Working in the new One Car Garage – HAMB drags thrash

Ah, finally circling back here. I knew the lower part of the cab was rusty when I bought it but man... it was really bad.

I've chiseled the trash away and done the 3.5" channel/sneaky section through the cowl. So time to make some panels, fill the gaps and get it back together.






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Matboard templates. Simulating the stock panels while accounting for the 3.5" change.




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Center punched and drilled – MDF backer will do double duty as the hammerform once I circle back with a larger holesaw.




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Yard sale score: $2 router.




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This little power nibbler/shear rules.


Then finish it out with hand snips and a file.




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Hammer.


Form.





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First side.



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And folding the edge back over to more closely mimic the stock panel.



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Got busy and work was kind of fragmented from here so I didn't capture the rest step by step, but it involved more hammers, dollys, a tool I made from a chunk of steel and a ball end mill, and some thick angle iron.




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So there are some errant hammer marks and the measurements aren't exactly the same as they were, but I'm definitely happy with it all.

I had considered just buying a different cab in better shape. There are a lot of them out there. But the history with this one is 1 of 1 – couldn't bring myself to replace it.


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Thanks, TV. Still getting it all sorted but I should be in good shape this year.

 

So a lot more has happened since my last update. Currently wrapping things up at my day job and taking a week off to try and make the drive to the HAMB drags – it's going to be so close. Some days I feel like I've got it all dialed and there's no way it wont happen... some days I'm laughing at myself for even considering that it might be possible. And sometimes I'm taking those turns hour to hour.

I'm going to drop photos here from time to time over the next week and I'm capturing some video to circle back and post as well. Wish me luck.

 

Here's the 3.5" channel kit for the rear of the cab. They are the B-pillar gussets extended 3.5" with a 1/2" box spacer to compensate for the angle of the pillar. May be more head scratching in this little piece than the rest of the floor... or maybe the entire truck.


And here they are welded together.

 

It's really been complete chaos in here lately. Late nights, lots of coffee, hallucinations – the whole nine.

 

On again, off again, check fit – on again, off again.

 

New floors going in as the Illuminati looks on.

 

Z the frame on a fenderless hot rod? No sweat. But factor in a front crossmember that helps support the engine mounts, a radiator support that you're pretty much hanging the entire front wrap from, and – oh yeah – parallel leaf springs with the shackles conveniently centered right below the area you need to drop 3.5".

 

This definitely isn't going to win any style points, but it's solid and I can dial in some of the aesthetic issues in a couple of years when it all comes back apart.

 

...and this is where I stand right now.

Steering box has been shifted forward an inch-ish and rotated to compensate for the channel and Z. Rear boxing plates are tacked in place. Patterns for the fronts are made. And I've also finished the center crossmember since I snapped this. (boxed and tied the sides back together)

So, it's ON. If I can get the frame welded up in a reasonable amount of time I'll move on to assembling the engine/transmission, exhaust, plumbing, wiring, and the rest. We'll see – I've waffled between laughing an crying half a dozen times as I've posted these last few updates. Haha.

 

Back burnered the truck, dug it back out, made a ton of progress, and now back again with some dirty tech.

Look at this and make one of these:
View attachment 2923206

Find the limits of your shrinker stretcher and improvise a tucking fork:


Tuck it.


Hammer, mark, punch.


Eyeball.


And fit.


There are a few odd whacks with the hammer... could I bump and file them out? Yup, but I'm not a shop owner... I'm just a guy in a garage.


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Nearly a year later – I just might make it this time.