Crew cab doors and other stuff to get me started

[AaronW]

Hi all, newbie here. I'm getting ready to start doing a bunch of work on my crew cab 89 3500. On the body, it needs cab corners, and I've got to do something with the doors, which have various stages of rust on them, and my weatherstripping is all rotted out. It's pretty windy in the cab....

Do any of you know: Will the rear doors off of square body suburbans fit the rear doors on my truck? Mine has that "3+3" logo on the side, if that matters. If I could do that, maybe I could find some doors where the window weatherstripping is still good, and also convert over to crank handles for the windows.


I've never done any body work before, and I'm not much of a mechanic, so this is going to be a "learn by doing" project for me.

Also, I've heard varying views on whether it is better to weld in the premade cab corners, or there's apparently some kind of fiberglass netting you can get too, where you reduce the risk of popping a weld. Thoughts on that?

Aaron

 

[AKguy]

I don’t know about the rear door interchange possibilities, but I do know that the time invested in repairing the doors is a considerable amount. My crew project doors had some rot in the bottoms and various mounting holes, dents, etc. I elected to fix them, but would find replacement doors, like I will for my grandson’s F250 project, if I had it to do over. Cutting the rot out, shaping replacement pieces, tigging them in, filling holes with the tig, body filler.....ugh

 

[AaronW]

Yeah, I kinda figured fixing them would be a huge pain. LMC sells those back doors, but then you've go to supply your own innards, thus my hope that I can find some already put together.

aaron

 

[HOTFOOT]

welcome from Connecticut

 

[AaronW]

welcome from Connecticut

thank you. I expect I'll be posting any number of additional questions in the next year or so. I'm going to be in over my head.

 

[AKguy]

Yeah, I kinda figured fixing them would be a huge pain. LMC sells those back doors, but then you've go to supply your own innards, thus my hope that I can find some already put together.

aaron

Well, unlike my location, you live in the land of the big BX! It may take some looking but I’ll bet you can find a set for a reasonable price and shipping.

 

[AaronW]

Well, unlike my location, you live in the land of the big BX! It may take some looking but I’ll bet you can find a set for a reasonable price and shipping.

I don't know...back when I worked out south of Dillingham and down in Red Salmon and Seward, there were old chevys everywhere. I seem to remember the rust factor being high though. All the saltwater, I expect.

Aaron

 

[AKguy]

I don't know...back when I worked out south of Dillingham and down in Red Salmon and Seward, there were old chevys everywhere. I seem to remember the rust factor being high though. All the saltwater, I expect.

Aaron

Exactly. Most of the trucks in this country, especially Bristol Bay region, have been used by setnetters on the beach and looked like spawned out salmon.

 

[AaronW]

Exactly. Most of the trucks in this country, especially Bristol Bay region, have been used by setnetters on the beach and looked like spawned out salmon.

Yeah, when I was out at Ekuk for three seasons, the beach netters' trucks looked a set of big tires and a stainless steel tank, with some rust attached.

I nearly got into beach netting (long story why that didn't happen), so I'm glad I don't now have the temptation to use my pickup for doing that and making it even rustier.

Aaron

 

[SDJunkMan]

Welcome from the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Pretty sure Suburban doors are the same. If you ever make it over this way, I have a couple of earlier rear doors (with manual windows I think) and one from a 89. Burb rear doors seem to be pretty easy to find in the boneyards around here, fronts are usually snapped right up.

 

[AaronW]

Welcome from the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Pretty sure Suburban doors are the same. If you ever make it over this way, I have a couple of earlier rear doors (with manual windows I think) and one from a 89. Burb rear doors seem to be pretty easy to find in the boneyards around here, fronts are usually snapped right up.

I've got to drive to Iowa this summer. If I haven't found any other doors by then, I'll give you a shout. I could probably strap em to the roof of my suburban.

Aaron