The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Do It Yourself (DITY) Gallery 1946 Chevy 1/2Ton in Utah - "Here We Go"

Well done, Grasshopper.

Do you have pictures of the mounting method? How did you route them?

Here are a couple pics of how I mounted them. Seat belts came with the hardware. Routing was just straight from the floor to the seat.

I got the doors out of the shed and dusted them off. I don't remember moving these, but I must have been stronger 20+ years ago. I'm going to try and clean up the inside panels. You can see where the seat rubbed against the door. I've been feeling lucky that this old truck doesn't have much rust on it. The doors are pretty solid. Now I have to find a friend to help me lift them. I'm sure I can't get these installed by myself.

John, if you have an engine hoist, that works pretty well for installing doors. I put an old ratty welding glove over the beam for padding.

I hear you about being stronger 20+ years ago. Happens to us all.

I used Kevin’s method only with different rigging. I wanted more control so it was balanced and wouldn’t slip, so I used 3/8” nylon rope in a basket chocker sling configuration. The nylon was soft enough so it didn’t leave any marks. Worked great!

Thanks for the idea of using an engine hoist! Yes - I have one, just didn't think about using it. If my friend isn't available today, I will get the doors installed using this method.

I'd use the hoist even if your friend comes over to help.

Using the engine lift as a door installation tool is a great idea!

John - The wear on the door insides from the seat have me scratching my head? Is the seat original to the truck that you know of? I bet those doors didn't rattle one bit, but may have been a little tough to close and latch.

Dan - I believe the seats are original. Maybe the cushion is getting worn down and they've flatten out a little bit? I would like to get them recovered at some point, but the two shops I went to quoted me $1,000+. That seemed insane to me, but maybe that's what they charge now.

John, that does seem a bit high for a simple seats that require no buttons or diamond tuck or anything else.

See if you can find an upholster that does furniture like sofas and couches. If you supply the material, I'm sure they could do it for less money.

A friend of mine recently got a quote to do the front seat of a Mark 3 Lincoln continental. That was $750 excluding the material. And of course that required all kinds of diamond tuck pleats etc and included the foam padding

I bought the upholstery and padding/installation kit from Jim Carter. It was easy enough to do it myself, and it was nowhere near $1000. All in for a 46 for about $350 plus shipping.

John - Your seat does look to be original, but the pictures make it look like perhaps it's has been previously recovered with extra seat padding added. It looks like added padding was laid across the top and wrapped over the sides which is likely the cause of the side "bulging". Also could be that the side support spring rows on either side are sagging as they get the most use when getting in and out of the truck.

Below is a screenshot from a 1941 Chevrolet Truck Advertisement (same as your '46 for seat specs/dimensions) that shows the sides of the lower seat pretty much straight up and down, which would leave them away from the door panels.

Honestly, if your doors are going back as-is with the wear marks, if the seat is currently comfortable and supportive I'd leave it be.

John
Wondering if the seat springs were replaced during the reupholstering process. The driver side photo appears to show wear consistent with years of use and maybe weak springs?

Sparky’s seat needed several of the drivers side springs replaced. I too used a JC kit. More accurately, I should say tried. After getting the upholstery installed, I wasn’t pleased with the fit. (Your finished product looks much better, by the way.) So, I took it to a local upholstery shop and they discovered the weak springs issue. They replaced the springs and also found need to trim the kit material to get the desired fit. One of their guys did the work on his off time to pick up some extra mad money. His fee was a small fraction of the numbers quoted above.

Yes, I agree that the seat has probably been recovered at some point. My plan is to use it as is for a little while and hopefully later get it recovered properly.

I used an archery target and boat cushions underneath the door to the right height.
I could slide the target on the concrete and move the door straight on the hinges.

A friend stopped by and the doors went on pretty easy - no issues. Now to get the hood installed. It's getting exciting here!

Looking good John. Looks like the highway is getting closer. Enjoy the pics and detail. I had my seat redone a 1 1/2 years ago. Many bad springs and batting was gone. Didn’t look as nice as yours. Now it is a treat with the new seat. It cost about a 1000.00 for mine. I know I wouldn’t have been able to do it. He also sand blasted an repainted it.

That's where I am. Even with a kit, I probably couldn't do it as nice as an upholstery shop.

John - Looks like you are in the "home stretch"! Yahoo

Or maybe the 7th inning stretch.

John, you may have said somewhere in the last hundred pages, but what is the yellow stripe? Is it painted on the beltline or is it tape?

It's painted on. Here are some pics I just took.

This morning I installed the cardboard kick panel (Classic Parts of America) on the passenger side and thought before I install the driver's side, I should make a template. Maybe this can help others that want to make their own? I have a '46, so maybe this would fit '41 to '46, I don't know? Next - Going to get the hood out of the shed and see what I need to install it.

Thanks. I will use that template. My new one are waiting to get put on. Curious were they both the same as near as you could tell?

Good thinking, John.

That should be uploaded in the tech support section permanently.

I'd suggest drawing a dotted line from the lower left corner, parallel to the top and then giving the measurement from that line to the lower right corner. (Or continue the 12 1/2" line all the way to the right and measure down to the 3 3/4" line)

That way, nobody has to calculate those angles in order to re-create the entire piece.

Otto - OK, I've updated the picture. Is that what you meant?

Yes, exact opposites.

Yes. Except I noticed another measurement we need. We need to know the exact width (at right angles to the virtical sides. continue the 12 1/2" line to the right hand vertical.

Now everyone can start with a rectangle of known dimensions, mark the relevent points, and connect the dots for the pattern.


If that's standard graph paper, it looks like the measurement would be 8.75 + 12.5 = 21.25"

Yes- It is 21.25" You are correct and I added that to the drawing. I wanted to use graph paper so you can see the measurements. Thanks for the suggestions Otto!

What surveyors call swing ties would work better. Dimensions across corners to break it down into triangles. I'm assuming that the 12-1/2" and 11-3/4" sides are perpendicular and that the 3-3/4" side is parallel to the 11-3/4" side. Dimensions as shown would nail it down.

Thanks for thinking of other 'bolters, John.

OK - I have added the red measurements. I'm going out to the garage and install the driver's side kick panel. 🙂

That angle might not be a perfect 90 degrees. When I lay it on the graph paper it looks like 90.1, just slightly more than 90? It's so close that I think a 90 would work fine. That 12-1/2" side goes against the firewall.

I installed the driver's side kick panel and noticed these guides. So of course I had to redo the passenger side to get it correct. Now for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals! 🙂

Finally got the hood out of the shed. Had to wipe/spray them off, but they look nice when they're wet! Don't let that fool you.

You could polish those up pretty easily with Nu Finish or some other product. Or rub them down with used motor oil.

Oh boy! My door helper stopped by today and we got the hood installed. I can't believe I've come this far. Next, I'm going to check the timing and then see if I can move it forward/backwards with the clutch. I'm assuming I'll need to do some adjustment. Also, I need to remove the driver's side door panel and find out why it's hard to roll the window up and down. Passenger side seems OK.

Wow! That almost looks like a truck!

You've come a fair distance I'd say!
I think it looks great!

Looks great John. You've accomplished a lot in a fairly short time.

Thanks guys! So close to the test drive!!

Removed the drivers side door panel and window regulator tonight. Window was having a hard time rolling up/down. I cleaned/oiled the regulator and greased the bottom window track. Bottom of door had some good mulch in there, so I vacuumed it up. I did find a broken spring at the bottom and I believe it's the return spring for the lock handle. I think I'll open up the passenger side and clean things up on that side too.