Panels rain gutter removed anyone

[chris mc bride]

Im thinking of removing the rain gutter around top of truck and welding the seam up. Think would make for cleaner look anyone done this or seen it done and yes pics would be cool.

[CG]

Wow that sounds like a ton of work. If your good at that type of thing go for it. Never seen it done on a burb or panel myself.

[chris mc bride]

work wouldn't be that bad... Just cutting fastory piece off. Grind back to flush. Lots of spot welds.Little more grinding Ok lot. But then they say if its worth doing its worth doing right.

[pritch]

I always thought a cool look would be to leave the gutter until just behind the doors, then add a little faux piece curving down, more like how the trucks are. Then remove everything else along the sides. Too much work for me, though. Maybe after I win the lotto.

[chris mc bride]

exactly what I have planned. Right now almost no work so time not issue.If not materails its easy right now. If I have to layout cash then its hard.

[tubbedII]

These are off another thread and is a friend of original-71. These are in NO WAY pictures of anything I own/built or even touched...I don't have that type of skill or $$$. It's the only I've ever seen with shaved drips, but then again, there's a ton more of body mods to this rig than just that.

Anyways, here's the teaser pics he posted...still waiting on the build thread...
Before:


After:

[chris mc bride]

Little farthure than I plan to go with that one tubbedII. Not to mention a lot greener. Like the paint layout but not a fan of green. Besides driving that on street would be nerve racking as he11,especaily with all the cell phone texting idiots out.

[tubbedII]

Haha...ya, I understand that one. I've never been a fan of this type of green myself either, but I must say that it looks really good. I do think the shaved drip rails alone turn the burb into a much more modern looking ride though.

I'm not too familiar with the burbs, and looking at the rear hatch, it looks like the hinges are either on the rails or molded with them. Is this the case?

[chris mc bride]

Not sure. I know I would love to find another style hinge for panel. I hate these huge things for back door hinges.

[jmedero]

OMG. Soooo clean man.
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[AzDon]

Perhaps anything is possible, but there are two problems with romoving the gutters.... First, The window frames are inset below the gutters and would still have that look, even without the gutters. I think it would be reinventing the wheel to try to give a burb from these years a flush-glass, smoothy look, because that is not how it's made....
The second reason is more practical.... the bottoms of the raingutters are the "pictureframe" that the roof skin was first, dropped into and second, sealed and spotwelded into. The factory literally put a sealer into the gutters and then spotwelded the roof skin on top of and through this sealer. Cut off the raingutter and roofskin flange and you will literally have no flanges to join and no point-of-reference. I think it might actually be easier and more effective to graft 67-72 quarters and front clip to a 93-99 burb.
To your question about upper hatch hinges, They slip into a pocket in the hatch opening just below the gutter. The problem with these hinges that cause hatch rust-out, is that the bottom of the hinges insert into a slot thru the hatch's sheetmetal into it's structure instead of just being doubled over and bolted to the top of the hatch (the way the bottom hatch hinge is designed). The rubber grommets around these holes disintegrate eventually letting water into the structure, rotting it from the inside.

[chris mc bride]

If you check back cpl post you'll see plan is to remove gutters just behind doors so door area not a issue. I think cutting rain gutter and welding seam will be pretty straight foward. Basically cut back to suface ,grind flush and weld seam. Yea lot of weld. But lot cleaner look and lil more modern.

At door area stop cutting about foot before then shape it to turn down just behind door and tapper into body and weld in place.

hopefully will find out shortly if can get few hundered more together we are are going to pull body off frame and reaplce floor boards first then go from there.

[AzDon]

I spaced that you are doin a panel truck. Lots of older panels had no gutters, but they were constructed differently. I discarded a 63 panel about a year ago because the raingutters had rusted completely off the thing. The only option I mighta had was to make a truck roadster out of it and I wasn interested

[chris mc bride]

Yes AZDon thats why title for post was Panels Rain gutter removal

Sorry dude could help but give you hardtime on that one

[68burbanontherocks]

Originally Posted by chris mc bride

Yes AZDon thats why title for post was Panels Rain gutter removal

Sorry dude could help but give you hardtime on that one

I did it on my burb its pretty easy. Its on my build thread in the suburban forum (dually suburban on rockwells ect). My tip to you is to is cut all but like an 1/8 of an inch or so then flap disc the rest down. Then just run a stitch weld around the truck, then flap disc that down. A legit weekend job if you work hard on it. I can p.m. you pics if you cant find them on my build thread...
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[68burbanontherocks]

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=510400&page=3

Starts at post #63... hope this helps. "Lots of ways to skin a cat"
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