Time for a new cab???

[bluex]

Well I found quite a bit more rust in the windsheild channel today and I'm not quite sure what I should do. here are the pics....





I also have a huge amount in the floor and rockers....





I had planned on fixing the floor myself, since it will be under sound deadner and carpet and no one will see if I screw up. I dont think I can tackle the windsheild channel though. Anyone have an idea what this will cost to repair at a body shop?

I'm seriously thinking of ditching the cab now, but my father gave me this truck and if I do that there really wont be anything left of it but maybe the dr side fender (if I dont find lots of rust there). So then whats the point of keeping it? I have two kids now (and one on the way) and I cant afford 2k in body work just to get it solid. Its got me really down on the whole deal now....

[kcackler]

I'm in the exact same boat, man. I got my 77 from my grandfather only to find that the passenger side floor and rocker panel is in pretty rough shape. Driver's side is starting to get that way...

I don't want to get a whole new cab, but I can't afford 1K+ on sheet metal repair.
I'd love to have people's opinions on what your repairs would cost at a body shop since mine are quite a bit less severe.

[SBTork]

im not sure what a body shop would charge to do something like this, but im sure it's a lot of money.

I just found a cab and front clip on craigslist, in my area, for $500 obo. I think that's a good deal on good rust free original stuff. Maybe that's an option for one or both of you.

[screamindemon]

i just bought a 77 with hardly any rust......new mexico i guess,,but your rust is out of control......good luck with the cab replacement.......

[bluex]

Well the drivetrain is soild. I just rebuilt the engine and rearend and put the 700R4 in about 5 years ago.

If I end up scrapping it, I'll more than likely go with a K5 due to the size of the family so we can all go to shows together. Between this truck and the 82 frame/suspension I have I could take a nice 4x4 K5 and have a sweet dropped 2wd one in a few weekends? It will have to get a 73-80 clip though if it is an 81+

It kills me to think about giving up on it though....

[silvereagle07]

That looks like some serious rust. It's going to take some time and money to fix that but it can be done. If the frame and drivetrain are ok, start searching for a donor cab and clip. There are plenty to be had around there.

[85Bowtie]

I'm going to totally disagree with everyone on here and say that really doesn't look that bad. Try fixing the rust on an old Mopar.....

Do you have a welder? If not can you get one? They are a GREAT investment by the way and worth every penny.

The holes in the windshield channel are an easy fix, just fill them up with a welder. You basically just spot on the outside edge of the hole around and around until it fills itself then grind it flat.

The floorpans/pan should just be a matter of drilling some spot welds and cutting the old one out and and welding a new one in. The lower door jam looks to be the worst, but like I said if you have or can get/borrow a welder that patch is not hard to make if you just invest a little time and patience.

I think your worrying too much about this. $.02

[SBTork]

Originally Posted by 85Bowtie

I'm going to totally disagree with everyone on here and say that really doesn't look that bad. Try fixing the rust on an old Mopar.....

Do you have a welder? If not can you get one? They are a GREAT investment by the way and worth every penny.

The holes in the windshield channel are an easy fix, just fill them up with a welder. You basically just spot on the outside edge of the hole around and around until it fills itself then grind it flat.

The floorpans/pan should just be a matter of drilling some spot welds and cutting the old one out and and welding a new one in. The lower door jam looks to be the worst, but like I said if you have or can get/borrow a welder that patch is not hard to make if you just invest a little time and patience.

I think your worrying too much about this. $.02

great optimisim! I agree. What's the worst that can happen. You need to replace more metal because you screw something up? No big deal. A welder is perhaps the best investment as far as shop tools go, other than an air compressor. You'll get tons of use out of one, or just borrow one from a friend. He's also right about the windshield channel. If you're too worried about doing it that way, take a cut-off tool (sawzall or otherwise) to a local salvage yard and cut out a patch for it. As far as the floors, I think companys make patches for those areas, so no big deal there.
Your attachment to the cab seems to be worthy of spending some time on it. Weld on!

[old Rusty C10]

try living in the rust belt and youll realize that that is easilly repairiable

[bluex]

So the holes in the windsheild are small enough to weld up without a patch? I was thinking they would need patching and with the different angles there it would be a hard patch to make.

I have plans to get a welder to do the floor, like i said I wasnt worried about it b/c it really wont be seen when the truck is finished. The windsheild frame is what pushed me over the edge that day.

On another note found this 88 K5 today, it has a really solid body, but a salvage titile and thats why it has the 87- clip. No noticible frame damage and runs pretty good as well. I"m very tempted to pick it up and start swapping stuff over, cant really decide though.

http://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/1304650372.html

[menace121978]

dude, i know it sounds crazy but these guys are right! i took a structral auto body class last spring and (of course the a-pillar is structural) part of our final was to cut off a section of the pillar which was 3 sometimes 4 pieces of sheetmetal in 1 section of the pillar(i used a cut-off wheel) and cut them in half again and weld them back together and grind them down. it was amazing... you couldnt even tell it had been cut! just weld slow so the thin metal doesnt warp and its a piece of cake. i had never even held a welder before that class. (taking them just for my current project)

good luck man! just try it!!

[85Bowtie]

I really hope you attempt to do it yourself. Look at it this way. The holes in the windshield frame aren't big enough to cause any serious issues, so just fill them with your welder. The other stuff is a little more time consuming, but, carpet and interior peices are going to hide everything so it doesn't have to be perfect. Just make sure you remove all the rust, clean it good and put a good sealer on it. The windshield gasket/windshield is going to hide the other stuff. The holes in the windshield area are definitely not in need of a patch, just clean the area and remove all rust, then you fill in those holes but making "spot" welds around the edge of the hole. Once they get filled in, you take a small air grinder (like a 2" disc) and grind them flat. You aren't going to lose any structural integrity by doing this. Just remember it has to be clean and sealed properly afterwards.

Plus, your dad gave you the truck, if your like me, you will kick yourself in the head later on if you decide to just swap the cabs, but I'm a sentimental guy...

What you can think about is this: Find your options,

A) Swapping the cab for a cab that you need to locate, purchase, haul home, and go through the "hassle" of swapping AFTER you remove the one that's already there.

B) Pay someone to fix your rust

C) Purchase a welder, do the work yourself.

Find out what these 3 options will cost you, I can already tell you option C is the way to go. In the long run, you'll come out ahead. You'll be more skilled and confident to do your own work, you'll have a great investment, you'll still have the same truck your dad gave you AND you can look back and be proud of your work while other guys are complaining about paying others to work on their cars.

[bluex]

Well I picked this up friday.



I'm still not sure what I will do with the truck. Right now I'm leaning towards keeping it. I have 10 years or so before my oldest can drive. That will give me plenty of time to fix it for him. Thats my excuse for keeping to the wife anyway. I may rob some parts off it, but I have a 82 frame and suspension that I can use for the K5.

You guys convinced me its not to bad, so eventually I will fix it. With the size of the family though, the K5will be the better hotrod for now...

[Damien]

This rust really isn't that bad. When you start welding up the holes in the window channel they will get bigger. You might need to cut some small patches, but as long as you have patience you will be fine. The weather stripping will cover most if not all of the repairs too. Good luck. When you are buying a welder, look for one that you can used gas and solid wire with. You do not want to use flux cored wire for sheet metal repair.

[85Bowtie]

You shouldn't cut any holes in the windshield channel while your filling the hole. You just set your welder to it's lowest heat setting and make small tack welds. You don't hold your finger on the trigger, just small "zaps". After you grind it flat you may still find a pin hole, just repeat the process.