Shaved drip rails?

[simonscr]

Has any one shaved the drip rails on their truck, or have pictures showing shaved drip rails?

There is a lot of rust on the roof of my truck and thought it might just be easier to shave the drip rails off while repairing the rust. Wondered what the finished product would look like.

I was also thinking about doing it similar to the 73 79 body style that is missing the drip rail above the windshield, but still has it above the doors.

[kstones63]

I am hoping to shave the drip rails on Nick's truck but I haven't gotten to that point yet. I am also interested in any info on this.
I had someone tell me that they welded in a piece of 3/8" rod around the outside edge to form a new edge after the rails were gone. I haven't seen that but I have heard of it.

Kevin

[randyr]

Kevin, I think you & I were having that conversation at the Western Nationals. Personally, I think to completely shave the drip rail on these slicks and many other old cars and trucks just makes them look "bald" for lack of a better description. For slicks I think it would be cool to try to make that detail that you see on the back of the upper door edge continue around the top of the door and across the top of the windshield. That could probably be done with a 3/8" rod or perhaps a 3/8" flat bar that follows the roof line where the drip rail was. Does that make sense?

[foodstick]

I do like the drip rails, but to each his own.. the thing to remember is the metal area that IS THE DRIP RAIL, is what holds the top tin to the side tin (except on the back) so if it rusty along the drip rails, once they are gone you will prolly need to add up to an inch of sheet metal to bridge the gap on the sides and front.

[grump]

My drip rails were really rusty also and last year I discovered the rust had gotten into the seam so bad my roof was no longer attached at the seam. You might want to check this on your truck. I can push up on the drip rail and the roof raises up at the seam. If you shave and weld that seam and there's still rust in there that hasn't been neutralized your going to have a problem later. I'm going to have to put a roof on mine it was that bad.

[Toyz]

I cut mine off '73-'79 style and brought the rails down to the belt line, big window or '73-79 style; and, yes it was a bunch of cutting, welding, and fitting to re-attach all three layers.
Paul

[William-in-St George]

There was a article in Classic trucks about a couple of years ago that detailed how they did this. The truck they were working on had no rust in this area and the "shave" seemed pretty straightforward. Actually it looked okay but kind of bald. So it has surely been done before.

[kstones63]

Nick thinks that he really wants this done, but maybe I can talk him out of it. It sounds like a lot of extra work.

Kevin

[Power by Ford]

Here is a couple of pics. Shaved and welded in rod to get a profile around door. Not difficult but a lot of welding and time consuming. You must take your time and not overheat an area or you will have to deal with warping. Also in the pic is Kevin tilt hood kit that is well worth the money.

[simonscr]

Here is a couple of pics.

Thanks for the pictures. Looks pretty nice.

My drip rails were really rusty also and last year I discovered the rust had gotten into the seam so bad my roof was no longer attached at the seam.

My roof panel is completely loose at this point, so I am already going to have to weld in new material all the way around.
The reason why I asked the question!

[Toyz]

Best shot I can find:



Those who were at "Slickstock South" 2 years ago can attest to starting condition!
Paul

[The Big M]

I do know ELpolacko shaved the rails on his truck, and if I remember right he used a small round bar along the line of the door sill.



I remember seeing a photo of it in progress somewhere...