Thanks everyone! This build truly is a ton of fun.
I realized that I was about to have a period of forced down time while I wait for door latches to come back in stock, so I figured I’d get going on the interior. These trucks had very simple interiors. The panels were just cardboard, and were screwed into place with self tapping screws and trim rings. The interiors came in only one colour-brown. I took a bunch of measurements and then made a road trip to a place that has cheap vinyl and other interior materials (for those of you in Ontario, it’s Len’s Mill Stores). The issue was now going to be how to make the backing for the panels. Some of the panels are flat (and therefore easy), but the area in the upper corners where the headliner, rear panel and filler panels meets was going to be a bugger, as it’s compound curves.
I had a sheet of Masonite (also called hardboard) on hand and I decided to try it, despite the curves. My first panel was going to be the giant area behind the seat. As far as I know, these trucks didn’t have an interior panel back there (the premade interior kits don’t come with this panel and I couldn’t find any internet pics of one). This panel is flat behind the seat, and then curves at the ends (matching the curve of the cab corners). There were some convenient support brackets that run vertically up from the floor, but when I checked them out I realized that:
-they are not flat
-they are not parallel to each other
Just when I thought my fabbing days were over on this truck, it started again. I made these sheet metal caps to put over those supports in order to provide a flat surface, and added a horizontal strip to screw down the bottom of the new panel:
Next came a cardboard template:
Now I had to deal with the masonite, which is a wonderful, cheap material BUT it does not like to bend into tight curves (it actually bends nicely, but then it will suddenly surprise you by exploding into 2 pieces!). Thankfully that back panel has simple curves (not compound), but it was still looking like it might be tough to get the bend I needed. To get the bend without snapping the masonite, I found a big piece of plastic pipe that has the same radius of curve that the panel will need, and I clamped the panel to the pipe. I rolled the pipe along the floor just a little bit, then left it alone for an hour or two. I then repeated the process. By rolling it just a little bit at a time, the material would slowly sink into a curve without snapping. Once I had the curve I needed, I left it all clamped in place for a couple of days. And…….it worked!!!!
Here is the masonite bending tool in action:
And here is my new curved back panel:
The headliner was done in a similar way, but this time I clamped the masonite in place on the big tube and then added strips of steel slowly over time to bend it. Once I had the curve I wanted (it took a few days) I left it alone while I did other stuff. This method worked better, and produced a more permanent “set” to the masonite (I have no idea why).
I set it in place and the curve fit nicely into the steel strips that I fabbed and welded in to screw the headliner onto. Doing this interior was going to involve installing and removing panels constantly, and setting that headliner panel into the exact right spot each time by myself is a total PITA, so I riveted in 4 little tabs so that I can pop the headliner into position in a second and it ends up in the exact same spot every time:
This now seemed like a good point at which to deal with soundproofing. I installed some butyl rubber vibration damper, until I had about ⅓ coverage, and then I topped the entire area with jute for sound absorption:
Next came the tricky part: the filler panels that run along the top of the doors and go into the corner. These panels are curved along the door tops, and then curve inwards as they reach the rear corners of the cab, creating a bowl shape at the rear of the panel. There was no way that masonite would work, and I have very limited access to plastics here so I opted for metal instead. I started by making a template out of heavy craft paper, and then tracing the outline onto some 22 gauge sheet steel and cutting it out:
In hindsight, 22 gauge was too much. This panel is merely a form onto which I would glue some vinyl, so it would have been much easier to work with a lighter gauge of metal. I have an english wheel, and in the hands of an experienced craftsman these things can form beautifully curved panels. Needless to say, my skills on the wheel are limited so there was no way I was going to form this panel using only the wheel. It was however a nice, easy way to form the main curve that runs along the top of the door. Here she sits in the wheel as I form that main curve:
For the other end however, I had to resort to the old slice & dice to get the metal to curve into the corner. After a bunch of slicing, pressing and banging with the heel of my hand, I added a few welds and I had the steel filler panels made:
Now it was just a matter of fine tuning all the panels to get them to fit together with small gaps. Here’s the cab as it sits now:
There are still a few more panels to do (windshield pillars, kick panels, door panels), but these are all flat and easy to install so I will get to these later. I’ll likely let everything sit for a bit before I remove the pieces to adhere the vinyl. The hardboard will uncurl a bit, but the longer I leave it locked into a curve, the more it seems to gain a permanent “set”.
More to follow!