96 GMC rat build

[sgtpontiac]

Being new to the post, I thought I'd share a few build photos...any ideas / suggestions are always welcomed.... other than negative ones..lol
I know it's not old but trying to make it old school.... what do ya think??? Be gentle, I'm an "old guy".....lol

 

[Willowbilly3]

Any chop is fun to follow. Keep us posted. What other plans do you have?

 

[Sam_Fear]

Keep us posted with lots of pics. It's always good to see what works (or doesn't).

 

[Hydrocarbon Rocket]

I'm doing a 92 extended cab. Your top is gonna look awsome. Just don't follow anything that I have done on mine, I have ruined it.

 

[HORN DOG]

Its gonna look cool Old Skool!!

 

[Fox Fabrication]

Not really my cup of tea...but each is own!!!!

I would have chopped the back then sectioned out a piece of the roof. Then I would of leaned the "A" pillars back right from the cowl...Your gonna have a tuff time getting a GLASS windshield to fit (curved).

 

[Willowbilly3]

I'm doing a 92 extended cab. Your top is gonna look awsome. Just don't follow anything that I have done on mine, I have ruined it.

If your gonna make an omelet, you have to break some eggs. Some of my best learned lessons were from stuff I messed up.

 

[hotwheels]

nice.........

 

[VonHyde]

windshield wont be to had its the side glass in the doors that are a pain in the ass

 

[sgtpontiac]

Glass issues and other mod's

Actually the side glass is the easy part, going to try the sandblast thing on the windshield.... i'll try to get some pic's of that in progress....it will be down the road... too much other metal work to do right now.....

Frenching in the rear tail lights.... going with the old stand by's.... 59 caddy.... built the buckets and have already tacked in the filler panels...also doing a diamond plate dash face, using a 1949 Buick speedo, and looking for some other older looking gauges for Temp, Batt and Oil Pres......

I've sectioned the roof into four and will start welding it in this weekend.... gotta make the motor city swap meet this weekend too.... see if I can scrounge up some gauges.... pic's soon of the tail lights and the top as we go....

 

[Hydrocarbon Rocket]

What's the sandblast thing?

 

[sgtpontiac]

in answer to the sandblast thing

it's a process of cutting the glass with a sandblaster... there is a number of posts about different methods.... from soup to nutz....apparently sandblasting has worked for a number of people.... I won't go into the whole process but this link can give you some ideas about how it is "supposed" to work.....

www.cadvision.com/blanchas/54pontiac/windshield.html

this site seems to be the most informative ..... I've never tried it before and I know that the glass shops won't even consider trying to cut the windshield..... I think this method sounds the most logical to me... but what the heck do I know...lol Anyway, when it gets to that point, I'll do a full out foto shoot to show if and how it works.... As I said, so much metal work to do right now that cutting that windshield is the last thing on my agenda.....but was my very first consideration when planning this thing.... did a ton of research..... God bless the internet!!!!!

stay tuned.....

 

[VonHyde]

just havent talked to the right glass shop.. thats how i learned to cut class, the side glass is tempted ive heard that you cant cut that though

 

[sgtpontiac]

tempered glass

Correct.... can't cut that glass or you get tiny little pieces.... but, no need to cut the side glass... I'll be putting the door frames just as they would be with the full size glass....4"s shorter... frame will fit old glass but won't roll it up as far..... frame is cut, lenghtened and then welded back on ..... only issue might be if the window regulator won't hold it fully closed.... might have to opt for a power window regulator..... have done this several times in the past and only once did I have to go with power to hold it up fully..... if this is the only issue I have, I'll be a happy camper.....

back glass will be cut out of laminated glass.... no sweat there.. any glass shop will cut flat glass... just won't cut curved... supposedly there is a glass shop in Pontiac Mich that does w/shields... Thomas's..... not sure if he's still there but actually he uses the sandblast technique for the first layer then does the second by normal glass cutting methods.... burns and cuts thru the laminante then scribes the bottom glass from the bottom following the top cut that he sand blasted..... I guess we'll see how sandblasting goes....

 

[brew]

thats gonna be crazy! cant wait to see it [P

 

[sgtpontiac]

I've said it before.... but....

this weekend the top gets put up and tacked..... no honey do's, no last minute events, no trips..... just work in the "man cave".... I'll post some shots of the in-progress of the top throughout the weekend.... got the donor top for filler, all I need now is the weekend..... want this thing done and on the road for spring.... paint ( I know, flat or satin.... still want it hunter green, blacks been done to death)and al the other mods....More to come....

 

[sgtpontiac]

Well another weekend when things didn't go as planned

Well I had good intentions but forgot that I hit the big 60 and my wife had plans for my Saturday.... actually I didn't forget, I just hoped that she had.... went to dinner and low and behold, a suprise party... anyway, I ramble....

didn't get much done on the pickup.... took a few hours on Sunday to tack on the A pillar and roof section.... man that was a test in patience... trying to do it myself.... (as you can see by the hastily put together rig to hold it up.... back roof panel is not tacked but simply clamped... I'm gonna hang the doors first and get the right angle before i tack them in.... so far so good just always seems something comes up to keep me away from the barn....lol

 

[35 PROG]

Confused... Not scared too admit it

I must be missing something, if the window was square or rectangle I could see how you could avoid changing the shape of the side glasses. However, when the top is chopped when the windshield is slanted, either the post angle needs to change or the top of the window frame needs to be stretched. I believe that nearly anything is possible with some work but I can't wrap my head around this. But I am watching this too see how it works. Then I can say Oh yeah, I see it now.

 

[White Trash Renegade]

There is a place that will make custom side glass (tempered or laminated what ever.) I'll find out from my buddy.

 

[sgtpontiac]

gotta look at this way...

There is a place that will make custom side glass (tempered or laminated what ever.) I'll find out from my buddy.

side glass is the same as the angle of the windshield... hasn't changed... door frame gets lowered so glass stays the same and just doesn't roll up all the way on regulator.... door frame is cut, extended to match the roof but the actual door frame remains in the same shape at the top of the glass area as it would have been with the roof in the stock location....... the roof was cut into four sections... length wise and width wise... I know it's hard to imagine but works out .... I'll try to illustrate with some photos when I hang the doors in place before and after I cut them.... And.... if I screw up, I'll be looking to have some new ones cut out of laminated glass and not tempered....LOL.. but, the geometry is there.... I think... now, where did I put that protractor??