Quote:
Originally Posted by 67c10rustbuket
My suggestion....
remove the A pillar (outlined in BLUE)
cut it on the RED line and trim the replacement part to fit. do not cut above the red line because there is a sheetmetal cage (outlined in GREEN) with one spot weld (YELLOW circle) holding the plate nut (outlined PURPLE) that your hinges bolt to. If you cut through that you will have to do some serious reconstructive surgery from the inside as I did and that is a pain in the butt.
you will need to remove the 4 bolts to the cab support. and possibly a couple more spot welds near the cab support bolts IF they are still holding together.
Save the removed piece to mark/drill the new A pillar patch, or use the fender reinforcement if you have those on either cab. It is on some later cabs and bolts through the front two pillar to cab support holes and reinforces the lower fender mounting hole on the inside (outlined BLACK)
for the rear pillar I would blast it and see how structurally solid it is, The repair piece for that is terrible....
|
Thanks, man! That is really helpful. I actually started to cut it yesterday, and the red line is just about where I made the cut. I will have to check and make sure I did not cut into the "yellow" spot weld, but I really don't think I did. I was just trying to avoid cutting more than I need to; I did not realize that the spot weld for the plate nut actually went down so low.
I am going to try and finish cutting it out today, so hopefully I can post some progress later.
I will check on the rear pillar. I actually did order the replacement part for the rear pillar, but I will have to figure out a way to blast it as you said and see how strong it is. I don't have a blaster, but first I will try sanding it to see how much rust comes off.
Now I have to go print your picture, mow the lawn, and get cracking on the truck. Thanks!