Texas C10 rotbody

[cfan10]

Just wondering how in the world something like this happens in Texas, is this even curable. I really would like to keep this cab, but a cab swap may be inevitable.

[cfan10]

Having trouble posting photos.

[cfan10]

Think I should call her "Rotty Rod"

[cfan10]

But there's more!

[mongocanfly]

On the coast?...or from up north?

[cfan10]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

On the coast?...or from up north?

Galveston most of its life then Cleveland and League City before I bought her.

[obijuan]

I'm gonna say the 80 percent humidity... we have one of every climate in out 268k square miles.

[rgunlock]

Originally Posted by cfan10

Just wondering how in the world something like this happens in Texas, is this even curable. I really would like to keep this cab, but a cab swap may be inevitable.

Hard to tell just where some of that rust is, but I'd have to say a lot depends on your goals for your truck and how much time you have available. My truck had a lot of that (floors, kick panels, a-pillars, firewall, inner cowls, doors, cab corners, etc.). I had no plans to end up with a show truck and I did want to learn to weld sheet metal patches. I had very little experience welding at all. Went after it. Was able to save most of my original metal, but had to give up on the inner & outer fenders. They were never going to look acceptable. I think mine turned out pretty well and I'll go into my next rusty project with more confidence.

But, now that I've been there/done that, if I have a choice my next project won't need nearly so much patching

[cfan10]

Originally Posted by rgunlock

Hard to tell just where some of that rust is, but I'd have to say a lot depends on your goals for your truck and how much time you have available. My truck had a lot of that (floors, kick panels, a-pillars, firewall, inner cowls, doors, cab corners, etc.). I had no plans to end up with a show truck and I did want to learn to weld sheet metal patches. I had very little experience welding at all. Went after it. Was able to save most of my original metal, but had to give up on the inner & outer fenders. They were never going to look acceptable. I think mine turned out pretty well and I'll go into my next rusty project with more confidence.

But, now that I've been there/done that, if I have a choice my next project won't need nearly so much patching

Yeah, I'm definitely not interested in building a show truck with this one needing so much rot repair. I do want a clean driver as I plan to drive this old truck as long as I can. Would you suggest buying the patch panels new or just cutting them out of a good cab at the junkyard or Craigslist. Thanks!

[sweetk30]

if you can find a solid cab it would be time / money ahead to swap the cab . to much rust repair = wasted time unless super rare vehicle in my book . i am born and live and work in the northern rust belt of hell .

[rgunlock]

I agree with sweetK30. Likely you'll get some practice welding patches in any case, behind rear wheels, core support under the battery, etc. Unless you want a LOT of practice, find better replacements to limit the amount you have to do. That said, where you do have to patch I ended up using a combination of aftermarket patch panels and pieces I shaped myself. I don't know of any yards with squarebodies around me to cut patches from, but perhaps you have some. If you can find some that aren't just as bad in the spots you need, patches you take may fit better than aftermarket. Just keep in mind that as a general rule you only need to patch enough to get past the rust into good metal. You'll be cutting up those aftermarket panels, but the leftover metal is often useful for forming other patches.

For reference, my truck wasn't a "rust bucket", but I spent nearly a year on weekends just doing rust repair. You can check the early part of my build if you want to get an idea.