Drivers Outer Cab Corner Help

[LDO]

I need a small section of the driver's side lower/outer cab corner.

I've heard there are cheapos out there with very thin metal. Can someone recommend a good vendor for this part?

Thank you in advance!
LDO

 

[Honky Kong jr]

I need a small section of the driver's side lower/outer cab corner.

I've heard there are cheapos out there with very thin metal. Can someone recommend a good vendor for this part?

Thank you in advance!
LDO

I got mine from Summit we’re pretty decent the better stuff comes from Tiawan the crap from China it sucks but it is what it is.

 

[flying2275]

I've got a set in the garage from LMC that I haven't got around to using yet. They're made in Taiwan and marked 1.2mm which comes out to about 18 gauge. I don't know what the factory gauge was.

See photos for part numbers. First two photos are the LH side and third is RH.

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[Honky Kong jr]

I've got a set in the garage from LMC that I haven't got around to using yet. They're made in Taiwan and marked 1.2mm which comes out to about 18 gauge. I don't know what the factory gauge was.

See photos for part numbers. First two photos are the LH side and third is RH.

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I read GM used something like 19 gauge in these trucks.... @Keith Seymore would know for sure lol

 

[Keith Seymore]

I read GM used something like 19 gauge in these trucks.... @Keith Seymore would know for sure lol

1.2mm is pretty good.

It varies a little bit based on location (ie, underbody structure vs exterior panels) but most of the stuff these days is between .8mm and 1.0mm

K

 

[Jrgunn5150]

All my panels came from classicparts.com and were Key brand. I didn't go nuts, but where I did measure them they were all 18 ga.

 

[SDJunkMan]

So it sounds like they Key brand are thick enough, how do the fit? I need to do my cab corners too.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

This cab corner was Key Brand also. Fit, is mediocre. I used Tek screws to suck it in here and there, no need for hammer and dolly really. It works good enough for my DD.

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[SDJunkMan]

Mine will be a daily driver also. So did you overlap the old metal, screw it in place, then weld it? I've never done a patch panel before.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Mine will be a daily driver also. So did you overlap the old metal, screw it in place, then weld it? I've never done a patch panel before.

There are different methods, but I did the quick and dirty, as I call it.

I cut the crap portions out, then put my panel on.

Panel was huge, went all the way to the body line, I didn't need that much, so I trimmed it until it wasn't much larger than the affected area.

I then screwed it to the original metal, got it all lined up, and traced it with a paint marker. I went ahead and went about 2" more than what I had cut away originally, because it always spreads father than you think.

THen I took the patch off, cut away the original to the inside of my cut line. I butted the new piece up at the top and tacked it, then worked my way around it, forcing it in and tacking it.

Then I ground the whole thing smooth, bondo'd over it, pain, and boom, I have the nicest 02 cab corners in Michigan lol.

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[SDJunkMan]

So you ended up butting the new metal to the old and welding it, not overlapping it? That is how I thought it should be done, but was not sure. When you mentioned screws it threw me off.

I had another vehicle that someone overlapped the metal on a patch instead of butting it up, and it really looked like crap.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

So you ended up butting the new metal to the old and welding it, not overlapping it? That is how I thought it should be done, but was not sure. When you mentioned screws it threw me off.

I had another vehicle that someone overlapped the metal on a patch instead of butting it up, and it really looked like crap.

Yes, when you do it as I described, they'll match everytime, I just used the screws for test fitting.

Although, my neighbor wandered over and seemed pretty mystified when I told him I was taking the screws out lol.

 

[LDO]

Thanks! I'll start looking for a key parts outter corner for my 85!!

 

[damnoodle]

I've been looking into tabco for patch panels. They claim to be OE quality and made in the USA. I thought all of these square body parts are made over seas with thin metal and worn-out dies. Anyone have experience with them?

 

[Jrgunn5150]

I've been looking into tabco for patch panels. They claim to be OE quality and made in the USA. I thought all of these square body parts are made over seas with thin metal and worn-out dies. Anyone have experience with them?

I had Tabco panels for my square. They were like some archaeologists best guess 1,000 years from now at what a squarebody panels looked like. I cut them up and used them for smaller patches.