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I got t-boned on the passenger side of my truck. I have a 96 1500 and was wondering if anybody knows if I would be able to replace the rear side cab panel. It's located where the suicide door would be but I only have the 2 door extended cab(see picture below). Thanks in advance!
Last edited by Parker Houston; 01-06-2020 at 05:18 PM.
i have replace a few box sides in my time.
the job requires removing the entire box, drilling out a LOT of spot welds and re-welding the new panel in place. the panel ISN'T bolt on, it's welded on.
honestly in my opinion it's really not economically viable to replace a box side on that truck. in my area, the rust belt of wisconsin, they import 2nd gen southern rust free boxes and sell them for about $1K depending on condition.
to replace you first need to find a box side, i would assume they have been discontinued from the factory and LMC sell repo sides for a little over $600 shipped.
now that leaves you less than $400 to drill, cut, re-weld, do body work, and pay for materials.
now looking at the pics the inner is probably bent also so you have to repair or partial replace that also. possibly the front edge is bent also so you might have to fix that also. both of these issues will add to repair costs.
now if you replace the box you might be able to sell the other side for a few $$$ and recover some of the new box costs that way.
to be even more honest it looks like that truck might be totaled depending on replacement costs in your area.
sorry, i miss read. you are asking about the panel behind the door.
as the old saying goes anything can be repaired with enough time and money. the question is do you have the time and money to do so?
to fix the side you will need a frame machine to pull out the damage first before replacing parts. pulling out the metal MUST be done before attempting replacement. it might be done with a come along tool and a chain around a tree. but in my opinion this is a job requiring skills already acquired or supervised by someone with the proper skills,. this isn't something to lean on the fly.
you can't just cut off parts and replace because the exterior damage is just a small part. the inner gets bent and the new parts won't fit unless the parts you attach them to are in the proper location,
sorry, i miss read. you are asking about the panel behind the door.
as the old saying goes anything can be repaired with enough time and money. the question is do you have the time and money to do so?
to fix the side you will need a frame machine to pull out the damage first before replacing parts. pulling out the metal MUST be done before attempting replacement. it might be done with a come along tool and a chain around a tree. but in my opinion this is a job requiring skills already acquired or supervised by someone with the proper skills,. this isn't something to lean on the fly.
you can't just cut off parts and replace because the exterior damage is just a small part. the inner gets bent and the new parts won't fit unless the parts you attach them to are in the proper location,
01-06-2020, 05:12 PM
Replace side panel
