Is it worth saving?
 

I am planning on ordering all new sheetmetal where it is needed for my truck, and began to question my project as I got into it. The truck has a good frame, powertrain, and box, but the rest is questionable. When do you give up and look for a different cab? Mine has rusted away pretty bad over the years, and here is a list of what's wrong:
-Rocker panels virtually rusted off (huge holes)
-Inner rockers are pretty swiss-cheesed
-Cab corners are basically gone (you can see the road from inside)
-Where the rocker meets the floor, there is a good inch of metal gone the length of the cab (the weatherstrip hangs in the gap)
-Both floorpans have a few holes towards the outside edges
-Three out of four cab supports have holes in them (just at the edges, nothing structural yet)
-Drivers kick panel is missing about the bottom inch or so

Thats all I can see, and I have the interior stripped out right to the metal. What's everyone think? Is it worth buying patch panels and welding it back together? Thanks!

theres hope
 

just realize its like a big model you get to put together and drive when your done. I ended up in the same boat, buying a truck that needs work and buying basically another truck in new and used parts to get it going. you have to think what are the odds you will find another cab in good shape, they are the hardest thing to find rust free, everything else you can find no prob. no rust. If you build your own cab you can take it with you from frame to frame( in case of accidents) are you building it to drive or show, know this, it will only go up in value if you do it right. I.ve had to replace it all but at least I know I will only have to do it once. (well on this cab, once more!)
I'm still at the stage of this photo myself, except i 'm only keeping the cab and swaping EVERYTHING else. I was only going to paint it and drive it till started working on it , now i cant stop replacing stuff that does not even need it.

My plan is a daily driver hotrod when I'm done. It will be stock for the most part, with a few custom touches here and there. If I started cutting out rusty sheetmetal, I'd have something like what you have in your pic. My cab is good from the lower door trim up, its just a matter of the bottom stuff.

well, i just bought a $150 cab and then spent $225 on new lower metal(floor pans,rockers,cabcorners,kick panels) but i got a solid cab as far as the window,overall floor, and cab suports................. and switched to a big back window in one fell swoop.
still got to spend the time to put the metal in. but i get to put it in so i know it is done right. and i know what i have for a cab from there on.

Save it. Your description sounds like many trucks out there. The rockers are the first to go on these I believe and it just spreads outward.

Once you get in there and get started, you'll see it's not much difference to replace a small section over a bigger one. It looks scary until you get going.

Bubbles in paint or see-through it`s all gotta get replaced.Go for it!

I agree with everyone else here. What you have described is pretty typical of these trucks. Replacement panels are available for everything that you described, although I am not sure of the availability of the kick panel.

I'd save it if I was you.

Mike

Looks like I'll be ordering my parts this weekend! The kick panels I can probably patch the little piece in from some scrap sheetmetal. It will get covered by either carpet or a speaker enclosure anyways. The rest of the bottom will be replaced. Thanks for the help everyone (before and after pics to follow).

Mine is almost the same, and it's a southern truck. I took the rockers off and found bondo at the edges of the floor pans, bottom one inch of kickpanels rusted away, bottom of A pillars rusted. I may order inner panels, they are cheap enough, sheetmetal patch other places, I did get one back cab support but it looks like one of those covers.

Save it, just ask GEE_EMM about rust repairs, it can't be any worse than his was ;)