New project! The "Red Herring"

[Advanced Design]

Can you show the braces? Is the rear panel dented up or too rusty?

[Advanced Design]

Farmer Sid replaced the back panel on his truck. Here it is in case you haven't seen the build. Worth a look.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=632938

[Advanced Design]

Here is section 1 sheet 42. Jim good thinking on the factory assembly manual.

[JJorgensen52]

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

Here is section 1 sheet 42. Jim good thinking on the factory assembly manual.

Perfect!! Evidently, I should be buying one of those... I think my truck was built on a Friday shift, there's about 7 spot welds per brace

I've decided on the rear panel. I'm going to make a replacement section for the bottom 1" or so (excepting the one area where I need to go about 5" high for about 5" of width). There's just too much pitting on the old lip for me to be comfortable with reusing it. Fortunately I can cut a piece that wide from an old '71 hood I have leaning against the garage

The rest of the panel is sound, just denty. I can't seem to get a good picture of it, though.

[oldman3]

Doug, thanks for posting the pic. I got my computor back late today, so now I can post stuff again...Jim

[Advanced Design]

Nice work! Sometimes the right tool can really help and it is frustrating to not have it.

[JJorgensen52]

Patch panel all stitched in


Cleaned up



Inner cab corners



Drilled for spot welds, weld-through primer and the rear cab mounts with the Street Rod Floor brace welded in - mounts are not yet welded in place

[Advanced Design]

Nice work!

[oldman3]

Nice repairs...Jim

[OneOffStroker]

Nice work on the truck! Maybe I'll see you out and about in the 757 when it's done. I go to the Saturday drive-in shows at Landstown Commons in VB often, because I live in that area. I'll definitely have my '57 down there often when she is on the road later this year.

[JJorgensen52]

Thanks for the kudos, guys!

Originally Posted by OneOffStroker

Nice work on the truck! Maybe I'll see you out and about in the 757 when it's done. I go to the Saturday drive-in shows at Landstown Commons in VB often, because I live in that area. I'll definitely have my '57 down there often when she is on the road later this year.

It'll be a short window - this truck will be headed up North once it's done, I'm shooting for 4th of July (which is close, yikes!). But I'll definitely ride down that way with the '71 if there's a decent meet.


Different note - I have been scratching my head over this for several days, but is it possible that the factory rear cab mounts are not in the same place from left to right? I've been making everything on this cab symmetric as I repair it, and the front mounts worked out to within about a 1/16" but the rear mounts are out by more like 1/2" ... which in the end doesn't matter since I have to build the mounts on the new frame, I'm just curious. I'm attempting to make the cab so it could go back on a factory frame, later.

[JJorgensen52]

Trying to keep up my project momentum this week:

Rear mounts welded in. The factory spot welded these, I was more comfortable with a seam weld. Not very good picture


Passenger's rear pan section welded in


Driver's side section fitted up and clamped for welding


These pans and the brace are made from 14GA instead of the original 16GA, which is all well and good but it's making it a tad difficult to get good spot welds where it meets the rear panel without burning the edges of my hole. I am thinking I may also seam weld the inside of the rear panel to the floor. Thoughts?

[Advanced Design]

Plug welding a 5/16" hole that is placed every three inches should be good. And if you see that isn't good enough, you could do some stitch welds. Making good progress.

[JJorgensen52]

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

Plug welding a 5/16" hole that is placed every three inches should be good. And if you see that isn't good enough, you could do some stitch welds. Making good progress.

I have been using 1/4" plug welds on 2" centers so far and that's been working out pretty well for me. I tried a different approach today and I think it worked out better - I used a higher current to build an initial bead on the thicker base metal, then turned down the juice and welded the outer panel to that initial bead.
I do think I am going to weld the rear panel to the floor from above behind where the braces land (so as to hide it), just the same.

Progress! Rear floor sections both fully burned in


Test fitting the center pan sections. I have a bit more trimming and tweaking to do on these than the rears.


I am also planning to add a "channel" brace to the floor where the front pans meet the center pans - I will probably use two pieces of 1"x1"x3/32" angle space about 3" flange to flange for that purpose, to add some rigidity. I'm going to be building a custom seat mount and the front feet are going to land right about where the joint is.

Lastly, here's a flavor of things to come:


Guesses on what cars I'm using parts from now?? I am going to use the same style knobs and bezels for all of the switchgear in the cab, and it will match the levers on the column as well.

