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01/13/26: I finally got some time to work on our truck today! The holiday season kept me really busy, and on top of that, we purchased an RV to start traveling. Between getting familiar with the new rig and the holidays, any work on the truck was completely sidelined.

I had a much needed day in the garage (required for my sanity) and made some real progress. I got the passenger side door fully reassembled with new door handles and some beautiful polished stainless steel window trim. That trim was a beast to install—you have to bend it perfectly to get it on without kinking it, all while trying to protect the new paint.

I reassembled the passenger side door, complete with new door handles and new polished stainless steel window trim. The trim was not the easiest to install—having to bend it just enough to get it installed without kinking it , and without marring the paint. Fortunately, the stars aligned, and the trim looks fabulous.

So now, both doors are ready for the final step: installing the weatherstripping. When I stripped the doors for paint, I was able to save the existing seal that I installed a couple of years ago. I've already bought a tube of weatherstripping adhesive, but I'm honestly not looking forward to the installation. My experience from the last time I did this leaves me wanting to find a better way.

I’ll be posting a separate question in the shops section, but if anyone has any pro-tips for a clean, hassle-free weatherstripping install, I'm all ears!

Looks good ,your stainless was it aftermarket or did you find some originals.I replaced mine with stainless and it was fun to learn how to polish and tap out the origional ones I found to make them decent again .

Mine was aftermarket. I would have used original but finding decent ones with an affordable price didn’t present itself. The biggest factor was the ridiculous cost of shipping packages that big.

When I was down south last winter, I took a trip to the Car and Truck shop in Concord, North Carolina and bought the stainless trim for the doors, the windshield and the center strip on the hood. This saved me the shipping cost on all the oversized items.

Phil, the doors look amazing, that color is going to look great in the Sun.

01/20/26: Over the last week, I found some more time to work on the truck. I first reinstalled the seat belts which went well.

The real challenge came with the passenger side door. I spent a full day to trying to get it properly aligned and reinstalled. To eliminate variables, I worked on the fitment without the weatherstripping or striker plate initially. After countless iterations—on and off the door so many times I lost count—I made some modifications, including machining the upper hinge slightly to allow it to go deeper into the door. This helped me raise the back of to door to better match the beltline.

Unfortunately, all that trial and error led to a few paint chips. The most noticeable was on the edge that I’m sure I can touch up and the rest were on the frame so a quick fix.

In hindsight, the mistake I made was not reinstalling the door before priming the body. During the metalwork, the door fit reasonably well, but it seems the opening may have closed up during the bodywork process. With the rush to get paint on, I skipped verifying the fitment at that stage, and now I’m dealing with the consequences.

The main issue is at the bottom rear of the door—it’s just too tight, which limits how much I can lift the back to align the belt line. Compounding this, the belt line width between the door and the “B” pillar differs slightly—wider at the top, narrower at the bottom—so while the top aligns fairly close, the bottom sits a bit low.

Even with these imperfections, the door was so close to fitting that I decided to press forward. I installed the weatherstripping and mounted the door for the final time. After adjusting the striker plate, the door now latches securely and closes with a solid, reassuring thunk.

At this point the rear gap is tight, the belt line sits slightly low, and the cab corner at the bottom is a touch proud—but overall, it functions well and looks acceptable from a few feet away. At this stage, I’ve made the call to leave it as-is. This build has taught me a lot about patience and process—especially the importance of dry-fitting major components before final paint.

If these misalignments bother me down the road, I can always revisit and alter the door to make it match the body. But for now, I’m ready to move forward.

It’s been a learning experience to say the least!

Looks good ,my driver door looks similar ,but after putting the weatherstrip on I had to take it off as the door was to hard to close.did you put your weatherstrip on with the door hung I don’t think it was possible but curious.And we’re did you get your weatherstrip on with strip from.

