Rear roll pan
 

While I currently have a new chrome bumper mounted on my 1953 Chevy truck while I'm still working on it, I'd have to say I'm not enamored with the look.

I have a new Mar-K bed on the truck (in primer) and I'm considering buying a rear roll pan from them, with the indentation for a license plate. I'll then remove the chrome bumper and bumper brackets. 1) if I do, I'll have a brand new chrome bumper for sale along with new rear bumper brackets, but 2) more importantly I'm wondering if anyone else has installed the roll pan.

If you did, did you weld it or bolt it on. If you bolted it on, can you post photos of where the bolts go?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Rear roll pan
 

I've always liked the look of these filler panels.

Personally I think the trucks would look better if the stock rear bumper was up so that the top of the bumper was level with the bottom of the rear bed sill rather than several inches below it.

Re: Rear roll pan
 

I used a roll pan.

Re: Rear roll pan
 

Did you bolt it or weld it in place?

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Agreed, there is too much space.

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Bolted on, no issues.

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When I was getting ready to go to Bonneville in 1998 I snagged a piece of used stainless pipe at work and cut it to length and took some flat stainless flat bar and made brackets and one of my vendors gave me two end plugs and my buddy welded in the end plugs and welded the brackets on to build a Gasser look stainless steel rear bumper.

That is where the bumper sits when you have it straight out from the ends of the frame rails.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albu...720&fit=bounds

Re: Rear roll pan
 

I mounted my bumper higher.
I don't have a great picture
Attachment 2251061
that perspective makes it look too wide, but it is not bad standing beside it. cutting it narrower is not out of the question but it wont happen until the front bumper is on and I can get a more distant perspective than our driveway allows. And it wont fit back in the garage with the front bumper on unless I remove some shelving.....

That is a front bumper de-curved in the centre and a rebent a set of front brackets to mount it. Custom bumper apron between bumper and box.

Re: Rear roll pan
 

I think the stock bumper position is too low too. I took an approach similar to "leegreen" and raised the bumper and pushed it in closer to the body. If you flip the bumper arms upside down and shorten them a few inches, it ends up like this:

Re: Rear roll pan
 

I don't know about Mar-K roll pans, but I made mine and bolted it in.

Re: Rear roll pan
 

That alignment of the bumper looks so much better than the OEM brackets that drop the bumper down too far for my liking.

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Very cool! Thanks.

Re: Rear roll pan
 

I used the same Mar-K rolled pan on my last build. I welded mine on so I could weld the seams at the side and body work them smooth for a cleaner look.

Re: Rear roll pan
 

If you are going to run with out a bumper the Mar-K unit is the one I'd go with. It just rounds things off and doesn't drop way down and hid things though. https://www.mar-k.com/partDetails.aspx?LID=1689

Re: Rear roll pan
 

I really like the look of what some of you have done with raising the bumper. The stock location might have had a purpose in the 50's when it was a "work truck" but my look is more of a hot rod (hence the supercharger on a 1959 261 inline 6, with 4 on the floor, ceramic headers, and a Hallibrand quick change diff).

I'm nearly ready to pull the trigger on the Mar-K roll pan with the indent for the license plate and light. I like the clean look of the rear with the roll pan and can bolt or weld it on, which ever looks better to my eye.

Re: Rear roll pan
 

A guy could mount a receiver hitch under the pan where it barely showed and fab up a nerf bar/bumper to run with it for a bit of protection from errant drivers if you use it for more than going to shows Or one of those steps that they sell for late model trucks that fits the hitch.

Remembering that with my 71 I had a guy throw a fit about 15 years ago when I was parked in a spot in a parking lot and he pulled in behind me and ran his grill into my hitch while I was parked and I was inside the store. Somehow he thoght that it was my fault that he ran into my hitch. It didn't stick out any extra like some of them do either, just a regular old receiver hitch with a 2 inch ball.

Re: Rear roll pan
 

Does the Mar-K roll pan come pre-drilled for a license plate light(s)?

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Mine didn't come with any holes. I put post style LED license plate lights on it - barely adequate. The flip down plate is held up with magnets, which makes it much easier to fuel the truck if you're not fighting the spring. From any viewing angle except sitting on the ground, the 2nd gen Camaro fuel tank isn't visible with the MarK pan
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/...se_plate_1.jpg

There isn't much of a flange to bolt the sides of the MarK pan to the bed (also MarK) so I used some tank clamps off a Model A Ford (28 or 29) to pinch them together. Youngrodder's solution of welding them together is probably best, but I wanted to be able to take them apart
https://talk.classicparts.com/data/x...jpg?1570986311

Another view closed
[IMG]http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/...ense_plate.jpg[/IMG]

Re: Rear roll pan
 

I used those same bolt/lights on a Jeep and found them to be barely adequate too. I'm happy that the Mar-K roll pan isn't pre-drilled for lights. That will allow me to choose whatever method of lighting i wish. Thanks for the photos.

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I know, this sounds like i am picking apart some really nicely put together trucks, but I think most roll pans on older trucks, with rounded edges everywhere, should have a rounded edge on the bottom sides of the roll pan. otherwise it looks like the roll pan was sliced off a length of roll pan material and then a flat piece was welded on the side to close it all in as an aftertthought. this is just my opinion and doesn't mean squat. there are some really nice looking trucks out there with that look. has anyone found a roll pan that is nicely rounded everywhere?

