Homeade cowl braces

[AKimmel]

I made these because you can't buy them any more. They're made from two pieces of 18Ga welded together (red dotted line), then spot welded to the cowl (blue marks). I think the reason they crack, is because the fenders pull on the cowl as the frame twists, and it tries to rip it loose from the hinge pillar. As long as you attach the two with a reinforcement, it should stop the cracking. I hope!

 

[sdstriper]

That looks pretty friggin good Kimmel! I bought one of the last OEM cowl patch panels a while back thinking I would have one to copy for my own future use and a buddy of mine wanted to see one, thought maybe he would try duplicating them to sell. Pretty complex piece to stamp out from a basement/garage operation, don't think it's gonna happen...

 

[DVolk]

The 85 im building is cracked there plus down lower

 

[James1]

These two photographs -- are they two different passenger-side cowl patches on two different trucks?



TIA.

 

[DVolk]

some one needs to reproduce these , i need a set real bad or find a welder that is mobile to come repair it while the truck is apart

 

[DMcLeod]

I need a set real bad also!

 

[NJTman]

I need a set real bad also!

Why not make your own ? I just did mine, and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Granted, it didn't turn out "visually pretty", but then again, I could care less, as it's covered by the fender..... After doing both sides, I can honestly say that my truck physically "feels" better than it did before, as beyond the annoying squeaking being gone, I guess the less flex in the cab gives you a better response to the road. My truck feels like a million bucks, and I know it sounds crazy, but rides much better now...

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These 16 G steel were just some scrap I had lying around that I bent the crap out of... I drilled a few more holes in them, as I wanted the entire patch to be physically attached to the OEM metal.

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Then I welded the perimeter ensuring full contact. I'm ;not a welder by trade, so don't look for perfection... . The job isn't perfect, but at least for the time being, it's fixed. Maybe in another 200k miles, it may or may not have to be done again, but only time will tell. IMO, it's essential to close up that OEM opening at the top as it's allowing the assembly to move or twist while driving. There was a lot of flex in that "bucket" until I closed up that slot.

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Cowl was then treated with rust converter,let dry overnight. The next day I "cold galvanized" the metal, then sprayed a rubberized sealant over the patch.

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The other side crack was much more extensive, although it didn't make any noise in the interior while driving. . I forgot to take a final pic before I put the truck back together. . but it looked pretty similar to the other side.

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[DVolk]

What did you weld it up with ? Im probally going to have to hire some one as i only have a stick machine and a torch and i suck at gas welding , too bad a guy couldnt get there hand in there and bolt a brace inside and out side

 

[NJTman]

What did you weld it up with ? Im probally going to have to hire some one as i only have a stick machine and a torch and i suck at gas welding , too bad a guy couldnt get there hand in there and bolt a brace inside and out side

I have a miller 211 autoset mig with argon / co2 gas. I still haven't been able to dial in my settings yet with sheetmetal, but it still works.

You don't need a hand in there, as sheetmetal screws work great. You simply use self tapping screws to pull the two pieces together, weld a spot weld right next to it, and pull out the screws. This ensures both pieces of metal are sandwiched together, and then you can fill in the hole with the welder.

Best investment I ever made buying that welder, vs the crummy solder core unit I used to have.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

OH SURE, brace that weak spot, and NOW, the stress cracks will be down the center of the ROOF! :-laf:-laf:-laf

 

[NJTman]

OH SURE, brace that weak spot, and NOW, the stress cracks will be down the center of the ROOF! :-laf:-laf:-laf

Don't think that hasn't actually crossed my mind... .

I've been given the suggestion to replace the cab mounts to help with this, but I'm not sure it will do me any good ... . Anyone here changed the cab bushings to poly ? Worth the time ? Effort ? Difficulty in doing so ???

