Door reccomendation

[DPete]

Hi guys, new here. Just bought a 56'3100 needs a little body love as in new LH door and rear fender. I see many online parts, does anybody have experience with fit and who would you recommend to buy from?

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by DPete

Hi guys, new here. Just bought a 56'3100 needs a little body love as in new LH door and rear fender. I see many online parts, does anybody have experience with fit and who would you recommend to buy from?

WELCOME to the forum first of all. I can't say for certain, but several of the repo companies get their parts from the same source, but I've had the best of luck with CLASSIC PARTS. their prices have been eithr better or at least the same as many. I'm also a stickler for service on the phone as well, you'll find this is important. good luck.
P.S. call some of the aftermarket companies and ask for technical assistance to see what you help you get before buying.

[DPete]

Thanks, lotsa work to do but the running gear is done, 350/350, disc up front, pwr steering, the PO did a really nice job on the drive train then decided to drop the project.

[Daze57]

tuckers classic pickup parts here in las vegas has worked well for me here

[_Ogre]

typical price is $600 plus truck freight
they do sell patch panels that can fix most any part of the door
what is it that is shot/rusty on your truck door?

[DPete]

The door can be fixed but the body guy said $450 and said I would be better off buying a new door.

[mongocanfly]

Might be cheaper to patch your old door that already fits over buying a new door that needs work to be made to fit..

[my56chevytruck]

I want to add to what was said about buying a new door, if you can patch and do the body work, then that's the right want to go. Your door already fits, so patch where you can. ed Want to post a few pictures of the damaged area?

[DPete]

Damage on lower driver door from bottom up about 18"

[bowt1ed]

DPete, any bottom rust (inner our outer skin)? If not, looks like it can be pulled and hammer/dollied. Like mentioned, buying a new door should be your last option as they will still require work to fit. From the pic, that door looks great - just needs a little TLC, then sand, prime, block, prime, block.

Cheers, Jim

[DPete]

No rust, OK I'll take it back to the body guy for repair, I'll never get it right myself. Thanks for replies

[Iceman_70]

agree with the above ...

My driver door was rusted and damaged. Bought a new via Classic Parts. Took a lot of grinding/welding to get the gaps correct, and where the door handle is, I had to correct the curve ...
So if you can fix it, try to fix it ...

[mr48chev]

I'd agree that fixing that door should be a better option than fitting a repro door. By the standards of a lot of the TF guys on here that is a real nice and doable door but most of them do their own work up to final paint. That isn't a knock for having someone else do the body work as we all that that list of what we are comfortable with and what we don't want to take on ourselves and want to farm out.

That looks like a nice solid no nonsense truck to start a slick truck with.

[bowt1ed]

And a lot of us who had zero experience in the past were fortunate enough to have an expert allow them to work alongside and learn. I am just finishing up my 18 months of body work and have sanded my fingers to the nub! I feel very fortunate to have done it too!

Cheers, Jim

[b-mac]

Might want to find a new body guy if he told you to buy a new door instead of fix that one. A good body guy could probably fix that in the time it would take to swap all of your internal guts over.
Compared to what some of us have repaired, that's nothing.

Good looking truck btw. Nice start.

[OrrieG]

Hammer and dolly on a rust free original door vs. lots of welding, stretching, re-curving, etc. on a "new" is a no brainer decision. The guy will need to shrink the stretched panel but no biggie for a qualified body man. May need to work the cab jamp and sill a little to, but would need to do that with a new door too. Remember these trucks were not that good from the factory, most farmers just wanted doors that shut and kept the rain and dust out, gaps and alignment were secondary.

[_Ogre]

that little bit of bodywork is $450? you are getting hosed
also why most of us do our own rust repair...

[DPete]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

that little bit of bodywork is $450? you are getting hosed
also why most of us do our own rust repair...

OK, what's a fair price then? I haven't had any body work done for 30 years

[b-mac]

I don't think that price is that far out of line. Does that include matching paint to the rest of the truck? Because if so, I'd say it's a pretty good deal.

Matching any factory paint on one of today's cars will get to a grand pretty quick.

[_Ogre]

the patch panel is $50 any new door will still need to be reassembled, hung, worked and painted along with the whole truck
being screwed may have been the wrong words, f'ing expensive as hell may have been the words i was looking for
aka why i did my own repairs and truk was my first real attempt at any bodywork