V3500 Cab and Chassis Frame

[crashz]

I may have asked the question before, but I can't remember.

The history of my dump truck is that it spent most of its life as a muni truck, plowing and sanding. Not a lot of miles on it because it was wrecked once and patched back together. A couple times.

I bought it from a famer who changed the cab and painted it. She looked good and ran decent.

Once home a little fuel leak led to a new tank, to chasing air leaks and such. One trip to pickup a mower uncovered a bad death wobble. Got her home and found the a poorly applied patch failing in the front right frame rail was the cause. Also found a hole in the right rear left portion. I had a qualified welder fix these.

The truck has sat since. Other repairs and re-assembly have taken a long time (it's also not at home, so accessibility is an issue). Over the years and the fact that I cannot seem to find a dry spot to store it, the frame has just gotten worse. When I first got it, I washed it, wire brushed like mad and used a 3M rust converter. That stuff is peeling off in sheets. The sub-frame of the dump body was crudely constructed of square tube welded directly to the frame. The tubes are now fully rotted through and collapsing.

I'm debating on two options:
1) Tear the rear of the truck apart completely right down to bare rails, sand blast all components, and reassemble using bolts instead of rivets and plating/fixing any weak spots.
2) Find a new frame from a K30, C30 or CUCV and make it work. I realize the CUCV and the pickup trucks are ~3 inches shorter, but could make it work.

Either way, I need to fab up a new sub frame.

I just don't want to get to the point where I put my precious few hours into the frame, only to find that I cannot save it. My biggest concern is the spring hanger area, as the rust has built up in the seams and appears to have pitted and degraded the thickness of the frame. There is at least 1/8" if rust mushrooms spilling from the seams.

I'll get photos as soon as I can. Any thought from the group?