So when I started this project I had no metal fabricating experience at all. I spent a long time browsing Youtube and forums for tips and tricks. Tons and tons of great people sharing knowledge. So than it came time to decide to chop or channel the truck. After many hours staring at the cab and drinking a few beers I decide to to channel the truck first. I could always come back later and chop the truck if I wanted. Channeling is not something you want to do later.
What is channeling, well after much googling and fumbling around I found out that channeling is basically raising the interior floor structure of the truck to all the truck body to slide over the frame rails hiding the frame. Gives this illusion the truck is lower and hides the nasty looking frame.
Now must of the time people are starting out with a truck that has either a rotten out or no floor at all. Well… mine wasn’t it was totally intact and basically just some surface rust.
So I it took me a while to come to terms with cutting this floor out. I was at the point of no return if I started to chop this out and got in over my head, but I figured this was a learning experience and I had to try. So I went and did some research first.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-black-art-of-channeling-a-car-properly.33203/
So it seems to be a simple 3 step process.
- 1: brace cab to keep it in the right shape while you hack away.
- 2: Hack away, remvoing everything you don’t want.
- 3: Add new shiny.
STEP 1:
First thing I did was cut some 1×1 square steel across the A and B pillars This keeps the truck from shifting around. Added a second set of steel braces from the two previously installed braces. I tack welded these in as I will remove them as soon as the new floor structure is in. I put these up high enough that I could work under them but low enough that I it would still keep the structure of the cab. (I hope)
Ok that was simple enough.. time for a beer.
STEP 2: Point of no return.
Up until now everything I had done was to better the truck, cleaned it up removed old broken parts. Got it stripped and ready to do cool things. I was now staring at the truck with a grinder in my hands wondering what the hell I was thinking. Welp…. Lets see what happens .. What could go Wrong?!
I started by reinstalling the doors, marking how far in they sit. When you channel the truck you leave the whole door jam in place and you have a step up when you open the door. So I had to figure out where to make my cut. Little chalk line and I was ready. Grinder in hand.
It went easier than I had imagined. I took my time, hardest part was the curved corners, that looks like a beaver chewed on it but I managed to drop the floor out of the bottom.
STEP 3: adding new
So step one was figuring out how deep of a channel I wanted on the truck. This was tricky to figure out because I wanted to make sure I left enough head and leg room in the truck. So many milk crate and plywood setups to see what felt right I landed on 4.5″ channel. I plan on making a 2×4 steel frame for the truck so I figured this would give me a enough room to cover the frame and leave me with plenty of room. So I made my marks up the A and B pillars and welded in a two 3×1 rectangular tubes to serve as my outside supports. I put some relief cuts so I could shape the supports to the sides of the cab. I think I might have gotten these too close to the doors but time will tell and I can always grind them down a bit to make everything fit.
The next step was adding the side to side supports, those I used a 1×1 steel tubing again started by going from the A and B pillars of the cab.
This is as far I have gotten with the channel, I have all the supports in and welded in. (I am a terrible welder so be kind if you are looking closely)
When I have the drive train I will chop and restructure whatever part of the floor I need to but for now I have a flat surface to work with.
Last part of the channel was chopping the lower back section so the whole body can sit down over the frame.