I learned that same lesson on my doors, although I did manage to get them on without modifying the hinges. I got the door opening on the passenger side too narrow and needed to grind and reweld the door edges. I still have a screw head that secures the glass channel that contacts the pillar. I may get out the hammer and adjust that a bit and touch up the paint there. But it's not visible with the door closed, so it may just live that way. I'll know better on my next build (should there ever be one. )

I looked at it when I had the adjustment close, thinking I don’t want to move it, but it looks near impossible to get the hinge side right to me, so I took it off one more time and I’m glad I did. So much easier!

I got my weatherstripping from Classic Parts a few years ago.

I had the same problem and I substituted screws that had a shallower head.

I wanted to share a quick update on the truck project. I finally found some time today to tackle the mission of getting the driver's door installed.

It was a frigid start—the thermometer read 14° outside, though it was a slightly more balmy 28° inside the garage. The first order of business was simply making room. Since the truck is parked with the driver's side against the wall, I had to get creative. I installed two dollies under the front tires and turned the truck sideways to create enough space for my engine hoist and the body work stand.

I started by installing the door without the weatherstripping to avoid any interference with the alignment. Surprisingly, it fit fairly well right off the bat. However, the upper hinge didn't offer enough horizontal adjustment to get the back of the door aligned perfectly at the belt line. Since I already had the lathe set up with the milling attachment, it made for a quick fix.

Once the alignment was sorted, I moved on to the weatherstripping—a job I wasn't looking forward to, but it went smoothly. I needed to put my propane heater under the door to heat it up enough so the weatherstripping adhesive would work.

After reinstalling the door for the final time, a little tweaking got the adjustment close. I installed the striker plate, and voila—the door closed and latched perfectly. A few minor adjustments and the job was done.

The alignment is not perfect by no means. The rear of the door at the belt line could be raised a bit but I was afraid of the front edge of the door hitting the ‘A’ post if I moved it any closer. I could move the door at the lower hinge, but the gap is already too wide.

I decided that since it closed solid and it was close, that I would leave well enough alone!

Another success!

Good enough is good enough. Perfect is a pain in the neck.

If I can't find a friend to come over and help me with my doors, I'm taking your idea and using my engine hoist.

We used to tell yacht customers that “they could have deadline, budget or quality. Pick two” It’s exactly the same in truck restoration, except the budget is probably like a national secret, the deadline passed years ago, and like Otto said,”good enough is good enough”😂
I think it looks good Phil, sure the door could come up a few mm, and maybe it will later. For now, good job and keep your project moving.

Use your engine crane John. You’ll find the balance point and your doors will slide right in.

If you look closely at mine, I made a loop out of about 2-1/2’ of nylon rope, then looped it thru itself so it self tightens. This stops it from sliding off it’s balance point and makes it easy to install and remove, something I suspect you may do a few times.

Your alignment looks good to me, even the rear at the belt line. I'm glad to hear the weatherstrip install went okay and that you were able to get the door reinstalled without too much hassle.

01/30/26: I spent a few frigid hours today finishing up the door hardware on our truck. Started out at a balmy 23° — yep, inside the garage — and after cranking my propane heater , I managed to eke it up to a cozy 38°. Progress! Though most of my progress came in the form of me huddling in front of the heater, rubbing my hands together like I was trying to start a fire.

But despite the cold, I actually got some good work done! Finally reversed the door relays so the rods sit flush in that recessed track like they’re supposed to. Swapped the driver’s side to the passenger side and vice versa — made way more sense that way. I had to shorten the rods by about half an inch to make it all work, but with the milling attachment on the lathe, it was a quick fix. Cut the new slot, tested it, trimmed up the ends for a clean look… and bam! Handles now face upward and operate perfectly.

Finished it off by installing the door panels and now they don’t bulge out like they did before. I got to say, I hate the color of the door panels against the blue, so they will need to be changed.

Called it a day a bit early, though — let’s be honest, I was just too darn cold to keep going.

Do the handles push forward to open the door ?,If they do they may open if leaned on when braking .This is what I have read somewhere anyway .That was the reason they were switched .i have heard there are newer door leavers from I think the 60/63 year trucks that will fit with the door handle being pulled up to open making it safer .You most likely know about this already but thought I would post to make sure no one falls out of a moving truck if they don’t have there belt on.

