Question: When is when is to much rust to much rust?

[70cst]

As I see various threads the thought came to me: what determines when a truck has to much rust to repair or restore. Example: If one one see a 50th Stepside or 50th Panel with lots of rust verses a common six cylinder LWB Stepside...would the 50th's be more likely a candidate for restoration?

Maybe some picc of trucks with lots of rust that has been repaired.


My picture of the original bed on my 70CST...



My solution...

[CC69Rat]

I'd save them all if I could. They just don't make trucks like they used to.

[rob32472]

Depends on the part..... No one would ever sheetmetal has been replaced long as it is original GM. These trucks are not sought after like say a COPO Camaro.... At best I say save the drive train and cab the rest is expendable IMHO.

[PanelDeland]

Lots of variables.A family heirloom,50'th Short fleet with an extensive option list in one of the salt belt states,might be worthy of just about any amount of rust repair.By the same token,an Arizona truck like that woulld probably find a crusher.Personal "affinity" location,comprative condition,rarity and option all weigh into this decision.I had the hard decision of scrapping a panel.It was before patch panels were widely available for these trucks and it was eaten up to the beltline all the way around.It had so much bondo in it,that it sounded like a new car,no tinnieness at all.I think it's a "situational" call.

[special-K]

No,these trucks are not sought after like a COPO Camaro. In fact,what is? Certainly not even another Camaro. That's just a silly comparison.The fact is,these trucks are very sought after and apples are apples and oranges are oranges. They will only become more sought after and valuable as time passes. It's been this way already for a few decades. They're nothing new to the knowledgeable collector. Once reproduction parts started being made for cars of this era I had this far fetched idea that a person would be wise to take any two door and stash it to build clones of muscle cars. I thought,just maybe,they could be built as clones of muscle cars and be worth pretty good money. I'd tell people my idea and they didn't seem impressed. Sure,a numbers matching factory muscle car will always be worth more. But,either one is the same to drive and now a clone is selling for many times more than the real deal was back then. And,just the bodies are as much as a numbers matching project was back then. A truck can be built into anything you want it to be and very few seem to care if it started life that way or not,as long as it's nice now. I would say that "I" would do whatever it took to bring back the right truck and maybe not a more common one. But,I only consider a truck "gone" if the frame is scaly as well as all the sheet metal. As long as there's enough there that a patch or replacement panel can fix and the original parts aren't crusty then it's worth it.

[CC69Rat]

Well said my brother .. ^^

I have built and restored several high end Camaros and honestly I got out of them because of the 'cloning' and numbers game. Can't people just have fun with the cars anymore? .. build what you want instead of worrying about the professionals telling you what's 'wrong' about your car? C'mon. $5,000 for a crusty Camaro body, but let's crush all the trucks.

Dont make sense man.

[davepl]

It's actually much simpler than it appears, once you remove the equation of "what will this be worth once I fix it?" If you're fixing trucks for their future value, you're almost certainly on the wrong path, because there are very few of these, if any, that will sell for more than it costs to fix them. And even if they do, divide your profit by the time you have in and consider your hourly wage...

The real question has to become "What do I want, and what's the most enjoyable and cost effective way to get there?". Once you've answered that, it's "Can I afford it?" and "Will I get the same benefit and enjoyment as if I spend the money on something else?"

For most of us, confronted the with the rusted our bed at the top of the thread, I'd find another bed. But if that particular bed, or the emotional return of knowing more of the original truck is still there is worth it to you, then that's what you do.

I say this as someone who's spent an obscene amount of money restoring a car that's invaluable to me but worth about $15K on the open market. I could have bought a Ferarri F430 with that cash, but wouldn't have been as happy.

[rob32472]

What I was trying to say is...... Since these are not as sought after like a COPO then build what you want the best way you can afford it original or repop.... Enjoy them for what they are simply the best looking trucks ever made!

[mcbassin]

I say fix em if you can. I personally don't care for rust be I'm waste deep in it as we speak. So how much is too much? I have seen some cabs on here that were in salty sea air...... I would throw away and grab another one. As far as the plain Jane versus high option truck debate goes, well to me that is up to the owner. If you like a three on the tree I-6 go for it or if you like a 72 super it's all good. You will end up dumping more cash into than you can get out in 90% of the cases. Anyone restoring one of these trucks will tell they are a bottomless money pit to fix up nice.

