ROT ROT ROT an more rot. 65 Chevy c10 bbw

[lha1992]

Well guys earlier today I had a thread going about the gas pedal which was a dumb question but it was something holding me back from getting the matting out so I could pull the old jute matting out. I knew there was rust for instance in the tow boards an kick panel areas especially on the drivers side but boy oh boy was I in for a surprise.

Yesterday I was cleaning up 50yrs of grease an find this.


And i'm like crap sooooooo I decide after reading the jute padding holds moisture I remove all that junk.
Here's how it went.

[lha1992]

Removing the jute padding revealed this. Badddd rust. I'll take a better picture but where the high beams switch is you can actually see the rot follows the seam up the firewall some. And what forlonged me pulling this crap out was the rusty hole I found in the first picture in my last post.




[URL=http://s840.photobucket.com/user/lha1992/media/20140611_194833_zps5e046c5f.jpg.html][/URL

[lha1992]

As I went into the old girl found out in her past someone tried doing a fiber glass repair up in the passenger side kick panel but she's showing holes an what not. I actually sprayed the black paint on myself on the floor board. I'll take a better picture of the hole in the firewall from earlier.

[URL=http://s840.photobucket.com/user/lha1992/media/20140611_194945_zpsad4be5aa.jpg.html][/URL]


Nowwwwww here's where it gets really bad coming up...sorry to all for the multiple posts. Having tablet trouble.

[lha1992]

So as I was cleaning an vacuuming I kept getting flakeing rust coming from behind the firewall insulation pad so I decide to push out the firewall gromet plugs that hold the pad to the firewall. I go ahead an kinda hammer the first one out because it wouldn't come out an whatdoya know it goes through but not without making a bigger hole.

The truck was undercoated but I believe the undercoat in some cases held moisture while others helped it.

[lha1992]

Here you can see the rot is bad because I pushed in the gromet. This picture is from the front passenger fender well.

[lha1992]

Judging by the following picture I do think the truck had a outer rocker replacement at some point in its life. I don't believe they riveted in the rockers like this from the factory but you guys might know better



I have more pictures but this where I'm at.

[lha1992]

I'm now at a loss with this truck I do love the old this. Its a factory 283, powerglide, 12bolt, c10, big back window, dealer installed tissue dispenser, power steering, custom cab trim, part of the dealer Ac is still there an maybe some more options. But finding the rot in the firewall like that scares me a lot.

Did these trucks have double walled firewalls like 67-72 an newer trucks?? I'm going to pull out the firewall matting more possibly. I wonder if condensation from the old AC HAD anything to do with the firewall rot or maybe the drains? Idk. But its spotty rust in the firewall.

I knew what I was getting into with this truck but I thought the firewall was better than this. Can the firewall be repaired? I mean the rot does go up the seams on either kick panel to almost where the top of the inner fender well is.

Is it better to give no find something better or keep jugging along?

I was planning on swapping in a 350/Th350 tranny til the 283 was rebuilt an selling the powerglide but now I'm like losing it after find all this.

I found a 66 GMC 1/2ton big back window with a 351e, the bigger 4speed, custom cab options an power steering. Apparently the guy started doing rot repair but idk yet about it I'll be going to check it out tomorrow possibly. Don't think I'm giving up yet with this Chevy but guys what should I do?

[lha1992]

For those of you wanting to know this is what the truck looks like.

[bj383ss]

My truck had the similar rust in the footwell. The patches they make go up about 7". It is a lot of work to fix all that. Some will say get another cab and some will say you can repair it. They don't make any firewall patches so all that will have to be fabbed up or find a donor cab that is good in those areas. I doubt the A/C caused that. A lot of these trucks let water in from the cowl area seam. Pull your Cowl corner covers on top of the front fenders and see what kind of rust is there.

I had a the same kind of patch on my passenger side. Someone just filled all the rust with fiberglass bondo. It was a mess cleaning all that out.


Whatever route you take good luck. If you have the time and patience it can all be fixed.


Bret

[nhr3]

Looking at your floors I really wish mine had been that clean. I had to install the outer floor patch panels, kick panels, A pillar lower patch both sides, rockers and cab corners on both sides. It was time consuming but not that difficult. Mig welder and grinders are necessary to do it right and a plasma cutter comes in very handy.

That said it does not look like you are going to need any full patch panels. The Jute padding usually causes the issue holding water and dirt under the rubber mat.

It looks like you have a great truck. You might want to think about a 700R4 transmission so you have overdrive. A different thought might be a TH350C. The C is a 350 with a lock up converter. This also helps with gas mileage.

[PGSigns]

Most the trucks on the east coast look like that or worse. My 65 is not a bad in the floor but much worse in the rockers. What we do is fix em. Ya it is a good bit of work but for a nice truck in the end it is well worth it.
Jimmy

[63burban]

Welcome to 50 years of automotive reality !

[1963c-10]

Yep, welcome to the club!!!

[lha1992]

Originally Posted by bj383ss

My truck had the similar rust in the footwell. The patches they make go up about 7". It is a lot of work to fix all that. Some will say get another cab and some will say you can repair it. They don't make any firewall patches so all that will have to be fabbed up or find a donor cab that is good in those areas. I doubt the A/C caused that. A lot of these trucks let water in from the cowl area seam. Pull your Cowl corner covers on top of the front fenders and see what kind of rust is there.

