49' Patina bagged in PA

[skymangs]

Looks like you have more rust repair in your future buddy! I also like the interior shot.

[oldman3]

Yep, tons of work there...Jim

[rollinrooster]

Lookn good!!!!!

[99 to Life]

here is another shot, I got a bunch of cool different shots of my 51'
The blanket is attached, but with tiny little bungies. It does get dirty, I was thinking about taking it off and washing it. The 49' is getting a custom vinyl seat, so I won't have that problem.

[oldman3]

Sweet...Jim

[99 to Life]

1-5 snuck in a little time to get one more brace done. The front two are just moched up, need to get them tacked in. Once I do that, the grid will begin to finish securing the cab, then I can do my cab mounts. Once those are done, engine and trans moched up, I'm taking cab off and flipping it upside down, to finish welds, strip it and coat it. If I had a chop saw and longer tubing, I would have taken the time to cut them properly and bend them. So I think that is my next purchase, after bills. I figure since I got no money, its a good time to work on the this floor anyway, but.... I need more materials, and a bead roller would be nice.

[ghettoluxury]

How low are you mounting the cab?

[99 to Life]

Its 3" off frame. My 51' is 4" off frame. Reason I'm making a tunnel is because on my 51' my driveline was mounted high so I had to tunnel it, I'm using same set up again. Also I like having a square tunnel as opposed to round so I can set stuff on it or build some cup holders etc. Also the 3" mark is the highest I could get cab off frame with my front and rear fenders slammed, because when aired out my frame is almost 4" off ground. I don't want to lay frame and there are a few other reasons, why I didn't get the frame to come down a couple more inches which would allow the body to be mounted higher.

[99 to Life]

1-19 I didn't get to work on my truck last weekend because I worked on my daily driver, very annoying. So I tore into the cab some more, tore out the Ebrake, may or may not use that set up, but I had to get it outta the way so I can tear into the floor. You can see the drivers side mess I gotta deal with.

I started on the pass side. didn't get a bead roller yet, so I just did up a kick panel with 18g. I had some inner cowl pieces I got from another project and I have some outter cowl pieces from another parts buy, a guy made them, not me. but they should work and save me some money. I can't put them in until I patch the tail end of the rocker, its just a bit too flimsy for my liking. I gotta make another patch on the bottom of my kickpanel so I can tie it into my tubing on the floor. I fell short on some calculations.

did up a few more pieces of floor tubing. I'm at over 30ft of it already, still need to do more. Up in the pass corner I'm going to make my cab brace where you see the small boxed in area, I'm gonna weld some plate in there and use that, rather than put the original cab brace in right there. Might do that on the driver side too.

[99 to Life]

here is moching up inner and outter cowl. Unfortunately I won't be able to work this coming weekend either. I'm taking my 51' down to the burgh for the autorama show. Hopefully the weather holds out. I got some calenders in and just did up some coasters and a slew of different shirts.

[xpickup]

Henry, looks like you are rolling right along. The cowls are my least favorite part of the cab to do.


Shannon

[DieselRat]

Those cab corners remind me of mine. While I enjoy making panels and welding, agreeing with shannon that those were probably my least favorite part to do! I went at it the money saving route like you and made my own out of sheet, If I was to do it again I'd be tempted to buy premade panels so it would all fit a little better.

[99 to Life]

my take on patch panels are like the rest of the build, some stuff your better off buying some not. the point of having a cab thats as ruff this is to keep costs low. I already have to buy cab corners. With all the patches, including the rip off 5-600 new floors. I could buy a whole truck for that, and or even a pristine cab. So for me its just either, buy a pristine cab or do almost all new patches. Since a stock floor would serve me no good with my tunnel and bracing, making that isn't bad. I been getting tubing from suppliers at a fraction of the cost retail, so it's even more worth it. Do I wish the one day a weekend I have to work isn't making the cab sturdy and working on things that make it go vvvvrrooom, of course. But I'm balling on a budget and spread thin. So I'd rather buy projects going to the scrap yard (where this truck was going) and bring them back to life. Just like the dash I did for it. I plan to start making patches in bulk, just like IFS xmembers and some other things. I have quite a few of these trucks lined up, so to keep costs down I gotta skip the middle man as much as possible.

[skymangs]

Looking good 99. You are way more patient with nasty metal than I would be. I look for cabs that aren't too bad to start with. My 49 was the worst one I've ever started with. You definitely have a passion for it!

