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**JJorgensen52** · 02-08-2015, 02:06 AM

Well, spent Friday night trying to make a patch panel for the back of the cab, and I was not at all satisfied - it was just not possible to get a good bend in a 40" wide piece of metal with the tools I had at hand.

So this afternoon (I spent the morning helping a friend get an engine ready to go back in his truck) I stopped at HarborFreight and bought the cheapest 30" brake I could get my hands on

I made two 20" patches from the old '71 hood

And then trimmed and tweaked them to fit

I ended up with a patch that is actually about 38 1/2" wide, it was so sized that I can use the original metal of the cab at the edges to locate the new inner rockers and the patch, but when I install the cab corners, the bottom lip of the back wall will be 100% new.

Everything is clamped up, squared and ready to weld tomorrow if I get a moment

02-08-2015, 02:06 AM	#62
JJorgensen52 Simple? What's simple? Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southeast CT Posts: 1,472	Re: New project! The "Red Herring" Well, spent Friday night trying to make a patch panel for the back of the cab, and I was not at all satisfied - it was just not possible to get a good bend in a 40" wide piece of metal with the tools I had at hand. So this afternoon (I spent the morning helping a friend get an engine ready to go back in his truck) I stopped at HarborFreight and bought the cheapest 30" brake I could get my hands on I made two 20" patches from the old '71 hood And then trimmed and tweaked them to fit I ended up with a patch that is actually about 38 1/2" wide, it was so sized that I can use the original metal of the cab at the edges to locate the new inner rockers and the patch, but when I install the cab corners, the bottom lip of the back wall will be 100% new. Everything is clamped up, squared and ready to weld tomorrow if I get a moment __________________ CURRENT '50 GMC 100 shortbed Gen IV 4.8 LS - 4L65E (Secret truck, Shhh!!!) Build '63 Buick Wildcat Coupe 401ci Nailhead (Very much in pieces) Photos '66 Impala SS convertible 327-QJet-glide (4 speed swap one of these days...) Photos '69 CST/10 4x4 SWB Stepper 350 2bbl - NV4500/NP241C (Broken Truck!) '72 Sierra Grande 2WD LWB fleetside 350-TH350 Refresh '99 K2500 Silverado RCLB 5.7 Vortec - NV4500/NP241C (Daily) '99 K2500 Suburban 7.4 Vortec - NV4500/NP246 (still working out the bugs) SOLD '71 Custom/10 2WD LWB fleetside - '72 GMC K/3500 Dually (Sold to redryder)