Brent B3B Posted December 23, 2013 Report Share Posted December 23, 2013 hello gents, my first vehicle was a B3B given to me by my grandma when I was 15. ( I worked it off, by getting wood with her in it) when I was 18, I thought it would be cool to "restore it" . so I took it apart, carried the truck from house to house and did a couple things that I thought was correct. 32 years later (and a lot of bad advice) I am looking at doing some body work. I confess this, to ask this question. I am trying to align the body parts before I go into dent removal and so on. the doors both sag about an 1" or so at the strike side. are there shims that go behind the hinges to lift or adjust the doors? I can't remember how well they closed in the first place as they were pulled off another rig before she bought it. I seem to remember the markings of "52" on them but that maybe wishful thinking. will 52 doors align on a 51 cab? sorry for no photo's kind of embarrassed of it's condition and the work I have done until this point wish I could have just held off and been more patient until I got more money and experience under my belt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBF Posted December 23, 2013 Report Share Posted December 23, 2013 (edited) The doors should be internchangeable as long as they haven't been tweaked. You can try this to see what is the cause of your problem. Open the door and grab it by the rear corner and lift it and see where it moves. It may be as simple as worn hinge pins, a loose, or a bent hinge. If your A pillar is no longer attached to the floor, that will more involved. If you have worn pins or hinges I'm sure someone here will have something. I don't think the fit an finish on these vehicles was up to today's standards, but you should be able to get it a lot closer than it is now. Do you have any pics of the project? Good luck. Mike Edited December 23, 2013 by MBFowler 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merle Coggins Posted December 23, 2013 Report Share Posted December 23, 2013 Welcome to the family, Brent. As Mike said, check for hinge wear first. If they are loose you'll need to address that first. Then the other adjustments come by bending the hinges slightly as needed. They are slotted a bit for in and out movement where they bolt up, but for forward and back adjustments you'll need to tweak the hinge. We've all don't things when we were young and foolish that we regret now. But the fact that you've kept this truck all these years speaks volumes. Go ahead and show us what you've got. I'm sure we've seen worse basket cases. Merle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted December 23, 2013 Report Share Posted December 23, 2013 welcome and don't worry, we won't laugh,the best way for anyone to help is to see pictures of what the issue it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David A. Posted December 23, 2013 Report Share Posted December 23, 2013 No need to be embarrassed, I also received my B2B for my 15th birthday and spent the next couple years fixing it up. Now 35 years later I am restoring it again because I have a lot more knowledge, experience, and patience. Hopefully i can do a much better job on it this time. I have been working on it for 6 years now. I hope to finish it this year! David A. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1952B3b23 Posted December 23, 2013 Report Share Posted December 23, 2013 Welcome! Like the others said, no need to be embarrassed just post up some pics if you can. -Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted December 23, 2013 Report Share Posted December 23, 2013 another possibility could be the rear cab mounts might be busted...the doors on my '49 were sagging about an inch, then I noticed the back of the cab sheet metal was resting on the frame rails. When I pulled the seat out, the cracks in the cab were obvious as they radiated towards the door jambs & sills. Had to fab up temporary brace plates to fix the cab so the doors could operate without using some creative german phraseology. Eventually I followed the instructions in the shop manual and strategically placed a wood block between the door and door jamb to bend the doors/hinges into position...it took a few days for my shoulders to recover from that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent B3B Posted December 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2013 wow, maybe I have installed the cab mounts backwards/ upside down? the hinges seem tight. I am still figuring out the website and my new camera, i took photo's but they are too large to download? i will have to work on this, so many questions, i know you guys can guide me. Merry Christmas to all..... by the way is there a Pilot-house forum for our wives to vent i have been told i am obsessed..... on the other hand maybe i shouldn't find out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted December 24, 2013 Report Share Posted December 24, 2013 in part: by the way is there a Pilot-house forum for our wives to vent i have been told i am obsessed..... on the other hand maybe i shouldn't find out since when have wives ever needed a particular forum in which to vent....odds are she may never have kind words for the pilothouse.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanksB3B Posted December 24, 2013 Report Share Posted December 24, 2013 (edited) Well just don't tell her what I found out. Like puppies, Pilothouse Trucks are Chick Magnets. I wish I had that picture where one of our members is sitting in a lawn chair with a Gin & Tonic while his wife has a dust mask on and is sandblasting parts for him on a hot summer day, Some guys know how to treat their women right. Welcome and don't worry about the 35 year lapse. It took me a while too (and I'm still fixing/improving things) I'ts been 34 years of Pilothouse ownership for me so you do have me beat in that sense. 1979 (I'm just a mere shadow of myself these days) Hank P,S. Do you have a desktop computer ? Are you using a cell phone to take pictures ? Describe your situation I can offer some advise about posting pictures.. All kidding aside, try to get your wife on your team. Whenever you can involve her in some aspect of the rebuild (what I did). My wife loves my truck. Edited December 24, 2013 by HanksB3B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted December 24, 2013 Report Share Posted December 24, 2013 I believe that picture you mention is our very own Reg Evans.