difficult to install, just took a bit of time! I made it removable because I hate working upside down under a dashboard to install heater, wipers, wiring, etc. With the dash removed those tasks become easy. I plan to paint the lower section of the dash the same color as my wheels. My dakota digital guages should be here in a few days!

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

Do you also plan to do mini tubes on the box sides?

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

I'm hoping to get away without tubs but my tires are pretty close to the boxsides. I may end up putting them in yet, I'll wait till I have the box all done to decide

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

very nice work, thanks for sharing

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

Yeah that's why I asked. Tires look close. Easier to do it while the parts are light enough to manhandle.

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

I can tell you from experience that with leaf springs back there and the tires being close to the box sides, they will rub. I believe most link suspensions control this better than leaf springs either through the lateral support of a panhard bar, or maybe by virtue that they typically have less suspension travel. When you pull into a driveway at an angle, you'll hear a squeal like belts slipping, but coming from the back.

Re: Got it one piece at a time... 51 chev
 

Great looking build. Can relate to the custom box as I am just finishing mine as well. Did something very similar. Wish I saw your grooved pipe idea before I did mine. I’ll be following