Hi all- I've had my 53 3/4 Ton pickup for 11 years and finally decided to do the cab and columns correctly. I am cutting out all the piecework I put in from scrap metal and have picked up the inner door bottoms, the inner cowl panel, outer cowl panel (full), and inner to outer cowl joining section. The factory assembly manual tells me where and how to weld, but I am not sure of the best sequence to follow when I start looking at each piece and pre-fitting them. I'm also trying to decide whether to use the whole outer cowl piece or just the portion necessary to replace the rusted/pitted-out original section. Opinions welcome- I am stil novice at using a mig welder. Thanks!
i'm no expert but "but" welding 1/2 inch strips then letting them cool so you don't warp the metal is usually recomended. don't get in a hurry to weld pre fit everything you can. tac it and try the next area. make sure what you install doesnt offset some other piece. i had a nightmare of a problem with the inner cowl where it joins with the floor. i welded a peice in then the new section of the floor didn't fit right... paitence is more than a virtue it's a tool. GT
thanks mylow53 Thanks for the advice! Looks like you had a much bigger challenge than what I started with...though close. My 53-5 starts on the old 235 engine and so I can jocky it back and forth in the garage/barn so wife can pull her car in. I made the big mistake of getting rid of the wheels (snap-rings) before realizing the clearance from original hubs would be a challenge. You're right...the biggest lesson from all this has been 'take your time- examine, then reexamine before moving forward, and don't throw anything out'.
