Can't Buy It ... Make It! : The Conclusion

Back to the rear lower window channel ....

     I set up a makeshift bench to work on and laid out the things I needed for the brackets. If you remember yesterdays entry, I made them and they were crap. I had pulled out a piece and cleaned it up with the wire wheel.

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I thought about it and decided the material I was using was overkill. You can see in the photo above it is some fairly thick flat stock. These were screwed to the sheet of plywood in the bed to simulate the runners. I have been using them for several things on this project.

    Lets use some small gauge sheet metal. This is 22 Gauge, I would have like to have had a size or tow thicker but I think this will work. I may have to tack in a couple braces once I get it installed and can check it out. This will be easy to work with.
    First I marked out my cuts and and used the jigsaw to cut them out. I did not try to be perfect since you will never see them. 50 years from now the next caretaker may find them and comment on my shabby work LOL Then I bent them to shape and drilled a hole in the proper spots for the plug weld and the bolts. I used the original from the driver's door as a guide, but I mirrored everything.

   Before welding the legs on, I made the notch for the weather strip to hang. At the time I did not realize what this was for as the one I had did not connect that way. It was riveted on. I said well what the hell I will do it so it will look similar to the original. I'm glad I came some what close to the pattern since it is being used!

    Then I plug welded the legs on ... checking twice for position and orientation. 

    Here it is in raw form ....

    The original one has an indenture in the bolt tabs to allow the leg to straddle the raised bolt hole opening. It allows a clearance of about 1/16th of an inch. I placed each leg in my vice with a wood support in back and a tab of flat stock and cranked the vice down as tight as I could. I realize now that this would have worked better if I would have made a piece to put between the wood and metal shaped like a square "U" I_I , to support the outer ends. Also, a notch, for the tab to sink into, in the wood. I think it will be OK like this ... if not I will change it.

     And here is the finished product. I did not realize I had these inserts ... They came with the window channel kit I got from Santa. I am not sure why they do not run the length of the channel but they must work ... that's the way they sell um :o)

   I'm really not completely done, as I still have to get the bolts and decide if I want to order the D nuts and original bolts or find something local that will work.


When I was cleaning up I spotted a small piece of the sheet metal and saw the gap in the windshield frame. I wonder ..... I popped this out real quick just to see ... Looks pretty good for no measuring and crocked lines LOL Now I know I can so I will make two and paint them with the frame.

     I'm almost ready to tackle the windshield garnish molding I'm missing for the drivers side pillar!! Doesn't look too hard. I should be able to whip up something that looks close. If anyone has one of these just laying around, ship it on down to me ... or up if your below Georgia LOL

     I dreaded this, but the longer I hold off on doing it the worse off I will be. I had been separating the bolts  and stuff randomly with no real order. I would throw everything from, say, the doors and dash in one bin. Then maybe the glove compartment screws in with the cowl vent hardware, etc ... So I started organizing now before I forget what goes where. I got most of it done, but I still have to sort through the bed and fender bolts. Grill, running boards, splash pan etc. Some of this stuff I intend on replacing anyway so I was not real careful about where I stored them.

    After dinner I had a bit of time so I took the driver door off and started sanding it down.

    I also did the lower dash panel  and other door.

    You can see the window garnish in the picture of the dash ... I still have to prep those for paint. When I posted once that it was the last of the red I lied .... the door garnish and the back glass garnish are all that remain. It's not that I don't like the red, it just doesn't fit my vision for the truck Believe me It would have been much easier to leave it red and pick a body color to match up! C'est la vie

                    Thanks for checking out my progress!!Feel free to comment below!

NOTE:     Still taking photos with my iPhone4. I sent my camera off for repair and I should have it back in a few weeks! I'm stoked!