The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs New panel owner checking in!!!!

Hey guys my business partner and I just bought a 49 Panel that we are going to do a full on custom resto on. We would like to know where the best place to buy body panels from. We need panels from the typical spots of rust (in between the wheel well and the rocker panel, rear corners,and rear inner fender wells. Besides that the 49 frame and running gear is rust free but we don't need it. This body is going on a 73 shortbed 4x4 chassis with a big block and a TH350.

Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Truck Werks

Check Jim Carters for panels. If they don't have any look up Ray Stanley and find out what he has available. He calls himself Wheelrightrest or something like that on everyone's favorite auction site. He makes and sells the only panel/Suburban specific repair panels I'm aware of.

The track width on the '73 4x4 is a bit wide compared to your '49. If you are lifting it you might be fine, but at a stock height you may have tire/fender interference.

Big block and TH350 in a 4x4? You must not be planning to abuse it...

you won't find any patch panels for the panel/burb from the front doors back, the patches from there forward are the same as the pickup

Bill

I didn't make a note of it as my rear sections or my panel are good but I DID read or saw somewhere a place that had the very back lower corners of the panel body. Anyone else see or read it?? Truckwerks, go BIG...BAD....and UGLY if necessary and welcome to the BOLT.

That's probably true for a '58 but for a '49 Ray Stanley does make the panels and usually sells through Carter and online.

I've got most of them waiting for a rainy day when I want to cut and weld.

The seller of these specific parts is the same Ray I mentioned along with his actual correct seller name, which is a little different than what I remembered.

The buyer in that particular case is a fellow Washington based Suburban owner who often hangs out at OldGMCTrucks.com these days.

Hey thanks a lot guys this is awesome, I was dreading having to make some of these panels that need replacing. As far as for beating the truck with the TH350, it is built as strong as a th350 will let you build it. We actually got the donor truck in a trade for an 86 S-10 that we had laying around, the 73 has a bad transfer case but that is no big deal. The 468 BB has less than 5k on it and the tranny is the same, also just to make sure that the T-case was dead we made sure that the truck would leave two very long black marks in our parking lot and yep it sure did!!!! Any way this will be a fun project and we can't wait to get it done. We will have a mini (sorry for the Cliche') Grave Digger for our shop truck.

Thanks for all the help so far and in the future we will keep an update going.

Jason

Another hint that I have heard is that the lower door skins also fit the contour behind the cab doors.