lower windshield patch panel

[rxnova]

ok folks, I have searched and can not find a lower windshield channel patch panel. Is this something I have to fab up or cut off of a donor.. also, has anyone completely changed a firewall on 67 c10. sorry if its a dead horse.
thanks

[swamp rat]

Been covered many times, ya have to fabricate or find a doner section for the windshield..

Gove Wess at www.Classicheartbeat.com a call about the firewall, he's been working on gitting a replacement made. Only other option is to fabricate that i am aware of

[Big John Sny]

My son helped me make mine. Where is yours rotted at?

[rxnova]

rusted in same area. what gauge metal did you fab patch from? probably can make this in a vice. how did you do it.
thanks

[Xeen]

You can buy a sheet metal gauge finder and check it.

[Big John Sny]

Honestly I didn't think to much about the gauge. I just used some scrap I had that was the right size and close to the right thickness. I just grabbed some calipers that were sitting on the computer desk measured both the original and what I welded in. Both look like they are approximately .032" I guess I did ok.

A quick google search puts .032" pretty close to 22 gauge.

[Big John Sny]

Oh, the way we made it was to rough it with a vise and hammer, do a little bit of stretching by hitting over an anvil tip with a hammer to make the crowned area. Then I tacked it in and did a little more hammer and dolly work.
The worst part was the welding under the dash, but I have recently moved to tig and this was my first sheet metal work with the tig (been mostly doing frames and aluminum parts). I think this job would probably have been easier with a mig and a bit more grinding. since you can only do small spots anyways to keep from putting too much heat in, and then join them together, you lose most of the control advantage you get from the tig.