60-65 Cab Floor Rust Repair - My Journey

[BillyFrank]

So I thought I would document my journey of finding, removing, and replacing all of the rust in the cab of my 1965 C20. Boy was I in for an adventure!


(My Story)

I'm currently 16 years old, and have owned my 1965 Chevy c20 for some time now. This is my first classic car, or any car that is, that I have owned, and my plan with it was to get it reliable and somewhat comfortable to drive, and then well, drive it... I've already done some things to help the cause, like new bed wood, shocks, seat, exhaust, etc. But now i've committed to tackling with the rust in the cab. I'd like to add in a carpet with some insulation underneath to help make it quieter and more easy on the eye, but can't do anything until the rust holes are taken care of.

I have NEVER done any rust repair or body work of any kind before. Thanks to this website and my knowledgable and encouraging Grandpa, I gained enough courage to give it a go. Any criticisms, tips, and help are welcomed!

Well, here we go.


Here is the truck as it stood before I dug into it.




As you can see, The area around the rocker panel is pretty bad, although I was hoping only the rocker panel would have to be replaced.

Either way, I knew the rocker had to come out. To do this, I used a special bit to drill around the spot welds, and then used a grinder and air chisel to get the remaining pieces off.







Removing the Rocker Panel left me with this




Yikes! Not what I wanted to find. But hey, I honestly was expecting it. It could always be worse!

Because I did not want a display of sunbeams shining through the holes, illuminating the underneath of the cab, I had to remove much more metal than i planned (called it). So on I went.

I continued by removing the lowest portion of the door pillar by cutting a line across and drilling out the spot welds. This revealed the true extent of the rust damage.





Time to order some panels!










I ordered these panels from ClassicParts and am pretty impressed at their quality. The A pillar (I think that's what it's called) seemed a lot different than the original, but should work fine, as it is hidden underneath other panels and will be virtually invisible. What truly surprised me however, was the inner rocker panel, which appeared very well stamped and detailed.The true test will be fitting them in when the time comes.

[BillyFrank]

My next challenge was to remove the inner rocker panel, which included the holes by my feet on the floor. So far, the only tools I have for cutting are a 4 inch grinder, and a chisel... Not optimal, but It'll have to do. In these next pictures, you'll see I have marked what i wanted to cut out with a pen, and then cut as much as i could with the grinder.









The last area was a pain to cut, and a pain to remove. The floor is spot welded to the cab support, as well as the lip between the floor panel and firewall panel. This made it a lot harder to remove.
Using a chisel and hammer seemed to hit the spot.
This back piece was probably the hardest spot to get out. At one point I got the chisel stuck and spent like 5 minutes trying to pull it back out xD





With the entire piece finally off, i cleaned up the edges a bit because i wanted to see some shiny metal for once.

[BillyFrank]

I found another area of concern, just above where the floor panel meets with the firewall. What seemed like heavy surface rust at the time turned into a few small holes. Not a good surprise.



My fabrication skills are.. well.. non-existent, but i decided to try and create a piece to replace the rusted spot anyway.




I don't even have a body hammer, had to use a normal one lol!

This is where I am at right now. My next goal is to get the inner rocker panel cut out correctly and welded in.

[aerotruk63]

"My fabrication skills are.. well.. non-existent, but i decided to try and create a piece to replace the rusted spot anyway."

"I don't even have a body hammer, had to use a normal one lol!"

I went to a sheet metal course put on by Ron Covell. The most important thing I got from the course was that you had to use your brain to think of how your going to achieve your piece.
It's not all the fancy tools that are going to do it for you, but using what you've got or can get . Everything and anything in your possession can help you achieve a finish piece. It's your imagination that you need to rely on to make it happen.
16 and your into this, congrats buddy, your an achiever.

[bj383ss]

You are doing a fantastic job. And for you age very impressed. Most kids your age are playing video games or being lazy. When you are all done you can drive it to school and show off all your skills. Keep up the good work. Look forward to more.

Your rust is not as bad as mine was and I had never done any rust repair either. Just keep plugging away on it.

[LT1 Burb]

Hey, that's identical to what mine needed done, good job.

[RANDY COX]

Yes I think your doing an excellent job, I'm going on a limb and say that you have autobody in school.. If not then your doing well, yes sometimes you don't need all them fancy tools, I used some 2x6's and a hammer to bend some of my panels... I will be subscribed...

[Pappyx3!]

Your doing an awesome job, thanks for documenting the repair here. Please keep us posted.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Joe Pass]

Good Work Neighbor...the fact your diving in is pretty cool

[Captainfab]

Congrats on doing a good job so far. You have obviously been paying attention somewhere and are thinking about what you are doing. Very commendable especially for someone your age. Keep up what you are doing and you will continue to be successful.

[pimpston65]

i have the same 3$ spot weld drill, how many did u go through??? i have 2 i just wanna be ready when its my turn...

[BillyFrank]

Thanks for all of the kind replies! I plan on working on it more today, hopefully i can get some pics up in the next few days.

"i have the same 3$ spot weld drill, how many did u go through??? i have 2 i just wanna be ready when its my turn..."

