Stovebolt.com Forums Project Journals Project Journals 1958-59 1/2 ton Panel Trucks

Only doors are the originals. They are in decent shape cept for the very bottom.
I have the panels. But past my expertise to repair. New ones were ordered but now backordered indefinitely.
I also have brand new hood and fenders.

Keep at it...and as you fit and align the doors and floor - post the pics here and others here will guide you...and by sharing you will be showing others who need to do the same. Hat is off to you... one step at a time - walk away at times if you need to, and come back to it with renewed energy and fresh eyes. Others here with the same cab type may be able to take measurements for you and post photos here of those measurements to guide you.

Good project!

Can you post pictures of the door opening including the pillars? We need to see what you are working with. The outside of the doors too.

Hey thanks guys!! I figure its worthy. 1958 Apache 1/2 ton economy.
With all the knowledge here ,I might be able to get thru this.
This is my plan. With pics and measurements, I should be able to raise the floor where the old one was.
The 2 humps off that back rail I will have to remove so the wood fits down
along side the hump/ridge. The angle strip will marry the floor and wood together.
Level the floor and lay the upper floor repair panels ontop of the 3/4 floor.
This should help keeping the dash and pillars straight. Still with bracing once floor is in.
Its amazing what survived on this truck. Id say about 5/8 ths of it was there.

Some pics of the truck before I removed the body

It looks like the lower hinge on the driver's door is gone, but I would still remount the door with the upper hinge and even tack it in place after you get the gaps adjusted. Then go inside (or crawl under ) and weld some bracing across the inside of the door opening, as far down as you have solid metal on the A and B pillars, and another up near the belt line.
Your plan with the floor is good except that you have no good reference currently for the front to back dimension. DO NOT depend on the replacement floor pan to be correct.

You should be commended for taking on that project. As the other guys have said, take it one step at a time, and DO ask for help here. We want to see the finished project. We can help you produce something you can be proud of.

You can do it.

Brace brace brace brace, attach the doors, fit and brace brace brace. I can’t emphasize enough brace. You have already gone too far without bracing. Step backwards and correct your mistake before going forward again. Aftermarket floor pans are NOT perfect. Im just emphasizing what everyone else has told you. Do not ignore this free advise.

Thanks!! The pillars are shot with no way currently to mount a door.
I can brace and mount the doors to whats left of the top and back hopefully.
Make sure the steps line up with the doors.
The doors are another thing. I bought a new tig digital welder and
hope to get some lesson on using it to install the lower repair panels.
I have one cut and fitted. Waiting on a inside hinge plate.
Fun stuff!! I can rewire a truck ,bed wood , leaf springs , brakes, gas tanks...stuff like that.
This is all together different for me. I will back up , slow down.

Good news is that everything forward is brand new.

Unfortunately, I hate to break it to you, that is both good and bad news. After market sheet metal is notorious for not fitting properly. Many bolters have drove themselves near crazy trying to get the gaps and alignment to factory specs. A good example is a fellow bolter “Fox”, that bought an entire new bed for his build and ran into issues when the tailgate didn’t match the rear right bedside. Here is a link to that post. https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...ndpa-s-1970-c10-rebuild.html#Post1446340

The front end is another hurdle you sill have to tackle, but you have to get your cab together first. Don’t look that far forward, as you will only get discouraged. Take the job at hand and research. That is what this forum is for, so you don’t make the mistakes that we bolters already have.

If it was my project, my first thought would be to reinstall the old floor temporarily with tacks, then brace the doors.

If that isn’t possible, I would hang the doors back on (don’t fix them yet, use them as is because you will use them to locate the lower hinge and fixing them now will only compound the issue), even if you have to tack weld an angle iron across the skin of the doors to the sheet metal on the body to locate the door and establish the gaps then use the lower door hinge to locate the “A” pillar and tack weld it in place. Don’t weld it in completely until you fit the floor and the other associated panels. Next brace the door opening both horizontally and diagonally, then remove the door. This way you will know that the lower hinge and pillar is in the right place.

Good luck and don’t be shy about asking questions.