View from inside, I did not remove front seats only the rear seat and trim panels.

I rolled the carpet up to the back of the front seats using pieces of flashing coil to control welding flash. Covered front area best I could with plastic sheeting limit dust.




Cab is a sheet metal sandwich so to speak, gotta fix one layer at a time working in to out.




Wider view




from the back

 

All the rust was sand blasted away before I welded in any new metal, gotta get rid of all of it or it will come back regardless what is done over it.

I have a little hand held hopper gun, works great for areas such as this.




Next section the channel that supports and locates the outer skin.




Nothing final yet working through the process test fitting things making sure all is where it should be.

Seams fully welded once happy with fit and shape.




Missed this one it should have been posted up with the first layer, this picture shows that without it the cab would be open the road from underneath the truck without it.
The metal in front of it was removed for finish welding.




The inner wall patch




Rear view of the inner wall section.

 

The flange tool is worth every dime I payed for it. The one I purchased flanges and you turn the tool around and it punches holes. So on your repair panel you flange it, then punch the holes were the panel will be going. This gives you a 3/4 inch backing to weld through the holes. After the work is done the only grinding is the weld in the holes. This makes for a repair with minimal filler. Were ever you can use seam sealer and weld through primer.
Painting the back will still leave burning of the paint were the welding is done.
I grab some crown rust profing after all repairs and load the back off the panel. You need to drill a 1/2 hole we're can't be seen to spray the rust proof then install the plactic plug. You will never get any rust returning and will be better then factory. Just remember if you are doing rocker panels make sure you have drain holes.

 

Welding it all in place using both etching and weld through primers.

Note the place I choose to make my cut was behind the body side molding. Didn't need to but what the heck little safety net never hurts either, (patch panel as it comes is much lager than that).






Plastic roof cement over the etching primer to deaden sound and act as a moisture barrier.




Panel final fit ready to weld in place.

Can't see it in the picture and I don't have one of it but the cab side the top has been flanged so as the patch panel will lay in over it.
I did so so if any water runs down the inside of the cab from the top it will drip clear of the welded seam, any water would end up below the actual point where its welded together.




First fill, filler used is impervious to water/moisture.




Guy I paid to paint it, buddy of mine he passed away little bit ago.

 

All painted rust no longer lives there!




Box back on, yea you'll have to remove the box to fix it no way around it.

(I have the body side molding just hadn't put it back on yet at the point the picture was taken, wanted the box back on first)

I didn't take more pictures, pictures of every last step as they where for my own truck's scrap book. They where never intended for any kind of "how to" but hope they give you some ideas to work with fixing yours.

 

Very nice job

 

Nice tutorial Danr1

 

X3!!!

Reps sent.

 

Thank you guys yes I was very pleased with the end results.

 

Thanks for posting those up. I don't think the back side of mine is near that bad. I had the entire interior stripped out of the truck about a year or so ago and there was no visible signs of rust in the cab at all or from underneath on the back side. I do like the idea of using roof cement for sound deadening and rust prevention. I also like the idea of using a hole saw to cut a 1/2" hole in the back side of the panel to spray paint the weld area and then putting in a rubber plug.

Danr1, if I read your post right, you used a flange tool on the upper (original) section of the cab so the patch panel set inside the flange. Is this right? I am debating on using a flange tool or just butt welding. I can see advantages to both but don't really like the idea of having a "fold" or channel where moisture can collect in my newly repaired panel.

 

You will still need to but weld where the panel bends around the corners. I see NO advantage to doing a lap weld there

 

He had the flange tool so I used it flanging the upper lip figuring if the window seal or even the rain gutter above it leaked a little bit before I caught it allowing little water to run down the inside of the wall, it be taken below the welded seam by that flange dripping clear of it because its there. Rather than running down to that joint possibly even following it out either or both directions perhaps causing problems it wouldn't otherwise.

And yes a very small section of that joint at that outside radius is a butt joint anyway no flange to it there. Used water proof filler so same time based on what he was telling me at the time I wasn't overly concern with that aspect anyway. That and had serious doubts water would ever run down the backside of the panel from high up.

Something like that won't happen while I own it, would need go neglected not protected after the fact for that to do so. Had he not already had the flange tool in his bag it would have been a butt joint nothing more, while yes always nice to buy a new tool I would not have bought one just to use it for that reason.