For you guys that have done this please give me your input. Look at the point where the new rocker and the rear quarter meet, I have a 1/2” difference all is square and level, but if I adjust it down to meet the rocker it completely throws the entire back over the bumper off. The look might bug me to death is my problem. Anyone else run into this and if so what did you do to correct it?
Can someone please get me these dimensions marked on the picture? Need the top starting point to be the end of the bend down to the flange. Preferably on an original tub. Mine is a 79. Want to confirm that the guy put them in correctly. When the rear sill is even with the bottom of the...
Keep fitting cutting and refitting until it’s within clamping distance.
I just went through this on both driver and passenger sides. In mine I Had to use strap to close distance from b pillar to dash. Yours looks square so more trimming I think is needed. I also cut my corners on my rocker panels which relaxed to fit better then tacked once close. I spent about 4-6 hrs fitting and 30 min welding.
I ended up cutting the CCOT panels in two pieces at the rear marker light as I couldnt get it to work as one piece. The panel was too long. Was a huge PITA and couldnt get them to fit out of the box. If you start by lining up the rocker end, put a few of the body bolts in to secure it in the right place then work backwards you may have a better idea of where fitment is needed.
What year is this? I'd disregard the work on the '79 link. Lazy or scared, but he should have cut the spot welds on the
filler and reattached after fitting the skin. He also should have joined the panel right at the factory ridge at the top.
For you, are you doing both sides? If so are the skins for both dimensionally identical? I gather you didn't measure original
dimensions prior to cutting? Measure, measure and measure. My truck was covered in Sharpie notes, every single measurement
I took I put either to paper or directly onto the truck. I still have some on the wall of my shop!
I'd put the entire truck on jack stands on the frame. These will flex even when you lean. Remove the roof cause there is tension in
all those bolts holding the roof on. That should have been your first thing after putting the frame on jack stands.
Then level everything, especially across the top of the B pillars and along rear sill and top of railing where the roof is.
There is movement that is imperceptible. I'm not saying the panels are perfect but I used CCOT parts except for the
side skins, I made my own as they just weren't available. But I can attest to removing and fitting each side over 10 times
just to ensure I had everything tweaked and lined up.
The other maybe is there are dimensional differences depending on year of manufacture so make sure you have the
correct panels. The rear opening is different from small doors to full size ambulance doors as an example.
I see that front of your rocker is properly aligned to the cowl, and that the rocker is parallel to the top of your wheel arch.
As such, the only solution I can think of is for you to lower the quarter panel. The curved part in your second to last pic is going to hit the rear cross member, so you're going to have to carefully cut that area out (save the offcut), tack your quarter panel in such that it lines up to the rocker, remove material from either the offcut or the quarter panel, and weld the curved peiece back in.
Sadly, from what I understand, these replacement panels almost never fit right. You have to deal with modifications like this as part of the normal course.
I bought my quarter panels from Real Steel. I had a different problem- the ambulance door opening was out of square by over half an inch from top to bottom, so I had to do a pie cut and weld it back together to get it square.
Okay, Thank you all for the input. Going to start and make rocker and quarter line up, thats the only way and Yes probable cut rear and re-fit .
I'll post my progress