Rusted cab

[LuckyLightning]

Apologies if this has been covered already, but it's not too easy to narrow down a search here for "rust" and "cab" to find specific results.

I have a significant amount of rust along the top edges of my cab (inside and out). I have another cab that I will restore while I drive this one around (to replace eventually).

My question is: are there any short-term solutions to making this endurable from the elements and noise? I'm kinda thinking I can just fill it in with sealant or filler material? It doesn't need to be pretty or anything, just functional.

Is there another process that is more "normal"? I can't seem to find anyone selling replacement parts of this area of the cab to weld on (everyone focuses on the rockers and cab corners).

The pics:





Thanks!

[donthekawguy]

Spray foam and duct tape.

[ol_skool_chevy]

Some are just not worth the work unless your looking to chop the top and put a new one on....at least to me its not. but then I suppose it would ne a task for someone to get some welding experience

[pimpston65]

Originally Posted by ol_skool_chevy

Some are just not worth the work unless your looking to chop the top and put a new one on....at least to me its not. but then I suppose it would ne a task for someone to get some welding experience

i think the foam is a good idea, and when u metal work it, it will add to the insulation...

[ol_skool_chevy]

No, foam in Not a good idea I did that once and it caused MORE rust.....water gets trapped inside and has no place to go

[tincan1966]

He's going to replace this cab(pictured) with one he is restoring.
Just wanting a "get by" fix until that is done.
Just looking for a temp fix to keep wind/rain/dirt out.

At least that is how I read the original post.

[ol_skool_chevy]

got it

[thunder71]

Use aluminum foil tape like the air condition guys use for a temporary fix to keep water out....good stuff

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by thunder71

Use aluminum foil tape like the air condition guys use for a temporary fix to keep water out....good stuff

Yes,
Very good stuff.

[Tennypicou1]

If it is just temporary spray foam smooth it out then use the spray on flex sealer as seen on tv they have it at home depot that's what I did until I could fix mine the flex sealer actually does work I had no water leaks it was not as bad as yours but it was bad

[LuckyLightning]

donthekawguy - thanks for the input (I like it)

tincan1966 - you read my OP exactly right

thunder71 - aluminum tape is a good idea also (I had not considered)

Tennypicou1 - flex sealer is another good idea!


Thanks all! This is exactly what I needed to hear/read as I get started on this little project.

[LuckyLightning]

And ol_skool_chevy, I'll keep in mind what you said about foam holding in water.

pimpston65 - I like the idea of additional insulation in the cab for the final work (on the other cab) - this this common treatment?

[LuckyLightning]

*is this common treatment?

[1963chevyc20]

Oh my god! I thought my rust was bad

[LuckyLightning]

I found these, which I assume is what you guys are referring to?

Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Model # 265494 12 oz. LeakSeal Black Spray

Nashua Tape Model # 681975 - 1.89 in. x 10.9 yd. Waterproofing Repair Tape

[LuckyLightning]

Yeah 1963chevyc20, the rust is far from desirable, but for $900 I can't really complain too much.

[66Submarine]

Wow! Is stuff really that bad where you're at? I think you'd be hard pressed to sell one that bad for any price around here (I've actually been able to buy pretty nice stuff for <$900).

Maybe some thin sheet metal glued over the holes is another idea? I don't know.

Godspeed to your cab swap!

[grs]

Where did that truck come from? It is really rusty.

[LuckyLightning]

This is in central Texas. The seller says it's just been sitting outside for the last 8 years. Not sure what condition it was in prior to that when they bought it.

66Submarine, where are you finding better deals below $900? I've checked CL, ebay, and some sites dedicated to older trucks (like this one) and the prices I've seen are inflated and way more than the $1000 price range.

[66Submarine]

Craigslist. Lots of dreamers, but you find the deals if you look for them (the really good ones also aren't usually up that long). People do seem to be dreaming a lot more now that it's summer, FWIW; not sure if anyone's really selling anything or not.

First picture is a pretty decent '64 I paid $750 for, second is a hammered '63 dually I got for $400 (has a 292 in it), the next shows the hammered '65 one ton pulling it (that is my DD) I got for $600 (I fixed a few things and blew the black paint on it), and the next is one that actually went for <$1,500; I really shouldn't have bought it, but I kind of wish I did! Last one was $800 IIRC. I don't have a picture of it, but my father also picked up a very rough SWB stepside roller with a pretty nice bed for $450 (which was too much, really). I've passed on more because I already have too many; the scrap price parts trucks are still hard for me to pass up, though...

Now you're making me want to collect more!

[LuckyLightning]

Very nice collection.

Ugh. I'm a thrifty shopper for most things, but not for these trucks. Which, I see I can be better about.

This being Texas, I guess trucks are a bit more popular (?) hence the price difference (that's what I'm telling myself, and not that I'm missing out on the good deals here).

Seriously 66Submarine, thanks for this info. It's very helpful to see some transparency on the real market value for these trucks.

[66Submarine]

Thanks! (I actually have a few more tooling around! Need to stop... ).

Part of it is just checking regularly and being ready to buy something when it pops up. Not sure what the market is like in Texas, but the really good deals often only last a day or two around here. I have a string of searches, and I'll just paste it in every day or two and read the ads posted since the last time I looked; only takes a minute or two. Another thing is just watching what's actually selling to get an idea of the market.

For example; the black one ton was originally listed for something totally insane like $2,400! A few months later, he was down to a more reasonable $900, so I went and checked it out. Very rough, and not very desirable being a one ton, but it was still a neat running truck (and I'm stupid), so I offered $600 for it and loaded it up and went home (which was an adventure in itself). If I didn't know the market better, I could have bought it for four times what I did!

Same story with the blue dually; came up first for something like $1,900? (can't remember). A few months had gone by with no sale, and he was down to a much better price. I didn't really have the money, or need another destroyed dually, but (stupid, remember?) I told him if he wanted $400 for it I'd show up tomorrow (which was another adventure with poor road signage and rain so hard the roads had standing water on them).

I think the reasonable negotiating is another thing, like it was in both of those deals. I'll make an offer a lot of times when I see it fit to do so, but I'm never a dick about it. And to date no one has had any problem with that, so I guess it's working for me.

I'm sure if you keep at it you'll find some deals around there.

[thunder71]

Yes that looks like the tape I'm talking about,,very good stuff

[cArNaGe]

For you guys searching craigslist... Use an RSS reader or set up google alerts to email you your search criteria. You can even foward your gmail to you cell phone as a txt message which would be a good idea if you created an account just for you craiglist search.

[LuckyLightning]

Yeah 66Submarine, I checked out your site and saw that your trucks were not "perfect" when you bought them, which made me feel a little better about your price.

The seller is the father of a family friend. I tried to come down to $800 but he said no. It's so hard to find decent long bed step-sides that I decided to agree to the $900. It's not in terrible shape (frame chassis are good), and the rust is a little worse than I'd prefer, but I think it's manageable.

cArNaGe, thanks for the advice about alerts. I forgot I could set that up.