Hi all. Making slow progress on my 3100, peeling back layers of rust and poor body work have revealed more problems than expected, but we seem to be moving in a good direction again. Over the past couple days, my dad and I replaced the sill that goes between the lock pillar and the hinge pillar. The old one was rotted to the point where it had almost no structure, and was completely detached from the floor support/body mount crossmember. We were going to brace the cab prior to cutting it out, but it was so weak that it had sort of lost its shape/dimensions anyway. To set the proper door gap, we decided to work from the back and tack the sill in place to the lock pillar, then put the door in place (with the adjustments centered) and tack the hinge pillar to the sill. We're pretty satisfied with the gap and how the door closes, but Im still a little hesitant. Theres a gap between the hinge pillar and the sill. Is this meant to be there? I know the kick panel and the floor need to slide into that area, but theres also a stamping on the sill that i just assumed the hinge pillar would line up with. Im concerned that small misalignments now will cause more headaches when we go to fit other sheet metal, specifically the outer cowl. Am i over thinking it? Let me know if something's unclear or if you need more pictures.
1955 Ford Crown Victoria 1956 Ford Club Sedan 1966 BMW 2000CS 1971 Volvo 1800E 1954 Chevy 3100
Housekeeping (Moderator) Making a Stovebolt Bed & Paint and Body Shop Forums
If the door fits correctly, you're likely OK. But there is a dimension from the front of the firewall to the very front of the rocker that you need to verify. That puts the hole where the parking brake pedal shaft bolts to the correct place. Look in the Factory Assembly Manual Section 1, Sheet 1.07. The dimension shown as 8.47 inches from the firewall is to the small flat on the front of the rocker. I posted a picture of that location a while back. I'll see if I can track that down and post a link here for you. [on edit] Check This post, and further down the thread for a photo. Those lumps just behind the hinge pillar and in front of the lock pillar don't really define the position of the parts. That gap at the top of the rocker at the hinge pillar is supposed to be there. As you noted, the floor panel and the inner kick panel need to go in there.
Last edited by klhansen; Sun May 14 2023 07:09 AM. Reason: added link
Kevin Newest Project - 51 Chevy 3100 work truck. Photos [flickr.com] #2 - '29 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. First car '29 Ford Special Coupe Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