Phil, regarding the door relays; I've read about that in other threads before.

Were the relays installed left to right and right to left at the factory and GM just never figured it out?

Did someone work on your truck in the past and get them mixed up?

This seems to be pretty common. What is the explanation for multiple / all trucks having the relays reversed?

Also, what about your arm rests?

The handles pull back to open and push forward to lock.

The first AD trucks had the relay rods going down the recessed tracks. What GM engineers didn’t realize, was a if the door handle was hit by a knee or a hand during a sudden stop, the door would fly open. Not a good situation especially with no seat belts.

I think the bean counters had more pull than the engineers so the quick fix was to modify the relays so they pull from the top. Unfortunately, since the rods were no longer in the recess, it caused the rods to rub on the door panel causing them to stick. Again, the engineers quick and cheap fix was to add pads to push the door panel away from the rod. This causes the panel to bulge in all the wrong places.

My mod eliminated this and the panel now lays flat. The only difference is the door handle now faces up. If you’re looking to keep your ride completely original, this mod is not for you.

Otto, my truck didn’t come with armrests, but that is something I want to add.

Kevin, I thought about purchasing those 60-63 relays, but after thinking about it, I thought a mod on my existing relays would be fairly easy.

Why GM chose not to modify the inside door panel stamping to move the door relay recesses in '51 when wing vents were added is a mystery to me. They had to modify them to accomodate the wing vents, and may also have had to modify the inside panel to take care of the revised door latches.

I agree, the bean counters won again!

02/11/26 Today felt almost tropical compared to the deep freeze we’ve had! After two nights at -14° and a -2° morning, the sudden jump to 32° made it downright balmy—perfect for some garage therapy.

I seized the opportunity to install a new gas line between the tank and the fuel pump with two flex hoses from Classic Parts, isolating the vibrations between the frame-mounted line, the gas tank and the fuel pump.. While the factory never used flex line at the pump, it seemed like a smart upgrade—less stress on the fittings over time.

I had another opportunity to use a tubing straightener I printed on my 3d printer and it worked fabulously. The install couldn’t have been smoother. The flex line has a 1/4" male NPT that threads straight into the tank, with a 5/16" inverted flare on the other end. I bent up a section of 5/16" CuNi tubing, flared both ends, and connected it to the tank side. On the pump end (which is 1/8" female NPT), I added a simple adapter to bump it to 1/4", then threaded in the second flex hose. A few clamps later, and boom—mission accomplished.

I like your coil straightener Phil. Did you just whip it up, or was there an established file you used?

It’s an established file I found on Thingiverse. Here is a link. There are others on that same site to choose from. I liked this one because it has interchangeable wheels.

It has wheels for 3/16”, 1/4”, and 3/8” (and 4-6-10 mm), but none for 5/16” tubing, so I needed to create one wheel in Fusion 360. If you use only three wheels, it will make bends.

There is one change I would make. It has no handle or clamping point for a vice. I may redesign it to add one.

Thanks Phil, I appreciate the steer.
Your truck is looking great btw.

Over the last three days, I took on the task of sorting out the universal 12‑circuit Speedway wiring harness to adapt it to our truck—and what a nightmare it turned out to be.

On day one, I nearly gave up altogether. I seriously considered splicing back in the old rewiring job I did a few years ago and selling this harness for whatever I could get. Returning it wasn’t an option, since I purchased it almost a year ago.

The real issue is that this harness wasn’t designed for a slightly modified truck like ours. Instead, it’s clearly intended for a retro‑mod build with a modern engine, transmission, and a GM steering column that incorporates the turn signal and ignition switch. In fact, they even supply plug‑and‑play connectors for that exact application. If someone has that setup, this harness would be ideal. It includes circuits for an electric fan, electric temperature and oil gauges, electric wipers, hazards, and an electric choke—none of which I currently use.

