Doors dont shut after putting on new half cab

[kat]

Need some guidance. My 76 had a steel half cab on it. It also has a steel bulkhead. I know the steel half cab was homemade but Im pretty sure the bulkhead is in the correct place. BUT its not an original half cab. Put on my new Bronco Design half cab today just to get some placement for my interior roll bar. As you can tell by the pics it sits flush on the bulkhead but the windsheild is not lining up. I can move it with my hands and force it to fit correctly. But now my door are not shutting at all. The back of my doors are hitting the cab. The gaps in the front of the doors are minimal. I dont know if you can tell in the pics but it seems like about a half inch that my doors are hanging over the cab. Maybe the bulkhead is in the wrong place?? God I hope not. Any suggestions?? What is the space between the top of the bulkhead to the tailgate suppose to be??? I have looked where the top of the bulkhead meets the body (where the cab rests on) and it looks very smooth. Cannot see any welds.

 

[kat]

Another pic

 

[Timmy390]

Bulkhead is not angled correctly Need more angle

 

[okie4570]

Your bulkhead seems to be pretty vertical, they slanted to the back of the bronco quite a bit.

Edit: Timmy for the win!

 

[kat]

Thanks Timmy. But how the hell do I accomplish this? It appears its all one piece. Do I blow torch it and weld it back like it needs to be??? If so where does it come apart?? I see not bolts.

 

[Eoth]

Remove the bolts that hold the windshield from folding forward. Then position the cab that will allow the door to shut correctly. Attach the back of the cab to the bulkhead and then finally connect the windshield to the front lip of the cab (windshield will be more foward than it was previously). Then put the windshield bolts back in and lightly snug down the bolts.
I hope that makes sense...

 

[okie4570]

If it's not just bolted in, I'm thinking you're getting ready to have to clean up the PO's mess/modification. Is it still bolted in anywhere or all welds?

 

[Timmy390]

There should be mounting holes for the bulkhead (my 74 had them) in the floor and on the sides. Here's a pic or two for reference

 

[dholder]

Looks like you just need to slide the top rearward. You might need to loosen or remove the wiper motor to allow the top to move back.

 

[kat]

Headed to work, got some more pics of bulkhead. Dont see any bolts. The PO fiberglassed the floors so he might have done that to with the bolts. Here are some more pics. Do you think the bulkhead is salvagable?

 

[okie4570]

Since it's mostly vertical, the PO must have done something with the angled metal on top and bottom. Look at the top and bottom in Timmy's last to pics. You'd have to rebend or buy new provided that the steel is still there.

 

[dholder]

If the top of the bulkhead is in the correct location, and it appears to be, then it can be used as is. People do that mod intentionally to gain room behind the seat. I sort of wish I had done that to mine.

 

[doghows72]

In your third picture, the holes in the area between the bulk head and inner fender, aren't those the stock bulkhead bolt location?
I would probably opt for a stock bulkhead to simplify the install.

 

[Teal68]

I think the sides are just are just caulked in, and then the whole thing was bedlined over. There may be a bolt each side at the rail. I'm betting the bottom was bolted in and then glassed/bedlined over. I think we even may have talked about that when you were here. Look from underneath and see if you can see bolt/nuts sticking thru. Heck he may have even riveted it so look for rivets.

You have a few options:
- Slide your top back to where it needs to be and then make a deeper top rail on the existing bulkhead. It will make a small shelf on the inside though.
- Get just the sides loose of the existing bulkhead and angle it back some to where it needs to be and re-fasten
- Get a new bulkhead, but then you lose that extra space you have.

If it were me I'd seriously check out the second option mentioned first. It salvages most of what you have, and I don't think tilting it back that little bit will lower the top rail of any significance.

 

[kat]

I have thought about cutting the bulkhead loose from the side and bending it back just enough for the cab 2 bolt 2 butt I would end up with a gap between the bulkhead and the side metal of the bed. And if I did this wouldn't the top of the bulkhead be at an angle and not be flush

 

[kat]

Also you're saying that the bottom of a stock bulkhead is will be closer to my seats then it is now correct

 

[doghows72]

Try getting the top to fit and ignore the bulk head for now I don't think its causing it not to fit. Ill attach a few pics of when I first got my top. I let the door post determine where mine sat. The rest lined up perfect.. I hope these help. That last pic I did not have the bulkhead bolted up in place so disregard the gap.

 

[kat]

At the time the bulkhead is stopping it to fit right the top is budding up against the back of the bald head making the cab too much forward

 

[okie4570]

The bulk head pointed straight up is making the cab too far forward like you said. If you bolt the the cab to the windshield, there should be a gap between the bulk head and cab because the the top of the bulk head is NOT where it's supposed to be.

 

[AxlesUp]

I'm with them. you need to line the top up with the door frame and adjust the windshield and bulkhead to fit the top.