During my trip to fit the bed cover frame I also do another check on the fit of the wood panels.
The panels do not conform perfectly to the body in several places. Some amount of mismatch can be handled by the adhesive but if the gap is too large I need to add some wood shims.
After I glue the shims in place I file them down to the size of the gaps I measured. I’ll check them again on the next trip.
I have decided to trim the cut edges of the panels. That way I can close up the door gaps a bit and cover the cut edges. I cut a thin strip of cherry (usually 1/8” by 3/16”) to cover the cut edges and a block of ash at the ends of the trim.
Here’s a view of an ash block being glued on.
Once the edge trim is glued on I even the edges up.
After that I round off the outer edges.
After this I’ll add a layer or 2 of epoxy and then add trim over the cherry strip.
On my next trip I get to verify the fit. I was off a bit but for the first time I can make adjustments while I’m with the truck. Most places just need a bit of grinding down with 60 grit. A few places need more shims.
I am changing my choice for the seam at the hood. As you can see in the photo below the body panel behind the hood has a large radius behind the hood. I suspect that is to help with airflow out from the engine compartment. I had cut that panel to where the radius starts to pull away.
The result was a very large gap between the two wood panels. It looked awful. So, I am adding a filler piece to close the gap. I’m not too worried about any airflow loss as I doubt I’ll be doing any endurance driving!
Next steps here are more fitting, finalize the trim, and seal in epoxy.
Spread it out over a couple of years and it isn't so bad, right Steve?😜 In all seriousness, it's going to look great with the level of detail you are giving it.
"Duck and Bob would be out doin some farming with funny hats on." chrisstef
