Chevrolet Cab Repair - Save-A-Cab

It took some time and effort, but finally the old cowl panel is completely removed and the spot-weld remnants have been ground smooth. As you can see, beyond the cowl damage this is a very solid, old truck.

Looking from the side, you can see the lower portion of the A-pillar is twisted toward the front of the cab. Since this portion of the pillar mounts the door, it is a pretty stout piece; but it can be bent with some leverage.

Our first attempt was to use a simple dent puller or slide hammer but it just wasn’t quite up to the task. Chris decided to design his own tool to tweak the door pillar back in shape.

A 4-inch–wide piece of ¼-inch plate steel was bent over on one end and a hole was cut in the other end for a prybar. The bent end slips over the lip of the door pillar and a piece of 2 X 4 distributes the load during the bending process. Bend a little, then check door fitment until you get it right.

A little hammer and dolly work, with the proper spoon-style dolly, brings the upper cowl metal back into shape. This shaping will allow the new panel to slip under the existing upper cowl metal.

Slipping the replacement panel under the cowl takes a little work, but the fit on these Obsolete Chevy Parts is amazingly good.

Fitting just like the original, the cab is now straight and the A-pillar is aligned to accept a door again. Bolts will be used in the fender mounting holes to hold the panel perfectly in place.

Before spot-welding the new panel in place Chris likes to do a final fitting of the door. Running a tap through the door receiver plates will insure the bolts thread in smoothly.

When you consider the doors are from a donor truck, it is pretty amazing how well they fit the car. A little bit of tweaking was done to the door frame prior to this final fit. Note the cowl panel is now held in place with the fender bolts.