Bracing for metal replacement: Got the new metal

[toomany]

I'm going to be doing the trazer thing with my K5. Found a fairly decent cab (for my area and price range....free ), it's going to need some metal work though. Both cab corners, rockers, drivers floor and support. It's currently sitting on some angle iron and jack stands in my garage. Since the rocker is gone along with the floor and support on the drivers side, I've noticed that it's flexing some when I'm moving around inside of it. Anyone have any tips as how to brace this thing so I can get everything welded up square. I planned on putting the stands where the body mounts are. That should work for 3 of them (I actually plan on doing the passanger side floor/support too, but that can wait till the drivers is done). I could hook it to the celling to keep it in shape now that I think about it. I'm just worried about the door frame getting out of shape and getting the rocker in straight.

 

[toomany]

Anyone?

 

[ryoken]

what exactly is flexing?

 

[toomany]

what exactly is flexing?

The area where the rocker meets the floor on the drivers side. Between the kick pannel and before the hump under the seat starts, the flat area. Thats the worst part on the cab. I suppose I could do the passanger side first and transfer the measurements to the drivers.

 

[toomany]

Got some of my new metal today. Summit kicks @ss, ordered yesterday around 1pm and it was delivered today before I got up. The passanger floor, cab corner, floor braces and rocker pannels came today. Still waiting for the drivers floor, cab corner and the inner rockers. I bought all Goodmark metal, I have used them before on a few of my friends cars and was happy with the quallity. Just from pulling the stuff out of the boxes it appears to be on par with GM stuff. I'll keep updating this when I get around to installing the new stuff...I might wait untill I get the rest, since I'm doing the inner rockers also.

 

[toomany]

Finally started to work on this. I started a few days ago actually, but work kept pulling me away. I removed most of the drivers floor and repaired the support that runs along the length of the cab (front to back), and the other cab support. Then got the floor and rocker pannel tacked in. I want to hang the door to make sure I've got the rocker in where I want it before I completly burn it in. I'll fit the new cab corner at that time too. I keep forgeting to take pictures as I progress.

This is what I started with.

New support in and other one fixed. Excuse the bad looking welds...I bought a new welder and was still trying to get it dialed in. Jumped up from an off brand 110v to a nice Esab 220v.

This is where I left it for tonight. I'm possitive I've got the floor where I want it. The rocker looks like it is correct, but I'm going to put the door in just to be sure.

 

[toomany]

Sort of forgot about this thread (and the pictures), but I do have an update.

I got the floor completly welded in and ground down to my liking, same with the rocker pannel. When I was fitting the cab corner, I made a mistake when I cut the rocker. So I had to fit in a small patch. The inner rockers I bought needed to be cut way down, either that or cut a bunch of the cab. I chose to cut the inner. Once I get everything on the top finished (driver and passanger) I'll lay the cab on it's back and work on piecing the inner together.

The cab corner is tacked in this picture. You can kind of see the gap at the bottom where it meets the rocker.

The gap in the door post I heated with the torch and beat it in. It seems like the pannels were designed to be used individually. Not for replacing everything at once. There is alot of excess in some areas.

The gap and patch I ended up with. I'm either going to try to put a little pie piece in the remaing gap, or fill it with weld. I still need to give the bottom corner a tug to get it back inline.