Venting re cab corners

[XXL]

OK, the right corner is on. However, I don't plan on posting any pictures of it any time soon. The patch looks uglier than a man's a$$ and I'm going to have to buy body filler in a 55 gallon drum to make it look good again... but it's on there.

Basically, after tacking the rocker in place, I tacked the bottom edge of the corner in place (the part on very bottom by the rocker lip). Then I pulled the top edge of the corner around in the door jamb and pulled it as tight as I possibly could. That means it's got about a 1/4" gap (instead of the 1/2" + gap in this picture...



Then I tacked that in place and proceeded to open up a can of whoopa$$ on the patch panel that wraps around onto the back of the cab. I beat the hell out of it with a rubber mallet as I pulled up on the end. I managed to get the outermost indentation on the back of the cab lined up, so I tacked it. Then I moved inward but I never could get the inner rib to line up. So... I tacked it anyway. So, here's my new plan ... shave those indentations on the back of the cab, or at least the outside one on each side so the back of the cab looks smooth (remember, stepside).

It took about 3 hours tonight, I lost 3 gallons of sweat, I can barely move my arms and back, and it looks like hell. All that and I've still got the other corner to do. I am pretty competent, and have been hacking on cars for most of my life... but I can say without hesitation that I dived in way over my head on this job, and I'd gladly pay good money for somebody to come rescue this cab from me and get it cleaned up and primed. I am very disappointed in myself and in the way the corner turned out, and it has soured me (hopefully temporarily) on this truck project in general.

My hats off to those of you who have done this, and thanks for everyone's input on this thread!

Kenneth