Is this cab worth the trouble?

[Dads64]

I have been starting and stopping on this project for several years now. It is a 1964 short step, the last truck my father bought before passing. Any way, it has been on hold for a long time now as it apparently takes a lot of time, effort and change to retire from the Air Force LOL. So I am back at it and just wonder if the cab is worth it, I pulled all of this spray foam out of a huge hole above the windshield.

This cab has better floors than a 1966 cab I have but the '66 is about perfect from the floors up.

Any thoughts from you guys?

Thanks,
Jay

[bj383ss]

I would use the cab with the rusted floors. You can replace that top skin but you will have to find a good one. And if I remember from threads I have read there are like 150 spot welds holding it on. The inside of the cab is a whole other story.

Floors aren't really all that hard to replace. Are the bottom cab supports good? Just the rockers and floor pan rusted? That is pretty easy to fix. Do you have pictures of the other cab?

[Dads64]

These are the only pics I have of the '66 right now. The rear cab supports are rusted out pretty bad. As you can see this one was in a wreck.

Jay

[bj383ss]

Looks like you can use the side floor pans and fab some patches for the front floors. Hurts to see that poor thing wrecked.

[Dads64]

Yeah, this is going to have to be the cab I use I believe. The guy said he ran into the back of a payloader at like 15 mph! I does have a 292 with only 4000 miles on it since rebuild though.

Jay

[jonzcustomshop]

depending on your bodyworking skills it might be easier to put the red roof on the blue cab, if you look at my signature for my suburban build you can see how I did the roof posts. It starts on page 6 post # 127.
In the rear you can cut the roof low (under the inner panel) and if you are using custom trim, you can hide most of the body work behind that and behind the box.

it is all kind of relative on where and how you want to do the cuts and spend your time.

if the floor is good in the blue cab I think this would be a lot less work.

[Dads64]

LOL, my skills are NO WHERE what I just saw in your build. I will have to get them side by side and come up with a plan. I currently can't get the front body mount bolts out on the '66.

Jay

[jonzcustomshop]

they go through a metal sleeve and a lot of the times they fuse together. on my suburban I was able to push them through with a floor jack. you can also smack them a few times with a big hammer to break the rust loose, and if you have a torch, heat will help break it free too, you heat them up cherry red, then quench them with water from a spray bottle, the rapid contraction helps break the rust free.

don't cut your skills short, its all just measuring and planning!

[Captainfab]

I agree with Jon. If the red cab has a good roof, I would cut and weld that onto the blue cab. Just be sure to take lots of measurements, particularly in the windshield area.

[Dads64]

Thanks for the great ideas on the roof guys. After some more peeling and scrapping on the blue cab, I also found these areas on the firewall. How bad would they be to repair?

Jay

[Captainfab]

It's just a matter of removing the bad metal back to where it is solid enough to weld and weld in new pieces. You should be able to get the replacement parts from your red cab.

[russellrox]

I am in a similar decision making process on my cab, my floor has a bit of rust but my windshield area is shot just like the above pictures, my roof skin only has a few small 1/8th inch round holes starting near the drip rail.. My pillars on the dog leg are rusted at the bottom on the LH side from water running down, should I chop the top and get a good donor piece or should I just get a whole new cab.

[63burban]

There are much better cabs in ND

[Dads64]

If there is, I sure can't seem to find them.

[OldGMJon]

So all these rusty roofs got me thinking. I really like the truck interior roof panels with their raised ovals and lines. My 65' Chevy panel interior roof is unfinished as most are so I thought,
maybe I could weld together 5 or 6 of these interior roof panels going straight back to the barn doors to finish off my interior panel roof. If any of your guys rust buckets have good interior roofs
that are just going to the scrapper...they could be better served sending them my way, of course, time is money and money for time will be expected.
jon

[Vinceg]

My two cents worth would be go with the 66. I'm new to this sheet metal game myself. I've been working on a 66 for the past little while. No speed demon that's for sure. You can get all the floor parts you need to repair your 66 floor cab mounts, pillar supports front and rear. Inner and outer rockers. If you go with the full length inner rocker you should be able to make some patch panels for the rest of the floor pan from what I see in your pictures. I'm also working on a rusty firewall drip rail and the seem at the back of the cab where the floor pan is spot welded to the back wall of the cab. Not fun but it is coming along. I guess what I'm getting at is if your body work isn't the greatest the floor is the place to be working. Just remember to properly support your cab and weld in braces before removing both inner and outer rockers. I think it is easier then tackling a rusted inner and outer cab bill.

[joedoh]

I would find a nice CA or TX cab for sale. even paying shipping on a big cab (or going to get it yourself) will be hundreds maybe thousands cheaper than the hundreds or thousands of hours you will have in those cabs. If its a labor of love you can do it, but remember love makes us do some stupid things sometimes!

If you dont already have a nice welder and the saws and grinders you are surely going to need, add that to the price you would pay for a good cab. I sold an almost rust free cab, no doors, with a frame and wheels, for $200. had minor rust in the drivers body support, that was it, floors rockers and roof were clean. they are out there!

[cantada]

Think my cab was worse. It is doable.

[Micmac]

My pocketbook would say run away from both those cabs and like Joedoh says get another from warmer climes and put the engine out of the red truck and use it. My heart would jump at the chance to have my Dad's last truck. Tough decision. Maybe you can get as much stuff as you can off your Dad's truck and incorporate it into the build? You will figure it out. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Dads64]

Lots of ideas guys, thanks a lot. I will figure it out one way or another.

Jay