[99 to Life]

I don't have a choice most times, I won't let anything go to scrap if I can help it. I look more into the future not the present. Even if I have tons of parts in storage doing nothing, someday someone is gonna need them. Stuff is drying up fast. being on the east coast we don't have much good to work with, so gotta work with what you got. The way I look at it too is, if you do all new floors, you won't have to worry about it 10 years down the road. But with the timeframe I have to work with, I would be much further along with some things had I not stumble into metal work. But I do like it so its cool. Just wish I had more time. I'm not a snob when it comes to a project, I'm down to earth, I realize this stuff is over 60 years old and used for work. Thats why patina trucks are my favorite, they capture many years of hard work. alot of snobs don't see that. they want a perfect body to start with and or all one solid run of the mill color. Might as well all have a white house and fence too!!

[Billys68SS]

Originally Posted by 99 to life

might as well all have a white house and fence too!!

lol... I like that!!!

[99 to Life]

2/3 My year is has just been sucking so far. Only cool thing is my daughter is turning 1 this month. Last weekend I did the Pittsburgh Autorama, tons of work and stress getting my truck down in trife weather, and doing a booth. This year they put everything on one floor and I think the layout was not so good and just low attendance. I'll attribute most of that to the weather again. but the majority of attendance unfortunately aren't true car nuts. They draw a crowd off of celebrity signings. Getting my 51' covered in salt again just takes the wind outta my sails on driving it there again. It was so cold too, no car washes were open.

This weekend I was in bed for about 3 days sick. So thats two consecutive saturdays of work down the tube. Money has been beyond scarce lately too, hoping its just the time of year and not my 2014 luck. I'm dying to get back on my engine, just need some loot. but hey it can always be worse right?

[99 to Life]

2/8 nothing too exciting. Got back in the garage after two weeks. Just about finished up pass cowl. Bf I cut the old stuff out, I marked where the holes would line up with a speed square. I had to replace the last bit of the rocker as well. Then I got inner cowl in and then the outter. Got a few more pieces of tubing in the cab and put a cab mount plate in where the cab mount will sit. I spray all the welds afterwards.

[oldman3]

Nice repair...Jim

[99 to Life]

2-13 thursday, work has been slow so I skipped town and headed on home wed. Got a little time in today to tear into the drivers side. Made up an inner kick panel. Had to patch up the door pillar, which still needs a little work. I'll prolly work on inner cowl and some floors sunday, if I get some metal. My outter cowl piece I think is in pittsburgh, so gotta wait to get that on. Once I get most of cab secure, get some floor in there to really tie it together, I'll make my cab mounts. Once that is done, cab is coming off to get final welding, seam sealed, por15 and the list goes on. Should be doing that while my frame is getting blasted, hoping to have cab done, frame done etc by April. Once all that is done, its a matter of bolting everything back on and finalizing brakes, fuel lines, air lines, interior, wiring etc. Hoping to fire the engine up by early April too.

[av8tr33337]

Looking good. I'm not looking forward to my metal work. Probably about like yours.

[99 to Life]

yeah normally I don't mind but I'm just so pressed for time. I already have 23 hours into all the cab work. Lot of that is game planning, fitting pieces and only using a cut off wheel. Be nice to get a chopsaw (very soon) and a bandsaw or some good makita electric shears. Its getting there though, but next build I really want to find a decent cab. My 52' I'm doing the cab needs all this same work, so I'm hopefully gonna be looking at a cab I came across, my coveted 5window split windshield, which is what I really want for that truck.

[99 to Life]

2-16 Got about six more hours in today. Put a patch up on the driver side firewall. Then onto the trans tunnel, and floors. Put some more 1x1 in and finally getting some floor covered. Should be plenty solid enough so I can make my cab mounts and mount it. Then she'll come off for final welding, patches, seam sealing etc. I still gotta finish driver side cowl area and floor. Then onto the back of the cab, as the back has some rotting issues as well. Hoping I can score some more 18g and 1x1 this week, I'm all out.

[oldman3]

Moving right along and looking good...Jim

[99 to Life]

2-22 Well my first and only child is turning one in about 2 hours from now, very exciting. Todays work went ok, still dealing with pathetic water leaks in my garage, I spent almost 2 hours shoveling ice and water off my roof, then shop vaccing my garage. It dont look like much progress today. I put another patch in on the cab, where the heater hoses go, I'll have to drill out the stock hole still. I cut out the original cab mount washer and rewelded it back in to my floor. This side I custom made the mount underneath, there is no stock cab mount member under this area. I sprayed the floor with some rustconverter primer, so it won't flash rust. I'll be seam sealing all the welds and sealing all the metal with epoxy or por15 etc.

Finally got two outta four cab mounts made up. I used about 1.5 cutoff wheels to cut these and the top plates out. I spent some time realigning my cab again as it moved while I was working on it. So I go that final and tacked some temp braces in the back and in the front, I got these two mounts in. I went with 3.5" off frame, that includes the 1.5" thick bushing. I used the HF hole saw bits and I have to say, not bad so far.