 

[HHhuntitall]

I can't say you did a bad job, the patch piece looks great. The problem you're gonna see is cracking of your welds, now. Welding the entire perimeter is a good idea for lineal strength, but that's not the problem, here. The problem is twist and distortion. The heating and hardening you did on your welds to the sheet metal underneath MAY make it break out around your welds... . I would have suggested welding in 1/2 to 1/4" sections every 1" or so around the patch, after welding the center together in two or three places and grinding it down. Welding up the holes was the best thing you could do, I think. I hope I'm wrong, but you'll find out, either way, I'm sure. Spot welding allows the pieces to flex, yet retain adhesion to each other. I'm speaking on this from experience. I've had several 70 and 80's trucks, and ALL, every single one, has had bad cracks. Some even have cracks ABOVE the windshield on the cab post pillars in front and behind the doors..... I've patched a bunch of them, and the first one I did was my '89 D350, around 350k miles in 1995..... I welded it up and welded two flat straps of 18ga sheet metal up and down it. Both broke completely loose, taking the metal underneath with it by 500k, when I pulled the fenders off to fix it again. This has happened on my '79, my 84, '85, '90, '91, both '92s, and the '93 I still have... ... :{ The '93 has 134k on the clock, and isn't too bad. It doesn't squeak, yet, so I haven't fixed it, yet. All the first ones I fixed broke loose, so I looked for a better solution... . Spot welding proved to be the best option. You can use the wire welder, just drill some holes in the plates, like you did, and weld them to the fenders. Welding completely around the perimeter may not be the best option. I hope you have better luck than I do. And you may not drive like I do. I'm offroad a LOT, and the '84 was a 4x4, and was known to get airborne weekly..... The '91 was a 4x4, too, but it and the 2wds all ran a lot of country and ranch roads... . Looking at how clean your's is, you probably won't be using it like I do, so I hope the best for you..... It may feel more "solid" just because you're feeling all the front vibrations from in front of the axle in the cab, now..... Just a thought.



The poly mounts ride rougher. I like them, but again, I run offroad a lot. They don't collapse and wear out like the factory, but that may not be a good thing, as they may make for more stress on the cab..... Another thing I see a lot is the frame flexes a lot more as these trucks get older. I'm sure the rivets wear in the holes, allowing more flex, which works under the cab, of course. Offroad use makes it even worse... .

 

[NJTman]

Thank you HH, as your post was very informative.

I do almost no offroading.
I hit a couple of speed bumps, or the occasional drunken/ drugged out mexican lying in the road, but for the most part, I'm on flat surfaces...

I do, however, do snow plowing in the winter, so that may have it's negative effects on it anyway. Right now, I have 180,000 miles on the clock, and I drive it daily. I probably put 10-12K on it a year, if that, as I have another truck. Like you said, time will tell

Good thing though, is that the front fenders take about 45 minutes to remove (each) and I can be back in there welding up something again. If there is a next time, I'm going to weld a piece of angle iron from top to bottom of that bucket to the cab along the side. I figure that would permanently lock the bucket to the pillar..... or not

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[HHhuntitall]

Wow, I'm not sure what that would do. Stiffen it for sure. I'm not sure what the long term affects would be, though. It might make the whole thing brittle! That's got to move and flex some, as the frame does, or you'll tear the mounts off the bottom of the cab!

 

[DVolk]

One thing i see that no has shown that i think needs done and ive done this on othere crack repairs is drill a small hole
at the end of the crack this stops the travel of the crack . I am wondering about adding a much larger formed peice of metal to the whole area to repair this issue it would add more strengh you would think . Ive also toyed with the idea of useing fiber glass patch as well and glassing this area to see if it would make the area more sound.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

If I still had my '91, and not being that great at welding sheet metal, my approach would be to as carefully as possible fab up the patch piece to the base, then liberally apply JB Weld to the whole area to be covered by the patch, and secure the patch with sheet metal screws at appropriate points - perhaps drill a number of small holes into the base and patch piece for the JB Weld to work into and thru, to enhance the stability and grip...



Doesn't hurt to see various different approaches...

 

[DThibault]

I did a repair similar to Gary's idea. I used an adhesive called FUSOR used in body repair to put on roof panels etc and pop riveted the piece on there. I knew about metal hardening from previous experience with this job. The cab I used was from a D150 gas and it was still solid but I put a patch on as a band aid. We'll see what happens.