I had a the same kind of patch on my passenger side. Someone just filled all the rust with fiberglass bondo. It was a mess cleaning all that out.


Whatever route you take good luck. If you have the time and patience it can all be fixed.


Bret

The worst part I'm worried about is the firewall issues like where I was saying I pushed the gromet through an it make a bigger hole from where the wheel well is. I mean ive owned 67-72s before an I know they have double firewalls an once rust hits an gets in between those pieces its gone. I guess itd be fabbing firewall metal as you said.

I will take your advice on pulling the cowl corner covers to see the rust if any.

Originally Posted by nhr3

Looking at your floors I really wish mine had been that clean. I had to install the outer floor patch panels, kick panels, A pillar lower patch both sides, rockers and cab corners on both sides. It was time consuming but not that difficult. Mig welder and grinders are necessary to do it right and a plasma cutter comes in very handy.

That said it does not look like you are going to need any full patch panels. The Jute padding usually causes the issue holding water and dirt under the rubber mat.

It looks like you have a great truck. You might want to think about a 700R4 transmission so you have overdrive. A different thought might be a TH350C. The C is a 350 with a lock up converter. This also helps with gas mileage.

Ouch thats alot but my truck the lower fender mount thats part of the lower A pillar is non existent or in all actuality its still bolted on but onto the fender which at the bottom is just free. It will probably need the passenger side cab corner an a patch on the drivers side rear floor near the cab corner also.

Definitely the drivers floor will need a full patch an cab mount being theirs rust holes by the gas pedal pivots. I do like the old truck defff I originally was gonna fix the drivers side rot before I knew how much really rot there was an then put the motor in an drive it. But now I'm like ohhh boy....
Also speaking 700r4s are great but not in my money range. Buddy of mine gave me his TH350 outta his 80 z28 which might be a C but can't remember but it has been rebuilt with a shift kit.

Originally Posted by PGSigns

Most the trucks on the east coast look like that or worse. My 65 is not a bad in the floor but much worse in the rockers. What we do is fix em. Ya it is a good bit of work but for a nice truck in the end it is well worth it.
Jimmy

I cant imagine what you guys have to do on these things out in the rust belt. An I'm on the west coast but in the rainy Seattle metro area just north of Seattle. This truck from finding info out on it has lived its whole life in Everett. Apparently previous owner remembered this truck rolling around back in the 70s when he was in high school here in Everett.

Originally Posted by 63burban

Welcome to 50 years of automotive reality !

You can say that again! Or 50yrs of rusting lol

[Premium72]

doesnt look to bad, cut it out, weld it up, RIDE OUT!

its not enough to get all down in the dumps about really, you have a 50+ year old vehicle, Rust Happens.

[TJ's Chevy]

Hey! Yer they guy D Rock was talking about when he called me the day you guys were doing some work! Nice truck! I envy the spot lights!

[supercharged]

For SE Texas that's not bad rust, that's almost mint.

If you still see more floor that ground below it you're doing great.

I just consider the holes free-AC.

[lha1992]

Originally Posted by Premium72

doesnt look to bad, cut it out, weld it up, RIDE OUT!

its not enough to get all down in the dumps about really, you have a 50+ year old vehicle, Rust Happens.

I deff do wanna drive the old thing seriously its a cool old truck!

I do realize its a 50yr old truck an in someway or another they all will have this type of rot somewhere. I'm not scared of what's in the floors its what's in the firewall that I'm worried about an what direction to go about in.

Originally Posted by T.J. MCCAULEY

Hey! Yer they guy D Rock was talking about when he called me the day you guys were doing some work! Nice truck! I envy the spot lights!

Yup I sure am! I remember him talking to ya when we were yanking the motor an tranny out! But thanks man I do like your truck also an what you've done with that inline 6!!! The spot lights are deff cool on this truck an one of the things that made me wanna get it lol.

Originally Posted by supercharged

For SE Texas that's not bad rust, that's almost mint.

If you still see more floor that ground below it you're doing great.

I just consider the holes free-AC.

Hana wow that bad down in SE Texas?? The drivers side I can see ground you can tell lol.

[awbrown]

what you have is a mear pinhole my friend ..

[awbrown]

and I will post later what your 63 looks like after driving it to work for a week on Michigans so called roads... core support is sitting on the frame and completely beat to death... Not that it does not need work , but I was hoping not so soon...

[RANDY COX]

Yep as everybody else said that's normal just go and look at the build section,rust free trucks are hard to come by unless you find a fire department vehicle that's been garaged all it's life....

[lha1992]

Originally Posted by awbrown

what you have is a mear pinhole my friend ..

Dang that's bad...I have family an friends from Michigan an they always tell me about all the rot you find in cars an trucks there. Did you have bad rot in the firewall like in the pictures above I posted of my firewall?

[lha1992]

Originally Posted by RANDY COX

Yep as everybody else said that's normal just go and look at the build section,rust free trucks are hard to come by unless you find a fire department vehicle that's been garaged all it's life....

Oh I know that rockers inner an outer, floor boards, lower A pillar an kick panels are normal but what's really scared me is that firewall rot an what's still there an how much work the firewall may need. Have any of you guys worked on these firewalls in these trucks??

Do the have a double firewall that if rust gets in between the 2 pieces it will spread?