Update... body work...

[daveyboy]

Been working on the chevy in my spare time. Hoping to get it looking better. The battery tray was a corroded mess, the tailgate banged up, rusted and dented, same with the rear tool box door.

SOOOOOOO.. I decided to take the perverbial bull by the horns and do something about it. Took measurements, made drawings and went to a local sheel metal house and had the raw panels made up.

A lot of grinding, welding, cutting and grafting later, I got a better looking battery tray, WITH cover now, a nice tailgate using the old hinges off the original gate, and a super looking tool box door, again, using the original parts and a new piano hinge. Had all the parts I re-used sandblasted clean.

Take a look. is it all exact? Probably not. But its pretty darn close, and its all a lot nicer for sure.

What one can do with their trucks with a little cash , some tools and a lot of time.

[samason]

Looks good to me

[daveyboy]

thanks Samason!

The authentic restorer will note the lack of original tail lamps in lieu of simple modern trailer lights. Safety for me.

However, been considering re-installing my perfect pair of oriiginal tale lamps in their proper place, and just mount these modern lights elsewhere while traveling, perhaps on a hinged bracket I can hide away when at a show.

Whats next... oh... gotta mount the reflectors on the angled rear bed side... I beleive thats where they belong? Not on the tailgate like it was?

Any one know for sure?

what else.....Hummmm.. Been considering replacing my full metal cargo floor with a wood type with metal strips. I always liked the wooden type floors. Warmer when camping too! My floor is beat to H*ll... warped and more crooked than a .... well, you know...Heavy sheet stock of this size is difficult to find. Might be cheaper actually to cut out and replace with the wood and strips as I stated.

Will see if I ever get to it...

[mmamajor]

Dave, looks very nice! For the reflector position...my fully welded all steel CARGO bed has the original reflectors so here's the mounting position... they are on the rear triangle of the bed and not on the tailgate. So, if you look at the triangle you have the angle, bottom edge where it meets the rear crossmember, and the vertical side which meets the tailgate. Dead center of the round reflector will be 2-7/8" up from the bottom edge and 3-1/4" in from the vertical edge. Screws are at 12 and 6 o'clock. This again is the cargo bed position. Hope this helps. Andy

[daveyboy]

thanks! this helps a lot! I just got back in from the garage after completing the reflector mounting. All looks great.

[retro-roco]

Dave,

Does your truck have a tipper frame under the box? I'm trying to figure out what I'm seeing below your tool box in that last photo. I also noticed there is no spring tensioned bolt through the bracket on your frame visible in the first picture...

Did you have a front panel made for your truck yet? I revised the drawing that I sent you a little, in the hopes of clarifying things a little bit... The only piece that I haven't detailed yet is a flat strap reinforcement attached to the front inside floor support member.

[daveyboy]

Yes, my truck has what appears to be a factory hoist but did not originally come on this truck. Was added perhaps after the watr by a civilian owner.

It wasnt added correctly either, placing the pivot points so far back requiring the bumperetts to be removed when it was put on the truck

I will be removing the hoist at some point and putting the truck back to its original configuration, that is, a simple cargo truck, no dump.

I went back and forth on which way to go, i.e dump or cargo, and decided that at some point when time and finances allow, Ill have the bed removed, hoist removed, and at that time fix the front panel.

Yes, I had sheet metal made up for it already. No problem,. no holes cut yet.

What I got from you and the new panel as is will work nicely. Thanks again!

Dave