48 GMC 5 window

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Old Iron

Well-known member
Joined
May 19, 2011
Messages
15,238
Location
Willard Mo.
This 48 GMC is the pickup I got from John as part of the trade for my 40 Pontiac convertible I was building.
I'm gonna do a restomod. Sorry with this being a 5 window, no chop on this one.
Factory length short bed
Mustang ll, tubular upper and lower control arms, 2" drop spindles coil springs with shocks, disc brakes and 5x4.75 bolt pattern
Chassis Engineering rear leaf kit
Either a 5.3 Vortex or a LS1 depending on which one I come up with first.
Behind it will be a 4l65e tranny and a 3.73 disc brake limited slip 8.8 Ford rearend

Here's where it starts
Cab
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Rusted cab corners
Driver side inner and outer
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driver side new
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Passenger side outer only
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Passenger side new
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Floorboard out
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I'll have the floorboards in today and post up pics this evening
 

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sweet

Love them 5 windows. You have talent so I can't wait to see this.

I wish I could find cab corners for my R-102. I may just find something close enough to shape and hack them up to fit but they typically are not very cheap.
I assume a strecher wouldnt work to curve them because of the radius on the bottom instead of a sharper corner.

anyone ever make a wood buck and hammer them out?
 
Floorboards

I don't know where you could find the 54 IH cab corners. Like you said, might be able to use something else that would be close.
I had a lot of traffic in the shop today but, still was able to get the floorboard in :)

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When I lowered the lid of my 48 Thriftmaster 5 window, I made new corner glass by laying 1/4 Lexan I had cut in the correct shape, over the original glass in a kitchen oven on 250 degrees until the Lexan melted and took the shape of the original glass. Looked like original. Sounded different if tapped on.
 
Toe kicks

The kick panels had a line of rust through them so, I made a pair yesterday and installed the drivers side.
I'm going to leave the air vent in the side of the drivers fender for ventilation.

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Rusted
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New panel, one for each side
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Positioned on the passenger side
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Installed on the drivers side and left the internal louvers
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As soon as I get the passenger side welded in I'll grind the welds smooth :)
 

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nice job on the panels. [;)
mine are a bit worse off.
Yea they are. It's not too bad working with a little larger area though.
I've got a couple more small areas that need attention.
I've bought a Baileigh bead roller that won't be here till 10th of January, I want to use it to make those parts.
 
Wow.....you don't waste anytime do you?? lol

Nice old cab...I like the 5 windows....I don't think I'd chop it either....very cool.....:d
 
Finally got to do a little more work to the truck.
There was a couple rust spots I needed to take care of.

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This is the passenger side and I had to make a floor pan brace too.

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I welded the passenger side kick panel in too

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My new bead roller was put on backorder, won't be here till first week of February, so I'm going to wait to do the areas with offsets :(
 

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OK, I got what I've been waiting on [cl
A Baileigh BR-18E-36 bead roller :D
Here's what I done with it first thing :cool:
The cowl on the drivers side had some rust thru beneath the hood line, where the finder bolts on.

Baileigh bead roller
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Rusted panel
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I made a card board pattern and transfered it to the new 18 ga.
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Then I used the bead roller to make the relief match the cab
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I used rare earth magnets to hold the new patch panel in place so I could mark the cab
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Set the patch panel on the cab held by magnets then marked the edge where I will cut out the rusted part
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After I removed the rusted cab panel, the inner panel was rusted too :(

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So I cut the rusted part out and tacked in a new piece
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Welded it in then ground the welds
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I primed the inner panel then welded in the outer patch panel [;) and ground the welds.
I didn't want to bore y'all with the grinding part so here it is finished :)
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I'll do some more tomorrow and take pics of what I get done [;)
 

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