2009 at the Hammond Barn

[Bob Carriere]

Finally got to the sheet metal part of the project.... one I dread being not very familiar with body work and the proper way of working sheet metal. Oh don't get me wrong... I read the books... seen the video... the proff of the "putine" is when you start to do it....

My cab 11 doors are not too badly rotted... just the bottom outside skin will need replacing. But before tackling the good one I felt I should practice first. Being lucky enough to have acquired the cab 12 from Ajax.... affectionately known as TED'S truck which is a 42 something cab 12 and theone I got from Doug Weatherstone (spelling?) a known cab 12 I removed all the doors and started to practice.

Grant was my able assistant and sometimes lead hand in this venture. We started by dismantling the doors many screws, bolts, etc..... and thereby removed the inner skin, the lock mechanism, handles, etc..... all to be saved in jars and labelled Zip lock plastic bags.

The doors were really "Hollier than Thou" in the bottom quadrant.... see the attached pictures.

It became obvious that we would need some 14 gauge sheet metal bent to shape by a patient and understanding fabricator.

IN the disassembly stage we discovered that the "wedge" that aligns the doors when shut latching mechanisms in the door and the striker plates that holds the door closed all had to be coordinated..... see pictures of the wedge on my cab 11.... the various striker plates... and the latch the we obtained from Mac Auto.... the Ford parts palce in Niagara Falls. After all if the door handles on a Chev cab 11 are Ford... why wouldn't the latch mechanism...?

We also found the pot metal tubes that fit inside the top of the cab 11 doors... the ones that accept the rod form the canvass curtains also at Mac Auto.......

So let me end this one posting with a series of pictures... more info to follow.

First two pics shows the inside, once the inside panel was removed and the outside condition. The sheet metal and the door frame was completely eaten away by metal termites....

The third is a seperate door with same affliction....

Boob