Father and son 71

[Moldman]

Hey all,
Starting the project with the son and we have it stripped down and going to put it on a spinner, sandblast it and give it a new paint job. Its only been 30 years since the last one.
Thinking about removing the half cab mount sheetmetal so I can get in there with the blaster and remove the rust. Does that need to be reinstalled for stability of the door or could I leave it off? See the attached picture of the area I am talking about. Thanks for any input

Greg

[14Justice]

Re: Father and son 71

I would think yes. The geometry would suggest that is a gusset support. Wen you remove the tub from the frame, that area between the door posts and hinge post ("A" and "B" pillars) becomes the weakest point and has been known to bend and cause problems with door alignment. So short story long, I would say yes, needs to go back...

Brad

[Moldman]

Re: Father and son 71

Thanks for the info. I was thinking the same but thought if I could get away with it I would

Greg