Pimpston, so far, I've probably drilled 100+ holes and I've used the same bit the whole time. I do obsess about keeping it oiled though. I'll keep a container of oil near me and dip the bit in maybe 1-2 times per hole. At this rate, I bet the pilot shaft in the center will break before the teeth wear out, but only time will tell.

[Indian113]

Add me to the long list of people that think your doing Great! I also like the way you take pictures and explain why and what your doing.

[Doug19]

Looks good. I'm about to tackle about the same repair. I'll be waiting to see how you finish it up.

[Rust-O-Matic]

Thanks for posting the excellent pics! My '66 needs the same areas replaced, and I have been reluctant to tear into it. Being able to see exactly what is there in your pics helps a ton! I am excited to see how yours turns out. Good luck, and keep up the good work.

[60sIron]

Good work would be an understatement! Be proud, you're doing what some seasoned gear heads wouldn't attempt! I like to think I'll try to do anything myself. But when it comes to rust repair, it gets put to the bottom of the list. With your motivation that might be changing......... Keep us posted!
Greg

[Monte's62]

Nice job. Keep up the good work and keep us posted. We look forward to your progress.

[duallyjams]

kudos

[ms2335]

Great job! I am getting ready to try the same thing on my truck.
Posted via Mobile Device

[BillyFrank]

It's been a while, but I've definitely accomplished more on the ol truck.

My last post showed how I fabricated that simple "L" shape for the small rust holes.
I ended up remaking the same piece two more times before I finally got it to fit right.





I then welded it in. The shape was hard to cut out using the giant electric grinder, but i made it work.

Here are the before and after shots:


After sanding it smooth, it blended in with the metal very well.

It the Second image, you can also see how the patch panel is angled wrong, opening up and creating a gap.
I found this very strange, as the rest of the panel lined up perfect. I ended up simply folding the edge away and it
closed the gap well enough for me to make it usable. This was the only part of the patch panel that didn't fit correctly.

Then it was time to begin fitting the panel. I laid it out over the existing metal and used tape to mark where i
needed to cut. To avoid over cutting, I simply cut a small amount at a time.





I got the panel trimmed down to its basic shape fairly quickly. However, to make sure it fit as near perfect as possible,
I re-trimmed the edges probably 50 times in different areas until there was a rough 16th-8th inch gap all the way across.



After finally getting the panel cut to its right shape, I realized that I needed to paint every area where the panel would
sandwich over the metal. The cab support was really the only spot that needed this.




As you can see, I decided to leave the inner surface rust alone. Figuring it had been sitting in that condition for decades
with a large pile of dirt and rust, and was still in very solid condition, I didn't want to mess with it.

That being said, I did find some paint in the garage that seemed durable enough for the areas where metal "sandwhiched" together.
I wanted to use some sort of weld-thru primer, but after researching a lot about it, I determined it would be a PITA to do it right.
Also, I heard somewhere that the factory did not do anything special to these areas anyway (correct me if I'm wrong).

After I painted the few spots that needed it, it was time to weld in the patch. I really was a bit nervous getting it tacked in, hoping I wouldn't do it wrong, but it has
turned out great so far. I made sure to space out the tacks so it wouldn't warp as much. It really wasn't a problem though.






That is all for now. I will finish up the spot welds as time allows, and then grind them down and get it all under some paint.

- BillyFrank

[Indian113]

Like the man said "To eat a Elephant you have to take one bite at a time!" Your doing a good job and at the same time making me want to get back to work on my truck.

[Cape Codder]

Nice job so far, I also commend you for digging in and getting it done. Some hints from a New England guy that has been patching rust for 40 years. To mark the metal for cut out or trimming clamp your new piece in place and use a sharp awl to scribe against your new panel. It gives a real fine line that doesn't wipe off. To cut out old spot welds I find that a 3" grinding disc cuts through the welds much faster than drilling. Grind on the panel being removed of course. I us cold galvanizing primer for painting inside all replacement panels and closed areas before welding closed. Be sure to test if everything together before welding, especially the doors. If clamping devices get in the way drill a 1/8" hole and screw things together to test fit. The holes weld up very easily. Keep up the good work and don't be afraid to ask questions. Watch Craigs List for deals on tools.

[jimmyjammoto]

Dang son! Good work!! You've inspired me.

[shortbed70]

Looking really good man!!! Check out big red dog in my signature! It was my second really deep rust repair job I'd done.. Lots of pics for you... I especially like how you only cut what needed to be cut, many times I have been asked why I cut up a new panel when I could just put the entire thing in... My answer; so when it rusts again there's still something to go to! Also the angles you cut into the outer floor section keeps the floor strength while the panel is out. Only thing I would change and I'm still bad about it is grind the spot welds down after about an inch of weld.. Keep from inputting too much heat at the end when finishing. Once again GREAT Job!!!!

[BillyFrank]

Thanks for the kind replies everyone
I got a good amount done today.
I finished all of the spot welding, ground them down, and added some primer to see what it looks like all in one color (and to prevent surface rust).







I think it turned out pretty decent. The spot welds are still a visible in some areas, but I figure it will be covered eventually, and worst case I can use some filler to smooth it out.

I also plug welded the panel to the cab support



Once again, you can see that the holes don't line up. It's beginning to make me nervous.

That's it for today.. Wish me luck!