The big issue I've had with patch panels is that they aren't the same
shape, which of course causes a lot of extra work with a hammer and torch.
Some are the same gauge and some are lighter gauge. I bought mine from
Chevy Duty. I don't know where they get them. A lot ot the parts are
marked Made in Tiawan and seem to be of reasonable quality. However the
metal thickness on the door latch remote is much lighter. As for the chrome
only time will tell but I know that the Tiawan AD hood emblem isn't triple
chrome plated so its days are numbered despite the $50+ price tag. Oh, for
stainless.
While I'm on the subject, be advised you one-tonners out there that your
bed cross supports are vastly different than the half ton units you see in
the catalogs. You can weld them inside the originals to reinforce rusted
ones and throw away the end clips that come with them but they could not be
used alone. The one-ton is a much heaver vehicle than either of the other
pickups in many respects. Frame, spring hangers and some other items are
also used on the 1-1/2 ton trucks. You can load the hell out of them with
out fear of bending or cracking the frame.
At 08:09 PM 6/16/99 -0700, Thomas M OBrien wrote:
>On a related question, what was the gauge thickness of original AD or TF
>sheetmetal. I understand that some of the cheap "Made in China" patch
>panels from various vendors are not as heavy as they are supposed to be.
>Thanks.
>
>Tom O.
>60 Apache K20
>
>
Tom Allen
Seattle, WA
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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