Out with the old & in with the new!!!!!!!!

[mod58]

Just finished replacing my rockers and cab corners,Alot of work but well worth it in the end!!!!!!!!!!

[old Rusty C10]

looks great... wanna come over and do the ones on my truck now??

[Hoods69BadBowTie]

Wow yeah that looks great. I got some for you to do if you got extra time.

[James McClure]

Good job!! Your lucky in that the rocker rear panels are in good shape and the floor is actually there. Mine was rusted back into the floor on both sides. I had to replace the cab floor supports along with the floor. I just got done with it last month after 4 months of work. I went overboard though. After all the panels were replaced I POR'ed the whole thing, primed it and then fiberglassed the entire bottom inside and out, then sprayed the whole bottom with bedliner material. I have pics of the whole job if anyone is interested. Due to file sizes I can't post them here, but I'll be glad to e-mail them out. Pics of finished job will fit here. They aren't real good because of the time of day and the new wheels aren't on yet, but you'll have an idea anyway. Jim

[toomanytoyz]

Jim

You could sign up for a Free Photobucket account & Then Load all your Pics on it. That would be easier for you than sending out a lot of emails with Pics, Just a Thought.......

Here is a Link if you want to sign up..........

Rick

http://photobucket.com/login

[Dads79GMC]

Great work! I feel you pain. After getting an outrageous quote from a couple shops to replace my rockers and cab corners for nearly $3000, I went out and got a MIG welder and figured it out myself. Glad I took the plunge because it's been well worth it. Again, great work.

[mod58]

I got a price from a friend that has a body shop and it was over $2500.00!!I knew how to do it,I realy didn't want to,but glad I did!!!!!This truck will be for my 13 year old son,and he is realy getting into it!!That make it all woth wile!!!!!!!!I have some more pic's soon,Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

[James McClure]

Tomanytoys: Recorded the web site you sent just in case, thanks. 3 grand to just do the cab corners and rockers? Ouch. I think, after what I did to mine, I could be tricked into doing a whole cab for that much if someone bought the parts and brought me the cab all striped down and ready to go. I already had a mig welder and a torch. but I went and bought a spot welder for good measure with a set of long tongs. If anyone wants a blow by blow of what I did e-mail me and I'll send it to ya.
E-mail is "jmcclur2@nycap.rr.com". Jim

[72BlckButy]

Great work!

[old Rusty C10]

not to hijack the thread but a body guy i use told me about $1000 to do rockers and corners on mine , welded but less if i do the bonded stuff where they glue them.. anyone have any info on that?

[andresco50]

Awesome Work

[James McClure]

Bob, I was watching a program about adhesives and the construction industry has a glue that is so strong the metal will tear before the glue breaks. I don't remember any names, but think if you Google adhesives you'll come up with an answer. I welded mine in, Jim

[Big Blue]

Typed in " metal adhesives " search google

John

[85gmcguy]

I'm trying to work up the ambition to start the cab corners on mine. Thanks for the inspiration. I didn't get an estimate, now I know not to bother.....

[James McClure]

Gary. How much expirence you have with sheetmetal work? Cab corners are pretty easy. Do yourself a favor though, trust me here OK? Move the box back or take it right off. If you want to discuss this, e-mail me at "jmcclur2@nycap.rr.com". I'll run you thru it there and follow up on the phone if you like. Jim

[85gmcguy]

I REALLY appreciate your offer and I may take you up on it when I get everything together. I'm a fair welder, just not a lot of experience with thin sheet metal. But I'm practicing. One question, did you butt the seams or flange and overlap them? Can't tell from your pictures. You do good work! I'll keep in touch.

[James McClure]

Gary: I'm no welder either, thats why God invented MIG, LOL. A few good beads with it and your set to go. In answer to your question, I did both, butt and overlap and tap down. Welds on the back of the cab and the face behind the door are butt welds. Where the cab corner wraps into the door recess is overlapped and taped down and filled. Do that last (door recess) When cutting out for the rest of the cab corner, cut the existing metal a little long, then grind it back till the new panel fits. For the door recess area, cut straight in from the face leaving the door recess intact. Carefully grind it down until the new panel drops right into the horizonal cut you made for the top of the new corner. Take your sweet time fitting the new panel, it'll pay off later. After fitting is done, lay the new panel asside and sandblast the whole area inside and out. Clamp in new part and weld it in. Do the face first, then the back, then the door recess and down on to the rocker. Just tack it at first and verify fit. Once your satisified with the fit, weld an inch, skip an inch, weld an inch, skip an inch till your all the way around. Let it cool a while then fill in the inches you skipped. This limits panel warpage and overheating. Don't worry if you blow thru in spots as long as they are real small. Now tap everything down a little bit and grind the welds just enough to make them level with the faces and fill with bondo. On the back, sandblast again and paint with a rust encapsulation paint, prime then overcoat with a good paint. After paint cures you can fiberglass the whole area or rustproof or spray with bed liner material. I did the whole bottom of the cab with fiberglass and then bedlinered it. Jim