[Advanced Design]

Looks good and glad it worked out. The switch and plate look to be from a 60's vehicle....not the Wildcat?

[JJorgensen52]

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

Looks good and glad it worked out. The switch and plate look to be from a 60's vehicle....not the Wildcat?

Close, in part! The knob is '61-'63 fullsize Chevrolet. The plate is of a different era.

[oldman3]

Plate looks similar to the 55-56-57 chevy stuff...Jim

[JJorgensen52]

Originally Posted by oldman3

Plate looks similar to the 55-56-57 chevy stuff...Jim

Jim's got it! '55-'56 Bel Air specifically (chrome rings). I'm going to have to modify the dash a bit around the ignition switch, but other than that it should be a walk in the park.

[Advanced Design]

Originally Posted by JJorgensen52

Jim's got it! '55-'56 Bel Air specifically (chrome rings). I'm going to have to modify the dash a bit around the ignition switch, but other than that it should be a walk in the park.

Thought they looked familiar...how did I miss it?

[JJorgensen52]

I've not been looking forward to this one, but it is time to begin.

After I fitted up the outer cowl, I fitted the inner-outer cowl filler and marked where it did not fit. I dealt with the outside edge tonight. I cut it free from the center portion where it did not fit, and shimmed it out to match

About 3/8" in the worst places

Then I welded in a strip of scrap steel


Ground it all down


And it fits nicely now on the outside


Those with sharp eyes can see that the gap at the kick panel gets progressively larger as it approaches the bottom - it's nearly a 1/2" at the curve where it meets the floor. I'm hoping to deal with that tomorrow. Expecting 8"+ of snow here in south VA overnight!

[JJorgensen52]

Progress!

Cut the inside off the inner fender filler


Bent, tweaked, and trimmed it until it fit


And got it welded back together and welded to the truck


The driver's side is proving to be more troublesome. It does not fit as well, and also the cowl (firewall to door) is a 1/4" shorter on that side, which means I have to section the outer cowl and shorten it to make it fit properly

Checked hood gaps now that I have both outer cowls clamped up:



Overall happy with that. I wish my door gaps were even though. The driver's side are nice and tight, but the rear one on passenger's is wider than I would like.

I've also decided I'm going to go with the Altman bear-claw kit. It makes adding power locks much easier, and I've been experiencing problems with both latches that don't inspire confidence in me.

[JJorgensen52]

Today I spent the afternoon helping a friend salvage some parts for one of his projects at the junkyard - I did a little idea shopping while I was there, grabbed an air box I may use for this truck, and scored a four note "Freight Train" horn setup off an older Cadillac

In other news, this evening it was cold so I colorized my first round cab wiring harness sketch


I'm hoping to be back on the truck tomorrow, driver's side inner cowl filler

[JJorgensen52]

Tough crowd!

Today I was otherwise occupied outside due to the weather unexpectedly turning warm, but I did get a chance to section the driver's lower cowl to fit properly:


In this shot, you can see both how much I shortened it (about 1/4", the lip sticking out at the front edge) and how much that improved my door gap on this side. It's now nice and consistent from the pillar all the way down


Last shot - I grabbed these out of a late model truck at the junkyard - adjustable shoulder anchors for shoulder belts. The truck will definitely be getting three point belts, but not sure if I will use these. Seemed like a good part to grab since they were cheap!


Next task, now that I have the outer cowl properly fitted, is to section the driver's side inner - outer cowl filler

[JJorgensen52]

Man! I feel like it's been ages since I did anything on this truck ... even though it was less than a week ago

Started in on the windshield frame repairs tonight

This is recycling at its finest. Cutting a patch from a patch I didn't use because I didn't like the way it fit, that I cut out of a hood I took off my '71.

Tacked in place. Sorry for the fuzzy second photo



I left the patch a little oversize so I can trim it down once it's welded in and get a nice, even line where the windshield will sit. I also left a little bit of meat underneath, so I can get my head up under the dash and weld in a few key spots under there, as well.

Oh. And Happy St. Patrick's Day!

[JJorgensen52]

Just plugging away. REALLY wished I had a shrinker/stretcher rig tonight

Finished up the dashboard lip and cleaned the welds most of the way


I've also filed the edge to shape based on the old piece I cut out.

Started making the upper portion of the cowl edge (one more piece to make after this)

There is a lot more curvature to this than it appears in the photo