The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Best order to replace cab panels?

1955 Series 2 Chevy truck. The top of both front and rear windows have significant rust-through. Front is a lot worse, I could conceivable weld up the rear. Lower rear corners rusted horribly as expected. Lower bottom or rear also kind of bad. It's a small back window and if I have to replace a lot then I'm going to convert to big back window... Front/side airbox corners and the floor both swiss cheese but mostly intact.

My plan:
Replace both inner and outer roof panels, replace inner and outer rear, replace corners of front of floor, replace front/side airbox (is there a name for this?)

My question:
Is there a specific order I should do things? On other projects the lessens are all start at the bottom and work your way up, if the floor isn't square/true/etc then nothing will be. Does that apply here? I presume I don't want the back and roof both off at the same time for structural reasons.

Opinions?

Welcome to Stovebolt, KBrown. Have you looked for a donor cab you could use for this truck?

I'd advise finding one, especially if you want to convert to a big rear window. Your cost would also be (probably) significantly less with a donor cab.

I understand if you just want to do the work; the only project I help replace a roof was on a '34 Packard. Bracing bars were welded in to retain the vehicle's form prior to cutting the roof panel off. Plenty of folks will jump in soon with some specific advice; you'll get quick responses if you can share some photos of all this Swiss cheese, or a video walk around of your truck.

Good luck!

Brad

I've replaced several roofs and back panels and I would leave the back on and do the roof first. remove the outer and then replace the inner. Don't chop off anything till you have the parts in hand and see what needs to come off.

is the lower half of the cab stable? or is it out of shape.

Thanks for the responses. I've looked into donor cabs (including sandblasting/priming) versus fixing this one. Since pretty much everything has replacement panels available, I believe that's still cheaper.

Thanks for suggestion of roof first. The outer roof panel is fine, only the inner needs replacing. But it appears the outer must come off first so I guess both will come off and I'll reuse the outer.

Some pictures.

[image]http://i.imgur.com/qSQo2J4.jpg[/image]
[image]http://i.imgur.com/oNBh49z.jpg[/image]
[image]http://i.imgur.com/8TB8fSf.jpg[/image]
[image]http://i.imgur.com/vSqTPx4.jpg[/image]
[image]http://i.imgur.com/XYseqEX.jpg[/image]

your links don't show the pictures but the inner is very hard to get out with the roof on and most always the outer is rotting through when the inner has already rotted.

Thanks. I'll pull the outer roof first and see. There are some rust-through spots but nothing that cannot easily be welded closed. But who knows what's hiding under the inner panel.

I edited the links to point to imgur instead, not sure if they work, yet.

KBrown, I was in the same boat as you with my '57 cab being in very poor condition starting off. I've replaced most of the floor, both steps, front inner and outer corner, rear inner and outer corners, all three of the cowl panels (I believe that is what you are revering to with the airbox corners), and I have the same problem areas with the roof as well.

My advise is to start with the floor that way you will first off gain some experience cutting and welding patch panels in an area where it is fairly easy to hide mistakes. Then move up from there. I did both of the toe boards, then steps, front corners, rear corners, cowl panels and fire wall, and will be starting the roof soon. My plan is to cut off and replace both the inner and outer roof panels. You said you are going to try and re-use the outer roof panel, while that it always a novel idea, you might want to plan on a new one. Being that when cutting the outer off, from experience panels like that never just detach themselves willingly or in a pretty manor to where you can just easily plop it back on when you are done. The roof panel is welded on by a couple hundred spot welds, undoing all of those is going to be a P.I.T.A.

Also, being that your floor is in bad shape, your roof is actually the most structurally sound piece at the moment keeping the whole top half of the cab square, so leave it until last. It looks like your cab is still mounted to the frame. IMO put some bracing across the bottom half of the cab, unbolt it from the frame and work on the floor. As long as you do not go crazy cutting up the floor it is unlikely that it will get out of square. Just work in one area at a time and it'll be fine.

Thanks, gumbi! Much appreciated.

I'm coming around to replacing the outer roof panel, too. The more I look at those spot welds, the more I'm convinced what you're saying is true.

I'll start with the air cowl covers and then the floor toe boards and see how the rest is.

I'm hoping by going with full panels (the entire back) I'm trading partial stability which I can account for by welding in cross bracing first) for needing to replace dozens of spots individually. Time will tell.

Thanks again, I'll update once I get going.


(Edit: Forgot to mention the cab is on a rotisserie, not a frame. Makes it a lot easier for these old bones to get to all sides.)