I think that was the plan. All my old trucks, no restorations, just as is, have hornets nests, crud of all kinds there since the rubber is long gone. Its a place that rusts easily and the gauge steel of those covers doesn't lead me to believe they would be structurally serving a purpose. I just don't know. Wish I had more insight on why they are there instead of a welded cover. Even if you don't agree with welding it, if you think about the way the whole truck was constructed, wouldn't it have been cheaper to just spot weld those plates in a few places rather then spring for screws? Since the plates and the cabs are all predrilled in the same place, there isn't any way to adjust it. Im confused. When suffering from confusion.. weld something! LOL!
