Well, my new cab corners came the other day.......what a joke! Two 4" wide pieces of sheetmetal with a lip bent on one edge. And only $90 plus shipping! I sent them back today for a refund..... So I started making one side from scratch.....got it mostly done in a couple hours. Will take some pics tomorrow.
I got them from Cl***ic Haulers...... Got one side welded up today. Second pic is what has eaten all my free time lately.....my son and I have been rebuilding this SBC for my old '72 El Camino. I gave it to him as his first car project (he's 16). The car has been setting since '98, so it needs everything redone....
I bought a new toy for my shop the other day......It's an old Pexto sheet metal shear. 18 ga, 36" wide. Heavy as hell...... I got it off of the govt. surplus auction site for pretty cheap. It works like new.....I just oiled it little. Now I'm on the lookout for a sheet metal brake (sp?)..... Hope to get some work done on my cab this weekend.....
Been doing a LOT of welding in my spare time........ Got the cab corners, rockers, and rear floor all welded up. Yesterday I finished the subframe/ cab mounts. I still have to prime and seam seal all of the welded areas. Will post some pics soon......
Here's some pics as promised...... I took some time to clean up the bottom of the cab and spray some etch primer, then figured why not put some bedliner on there also . Maybe it will cut down the noise a little. now I can put the cab back on the dolly and attack the outer skin....
Another update......got the lower sides all welded up. Starting to look like something...... Next up is windows!
Lookin good. Is it just the picture or is the back part of the cab roof higher at this point? Can you give us an idea how the roof will go? What will the side windows be like? -Donn-
Just the angle of the pic, Donn. Hopefully the cab will look as good as v8steel's photoshop pic. The roof I'm not quite sure about......I'm making this up as I go!
Mocked up some windows......was thinking about making the gl*** swing out like a late model truck, but have pretty much ruled that out. Would be great for ventilation, but would look too modern I think. Pics anyway....
Looking good. The rear windows on my crew were a bit tricky. I thought about making them fixed also but did not want to listen to the kids complain their window would not go down. Did you use the rear window opening out of another cab? Shape looks good and fits the truck
Those 1/4 windows are super nice. Please take pictures of the work as you go of the roof I think we would all like to see how that is going to work. Not being a bodyman I am in awe of what you are doing. I have half a mind to trailer up my cab and bring it up to you and let you do your thing on it !
Donn, I'd be happy to help you with your COE any way I can.....too bad we are a ways apart. The roof will be a challenge I'm sure....just taking it one step at a time. I just found out the MT DMV rejected my ***le application.......now I have to jump thru a bunch MORE hoops to get the ***le. And pay more money....kinda depressing.
looking good scott. did you use the old rear window opening or something else to make those rear side windows. to bad about your ***tle issues.don't know how it works in montana but dealing with any bureaucracy is a pain.
They have changed a few things in the ***le department. I think it's a scam to get another $18.50. Oh well, it could be worse.
RM, This might sound incredibly geeky, but are you going to extend the drip rails so that it looks like something the factory might have done? Very cool work so far!! Chris
Not much progress on the old cab lately......I did finish welding in the window frames. Doing a little bodywork while it is up on the stand. Need to set it on the floor to start on the roof. Got a bunch of customer work (this is good) to do so the project will slow down for a while. I sold a project car, so I got some coin for an engine/trans.....
Little update....I finally got a couple hours free to work on the cab.... Did a little bodywork on the lower sides while it was still up on the cart. Then set the cab down on the floor to start work on the roof.... First thing to do is straighten up the existing roof before I start hacking on it. Remember the damage from the lifting cable thru the door openings? Time to finish that up too.... So I removed the bent up drip rails and got the right side looking pretty good. The left side will require some pulling..... I have extra drip rail on parts cabs and will replace it after I tackle the roof.
looks good. Its amazing how much it seem you have acomplished just by doing some bodywork and shooting some primer on it. Atleast thats how it seems with me. I can work for days and think I have got nothing done, shoot it with some primer and it makes all the difference.
I played hookey today and worked on my cab.....started t******* up the roof skin. The original COE roof was a mess, I think it got walked on then hammered back out. It was really wavy and stretched out. So instead of patching 3 pieces of bent up roof together, I will remove most of it and use a different roof skin. I love cuttin stuff up...... The challenge is finding a donor roof with the right crown. '60's cars work good....I had a '59 Impala roof given to me awhile back, so I decided to use that. It's a little flatter than the original, but honestly, this truck is so tall nobody will ever notice. I've got it cut fairly close to size, just needs a little more t*******...... I still have some gaps on each side above the 1/4 windows, so I will make some patches from left over curved metal.... Not looking forward to all of the welding in my future....
Yeah Don, it is awesome, I got to see it live and in person today. Roadtrip to Kalispell, mall for the wife, garage tour for me
Was cool having Barry stop by and BS about coe's and hotrods......Usually when I try to explain my coe to someone, they look at me like I'm from another planet.... Thanks for the kind words tho...
Still pecking away at it...... I got the roof panel trimmed to final size and clamped/ screwed into place. I ended up using a flange on the joint just to make it more stable, the edges were really floppy otherwise. I've done a few of these roof skins and found it works best to not have them under tension when you start welding. A good fit is critical..... Finally ready to start tacking it on..... once I get it secured all around, I need to make the filler pieces. They support the edges of the roof.... Welding low crown panels is very time consuming....a million tiny welds. Too much heat will ruin the panel, which I would very much like to avoid.....
The Jalopy Journal
