35 Truck Cab Stretched

[2017Glide]

I've had a few inquiries into my cab stretching on S/N 53, so I posted some pics in the picture and album galleries. Accept my apologies in advance for the rather large pics. I didn't find the process of adding pictures very user friendly. The pics aren't in order, but I think you can get a feel for the process. Do the cab first, bed second. You will also find a couple of shots of the bench seat, which I removed the center portion and placed sliders under each side. Of course, I had to shorten the bed sides an equal amount as was added to the cab to maintain the overall truck length. Once you cut off the back end of the body, the rest is history. ha. Let me know if you have any questions. It was the best mod I made through the process. And many, many thanks to everyone that has posted pics and guidance during your builds!!!

Steve


DSCN1246.jpg

[Straversi]

Fantastic work!

FFR should offer that as an option. The truck interior is so small. That feature would expand their buyer pool.
-Steve

[narly1]

Hi Steve,

Just a generic question about the cutting and extending process and how you went about it.

i.e. What materials/techniques did you use?

I think this would be useful info for anybody contemplating modifications to FFR's body components, across all models.

Thanks in advance,

Earl

[wallace18]

Great job! That is how FFR should have done it in the first place!

[NAZ]

I like mods like this. Rock-on brother, build it your way. Great job!

[GoDadGo]

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!

You Did What Factory-5 Should Have Done!

You created something special that people with long legs can fit in.

[2017Glide]

Hey Earl, and others that may be interested in some pain and suffering:

I'll try and capture some details: most of the fiberglass cutting was by reciprocating air saw. Since I didn't have interior frame structures behind my seat, I cut the cab at the rear circumferential seam and pushed the cab rear piece back 5 1/2". That allowed the bench seat to set clear against the back wall of the tub, whether you mount it with or without sliders. With the cab separated I roughed up both sides of the cut beyond where I was going to place glass cloth, so about 5 or 6 inches on each side, inside and outside. I took some 1/4" thick X 9" wide X about 12" long pieces of wood, wrapped each one with wax paper, and laid them over the gap. I riveted one side, then measured the 5 1/2" space and riveted the other side. You have to skip around a little to get it started, like one on top and one on each bottom side. Once you have that set, the rest go one easily. One the two curved areas I used a aluminum that was easy to bend, lined the inside surface with wax paper. If you look in one of my pics there are pieces of wood covered with wax paper riveted to both sides of the cab and the aluminum on the curves. I did that all the way around the outside except the very bottom ridge and the mid-belt line. I saved those fun parts for last. I cleaned all the surfaces prior to applying the glass/resin.

I started laying glass cloth/resin on the inside, since the wood/wax paper was riveted to the outside. I used strips of glass long enough to do as much as I dared at one time because of the dry time on the resin. Used lots of brushes and little plastic cups. I cut 4 to 5 pieces of cloth for each section on the inside, starting with a width of 6 1/2" for the first layer, then 7", 7 1/2", 8", and then 9" wide. That allow for each pass to overlap the other as I applied each one. My lengths varied from 12" to 23", depending on what section I was working on. First I coated the cab parts with resin, then started in with the layers of cloth and resin, fully saturating each layer of cloth. When I did the top inside, I rolled the cab over on one one side so I wasn't working overhead. I glassed the sides of the inside first, let it set overnight, then did the inside top.

Once the inside was dry I could remove the boards and aluminum from the outside of the gap. Just drilled out the rivets. Most of the wax paper came off without an issue, and lightly sanded off the rest and a few pieces of painters tape I used to keep the wax paper to the wood. Repeated the same process on the outside with 7 layers of cloth/resin, starting with a 6 1/2" wide piece and worked up to a 10" wide piece last. You will notice in my pics that there are some larger sized holes, which I drilled just for the resin/cloth to sink into for added support.

Did some sanding, and more sanding. Then it was just body work, some kitty hair but mostly body filler and sanding, repeatedly until I was happy with the transition. I sprayed some primer on the areas to see where I might have some issues if I were to paint at that time. Then sanded some more.

