The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop patch panel supplier 1960 Apache

So many places to buy patch panels.... I am looking for suggestions from people who have purchased patch panels and can give me suggestions. I prefer to buy all the body pieces from one vendor. Proper fitting is priority, price is secondary. So, if you have a valued supplier that you can recommend for quality parts and not all be backordered I would love to hear who they are.

99% are form the same Chinese factory. No matter which vendor. Proper fitting depends on what pieces. Some will fit great. Some may need tweaked. Light tweak to heavy tweak. Your truck can be the blame for some bad fits. The parts can have handling issues, shelf, ships hold or container stacking racking/bending. (large pieces especially). They can have poor Chinese quality control or worn tooling. All in all they are way better than you can make. (Unless a smallish simple piece or you have experience and tools and metal). Not enough demand for USA made. I have purchased patch panels for my 60 GMC (same truck as yours) and other trucks, at Classic Parts of America in MO. I have also used donor parts for patches. List all the panels you need and that will help others advise. There is at least one company in US that makes patch panels for some trucks. Never checked on them.

Dynacorn is supposed to be the premier supplier, although they may just be putting stickers on other manufacturer's products. They do however supply inner cowl panels for AD trucks that look more complete than the other patch panels. Theirs go all the way up to the hinge bolt holes, while others stop short of there and are a horrendous fit at the floor/toeboard interface. That being said, I have not actually tried a Dynacorn patch for that repair.

Like bartamos said, expect most or ALL of them to require massaging to get them to fit correctly.

Purchased repair panels for my 51, 3100 from Dynacorn. Like you I wanted to deal with one vendor even if it cost a little more.

The items I purchased all arrived in one shipment and were packaged well. There was no significant damage to any of the items and they all fit reasonably well.

I’m fairly new to this hobby and I am a novice with regard to body work and panel fitment but I’m happy with the results of my Dynacorn products.

Dynacorn is THE LAST company I would ever consider. ALL of the parts for our trucks are the same Chinese stuff I mentioned. They are a rip off, phony Chinese parts wholesaler. They are NOT a retailer as said by their own website. The website does not sell anything. You create a "wish list" then they forward it to a dealer. What a bunch of crap. They never say anything about USA made parts. They nebulously speak of tooling. What tooling do they have? Where is the plant? They are as sketchy as it gets. Many folks use then for complete bodies. They "assemble" the bodies in CA.
Their "good name" and Quality is a myth created by their dealers. Stick with our vendors. Stay away from these people. They refer you to the same EDP coated Chinese parts everyone sells.
Our vendors may get some parts from Dynacorn, But you don't save anything or get any better parts for our trucks by using Dynacorn. They are simply guiding you to "dealers" they sell to.

They even claim "their metal" is better than other metal. Better than metal of the past. Welds better. They make all kinds if unsubstantiated claims.

The Camaro and Mustang people use them a lot.

I can't refute anything that bartamos said, as I have no experience with Dynacorn. I just mentioned that they do sell a complete AD inner cowl panel that I haven't found thru any other vendor. But I'm past that stage, having massaged the inner cowl panels on my restoration from what I have.

From a web source:
In the end, when you buy an AMD, Dynacorn, Goodmark or Sherman for the most part you are buying a part made by one of the following metal stampers: CHL Automotive, TriPlus, Golden Legion Automotive Corp, Shyi Tan Enterprises CO LTD or He Qing Industry CO, LTD. They are all good companies, based in Taiwan and sell to most all of the marketers of aftermarket sheet metal in the US on a non-exclusive basis.

My edit: Taiwan is China.

Well, what to do???? Are any of the big vendors like : Classicparts.com, Raybuck.com or USA1industries.com any good?? If anyone has had good luck with major pieces like rocker panels and pillars please let me know where you sourced the parts.. Just trying to avoid a crap shoot.. thanks

Here’s what the guys are trying to tell you. The panels are made by the same three or four offshore companies. Those companies probably got their molds from the same place. Figment is a hit and miss deal. Some panels will be great and some panels will have you pulling your hair out, all ordered from the same company. So, pick a company based upon your individual needs and jump in. The guys here will help you get them in place and you can be proud of your accomplishments when done.🛠

Parts questions get asked from time to time. Where to buy and what are the experiences. These are legit questions. It seems that some of the names in this post are coming from searches for auto body parts. Some of these companies cover every make and model, up to today's vehicles. Some of these companies are suppliers to collision repair shops.
In general, for Stovebolts and near Stovebolts, I prefer a company started for, and dedicated to, our era. Dedicated to our Trucks. Old Chevy and GMC Trucks. These are what I use for all aftermarket parts. They sell more of our era parts than anyone else. They know more, they have had time to weed out problems. For the most part they have good return policies. The only exception I see is Rockauto for certain motor, suspension, ignition parts.......and Ebay/Craigslist donor parts for folks that know what they want.

For patch panels, now that you know they are all virtually the same, I recommend to use an Old Truck Parts Seller. Some of these are sponsors/past sponsors and some may be listed on Stovebolt.com. Some may have discounts for us.

My list:
1. J. Carter...... Independence, MO
2. Classic Parts Of America....... Riverside, MO
3. American Classic Trucks....... K.C, MO
4. Chevy's of the 40's....... Vancouver, WA
5. and few others

They all will have a slight annoyance once in a while. To tell you exactly which to choose is too risky in case you have the rare problem. I use no. 2
As Martin says Jump in and try a part or two. Not much danger here. Lots of 60-66 boys and girls to help. Martin has one, Hambone has one, I have one..........

