Rust Repairs... Opininons

[andgott]

Most of the body of my 66 is in great shape- there are a few rust issues that I need to deal with in the cab, and I want some opinions on how to do it. Here is what I am dealing with-

Cab Mount-



This is the drivers side, passenger side is a little better.

Floors-





That's about the extent of the rust damage, other than a few small pinholes here and there, and some in the bed.

I want to repair it, but don't have the time/budget to take everything off the frame now... A few years down the line perhaps, but for now I need to do something to 'make do'.

The floors dont look too bad- I think I should be able to weld some patches in.. The center brace will need to be replaced, too.

My main concern is the cab mounts. It appears that the drivers side one isn't really even holding anything, it's pretty well rusted through. The cab isn't tilting, and feels solid- Is there any way to replace or reinforce it while the cab is in place? Or would I be OK for a while without doing anything to them?? I just don't want to cause any further damage.

Remember, my intended use for the truck is occasional weekend driving, and I never plan to restore it to a 'show' condition of any sort. It's just a toy to tinker on! If I can get it to where I'll be OK for a few more years, it would be great... I plan to take it down to the frame at that point to repaint & fix it all right

[Max]

I've personally felt when the rust gets that bad on the mounts, it becomes unsafe to drive. One good hit and that's much less holding that cab to the frame with you in it. Floors are something else and it's quite common to see almost anything being used to patch those up.

You could possibly patch the mounts in the interim but I think once you start removing the rusted areas to make it clean for welding you'll realize you might as well replace the whole thing. It doesn't just have holes in it, it is compromised where it mounts to the frame.

Maybe bite the bullet and start replacing things a little at a time instead of patching it?

[3ontree66]

Seems to me, Tom @ Flashbacks has cab mounts that slip over the old ones & weld in place. Still have to jack it up a bit to get them in but might be a temp fix for a couple years.

[andgott]

I took it to a local restoration/body shop that would likely be the best candidate to do the work for me, since it's VERY close... He looked it over, found pretty much the same 'issues' that I did.

He couldn't really give me a quote without the carpets ripped out, so when I got home, I started ripping...

It was a little better than I though it would be on the drivers side, and a little worse on the passenger-





Definitely going to need some new pans, center braces, and cab mounts.

I guess the only question is if I want to try to tackle this one myself- I am an OK welder- If it were just the floors, I'd do it- It would, after all, give me an excuse to go buy a new MIG welder

I am intimidated by the cab mounts a bit, though... Especially the prospect of doing them with the cab still on the frame- I guess it CAN be done, but I understand it is very difficult?

[Uncle Skip]

Dude. Buy another cab. You're money ahead. Trust me.

[andgott]

So, After ripping the carpets out, I'm looking at about $2500 or so in labor, plus the cost of the replacement panels and any sheet metal that might be needed.

That's not going to happen- at least not now. My dilema is that I've seen much nicer cabs than this scrapped out, and much worse salvaged!

This project isn't on the front burner at the moment anyway, I've got a couple of boats that I've got to get done first. But, I have to decide what I want to put in to this project down the line. Do I want to keep acquiring parts for this truck, or cut my losses now? Hmm.

I'm almost tempted to try repairing it as best I can- If, as people have suggested, I DO end up just replacing the cab at a later date, I won't be out much, perhaps a couple hundred in materials (and perhaps my dignity ). As I've mentioned, I'm an OK welder.... If I'm going to end up scrapping this cab anyway, what could it hurt??

I've got a few smaller, less ambitious projects I could practice on first. We'll see...

-Andrew

[Max]

That's what I did on mine. Dove right in and basically learned how to weld by replacing my floors and cab mounts. Did the floors on the frame and cab mounts off the frame (because I had my own garage by then).

[sgettin]

it doesn't look like your cab has sunk down onto the frame yet (like mine did) so if it were me i would leave the cab on the truck and fix it one peice at a time and still be able to drive it around so you don't lose interest. when you do the cab mounts make sure you have the cab "set" in the right position because when you cut the old one out obviously the cab will drop or move around if you don't have a jack under it.
i'm a beginner also and was still able to put in new floors, mounts, steps, etc and made new bottom pillars because i got a lot of guidence here and on the other forum.
btw if you can get a "good" cheap cab you would pbly be money ahead not to mention time but i wanted to keep my original cab so i did the illogical thing and rebuilt it.
sorry for the over sized pics i forgot to compress them.

good luck.

[HiBoy63]

Nice work there sgettin. Keep those original 4x4s going.

[sgettin]

Nice work there sgettin. Keep those original 4x4s going.

thanks highboy. been a year since i started it up and hopefully this weekend or next i can drive it out of the barn. btw not to highjack the thread but i just found what i think is the correct size battery and cables etc at the local autoparts store. i'll pm you details if your interested as i recall you'll need a battery and cables for your 4x4 soon.

scott

[edselcomet]

My 65 cab looks as bad as yours.My solution was a week long vacation in las vegas. I searched craigslist and found a couple of cabs for sale aroung vegas ,made a deal and drove down and picked it up with my half ton.The 65 cab fits in a 6.5 box (2009 f150).AZJAKE (arizona)was helpful also ,and offered to strip a complete truck for me if needed.Had a nice holiday with my family ,bought some rust free tin and have a great story to tell about restoring the merc.
keith

[Gatkpartz6179]

I still have 2 66 cabs to choose from,neither has cab support/mount issues.I also have 1 decent 61-64 cab.Would take $300 for your choice.I have other cabs
I can cut out support sections underseat as well.If I can get a lil more mobile I can move some stuff and get my blast cabinet rockin,so sections would be super clean to avoid hidden issues.Iam startin to get feelin back in m leg finally,but have another hospital go round in the near future,!@#$#@!
Please be serious and ready to buy if you ask me for pics and have accurate dimensions for cuts ready to avoid back and forth e-mail .
I can't afford cell or longdistance phone...

[andgott]

Thanks, Pete... I'll keep that in mind as an option. I won't ask anything of you until I decide that I'm going to do it FOR SURE- If I need to, I can always just come check them out in person since I'm not that far away. I was just in Cartersville today, in fact... I get down that way pretty often.

I just wonder how much work will be involved in swapping out the cab?? In reality- Probably less than the amount of work I'd be looking at putting in to welding in new floors & supports- Probably a better choice in the long run.

-Andrew

[Greg D]

Andrew,
swapping out a cab initially looks pretty intimidating - not that bad though.
1/2 to 3/4s of what you will need to remove to replace the cab you have to pull to fix that one. Plus you take a good clean cab and you can pretty quickly paint everything that's inside so you won't have to take it back apart to do that.

[HiBoy63]

Cab replace works well I have done 2. Piece of cake as long as it is the same style cab and frame. The hardest part is finding one that is in better shape than the one you have.