The harness comes with twelve circuits total: six constant‑power and six switched‑power, along with two relays (one constant and one switched). I ultimately used five constant circuits and one switched circuit, with additional circuits reserved for a future radio and AC/heat system.

Before cutting anything and potentially rendering the harness useless to anyone else, I needed to be absolutely certain it could work. So, painfully, I labeled every single wire. Yes, the wires are labeled every twelve inches, but I can’t read that print without extra light and stronger cheater glasses. Using blue painter’s tape and a Sharpie, I marked each wire with its circuit number, where it came from, and where it was going. I also opened the back of the fuse block to determine which circuits were constant power and which were switched.

With that information in hand, I confirmed that the harness could be adapted—but only with significant modification. Still sticking to my “no cutting until I’m sure” rule, I mapped out the fuse block, reassigned each circuit, and relabeled every wire accordingly. I also identified which wires would be eliminated, which would be coiled up, and which would remain in the loom for possible future use.

On day three, I finally reconstructed the harness into its new configuration and drew a detailed diagram of the fuse block and wiring layout. I plan to add each component (HEI, Headlight relays) and their respective wiring to the diagram so I’ll have a complete and accurate reference going forward.

In the photos below, the first shows what the harness comes with and the second is my diagram of the way I reconfigured it.

Now it’s on to installing everything back into the truck and, hopefully, getting it running again.
Wish me luck.

These trucks have such few number of circuits, it seems like the easiest way to wire them would be one circuit at a time using spools of wire cut as needed.

I can understand using ready-made circuits for cars like Cadillacs with all kinds of power extras but on an ad truck with seven or eight circuits it doesn't seem necessary to go the ready-made route

Otto, I totally agree. I do have a few mods to the factory harness that I’ve made over the years such as HEI distributor with a relay, and relays for the headlights and horn, but that is about it. My thought was I wanted to add fuses to each circuit and eliminate spliced wires. A ‘52 Chevy truck only came with two fuses, one for the brake lights and another for the tail lights. The rest was handled by the bimetallic strip in the headlight switch.

I should have just bought a fuse block and rewired it onto my existing harness and saved myself $200. Hind sight is 20/20!

Nice going Phil. You know John is dreading wiring his truck, and now he has PTSD before he even starts 😂
As much of a pain it is, you’re helping all of us avoid the possible same issue. Thanks for “taking one for the team.”

Do folks use a fuse block for a 1958 and later on AD trucks? Inside the truck like that would be preferred.

Looks like you have a good plan. I did as Otto said and replaced one wire at a time, but I did not have any upgrades like yours with the relays, 12 volt, or any extra fuses. I do have to install one of Jon’s radios that I am looking forward too.

3/20/26: Over the past month, I've been using any available spare time to work on the wiring for our truck.

We're in the process of outfitting a new RV to start a new phase in our lives, traveling the U.S. and this has significantly limited my wrench time on the truck. Unfortunate for the build, but fortunate for me, a pause my project to embark on this journey. While it was fresh in my head, I wanted to provide an update for both you and myself to document my progress thus far.

This has been a brutal winter here in upstate NY, so I’m really excited for the much needed break and to start a new phase of our lives.

After several revisions, I believe I have finalized the wiring diagram. This involved several nights drawing and revising a wiring diagram that I could follow while doing the installation but also for troubleshooting and future installs. I’ve added a four-fuse panel on the engine side firewall and replaced the fusible link that supplies power to the main fuse panel with a 40 amp fuse.

On the interior side, I’ve successfully completed the wiring for the dashboard, including the gauges, gauge lights, and headlight switch, all installed and functional. The dome light is also wired and works. The only task remaining for the cab is to connect the four wires from the turn signal switch to wires for the turn/stop/running lights, and finally, neaten and tying up the harness.

Moving to the engine compartment, I’ve wired dual horns using a relay. The additional four-fuse panel has been wired to protect the HEI with a relay and the headlights with relays for both high and low beams. Additionally, the brake switch and the high/low beams switch is wired and ready to go.

