My 1961 crew cab- XRMYCRU

[jonzcustomshop]

Originally Posted by 66Submarine

Neat! JMO, but I think you pretty much have to repaint the mental hospital logo when you redo it.

Makes me think more about making a crew cab dually...

after all the cutting and pasting I am gonna do, that is where they might have to drop me off!

Originally Posted by dieseldude4bt

I did an extended cab with a small back window because I liked it better, (even had a big back window at the time) I wouldn't do it again I would use the big window.

thanks, I am stubborn and will probably do the sbw, because I like it, but... I will definitely save a bbw inner so I can change it out if I can't stand it.

I did lots of measuring today and marked up my 2 donor cabs
this version crew cab is exactly 30 inches longer than a regular cab.

the rear doors are 29 1/2 inches long

the floor is cut at 12 inches measuring from the rocker/cab corner joint.

the roof is cut at 19 1/2 inches from the top corner under the drip rail at the front, or measured from the rear, 5 3/4 inches from the top corner under the drip rail.

[jonzcustomshop]

got a present today! aerotruck63 hooked me up with some nice snap on stock hubcaps. this will work great to cover the 5 lug front wheels.
I initially wanted to do the 57-60 hubcaps, but got to looking at some pics the other day, and these started to grow on me.....

I got a little bit done today, I pulled the green 61 up front and started cutting across the floor and rockers. I still want to re-measure the roof skin to get my line exactly where the coach builders cut.

I am also in sort of a quandary as to how to do this repair.... right now it is looking like it will be easier to bend my own floor panel than try to cut the old one out and use it, so if that is the case I should mate my 2 cabs together and do the floor, then use the "B" pillars and rear doors off this crew, salvage what I can of the outside edges of this roof, and build my own center like they did...

the other option, is to do the repair on the truck, cut the back off, fix it.. cut the front off, fix that....etc.. the thing about this repair, is the roof skin is pretty tough, so the first option seems to be my best...

the one thing that I cant/don't want to do yet is pull this crew's cab off the frame : it and the doors are about the only structural support it has right now, and I don't want it to all bend out of shape.....

[piratexpress1369a]

better put your cross bracing in now before you make any cuts ..nothing worse than not being square

[66Gilbert]

Originally Posted by jonzcustomshop

after all the cutting and pasting I am gonna do, that is where they might have to drop me off!



thanks, I am stubborn and will probably do the sbw, because I like it, but... I will definitely save a bbw inner so I can change it out if I can't stand it.

I did lots of measuring today and marked up my 2 donor cabs
this version crew cab is exactly 30 inches longer than a regular cab.

the rear doors are 29 1/2 inches long

the floor is cut at 12 inches measuring from the rocker/cab corner joint.

the roof is cut at 19 1/2 inches from the top corner under the drip rail at the front, or measured from the rear, 5 3/4 inches from the top corner under the drip rail.

Here you go Jon, Lets hope you don't end here up after all the measuring, cutting and pasting of this Crew.

[aerotruk63]

Actually were trading hubcaps, there was never a kind gesture intended! lol

I'd bend a new floor section and leave the original cab as intact as possible, to use as a measuring reference, as you go along. Heck, once you've copied one, you might as well start production. Templates and Jigs to follow.

[jonzcustomshop]

Originally Posted by aerotruk63

Actually were trading hubcaps, there was never a kind gesture intended! lol

I'd bend a new floor section and leave the original cab as intact as possible, to use as a measuring reference, as you go along. Heck, once you've copied one, you might as well start production. Templates and Jigs to follow.

the thought has crossed my mind....

[aerotruk63]

Only in the new production model stretch a 63-66 frame with the stiffener on the inside of the frame to avoid the cab mount issue.

[66-PMD-GMC]

A CREWCAB???!!!
That's cooler than coldstone ice cream at the north pole...!!!!!!

I am officially 1 jealous builder... lol
Congrats on the find...

[crewguy]

Originally Posted by jonzcustomshop

did you ever drive it with the topper off and with the small back window?
I like the look of the sbw better, but I was wondering how it is for blind spots backing up to the right?

also I see you have the rear door hinges off, any chance there is a part # on them, or did the stageway guy mention where they sourced them from?

Never drove the truck...unless up and down the driveway a couple times counts. Doors are back on, but I don't recall any numbers. I wouldn't worry of blind spots, go with what you like is my motto. Besides, big window or small, you don't see much thru the canopy windows, that's what mirrors are for.

[jonzcustomshop]

got some cabs cut up for patches, and started doing lots of measuring....
here is a pic of the notes....

the very bottom brace is an extra that they added to keep the new floor strong..
there is an inner rocker piece that they fabricated, but I did not measure it since I will be able to utilize the factory inner rockers.

[aerotruk63]

If you were to cut a 2" square tube with an oxyacetylene torch, would the separated pieces not twist or warp?

The inner rocker piece they fabricated, is it not thicker than the stock inner rockers of the donator's? Seems a continuous inner rocker from front to back would structurally be desired, to enforce the center post between the two cab supports at the dog legs?

