Wanting opinions on shaving the rocker panel pinch weld

[VA72C10]

Got a question about my 70C10 longbed I'm building...for those not following along.....I am thinking of another mod with all the smoothing I am doing (door handles, stake pocket, one piece windows, gas cap, antenna, wiper cowl, emblems, trim, marker lights, firewall, tailgate handle,....

We already filled the gap between the rocker and cab corner so that seam is smoothed...


Do you think I should cut off the pinch weld on the rockers? We'd end up reinforcing the cab corners and would fully weld the inner and outers together and add metal where needed to make a smooth transition on the bottom. Just thinking that it might add to the custom/smooth look of the truck.

thoughts???

Here's a truck that shows the pinch weld (below the door) and then a quick paint job where I shaved it Note that this truck isn't shaved like mine will be but was a good angle to show the rocker pinch weld.



Shaved pinch weld

[VA72C10]

I voted to smooth it

[EA69TRK]

i saw one at a car show awhile back but i didnt get any pics it looks great if you cut it just right.

[unclewatts]

I'm not a big fan of smoothing everything but smoothing the rockers only makes the truck look better.

[wzuke]

Shaving the pinch weld would look good. It would expose some of the things under the truck a little more (like the exhaust pipes). Painting it black would make the pinch weld less noticable.

[HeavyD]

You have shaved some parts of the truck already, why stop at the rockers?

[VA72C10]

Originally Posted by wzuke

Shaving the pinch weld would look good. It would expose some of the things under the truck a little more (like the exhaust pipes). Painting it black would make the pinch weld less noticable.

The exhaust will be tucked up inside the frame so no worries about that

[jsbgump]

I would shave it for the look you have goin

[special-K]

I think it`s so insignificant that it`ll be a big pain and a waste of time.You`ll have to tell everybody you did it,so they can look and say,"Oh yeah...looks better."

[DZL1]

I think it looks great with it off. But it also depends what color your planning on painting your truck. In the example you use that truck is very light and has great contrast with the street. If you went with a dark color the contrast wouldn't be so drastic and therefore less noticeable. My .02

DZL1.

[Shane]

Small details like this are what makes the difference in a backyard-shadetree mechanic truck with a bunch of bolt-on used parts and a true custom-built truck.

Go for it.

[VA72C10]

To be honest I really want this truck to be a show winner and I'm not happy how the inner and outer look just tacked together anyways....it will be painted a dark red so not as noticeable of course, but still something people would notice. Especially judges at shows.
I'm having Jason, the fabricator helping me, do the work and he told me he'd be able to knock it out fairly fast for under $100 total so it's worth it in the end for the overall look I'm going for. I'm probably going to do the cutting and final grinding to knock that figure down even more.....just have him weld the panels for me.


I'll post pictures here when completed....thanks for the time and comments...as of now, the votes are 14 to do it and only 2 against

[dakman]

funny I've been staring at mine out in the garage for a year thinking how much better it would be if it wasn't there... it hangs lower than the box and front fender. If I have mine repainted I'll be removing it.

[John Fabris]

I took the time to shave this on my truck. It is a personal thing. I say this, cause to date, not one person at any of the shows or those that have these trucks have ever said anything.

[TonyJohnson]

Looks better shaved...

[VA72C10]

Originally Posted by John Fabris

I took the time to shave this on my truck. It is a personal thing. I say this, cause to date, not one person at any of the shows or those that have these trucks have ever said anything.

Do you have any pictures underneath of exactly how you finished this off?

[bad68bowtie]

I voted to smooth it.

I agree that the large majority of people won't be able to pick it out individually, but the mod will definitely add to the whole package of the truck, especially with the look you're going for.

Like Shane said, it's the small details that make the difference.

[John Fabris]

No Pictures, but did cut 2 inches, weld, grind, cut 2 inches, weld, grind, blah blah, you get the idea. Other thing is to keep the drain vents, or slots so as you will still have a way for water to exit and not cause rapid rust.

[SactoJim]

It bugged me as well.......just kinda upset the lines of the truck so I just blacked mine out. Shaving would be the ultimate solution of course.

[VA72C10]

Well, the vote stands 25 to 3....like I said in my build thread, I had made up my mind to do this, just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy or messing anything up....and 25 to 3 makes me comfortable with my decision

[westofb]

You could roll them under also. Instead of being vertcal they would be horizontal, level with the ground.

[VA72C10]

Wow, was following a link to the fessler truck and I now realize they didn't even do this...and I missed it the first time...but now, it sticks out like a sore thumb to me...man, I'm sick

[Seraph]

i say shave it, i think it looks cool shaved.

[clay68c10]

Do it, you'll always notice it later if you don't.

[1lowdiesel]

c'mon we all know shaved is better.