Quote:
Originally Posted by swamp rat
I cant tell you if holding the fender will be helpful to check the alignment of that hole on the lower A pillar, the door will have to be in place and adjusted as well as possible then install the bolt at the top of the fender, try and get the gap close and the body line in place, then maybe install the second bolt, then hold it in place while you check the hole, but this is where geometry kicks in, a little adjustment can move that lower hole a long ways so its hard to know for sure until everything is back on the frame with new cab and core support mounts properly installed.. Also be sure to check your outer rocker fit against the new A pillar as soon as you can if ya haven't already.
Per the door adjustment, i have found that if i keep the bolts to the cab barley snug, just enough to hold a little surface tension, i was able to take a 10" long brass drift and a hammer and make small adjustments to the hinges one tap at a time. Also the top forward edge of the window channel on mine is also closer to the cab A-pillar when the door is in its best alignment, i don't know if this is due to the skin being installed a little crooked or if its just the window frame itself.
Per the cab corners, you can use strong magnets to hold it in place. How i would do it is first drill a couple holes into the back support that you painted grey, then place the cab corner on and use the magnets to hold it into place along the top (another option instead of magnets are the butt welding clamps you can buy at harbor freight) then transfer the holes to the new corner with an automatic center punch or pencil and drill them out, then use sheet metal screws and screw it in place, once its set i would figure out the spot weld spacing along that support and drill them with 1/8". Actually when i spot weld i like to drill thru both panels with a 1/8" but then over size the side i'm going to weld from to about 1/4" with a spot weld drill but if you don't have a spot weld drill you can just remove the corner and drill the pilots up..
I have to do the same with my wheel wells too and I'm not looking forward to it . 
I think you will find the the .023 wile will make a huge difference |
Wow, that's a lot of information. Thanks!
I think my next steps will be:
1. Finish the R/S cab corner & remaining work on pillars
2. Work on the L/S A Pillar & kick panel
3. Work on the L/S B Pillar
4. Work on the L/S cab corner
5. Put cab on frame
6. Test fit doors and fenders.
I did check the rocker panel and it seems okay. I think I may still buy a new rocker panel to fit. I have a bunch that I bought off someone on this board, and I did not realize that most if not all have already been cut off a truck. I think I would like to test fit with a complete panel. I have to double check and make sure none of the ones I have are complete. However, the ones I have are good enough to do a quick fit check.
I had forgotten about the butt weld clamps. I have those already, and will use them for the cab corner. The only question I have is whether the side of the cab corner is spot welded to the side of the floor pan? I know the back of the cab corner is, but not sure about the right side that sits over the rear door pillar.
Thanks for the spot welding tips; I will have to try it out. I do have a spot weld drill (love it); I used it to remove the spot welds on the back of the cab. I already have a bunch of holes in the cab where I removed the old spot welds and plan to make new ones. I also want to use my spot welder to make additional spot welds in between them.
It helps to hear that you are having similar issues with the top of the door (misery loves company), and it's not just me or something I am doing. The doors also don't belong to that cab; they are from my original cab which may or may not be part of the problem.
With the wheel wells for the bed, I might get a cut piece from a board member, although they do sell the aftermarket wheel arch brand new (LMC surprisingly has the best price I can find). It can't be any harder than doing the A pillar, just going to unbolt the bed side and do it off the bed.
Thanks for the tip on doing the door adjustment. That will really help.