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I'm in the process of rebuilding the bottoms of a pair of 57 PG doors. The inner bottom had rusted all along the bottom edge as is the usual case with these doors. I fabricated a new patch panel to match the existing piece I cut out. The corners are the difficult part with the curves involved so these are separate pieces. I used the outer skin as a reference for the inner which worked well. Yesterday I fabbed up the outer door skin. I then took the plunge and cut the bad metal away about 5 inches up from the bottom. The new piece fit very well after fine tuning the curve of the bottom edge. I welded the inner panel to the door and patched a few small holes from inside the door. I am now ready to fasten the outer skin after I prime the inside of the door and all new metal. As soon as I can locate my epoxy gun I will glue the outer skin to the door and weld where needed on the edges. By gluing the patch I will do two things. Eliminate warpage due to welding and save several hours of labor. This will also keep moisture out of the seam. I've epoxied a top bed rail on my A100 and it worked perfectly. I'll get a picture or two posted once I down load them. Now that the learning curve is past I hope the second one goes faster.
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I am sure the second one will be quicker it always is -
I'm hoping it will go quicker now that I have a pattern. I have the inside panel welded and have to prime the inside of the door and parts. I will then epoxy the outer skin in place followed by a thin skim of filler. 91 degrees today so I think I'll wait for things to cool off a bit.Comment
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Here's the inside of the doorComment
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Ron
we are begining work on my doors right now. there was no rust in them. They should not take too long to get ready. have you had a chance to look at the sheet metal pics. i put on web shotsComment
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Frank, yes I did and they look great. I'm not usually a "blue" person but that color is very nice. Looking forward to seeing it finished. The trucks I've been doing have all been Ponchatrain Green with Sahara Biege trim. I'm doing CC in Green with Sand Dune White instead. The biege is too yellow for me. Of course Dodge Truck Red is my favorite color. The next one is supposed to be green but I'm going in another direction with it. My son has a 59 short box that he'd like to paint in a gun metal gray with an accent color to be determined. So many projects, so little time.Comment
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Behind door number two
I worked on the passenger side door yesterday and aside from one piece to weld yet it's looking good. This one had different rust issues on the edge of the door which complicated things a bit. I will treat the inside and then glue both skins on each door. The drivers door still has dents that need to be pulled. I'm going to mount it on a cab so I can use the stud puller on it. That way it will stay in place as I use the slide hammer to pull the dents. These doors have three coats of paint on them so a lot of stripping will be in order to get them smooth. Hope the cab is getting some attention back home because these doors will be ready the end of the month.Comment
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Wish I had your talent , are these the doors for the crispy critter? JohnComment
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Thanks, it's been fun and frustrating at the same time. It's mostly a matter of studying what was there and how making a replacement. Having the toys to do the work is a major plus. That and having another door to copy to take measurements from doesn't hurt either. I have several later doors which are basically the same so this fills in the missing metal. These doors are for a 57 PG belonging to Kevin McCarthy. The toughest part is filling in the curved edges or the inner door. I may write an article for the PWA on how I went about this.Comment
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Please do! :-)Originally posted by Ron in Indiana View PostPower Wagon Advertiser monthly magazine, editor & publisher.
Why is it that the inside of old truck cabs smell so good?Comment
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A mComment
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Ron. Tools are nothing with out the man behind them. Something tells me that those doors would not look as good with me behind the tools. JohnComment
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John thanks for the comment. I have both outer skins glued on now and worked all day on the passenger door. It's ready for final sanding and looks very good if I do say so myself. Now on to the drivers door which has issues of it's own with several dented areas. The most common is the door check crease. The door goes past the check because it's broken and you end up with a crease from top to midpoint of the door. This one is compounded with rust and a crack in the sheet metal. I'm going to mount it in a spare cab so I can pull the dent while the cab holds the door firmly. I've got way more hours in these than I thought it would take but Kevin will have two nice doors when I'm done. It's not the end of July yet is it???Comment
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What I would give for a little rust repair.
I was given a 59 W100 Power Wagon this weekend and have been looking it over top to bottom deciding what to do with it. The drivers door has been smashed really badly in the front section and both doors have cracked clear through at the rear frame section. I imagine I could probably de-skin the drivers door, work the panel and then reinstall it but if I can find a donor door for not much I will probably go that route.
By the way, first post here and first Vintage Mopar. Definately not my first Mopar and by no means my last. Greetings all.Comment
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Welcome. Where are you located? Doors aren't that hard to find for 58-60 trucks it's the one year only 57's that are a pain. I've got a couple of doors here if I remember correctly. Tell us a little more about this truck, engine, tranny, condition etc. I've come across lots of 58's but the 59-60 trucks are a bit more scarce. You've come to the right place to get info as there is a wealth of knowledge available from everyone here. We're all in this together so stick around and ask questions if needed. And remember it always starts with ONE truck haha.Originally posted by MoparFreak69 View PostComment
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