[ChaseDale3and8]

Looks like you did a fantastic job on your rockers and cab corners! Wish I'd have found this site and could have seen how these cabs were constructed before I butchered mine up.

I need to cut everything back out on my left side and completely redo it because mine had a lot more rust than yours, and mine didn't fit back together right.

My rocker on the left side is too high and doesn't line up right. The worst part is that the door hits it. Oh well, maybe someone can walk me through fixing mine the right way after I cut it back apart to start over. Thankfully this site has a lot of knowledgeable people that give great advice! ...Joe

[James McClure]

Chase: Your have to leave the doors on when your doing up the setup. You will also have to take them off to cut for the rocker on the "A" pillar just below the lower hinge and then hang them again for the tack welding and final fitting before a full weld in. I had mine off and on 3 or 4 times before I was satisified with fit and could give it a good tacking and take the doors back off and do the final welding. When you have that all set, bore a 1" hole in the "A" pillar on the inside (thru the kick plate) level with the welding you did for the rocker panel. Spray some rust encapsulator paint in there to protect the backside of your work. Like I said before, take your time and measure carefully, and cut or grind a little at at time and check to make sure your right. Jim

[ChaseDale3and8]

Thanks for the advice James. I'll start a new thread when I get started on tearing my truck back apart so maybe you can walk me through the process so that I get it right next time. I have to get it running right so that I can even get it into the garage right now! I have been having distributor and carb problems with it. Got the distributor taken care of, now on to the carb, then maybe I can start cutting my cab up again! ...Joe

[trixter99]

Originally Posted by James McClure

Bob, I was watching a program about adhesives and the construction industry has a glue that is so strong the metal will tear before the glue breaks. I don't remember any names, but think if you Google adhesives you'll come up with an answer. I welded mine in, Jim

I am a bodyman by trade and you cannot use bonding adhesives on rocker panels becuase they are a stuctural part of the cab and I wuold never use adhisive to put the cab corners on anyone who does is to lazy to learn how to weld and really doesn't care about getting the job done right . I it was such a great idea the OEMs would be doing it and the only panel I have ever seen it done on are door skins and they are welded around the window opening .I'm sure some one will chime in on how they think that I'm on crack and that bonding adhesives are as strong as metal but they are not I have seen them let go. This is just my opinion take it for what ever you want.

[James McClure]

Trixer: I did weld mine up, don't much trust glue either. I was just answering a post old rusty put up about a body person that did bond them. GM has been glueing side panels on one of thier mini vans for some time now with great success, but all the parts are plastic or fiberglass not steel. I think the biggest problem you would have would be rust working it's way under the glue or age and vibration causing a failure. I'm no big fan of anything new, but welds replaced rivits, much to the dismay of riviters, and they do glue the heat shields on the shuttle's belly, so who knows whats next, right? Jim

[trixter99]

I agree with you that those panels are bonded on they also have bolts to hold them on in place while curing but they are not structural components of the vehicle. Adhesives have there place in industry lets just remember that they are only a patch not a proper meens of repair when using steel. I was not saying that you used the epoxy to do you panels I was just letting it be known to those who may not know that adhesives are not a cure for not wanting to pay some one to weld or not knowing how to weld themselves, and that if your going to spend the time and money to do a project wy not do it right the first time an you wont have any regrets later.... Darcy

[mod58]

Finaly put the motor in and set the cab on the frame!!!!!!!!!Now to finish the up the engine bay and set the rest of the sheetmetal and send for paint!!!That is a 2wd cab with no floor mods or body lift and it still has 3+" of room between the floor and trans and transfer case!!!!!!!

[scotty101]

that is a nice start!!! that makes me want to work on mine really bad. i just have not worked up the guts to start my corners. i'm putting it off by painting my engine and stuff. :S