47-55.1 Rust on back wall of cab?

[MrBubbles]

Hello all,

Been lurking for quite some time and I've been eying up a 52 3 window truck for sale locally and had a question about rust on the back wall of the cab.

I'm well aware of the typical areas for rust to form but in all the build threads I've looked through over the years I couldn't seem to find one where there was rust in the middle of the back wall of the cab.

I'm adding a picture for reference, this is NOT of the actual truck (I didn't grab a picture when I looked at it originally for whatever reason). In the attached picture, I circled the area that there is a rust hole on the back cab wall. It starts over the middle rear wall support and covers an area of about 3-4 inches towards the passenger side.

This just seems like a very odd place to have a rust through hole (swiss cheese looking). The cab itself had been sandblasted and apart from the floor, cab corners, and some rust on the lower front fenders/cowls the rest is solid. No rust along the belt line, window channels, dash, etc.

Any idea why a cab would rust there? Any specific challenges you could see in repairing that area? Would that give reason to walk away from even considering it?

Thanks for your thoughts!

[joedoh]

usually its from critters stuffing absorbent material between the seat/gas tank and the back wall. its why the windshield header rusts from the inside out too.

[nvrdone]

anything can be fixed with time & money. I would think in AZ you could find a better cab.
I know where there is a big stash of them in ID

[MrBubbles]

Originally Posted by joedoh

usually its from critters stuffing absorbent material between the seat/gas tank and the back wall. its why the windshield header rusts from the inside out too.

That makes sense. I hadn't thought of it like that.

Originally Posted by nvrdone

anything can be fixed with time & money. I would think in AZ you could find a better cab.
I know where there is a big stash of them in ID

Quite possibly. I've wanted to do this on an S10 frame and this one I've been eyeing has the frame (body not mounted) with a SBC/700R4 already in it. If I don't have to track down a complete S10, strip it down, and get rid of all the stuff I don't want all the better. I'm at that point where I don't want to be endlessly searching and end up just never pulling the trigger.

Do you think that particular area would be any more of a pain that others? My main concern was warping by patching in a piece in the middle of one of the biggest continuous panels.

[mr48chev]

I can't tell much by the photos but that area could be could be cut out and replaced with a patch panel pretty easily and shouldn't show too much because it will be covered by the front of the box.

Any one of a dozen reasons it rusted there though. Critters as Joedoe suggested, stuff between the box and the bed such as leaves, hay, straw or what not. Fertilizer if it is rusted from the outside. I bought a truck in the late 70's for 25 dollars that the owner had used only to haul granular fertilizer. The frame was rotted out, the front half of the bed was rotted away and I think part of the back of the cab was pretty bad. My buddy and I hauled it home in pieces in our pickups and it took about six trips. It was mostly apart anyhow as the gent had pretty well taken it apart before he passed away and his daughter had it for sale. I didn't even bring the frame home, I hauled it straight to the scrap yard.

I'd be far more concerned with the rest of it, especially along the belt line and around the windows. I won't even look at a cab if the belt line shows too much rust.

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by joedoh

usually its from critters stuffing absorbent material between the seat/gas tank and the back wall. its why the windshield header rusts from the inside out too.

This ogre always wondered about that. I've seen builds here that start with the roof half rusted out. Not something I'd want to tackle

[fauXGT]

My cab had a truck parts catalog left behind the tank inside and it created swiss cheese. A bit of cutting and bending and 'All Metal' filler, and finish with fine filler, it will never be seen. If you are looking for dead on show quality you may find better, but finding a better specimen may cost you alot more than a cheap cab and a fix. BTW... is it Kamiah or Kooskie with the plethora of AD trucks?

[MrBubbles]

Originally Posted by fauXGT

My cab had a truck parts catalog left behind the tank inside and it created swiss cheese. A bit of cutting and bending and 'All Metal' filler, and finish with fine filler, it will never be seen. If you are looking for dead on show quality you may find better, but finding a better specimen may cost you alot more than a cheap cab and a fix. BTW... is it Kamiah or Kooskie with the plethora of AD trucks?

This actually quite reassuring seeing those photos! thanks!

[mr48chev]

That flat surface should as I said before be pretty simple to fix by finding a patch panel in a junk cab. The belt line area looks better than most I see and if the areas around the windows are in good shape and there isn't a bunch of rust in the floor or kick panels life is good. Some of the guys up in the rust belt would drive to Arizona for that cab.

[MrBubbles]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

That flat surface should as I said before be pretty simple to fix by finding a patch panel in a junk cab. The belt line area looks better than most I see and if the areas around the windows are in good shape and there isn't a bunch of rust in the floor or kick panels life is good. Some of the guys up in the rust belt would drive to Arizona for that cab.

FWIW, that was just a picture I found on the internet to better articulate where the rust was. The original post stated it was not a picture of the original cab.

I definitely appreciate the feed back though.

I went to go look at it again today to check a few other things and ultimately I don't think I'd get to a price point with the seller to make things worth my while. Additionally I measured the wheelbase on the frame the body is just resting on to find it's actually a shortbed S10 frame. Just another thing that would have to be changed/modified at a price that seemed too high.

Alas, the search continues.

[fauXGT]

I had a bit of panel adhesive left over from something else. So I've taken a Harbor Freight air notcher/punch and filed a bit wider to accept the heavier gauge these trucks are made of. Recessed the body and cut the panel to set in. Glued and screwed with self tappers. Waited for the glue to cure. Ground the screws off on both sides and filled with 'All metal'. I'ts the replacement instead of leading on body seams. Doesn't crack when thick and just finish with a skim of bondo. I hammered on a spot a bit last weekend to get rid of a slight high spot and the stuff didn't crack or split. Most replacement spots now are welded in after I had to wait for the adhesive to dry. It all takes a bit of filler in the end.