Roof Rust

[cgster]

Ive been looking at a truck that I like, have not seen it in person, only pics. Anyway, one of the pics shows the roof with a good portion of rust in one area of the roof interior. Guy says it doesn't go through to the outside. How fixable is this? Expensive fix? I know rockers and cab corners usually aren't that big of a deal to get replaced, not sure about this though.

[Mike C]

To pay someone is expensive. It is a lot of work. Typically a cab would be sourced by a DIY'er.

Be wary of this seller as how does rust get on the INSIDE of the highest part of the truck if water is not getting in from the OUTSIDE?

[Grumpy old man]

That's only what you can see ! You can be sure there's a lot more than that .It would have to be a special truck or a very good deal price wise with a healthy drive train . Do you have all the equipment /time/ and space to take on a project ? let's see the rest of the truck and engine ,What do they want for it ?

[Blue GMC]

Just my opinion with rust in that location it's a parts truck and can only be used to save another.

[irl104]

Does it have cab lights on the roof? If you could use one of those flexable cameras and shove in there to see if there is more damage. Just cut out the rust and weld in a patch panel. Not that big of a job. You might need to remove the windshield also. Once done, spray in undercoating in the holes of the sunvisor holders along the front edge.

[ElKotze]

Fixing that area usually includes two major issues: First, if you decide to fix it, build yourself a dolly or rotisserie to turn the cab upside down, cutting, welding and grinding over head is a major pain, trust me. Second, even if you cut out the rust, the surrounding metal is usually too thin to weld, it'll burn right through, so you will have to cut out a way bigger part than just the rust holes. If it is not a special truck of some sort, I would shy away. I actually just got done fixing the roof of a customers truck, but it is an all original family heirloom that we wanted to keep original, but let me tell you: fixing rockers and cab corners is like a vacation in comparison!!

[my67c20]

Overall, it was not too difficult. Cut off a large chunk from a donor vehicle and then it was a matter of cut and fit. Drilled holes from the exterior to "spot" weld it. While I was in there i vacuumed out all the junk and sprayed in some rust converter stuff from Eastwood that came with the goofy nozzle tube. Of course I replaced more than just that part. On a scale of 1 - 10, I would rate that at about a 7. Only because you are working overhead, nothing is flat and fear of burning the dash up is possible. As one of the other posters mentioned, grab and ice pick and start poking around. If there is rust there, guarantee there is more along the drip rail and the window pinch welds.

[71gmcC15]

Not to hijack this thread but my pickup is staring to do the same thing on the driver side and above the passager door how can i stop it from getting worse

[Shaky]

Always multiply the rust visible by at least five.

Here's what it looks like with the top off:

[AussieinNC]

Both the exterior roof panel and the interior header panel are available from the aftermarket...but...as mentioned in this and other threads...the roof repairs are not for the faint hearted...

Roof panel runs around $200...header panel around $110...plus freight...

If you cant do the work yourself...it would be a costly exercise to have someone replace these for you...$1500 to $2500 labor minimum...and that would be just back to primer...

Add the cab corners, body mounts, rocker panels, floor panels..that are almost a give n to need replacing...

If the interior header is rusted out, so is the cowl unit...
cowl outers run $290...cowl inner runs $ 300...plus labor...

Seriously...I would consider this a parts truck, unless its something really special otherwise...

[dmjlambert]

I think it depends on where you live. I ordered the inner panel and windshield gasket from GMC Pauls. When they arrived I took them to a body shop north of Dallas. The labor for welding it in, and also shaping some sheet metal above the drivers door and welding that in, and new windshield glass installed, was $500. I was pleased with the results. The body shop guy advised me to re-do the gutter sealant to keep new water from leaking in and rusting it again, so I did that myself. One of these days I would like to learn welding, because I have some other minor stuff I would like to do.