[jonzcustomshop]

Originally Posted by aerotruk63

If you were to cut a 2" square tube with an oxyacetylene torch, would the separated pieces not twist or warp?

The inner rocker piece they fabricated, is it not thicker than the stock inner rockers of the donator's? Seems a continuous inner rocker from front to back would structurally be desired, to enforce the center post between the two cab supports at the dog legs?

I'll have to jack it up and get some better pics than what I have.. the "square tube " really looks to be 2 parts of the same piece, and it is pretty thick, 1/8th of an inch , the reason I figured it was cut was the rough edges, and the inner one is shorter than the outer, but there doesn't seem to be a reason why they both wouldn't be the same size if they had sourced some "C" channel.

their inner rocker was just made of the same material that they made the floor with, it is just about 32 inches long and lap welded over the ends and the new floor panel- I'll have to get a pic of it...

[padresag]

Jon, I wonder if we could put together a list of all the known coach builders that made c/cabs
I am having a discussion over on the 60-66 site where they think that the only eng ever built was a V6 and that the only c/cab builders were armbruster and stageway.
they say that one can always fix ignorance
thanks
ron

[jonzcustomshop]

Originally Posted by padresag

Jon, I wonder if we could put together a list of all the known coach builders that made c/cabs
I am having a discussion over on the 60-66 site where they think that the only eng ever built was a V6 and that the only c/cab builders were armbruster and stageway.
they say that one can always fix ignorance
thanks
ron

I will scan a couple of sheets out of the silver book, there were more than I thought...

[aerotruk63]

[jonzcustomshop]

so 10 of them, I think about half of those ads do not have one pictured, but do mention them, here are a crown, orrville , armbruster ,and an automotive industries:

[jonzcustomshop]

couple more:

[padresag]

thank you guys for the info
ron

[aerotruk63]

Not to forget, there's a mention to the salesmen to keep notes of any other source for truck modifiers not mention in the Silver Book. GM did not restrict their dealers from using other sources. GM was most interested in selling yet another truck.

[wahl4m]

anybody ever figure out what the rear door hinges was intended for originally ? my 66 crew-cab was made a 4 door with -out the left rear- hinges ! the door is just held in with clips ?/screws/bolts ? looks like the 4th door operating was an option ??? anyway i need to get the door off and figure something out for a hinge or fabricate something ? ithe original frame was junk /dont think "stage-way " had any good welding pros on board? ,so i used a 1971 chevy 1 ton chassis mount frame ,it is way to long ,need to shorten it ,i did use a 86 chevy c-20 front cross member and the c-20 single rear ,it all bolted in ,even the late p/s box /no adapter plate needed .im having trouble posting pics ,maybe i can get somebody here to post for me ? EVERYBODY with anything crew cab keep posting ,what you got !! thanks guys

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by jonzcustomshop

another thing of interest, almost all the parts were painted olive drab (army green) looks like the bumpers, grille, the grille support behind the grille, and even the rear door sill plates -the front ones are MIA-, must have been quite plain looking!

Yes, on the special order paint job, everything was olive drab, including bumper, grill, wheels and hubcaps. However, the area behind grill and the area behind the bowtie designed turn signals in hood were black for contrast. Found a photo from back in the day for reference.

[jonzcustomshop]

Originally Posted by factorystock

Yes, on the special order paint job, everything was olive drab, including bumper, grill, wheels and hubcaps. However, the area behind grill and the area behind the bowtie designed turn signals in hood were black for contrast. Found a photo from back in the day for reference.

thanks for the photo!, I have been contemplating the color, if I want to do olive drab, or highway department orange like my donor cab, it won't be a 100 point restoration, more a resto-mod.. although I wouldn't mind having another that was a 100point restoration!

[jonzcustomshop]

some pics of progress... my 2 "patch panels" , and the floor and floor braces I had bent up at a sheet metal shop.
I had to do a bit of rust repair to the rear braces and driver rear rocker/inner rocker, but now it is rust free...
will start on the "B" pillars next

at some point I will flip it on its side, seam seal and weld up a bit more of the lap weld on the floor pan...
wondering if I can get the whole bottom of it rhino lined?
would that guarantee me no new rust ??
At the least after all the weld is seam sealed it will get some sort of under coat...

[jonzcustomshop]

these rear floor braces were a p.i.t.a.!
I sourced them from the orange cab, it was rust free, but the back panel and rear roof were toast (it was a dump truck).
The braces had some cracks and holes where the running boards were welded to them. I also had to cut an access hole to weld the back part of the cut on the brace from the inside.... so these braces would probably be real easy to do IF you were replacing the cab corners too... brace, inner floor, and then corner and it would be an easier job... regardless I got it.

I didn't have a patch for that little piece of inner rocker in front of the wiring harness trough ( in the first pic) , so I just made a pattern with a piece of paper, and then finessed the shape with some pliers, a vise, and a ball peen hammer!

[CHIZZLER]

Your floor work looks great.