The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts '51 deluxe 5 window COE

I wonder how rare this model is? The bigger the truck, the more likely it's purchased to be a cost effective piece of equipment.
Which creates a tough decision. The COE project I started back before the holidays was put on hold when the bent frame was found. Late '49 3 window. The "parts" truck that showed up is the 5 window.
Which one to go forward with.
Both are Southwestern solid cabs except for the usual rear corner rust. The 3 window has enough paint on the cab so the steel will easily refinish. The 5 window is sunburned to the core with the whole surface pitted to various degrees (even worse than the '48 2 ton was). The doors on the 3 close well, on the 5 sag and a bit sad. The 5 has a major dent in the rear lower panel. Having pulled a similar one out of the '48 (been there, done that) I would replace the whole panel(takes care of the corners too).
Take the easier project or rescue the rarer 5 window?
In the end there will be 1 truck and a lot of scrap.

I like the 5 windows, what does the owner and or do you like?
That's pretty much what it comes down to.

If you don't care then take the easy way, whatever that is. If you like one over the other how much more difficult might it be to use, and is it worthwhile, do you like it that much?

Grigg

It looks like the 5 window will be it.
After a few hours looking it over, it really should be saved.
So, the grill, hood and doors from the '49 will go onto the '51. That will take care of a lot of the rusted surface and the bad doors.
Replace the rear lower cab panel and everything will be solid.
Was originally planning not to blast the cab before paint, but now that will be necessary.
Will get another album started to share some pictures.

What about cutting the corner windows out of the bad cab and putting them in the 3-window cab?

Mike B

Those corner windows are recessed from the outside, and have a contoured inner panel, it would be hard to do without making a mess of it.

Ed

That's exactly what I was looking into today.
Cleaning out the cab and starting disassembly, has shown up some more problems. The floor is badly rusted ( a 1" layer of silt and lots of animal waste) looks like something as big as a badger was living in it. One of the rear cab mounts was broken and the floor has a rip from the battery box to the rear corner.
The final straw was the inner rear cab panel (from the top of the seat to the headliner) has rusted through.
If I was going to replace that panel too, why wouldn't I just replace the one in the 3 window with a 5 window one?
That leaves the insets on the outside of the cab. Cut out the 5 window cab and stitch them into the 3 window cab? or buy the upper rear 5 window patch panel and do it neatly? or take the quarter window glass out, sell them and throw the 5 window cab away as originally planned?
Wish those dam windows didn't look so good.

Somewhere in the last 5 years or so, I have seen a kit, lots of skilled bodywork was required.

Ed

My son's '53 was a 3 window from the factory. He drove it that way through high school and then it went into storage. Fast forward 15 years or so and his then wife gave him permission to resto-mod it. We found a 5 window cab in the riverbed that had a good upper half of the cab. The guy doing the body work took a cut-off wheel and removed the inner and outer window frames and after measuring a hundred times cut out the same location in the 3 window cab. Tons of welding and smoothing later and you cannot tell it was ever a 3 window. Show quality paint brings in lots of trophies. It can be done so go for it in my opinion.

Jim Sears: just thought I'd weigh in....SAVE THE 5-WINDOW! 30+ years ago I was in the middle of my rodstoration bodywork on my 3-window '48 3100. I got the hots for a 5-window in the worst way and so I anguished for weeks on how I was going to pull it off. I had already invested too much time and $$$ into repairing the rust on the lower half of the 3 window to turn back. My skill set wasn't good enough to "stitch" corner window frames, with all the insane body work required, into my existing 3-window cab. My light bulb came on!! Instead of putting corner window frames into my existing 3-window cab, why not just do a roof transplant...I could do that!!! At the time my local salvage yard had several 5-window donor cabs and so one day a buddy and I salvaged just the roof off of one, cutting it at the base of the A-pillar below the factory weld/lead joint and at the B-pillar below the factory roof seam/pinch weld. This gives you access to all of the factory spot welds which you can then drill out and then save and clean up the lower roof flange. The good bottom cab half then gets the inverse accommodating treatment. I'm sure you get the idea. 5/3-Window Roof Transplant I apologize for not having better pics (these are scans of film pictures) but this was before I caught up to the digital age. Of course I still have the truck and drive it often......and REALLY ENJOY the 5-window (for more reasons than most people realize). Jim, hope this helps. Good Luck, Dave

...... an addendum to my above post and as an added bonus: if your lower rear cab corners are rusted out and need to be replaced, and if you're doing the roof transplant, you can canabilize the upper rear corners of the discarded 3-window roof as the patch panels for the lower cab corners on the cab you're saving. The compound curves are identical and worked out great. "5" Window
Good luck. Dave

Now that's an interesting bit of information.
I will be putting the quarter windows into the 3 window cab.
Will use a new interior panel. Plenty of time to decide on new or old metal for the outside. After I get the 5 window cab off and strip the chassis for refinishing, I'll remove the interior panel on the 3 window and see what's under it.

The chassis is stripped of just about everything except the springs and axles. Rolled it outside until it's time to start fitting the Cummins (or Boss 302 if they delay the release of the diesel).
The '49 cab is back inside to begin disassembly for body work, quarter windows and paint prep.
It will be officially designated a '51 because that's the only good serial number plate I have. Except for no vent windows (I suppose I could redo that) and the drivers side air vent (may weld that over) very few people would know the difference.

Oh,Oh, Think I might be in trouble.
When I decided to convert the 3 window cab to 5 window, I went on line to see if corner glass was available (in case I dropped one) and see that the patch panels were available so I didn't have to work with the rusty and dented old cab. Classic parts had everything, so I ordered the sheet metal.
Last night I was looking through my new copy of the Filling Station catalog (they carry so much more Big Bolt parts)when I saw the glass page. There was the 5 window corner glass with a note "EXCEPT COE" .....WHAT!!!
Anybody know if they actually made the COE glass a different size??? Too early to call out there yet.
Their inner and outer 5 window patch panels do not say anything about not COE.

I wasn't aware of a difference but I'm not a COE expert.

Sure the really big GMC COE's are likely different, but you're not dealing with those.

False alarm.
Called and there is a typo in the catalog, supposed to say INC COE not EXC COE.
A lot of panic for nothing.

Jim
here is my project fyi
51 coe
chris

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...Y09Tdll5N0NGUjJ1QjVwQmh0M1NmMVMxMkFzcVdB

Well, just thought I'd mention that the project has been put on hold for several months at least.
Everything is being packed up and moved to storage in a day or two.
That will make room for the restoration of a 1959 Porsche Diesel farm tractor starting next week.

Nice work, have you had a chance to try out the downdraft carb. yet?

Ed