The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Cab Bracing??

Hey all,

I about have the interior of my '49 3/4 ton cleaned out and stripped down to nothing. I noticed some rust through in a couple of places (driver's side floor board seams, front driver's side exterior door support near the running board) and I am going to cut them out and replace them. Do I need to worry about bracing the cab with square tubing to keep things plumb and square before I cut out the sheet metal?

Thanks!

hi Wyobolter...Firstly welcome.

Is the cab still on the chassis,and are the cab mounts still in good order?
It's generally regarded as a good idea to leave the cab on the chassis as it holds everything square and where it should be.
Effectively using the chassis as a 'jig'.
If it makes you feel better it wouldn't hurt to add some extra bracing in the door opening before you start 'surgery'.
Anything you do to help the integrity of the cab has got to be good! IMO.

Czechman... a fellow bolter has performed some pretty major surgery on his cab,he,if anyone would be able to give you some sound advice.
You could try sending him a PM. I'm sure he could put your mind at ease!

Hold tight as someone else will chime in with there 0.02c before long!

Good luck
Jock

Thanks Jock! The cab is still on the chassis, but it looks like the mounts will need to be replaced. I am thinking that I will probably brace the cab so I can take it off and replace the mounts without losing square.

Any suggestions on where it is best to brace?

Here's a link to Woody's (Czechmans) Home Page .

I admit ,Thankfully I haven't had to resort to such extreme surgery,as my truck came from sunny So-Cal.
I'm quite sure the other guys will chime in soon with some expert advice.
I would assume bracing in diagonals,i.e. door openings.
For example,lower left hinge area to upper right opening at the latch area and so on, would be best, but as I say,wait for more opinions......

WyoBolter,

Bracing does not guarantee anything. Keep the cab on the frame, do one part at a time and check door fits as you go and if the doors fit and the cab bolts to the frame that's all you need.

In your case just do one at a time and you'll be fine. Those are easy fixes.

Thanks Czech,

I want to shoot for a full body-off restoration especially so I can clean the frame and hit it with some POR 15 or other sealer. If bracing isn't a real guarantee, is it something that I need to worry about? Would it be best to fix those couple of areas and maintain the door fit and then pull the cab without bracing it?

Wyobolter...sorry to butt in.

If you fix areas of the cab to it's original state with the doors fitting well,you can safely remove the cab without any extra support.
Just be sure to place it on a 'dolly' that replicates the original cab to chassis locations.

No problem with butting in. The more information I get, the better I feel.

I think that is how I am going to fix the cab. Aside from a few (ha! more like a lot) mouse nests and tiny rust spots, the cab is in really good condition. I am going to start working on those patch areas this weekend. Thanks for all of the help Jock and Czech.

WyoBolter...Welcome to the "BOLT"! What you are about to do is exactly what I did to my truck. Before I did any cutting to my cab, I braced everything with 1" angle iron, to help keep the integrity of the cab. As mentioned by the other bolters, and can't be stressed enough, do one area at a time and don't be in a hurry. There's a picture trail on my webshots if you'd like to see what I did. Also, I see you live in Gillette. You can swing by my house in Pine Haven and talk shop. My cab is almost completely finished as far as the panel replacements go (19 total new replacements). Good to see another Wyoming dude in here!

~Ron

WyoBolter...See! I told you someone would 'chime in'

I read you've already got an invite from a fellow 'bolter mummdog,who from what I can gather is close to you.

Ain't this site great!

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

I just have to say that joining has been a big benefit. Between the tech tips and reading through the forums, I am definitely ready to get my bolt up and running fast.

Thank you again Jock and Czech. I have a definitive plan on how I am going to tackle these patches.

mummdog (Ron), I will absolutely take you up on your offer to stop by and talk shop. It would be great to see another Bolter's shop and get some good tips.

Thanks again everyone!

WyoBolter...I sent ya a PM with my contact info.

Thanks Ron. I've got it. I will give you a call the next time I head that direction.