This a is a second time request:
Can you list the patch panels you need so we can better advise?

Based on where you live, I would also not pass on donor bits and pieces. Maybe not for rockers or corners but other sheetmetal panels might still have plenty of life left if you can get to the dry air areas in a day's drive.
Many of us are envious (sort of) of you folks on the west coast where redeemable pieces still exist.

I use Classic parts mostly and have purchased a few patch panels. I agree with others - not perfect fit but you can make most work.
I did learn that all cab corners are not the same and you cant tell that by the part description. For example, buy a corner from one vendor and it is 8 inches across the back. Buy another and it is 13 inches across the back. The description will not tell or show you that. Price may be too close to know. Does not do anything for the fit necessarily, but the panels are different sized. My guess is that these differences result from different lots. Either sized part likely to end up on any of our vendor's shelves.

I will put up a small list of panels soon. I just pulled the last pieces out of the interior. Nothing left but four big bolts and the gas pedal to pull the cab off. Due to Corona, the Virus that is, I am doing this solo in my driveway.... Everything goes very slow. thanks again...

I believe most of the time, the best place for the cab is on the frame if it's going to be cut on. The cab-to-frame mounts will help keep the correct geometry and will assure the cab fits. Be careful of what you are doing and the reason. Also, in limited space, you are creating two big pieces. Then you have to have a way to move the cab around.
But, of course, we don't know what all you are trying to fix yet. Still waiting for that info. (minor or major)(structural or cosmetic)

The good news is that yours is a 1960. More rigid construction. Better designed box than earlier years.

Pictures... Okay, not really that much rust. I will use three posts to do the pictures. I still do not know all the correct nomenclature for the cab parts.... sorry. First image is overview of cab, driver's side
Second: Image from Driver's side. obvious cowl air vent panel.
Third: Rust through middle of door... not sure proper name. Does not look like it goes into the inner area
Fourth: Inside drivers side, next to the door edge... I am not certain what this is called or if it went all the way to the floor

my reference picture is at LMC Truck: www.lmctruck.com/1960-66-chevy-gmc/cbe-1960-66-steel-cab-repair-panels

If you have a better image that is easy to understand what each panel piece is please let me know, greatly appreciate all help

page 2 images, passenger side, two additional areas of rust.

Picture one: interior floor, front of cab ?? I know these panels are easy to find, but what is the center piece with the bolt through it called?
picture 2: Exterior rear corner, back of cab have no idea what this piece is either

Last one..... rear of cab, exterior Rust through is really contained to two small areas. Due to bends in metal I would prefer ready made panel for lower area only.

picture one, rear of cab with two rust throughs

picture two: cab, passenger side
picture three: cab, driver side

I prefer not to purchase a whole rear cab panel, any thoughts??????

Well here you go: This is where I loose my reputation.

1. First order of business is wire wheel/sand any and all areas that show rust. You will probably find more. It needs all cleaned to metal anyway for welding. The general rule is to NOT repair anymore than is necessary. Keep the original metal in place. This is why you have to take off all rust to evaluate. You don't use the whole patch panel unless necessary for welding purposes or to fix rust outs. The extra metal you cut off is excellent for other repairs.
2. In my opinion, the only semi difficult part is pic post one, pic four. They make a patch panel for that "inner lower cowl panel".
3. I would probably make patches for pic post one pic two and would buy a rocker patch panel for pic three and cut to length.
4. I would probably buy a cab corner patch panel for the cab corner. Can't evaluate the floor pieces yet. They make that floor repair panel. The flat floor is "the floor" and the angled up piece toward firewall is the "toe board".

Bottom line is they make every piece you need on these two pages. Except back of cab. The outside radius of that piece can be shaped/bent over a piece of pipe.

Some of the reasons I would make some of those pieces myself.
1. Pretty easy
2. Pretty fun
3. Not seen by a concourse judge or anyone else
4. Save money (I do have to say that those patches are very reasonably priced, already shaped and you don't need to by metal, which isn't exactly cheap) But sheet metal is available everywhere for free.

I've been using Chevy Trucks Classic parts. They ship fast and the more you spend, the lower the shipping charges (for normal size stuff). there is an extra charge for big stuff. I would shop for the best price plus shipping.

I plan on attending the Kansas City Truck show in September. I will buy the big stuff then and bring it home with me. I figure that what I'm saving on shipping charges will just about pay for my gas.

Agree.

Most of your areas needing patching are pretty small. You can form patches with minimal tools. I would buy a small piece of 18 gauge, as scrounged metal is generally of unknown gauge and is painted which has to be removed. Although old appliances could be used, if the correct gauge. Like bartamos said, the complex curves are easier to buy patch pieces.
That floor looks pretty pitted, and will likely need patching or replacing.

Good luck, and feel free to post any questions. I would also recommend taking a gander at the sticky thread by MPandC up at the top of the forum. Lots of good info there.

All places (except for back of cab) are typical rust areas. Once you begin to clean and cut you will find more so dont get discouraged. All in all it does not look too bad from the pictures you provided. Find a good cowl piece in a junk yard out there and use it.
I want some ideas as to why the area rusted on back of cab? Might that have been leaves and debris trapped in there or was there a different bed on it?
Or might the paint have been scraped that led to rust?

Back of cab rust was caused by ??? But, here is a picture of the bed showing the rust next to the cab. Several inches of the front of the bed are completely rusted away. Probably from leaves stuck between the cab and bed as suggested. The truck sat for 25 years in a swampy area next to an old building while a tree grew over it. Nothing but rust under the bed. Sills are mostly rusted out, especially front and rear pieces..... thanks for the help