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I used a rear roll pan, much better looking I think, it's bolted in

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Today, I temporarily clamped the rear roll pan from Mar-K into place on the truck and I really like the look and will be going forward with that change to my plans.

Attachment 2255060

Now the question is, is there a front roll pan? I've seen that Brothers has a fiberglass one and I've read somewhere that you need to cut the frame, which is not something I want to do. Has anyone else come up with a front roll pan look that doesn't require chopping the frame?

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I've seen a filler piece that goes below the stake pocket and curves back into the roll pan. Any one know who sells them?

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I was thinking the same thing. It looks strange having that corner bare. I hope someone comes through with a solution.

Re: Rear roll pan
 

looks like young rodder had them on his green truck

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It looks like you extended and smoothed the bottom edge of the bed sides to blend into the roll pan. Did you find a corner piece to do that, or is that all home made?

Could you post a picture up close of the bottom bed corner and the roll pan so we can see what you did up close?

Thanks. Beautiful truck!!!

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My Mar-K roll pan came with sides. I simply welded the sides of the roll pan to the bed sides and body worked the seam smooth. Nothing was added more or less welded and body worked.

Thank you
Marc

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The near corner of one of youngrodder's pictures looks like a rounded bottom on stake pocket, but I think it is just perspective:

Attachment 2255240

Re: Rear roll pan
 

In looking closer, I thinks its a combination of perspective and the color blending in the fact that the bottom of the bed stake is flat. I was imaging a nice rounded end on the stake that blended into the side of the roll pan.

It was a nice dream while it lasted.....LOL

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Tough to join stake pocket to roll pan with a curve, I dont see it. might be my aversion to things that will rust out kicking in though.
Attachment 2255246

The roll pan is a large section visually, the stake pocket is left hanging unsupported, maybe just extend it down?
Attachment 2255245

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I like LG's comment and photoshopped pic add in. it could be added to at the lower edge to make the stake pocket longer so it is roughly as long as the roll pan. extend the slight arc of the pocket so it looks natural there like it was made that way.

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I too like that idea. I just wish my metal work skills were and equal to his Photoshop skills..... LOL I'm not sure I could replicate the double curves on the side of the bed stake piece to allow it to wrap all the way around.

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sooner or later you will see a rusted out bedside you can cut the curved section from for an extension

until then hang a taillight in front of the bottom of the stake pocket and call it done

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that's good work Tempest 67, nice sheet metal fabrication

Re: Rear roll pan
 

My plan has been to drill into the side of the bed stake to mount my turn/tail/brake/backup lights (see photo below) but your comment just gave me an idea. I may try to fashion a metal plate/plug that would fit up in the stake pocket (from below). It would be held in place by the two bolts on the front and the two on the back of the stake. By having a hole in the center of the plate, I could mount the tail light without having to drill holes in the stake and have the light hang down instead of on its side.

Attachment 2255433

Re: Rear roll pan
 

It would not be a horrible job to make extensions for the stake pocket. This test took about 10 minutes:
Attachment 2255440
Attachment 2255441
Next step would be to refine the dimensions and make second prototype.
The far side in 2nd picture kinked a bit as I did not get the side bent tangent to the bead edge and the beads are slightly too close to each other. It also needs longer sides welded on to make a finished part.
A couple hours would probably turn out passable curved extensions.
This was 21 gauge, it would be harder to make this out of 18 for a structural repair.

If you are into this sort of thing the tools are not expensive.....

I used a cheap bead roller and 1/2" beading die for two parallel beads in a flat sheet(Princess auto, jegs, eastwood etc under $150 on sale)

A bench mountable sheet metal brake to bend the sides down, (the cheap sort you use c Clamps to clamp a flat plate down. $50)

A shrinker to shrink the flanged edge and give it some curve. ($150 at harbour freight)

some kind of welder is also needed

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EXCELLENT Work! So far on your list of tools I have the C-Clamps and the welder....LOL That is some masterful fabrication!

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Smooth!

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very nice, any build pictures?

Why the net?

Re: Rear roll pan
 

if you have a plan as to what you want, but dont have the metalworking tools to match the plan, you could make a 2 sided form out of MDF with routered in details. then use a light gauge of sheet, for ease of bending. place the oversized sheet into the form and then squeeze the form together in a vice or use threaded rod etc to press the form together. if you were making somethinglike LeeGreens shape the sides could be added after the main form was made as they would be wrinkled in a form due to the amount of shrinking needed. just leave a small overhang out of the sides of the form and then hammer form them around the outside of the wooden form. I seem to remember a video that japhands (make it custom) did using this method to build the floor of a battery box or something like that.
I have made stake pockets before using a U shaped piece of formed sheet, then cut out the corners where it needed to bend along a long curve, made the curve shape required on the side pieces, pushed a piece of wood inside the formed part to help keep the shape and dimension the same, then tacked the central "flap" back along the curved part and tacked it on both sides as i pushed it together against the wooden backer.some tape also helps to keep the parts held tight and square but the part needs to be kept cool as you tack so the tape glue doesn't go gooey and also so the part doesn't warp. they would be different than what you want, likely, as the outside edges were smooth, not with a detail, and the corners were square. where there is a will there is a way to make it happen though.