What’s left to be done includes wiring for the gas sending unit, connecting the headlights from the relays, and the turn, stop and running lights, which I’ll tackle once the corresponding body parts are assembled. Also, I bought dome fabric split loom I’ll need to install as well as installing wiring clips.


While there’s still a lot to do, I’m encouraged by the progress made and am optimistic about firing her back up after a two-year hiatus.

Thank you for your support and interest in my project. I appreciate every one of you and will keep you updated as I resume work after our travels.

I got to say Phil, wiring was my Achilles Heel. I avoided it so much that it delayed my project. I tried to find other items to complete, so I wouldn't have to wire. Sometimes the truck sat for a week because I didn't want to do it and worried that I didn't know what I was doing. But slowly I researched, watched YouTube and got feedback from this great group on Stovebolt. It feels good to get that encouragement from others and it would re-motivate me to get this part of my project completed. Four months later I believe I'm done - just need to connect my horn. I like what you're doing with your project. Keep it going!

Phil, I'm curious how you created yoru wiring diagram? It looks very professional and probably something I should aspire to do for future reference,

I used an app on my iPad called FreeForm created by Apple. It was not easy using an app designed for simple drawing and adapting it to create an automotive electrical diagram. I looked for specific apps for doing automotive electrical diagrams, and I could not find one that was created for the casual user. Any I found was specific for the professional and outrageously expensive. I did finally get it to do what I wanted, but not without a lot of frustration. It took many revisions and way too much time, but I did finally end up with what I think is a good result.

Thanks for the information but I am not an Apple person so no iPad for me.

You did an incredible job and am not surprised it took a lot of time, probably why I will never do it even though I know I should.

6/04/26: It’s been a while since I’ve updated my project log, so I thought I’d share what’s been going on. I’ve always wanted this journal to be a transparent record of my successes and failures, and this latest update is definitely a bit of both.

I finally finished all the wiring under the dash and got everything zip-tied and tucked away neatly. I was feeling pretty good about it, until a couple of days later, when I was grabbing a tool I left in the cab and noticed a piece of the headlight switch lying on the floor.

Rewind to 2019: I had replaced the original switch with a reproduction unit because the internal self-resetting circuit breaker kept tripping, causing my lights to blink. The repo switch solved the immediate problem, but this isn't the first time it has literally fallen apart on me. This time, however, I couldn't find all the pieces. One of the three springs that holds tension on the contacts had vanished. After searching for a half-hour, I gave up and improvised. I cut a spring from a ballpoint pen in half, and it actually worked well enough to get the switch back in the dash.

The problem, as I’ve realized, is material quality. Even though the reproduction looks like an exact copy of the OEM part, the casing is noticeably thinner. The tabs that hold the contact board in place are weak, and the simple vibration of operating the switch is enough to make them bend and open over time.

The thought of that switch failing while driving home from a late-night car show absolutely haunts me. I knew I couldn't trust it anymore. I looked into buying another new replacement, but they run about seventy dollars after shipping, and I knew I’d just be getting the same flimsy quality.

I dove into eBay to hunt for an original. After scrolling through pages of rusty junk and overpriced "Corvette" listings (same exact switch), I finally caught a break: I found a genuine Delco-Remy New Old Stock (NOS) unit in the original box for forty-six dollars shipped. Total score.

I doused the new unit in contact cleaner and ohm’d out the terminals and everything looks perfect, with the exception of the rheostat for the dash lights. I’ve been working on it and managed to get it operating, though it’s still a little erratic. It’s not perfect, but it’s a heck of a lot more reliable than what I had before.

Progress continues. Stay tuned.

Phil, I'm with you on the quality or lack of on these Repop electrical switches. Mine was the wiper switch. After hunting on Ebay as you did, I just gave up and rebuilt my original.

The quality of just about any new part is dubious. I used to be of the mindset to buy a new part and never have to worry about it ever again.

These days you can't count on a new part lasting any reasonable length of time. If I do buy a new part, I keep the old one to rebuild as a spare or rebuild it in my own sweet time and then install it and keep the new part as a spare.