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanksB3B Posted December 24, 2013 Report Share Posted December 24, 2013 Haven't seen Reg Online for a while. Hey Reg if you see this Merry Christmas! Hank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent B3B Posted December 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 I scaled back the resolution but it will only let me download one at a time..hope it shows up.... Hank, I was trying to use my iphone for the pics (I switched to the pocket camera) and I only have the laptop at home ...... note to self, don't give a teenager a "slide hammer" to pull out dents on a classic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 that's going to take a lot of welding to repair... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruffy49 Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 That's how my driver door sags. It's the cab mounts on mine, the truck was retired in 1974 and left to "cure" in Grandpa's dirt floored barn. The oak bed floor turned into punk wood, the cab floor has a few minor pinholes, and the cab mounts need reinforcement. No biggie, it's just metal, it can be fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave72dt Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 I think you'll find the bottom hinge area on the A pillar has been rolled out from the door damage incident. There's not a lot of structure in that area of the A pillar and is easy to twist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent B3B Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 sorry, i am not familar with that term or location on my truck yet. would anyone happen to have a photo or information on how i can tell if it has rolled out or twisted? also, is there a reinforcement of the strucure that has worked for anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave72dt Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 A pillar is the very first one, windshield post if you will and are lettered sequentially front to back. At the bottom where the hinge is fastened to the cab, compare it to the other side of the truck. A tape measure may show the difference also. Look for rot or cracks in the floor. The front body mount is in the floor at this general location also. Consider the top hinge as your pivot point. When the bottom hinge goes back the top of the door will move forward and up. Doesn't take a lot to change the door a lot. You do need a consistent door gap on both vertical edges of the door. The factory never got them 100 %. but you can get them really close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent B3B Posted July 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 had to replace my pass side lower hinge due to it being egged out. i don't care for the bolt look (even though it is not really seen) kind of want the same rivet look (and i am also practicing for the front fender rivets ) is the any opinions about threading the doors new 3/8" solid rivets, heating them, quenching and using a lock washer and nut? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave72dt Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Much easier method is to use some Grade 5 carriage bolts, shape the head to what it needs to look like, round off the corners under the head so they fit flush to the door and tighten. If you didn't know and I didn't tell you, that's what was done of FEF's fenders and they look like rivets. Truth be told, there's probably a bunch of similar "rivets" on member's trucks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBF Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 Judging by the damage in the photo it appears that your truck experienced a common failure of the door restraint coming off which allows the door to open too far and contact the rear edge of the front fender. I would suspect that if the door was repeatedly forced past its normal opening range that the area of the door (and possibly the A pillar too) where the lower hinge mounts has been tweaked pretty good. Judging from the amount of metal work your door requires it may be easier to find an undamaged door, or at least one in better shape. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent B3B Posted July 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 Much easier method is to use some Grade 5 carriage bolts, shape the head to what it needs to look like, round off the corners under the head so they fit flush to the door and tighten. If you didn't know and I didn't tell you, that's what was done of FEF's fenders and they look like rivets. Truth be told, there's probably a bunch of similar "rivets" on member's trucks That is the story of this truck, i think i have a solution, then i ask a question and find a simpler more effective way. Thanks again Dave! (when will i learn not to try a re create the wheel ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent B3B Posted July 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 Judging by the damage in the photo it appears that your truck experienced a common failure of the door restraint coming off which allows the door to open too far and contact the rear edge of the front fender. I would suspect that if the door was repeatedly forced past its normal opening range that the area of the door (and possibly the A pillar too) where the lower hinge mounts has been tweaked pretty good. Judging from the amount of metal work your door requires it may be easier to find an undamaged door, or at least one in better shape. Mike Mike, that is exactly what happened to the door. the restraint was pulled through. other then the outside damage, the metal on this truck is in such good shape. (no rot at the door bottoms, floor boards etc.) i thought about taking the "skin" off a donor door but i am not that brave yet. anyone have a photo of a "rolled A pillar"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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