I just finished this repair on my daughters '59 Apache 3200. I have the repair photographed and documented on the link in my signature. I also have it on my Photobucket.

http://s1178.photobucket.com/albums/x362/vilage-idiot/

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x362/vilage-idiot/Pillarpost003.jpg

I had never done this type of repair before this one. It wasn't too bad , but everything needs to be held in place perfectly while the old is cut out and the new welded in otherwise it will move and nothing will ever fit again. As you can see from the pix i had to replace the inner, outer as well as the step (on both sides). if you are a confident welder take your time and measure as well as document the correct locations for the patch panels. I got my patches from LMC and they fit well right out of the box with minimal fitting required. The panels sadly were imports I was unable to find any made in the USA. Good luck if you decide to try yourself. And keep us posted.

Jessica's Truck

The true definition of insanity:
To do the same thing the same way repeatedly and expect a different result each time.