sheet metal
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 823
Likes: 4
From: Calais, Vermont
cowl panel replacements
I recently patched both sides of my 53. I got the panels from midfifty ford. Overall, I made them work, but not without doing a fair amount of tinkering on them. Where the panels are spot welded to the door posts there are a couple of right angle bends to form the "pocket" that the door fits into. These bends are about 90 degrees each on the stock panel. They were less than 90 degrees on the patch panel. So, to make all the metal surfaces flush with each other, I had to do several hours of hammering on the patch panel. It may be that the stock sheetmetal came from a different stamping machine, and the replacement panel does have the most common profile. At any rate, I am beginning to think that, worldwide, there are actually only one or two producers of these panels. And various vendors put there own sticker labels on them and sell them for slightly different prices.
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
From: Elizabeth City,N.C.
Joel: I used patch panels from several sources while restoring my 53. I found
panels from Dennis Carpenter to be the best overall fit. But as mentioned above, be prepaired to do your share of tweeking to get them right. Hope you have welder and are use to working sheet steel. I started with floor panels that no one would see before moving to the inner doors and exterior stuff. Good luck to you and take a lot of pictures. I didn't get many of my progress and now wish I had. Don
panels from Dennis Carpenter to be the best overall fit. But as mentioned above, be prepaired to do your share of tweeking to get them right. Hope you have welder and are use to working sheet steel. I started with floor panels that no one would see before moving to the inner doors and exterior stuff. Good luck to you and take a lot of pictures. I didn't get many of my progress and now wish I had. Don
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: Fitchburg, MA
I also purchased floor panels from Mid-Fifty, but they actually came from Direct Sheetmetal in CA. Good guys at Direct, very helpful with the installation, tips and do's and don'ts. Most of the other stuff, cab corners, etc. come from overseas. Have not tried any Dennis Carpenter parts yet, but good to know other folks have had good luck with them.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
Body shops will tell you that even factory replacement panels for today's new cars require some tweaking to fit. Here we are talking about vehicles that are 50 years old, primarily hand assembled by some unhappy/hung-over/day dreaming/strongly unionized so I don't give a flip assembly line workers trying to meet a quota. Commercial vehicles did not receive very close quality control inspection, after all they were WORK trucks. If you drove a truck in the fifties it was because you were a laborer or a farmer. No upstanding middle class family would want to be seen dead with a pickup in their suburban home driveway! I realize that in this day in age of computer designed and produced goods we expect perfection in anything we buy, when working on a hot rod making things fit is part of the "fun". Just having all these parts available today makes the hobby that much more accessible, just think that 20 years ago we had to bang out patch panels by hand from flat sheets of steel. (end of soapbox) 
<END soapbox of>
<END soapbox of>
Last edited by AXracer; Nov 12, 2004 at 01:51 PM.
Hotshot
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,591
Likes: 14
From: Pflugerville, tx
Originally Posted by Jeff55F100
I also purchased floor panels from Mid-Fifty, but they actually came from Direct Sheetmetal in CA. Good guys at Direct, very helpful with the installation, tips and do's and don'ts. Most of the other stuff, cab corners, etc. come from overseas. Have not tried any Dennis Carpenter parts yet, but good to know other folks have had good luck with them.
I need to do my front floor and toeboard, and have flat sheet that I can use, or get something else.. my battery and brake master will not be underfloor, so I want to end up with no access panels.
Sam
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: Fitchburg, MA
I got their replacement, but received the toe boards for their custom firewall. I called Direct SheetMetal myself, and requested the stock toe boards. I would suggest ordering straight from Direct SheetMetal, it's the same price, then you can talk directly to them without feeling guilty