For the middle section/belt line, I used PVC pipe wrapped in bubble wrap, wrapped in wax paper, until I got the size of bulge on the outside I wanted. Cut the PVC longer than the opening so I could prop it against the inside of the cab. You can see in a pic that I propped them against the inside with some 2 X 4's and clamps. Then started the outside layers of glass/resin and let it harden, then pulled off the 2 X 4's and PVC. Then I went on the inside and added more layers against the outside pieces. On the first side I ended up cutting out the top belt because it stuck out too far, and re-glassed it. You don't want it to stick out too far or you will end up sanding out the cloth/resin parts and end up with a hole. The plan is to get as close as possible to the rest of the cab exterior so you only have to put a little body filler on top of the cloth/resin. The belt lines were a pain, and took a lot of skim coats of filler and sanding to get them to look decent.

On the bottom of the cab I shaped thin aluminum to the match the contour of that bottom "belt". Same thing, cloth/resin on the outside, remove the aluminum, cloth/resin the inside, then body filler and sanding. I put the cab on it's top to do the bottom pieces. There's a pic or two of that area.

After that, I put the cab back on the frame and started in with the bed. Earlier in the project I dropped one of the bed sides and the piece of stainless came off. I wasn't happy at the time, but it ended up helping me later on. It was much easier to cut the sides with the metal off, do the body work, and then put the metal back on after it was cut to length. (You don't want to have to weld up a metal seam sitting against fiberglass.) So, I dropped the other bed side on the concrete floor and sure enough, the metal came right off. With no metal on the bed sides, I made a cut on each side between the cab and the rear wheel where I could still match up the contour on the bed sides. You can't just wack off the front or rear of the bed side to get the final length you need or the contour ridge will get hosed up. See pics on this part. Removed an equal amount of material on the bed sides to compensate for what I added to the cab, so about 5 1/2" - ish. With the cab on, I cut the side piece where I wanted the splice to be, bolted the back piece to the frame, fit up the front piece to the front of the bed area where it would go, and had an "overlap" where the two cut pieces met. Then I drew a line on the rear piece, cut off the extra 5 1/2" -ish so both pieces would butt together, sanded the seam area on the outside of both pieces, cleaned, then cloth/resin a few layers on the outside. When that dried, I took joined piece off of the frame and put layers of cloth/resin on the inside. The rest is just more body filler work just like the cab. With both pieces joined with cloth/resin, I bolted them to the frame and then could get a good length for cutting the two metal pieces. Once they were cut, I glued them where they came off and let them dry. See pics - torque converter used as a weight while the adhesive cured.

If something doesn't make sense or you have a question on something I didn't cover, please feel free to ask. Regarding the bench seat, I put individual sliders on each side so they each have a lever. You have to pull both simultaneously to slide the seat. I ripped out the middle section of the FFR bench seat and left the arm rest in. It works great. I bolted the sliders to the frame and modified the driveshaft tunnel a little to get the slide to go from the back of the cab body and still move up close enough to the pedals so my wife can drive it. It was her idea to stick the 383 stroker in it. Yes, she has validated the horsepower with her own lead foot. And, she likes oversized TVs. Am I a lucky guy or what?

Steve

[narly1]

Gimme gimme gimme LOL.

Great write-up but I don't see the pictures you referenced in it and I'm a visual guy, LOL.

Earl

[2017Glide]

Gimme gimme gimme LOL.

Great write-up but I don't see the pictures you referenced in it and I'm a visual guy, LOL.

Earl

Please go to the Albums folder to view pics. It's dated 12/31/2021. You might need to reduce your screen view percentage to get a better look at each pics. My album generation needs some work.

Steve

[DonS]

Wallace 18, DonS here, I’m in the villages and looking to see a truck in person. Trying to make a decision on ordering the complete kit. Would like to come see yours if possible. New to forum, so not sure how to contact you. Thanks - [email protected]