New project! The "Red Herring"

[JJorgensen52]

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

Good progress. If you can, throw up another pic of the tranny tunnel please.

You can see here how wide the section I had to make was. About 7/8"


Factory trans cover fits


Speaking of which: My battery door does NOT fit into the replacement floor pan - I knew the replacement pans didn't have the seat for the latches formed in, but the edges of the lid are more square than the stamping in the pan and it doesn't fit. Has anybody run into this before?

[JJorgensen52]

Pulled out the rear floor pan tonight:


Found a section in the rear cab wall that needs repair. Probably about 2" high at the worst point and maybe 10" wide, driver's side close to center


And test fitting new mounts and the first portion of my Street Rod floor kit


The rear panel on this cab is also BEAT so I'm debating with myself my exact method of going forward from here.

Separate note: I cut the rear cab braces (all three of which were damaged) about 5" below the reinforcing rib at the top of the rear panel - it feels like they were welded in there before the rear panel was installed, how to remove them?

[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

[oldman3]

Originally Posted by JJorgensen52

Separate note: I cut the rear cab braces (all three of which were damaged) about 5" below the reinforcing rib at the top of the rear panel - it feels like they were welded in there before the rear panel was installed, how to remove them?

Yes these braces were spot welded at the top to the rear panel. Section 1 sheet 42 of the assembly manual shows the part. My main computer is at the repair shop so I can't scan a picture to put up on here. Don't know your fab skills but you may have to make up pieces to add to this and extend down to bottom of new floor pan...Jim

[JJorgensen52]

In roughly reverse order:

Originally Posted by oldman3

Yes these braces were spot welded at the top to the rear panel. Section 1 sheet 42 of the assembly manual shows the part. My main computer is at the repair shop so I can't scan a picture to put up on here. Don't know your fab skills but you may have to make up pieces to add to this and extend down to bottom of new floor pan...Jim

I have the replacement braces, so I am not concerned about that for the moment, I just could not see any spot welds inside the cab to drill in order to separate them from the rear panel.

Originally Posted by 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

This build is actually the primary reason I do not want to replace the rear panel - it seemed like there was a LOT of delicate metal surgery involved;

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

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

The major problem with the rear panel is dents. The driver's side has one that I can work out, but the passenger's side looks like it was caved in at some point, and beat back out with a baseball bat. It was filled with bondo - up to a 1/2" thick in places.

That said, the metal is in good shape all along the beltline at the top of the panel and for most of the rest of it save the dented area.

The rust at the bottom lip I can fabricate a replacement piece for, so that I am not too concerned about.

If you look back at the first photos in posts #14 and #21, you can see a little bit of what I'm referring to about the passenger's side. I realize I haven't posted a good photo, I can snap one this afternoon.

[oldman3]

Originally Posted by JJorgensen52

I have the replacement braces, so I am not concerned about that for the moment, I just could not see any spot welds inside the cab to drill in order to separate them from the rear panel.

Not sure, but I don't think there is enough room to get a drill in to drill the welds. Wish I could put up the picture. As last resort you could cut the present brace near the top and weld new brace on at that point to extend down to the floor...Jim

[JJorgensen52]

Originally Posted by oldman3

Not sure, but I don't think there is enough room to get a drill in to drill the welds. Wish I could put up the picture. As last resort you could cut the present brace near the top and weld new brace on at that point to extend down to the floor...Jim

In looking through some more photos in Farmer Sid's build, it looks like you're right. I suppose the other alternative is I could cut the lip free on the inside, drill the welds, spot the new braces in and then weld it back together??

I think I like the splicing old to new idea best. The tops of the braces were fine, they were bent/kinked at the bottom which is why I purchased the replacements.

[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

[JJorgensen52]

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

[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.