I have a couple of rusty old Camaros just waiting for restoration....if someone is willing dish out close to $5k for one, well I'm your huckleberry As for them I know I will dump a crapload of cash into them too. It's just the nature of saving these old Chevys.

[richard2717]

I am still debating whether to fix this one.
It's still not ready for the crusher
Seriously though, I say it is personal preference, all in what you as the owner feel comfortable with.

Richard

[hgs_notes]

To put it simply, if better sheetmetal is available, get it. The only original sheetmetal on my truck is the hood, doors (well most of them anyway) and the tailgate. The rest came from other trucks or reproduction suppliers. I don't feel any different about its originality. It came down to cost of repairing vs cost of replacement. By cost I mean money and time and which was more available to me at that moment.

In the example shown above though, that'll buff out lol.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by special-K

A truck can be built into anything you want it to be and very few seem to care if it started life that way or not,as long as it's nice now.

Exactly.

[dyrt]

When i need 50% or more of one in good shape to fix something, it is too rusty unless you can use two bad ones to make one good one. I look at it like this, i either fix one bed by using the bedsides of another, or fix that bed with the floor from the first one. Either way, once they are scrapped they are gone for good, so i think as someone who enjoys the hobby not as a money maker or lifestyle, but as a mechanical mind who not only wants to fix whatever is broken but also believes in recycling and conservation in all facets, fix it or use it to fix another as much as possible. A perfect all original truck is all well and good, but nothing says "i'm not giving up" like weld seams and mismatched paint, on behalf of both the truck and the person who did it. Anyone can go buy a new truck, but that is not what many of us are about. It's all about "i have this, what can i do with it" That is the mindset that built civilizations and fuels ingenuity.

[Crash_OK]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

I say fix em if you can. I personally don't care for rust be I'm waste deep in it as we speak. So how much is too much? I have seen some cabs on here that were in salty sea air...... I would throw away and grab another one. As far as the plain Jane versus high option truck debate goes, well to me that is up to the owner. If you like a three on the tree I-6 go for it or if you like a 72 super it's all good. You will end up dumping more cash into than you can get out in 90% of the cases. Anyone restoring one of these trucks will tell they are a bottomless money pit to fix up nice.

I have a couple of rusty old Camaros just waiting for restoration....if someone is willing dish out close to $5k for one, well I'm your huckleberry As for them I know I will dump a crapload of cash into them too. It's just the nature of saving these old Chevys.

$5K.. hummm

[PanelDeland]

I think "CLONES" are just about the greatest thng since sliced bread or pockets on pants.I say that because even though I can't afford it,if I had a COPO Camaro I would be afraid to drive it much.A "CLONE" could be daily driven with the same (or more) pleasure and way less risk both financialy and to a valuable piece of history.

[70cst]

Good replies all

[special-K]

I remember when getting what you had into a vehicle was not even a thought. You paid what you paid and expected to get less when you sold it and any money you put into it,including performance,customizing,or just cosmetic was purely the expense of your enjoyment. Investors hadn't become aware of vehicles. It was an enthusiast's world and most who were into the American iron were blue collar slat of the earth good ole boys. You couldn't go run out and buy a fender,or a door,a hood,or a tailgate. You had to find another good one or "restore" what you had with your "skills". You knew you had your work cut out for you before you handed over the cash for the vehicle.

Too far gone for me is rusty scaly throughout where you know the backside of all sheet metal has rust that just condensation will eat up. I usually go by the frame. If that's crusty I don't expect the sheet metal to be better. Every part will fight you and in the end,what will you have for your effort? Personally,to date I have always looked for clean vehicles that didn't need sheet metal restoration.
If I fix something I don't want to be doing it again in a few years,even after storing inside and trying to keep on the sunny side of the weather. We all hate futility and if seeing rust show up after a restoration isn't a full dose,I don't know what is. Now,this can happen from not doing it right,but when when you go to great lengths to do it right and it still fails? That's what happens when you do a vehicle that was too far gone. Why do you think you see so many vehicles with nice shiny paint and a few bubbles going up for sale? It's disgusting and an owner would rather start all over on another than redo what he done did when he did what he did

If I had a bed floor like the one shown and the rest of the bed was solid I'd put a new floor in. But,I doubt the rest of the bed would be solid.