How in the heck am I going to get new cab corners on my truck without having a good MIG welder, no spare cabs to cut corners off of and weld into place?

Anyone have any suggestions/ideas about what to do with very very bad cab corners or how to fix them?

I've got an acetylene torch, lots of cutting tools and grinders, an arch welder and various other tools.

I don't think I've got the correct stuff to be doing my own body work though

Any help?

B.T.W. I really really really don't want to have to buy a new cab. If I can, I will avoid it.

 

if you can get panels, they make some very easy to use adhesives for patch panels now, provided they are not structural pieces of the body, which the cab corners are not. I actually prefer it to welding where possible because once you have warped a panel from welding, (which I have,) you will understand why glueing them in makes so much more sense. I would do a search in the paint and body section, or a quick google search.

 

just buy new cab corners.. or patches.. if its low enough you can form it yourself. you can fine tune a little with bondo.. if you like the truck.. don't go over board with bondo/fibreglass -or just need to get it going for now, what ever then. I wouldn't be able to arch weld cab corners.. too thin for my abilities. But maybe you " know a guy " or your good with it yourself. Try to cut out all the rust and offending area cause A. it won't weld well.. probably blow right threw it. an B. why seal rust in right. If you have a picture of it i'm sure someone on here can walk you threw the best way of doing it. Good luck

 

you should be able to buy the replacement corners, cut the rusted ones out and using your arc welder, weld them back in. I assume you can weld sheet metal with your arc welder.

 

Ok, I hope this works. Read through these posts in the paint and body work section. There is some really helpful info in these.

Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - Search Results

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the help everyone. I'm going to go on a wild goose chase tonight with my camera and try to find the worst possible rust on my truck and post it up.

For sure though, I need new cab corners and a way to get them on the truck. The arc welder isn't the best idea because it requires a very steady hand and a lot of time. I'm quite good at arc welding, it's just that it's on a curved surface.. something I've never had the oportunity to practice on.

Anyone know of a good place to get cab corners? Are they just sold? Or would I have to go to an auto wrecker and take them off myself?

I'm a huge rookie when it comes to body work, but I've got the time and patience to learn.

 

Then that might be a problem

I would look into the adhesive option at this point

 

LMC Truck sells cab corners; I bought mine from them, though I havn't installed them yet. So I can't speak to their ease of installation, nor quality. They seem decent enough sitting under the work bench in my dad's garage, though.

Unless you have a Supercab or Bronco, part numbers for LMC truck are 49-9016 for LH corner, 49-9017 for RH. They are $20 apiece.

If you have a Supercab, the part numbers are 49-9116 for LH, 49-9117 for RH. Prices are $50 apiece.

 

Thanks! Very helpful!

I really need to get some pics up for all you helpers out there. I'll be sure to try and get that done tonight, although, I do have other things to do, so it may not :/

 

gas welding would be a much better option for the cab corners. Or if you have gas welding equipment you can braze them too, which occurs at a lower heat.

 

Eastwood just released some low buck MIG welders. like $400 - just right for bodywork and light fabrication.

I taught myself how to weld (Miller 140 with Autoset) and replaced a rear wheel arch and recently fabricated by own 2.5-inch exhaust system. Be patient, watch your wire speed and current settings, and GO FOR IT!

Other projects with a welder.. closed up old holes, rust holes in both doors, made a sheetmetal brake, AC condenser rack (house project), off-road light brackets, a welding cart, bed extender for my Supercrew so I could carry 12-foot planks, a blade antenna housing, repaired the exhaust hanger on my Supercrew, modified some Bronco bumper brackets to fit a factory rear bumper to my dent. Next up is finishing up a NASCAR style "boom tube" for the dent and then replacing the floor pans on my 65 'Stang.

 

yeah, but he could do all of that stuff with the equipment he has. Depending on the ARC welder you have you can convert it to scratch start tig pretty easily.

 

do a web search under Fusor. used it for bonding panels in body shop where i worked. works well, doesnt promote rust and is STRONG! some of their products are actually as strong as welds

 

The best thing to use out of all the equipment you have is the gas welder. You go ge a 0 or 00 tip small one, get your self some sheet metal exactally the same thickness as your corners and weld little spots at a time. Practice, practice practice until you feel you can do this on your truck.
Now very important if you have a hammer and dolly. Prep area cut all pieces and make sure they are going to fit. start at the top and weld a little spot and put down torch and hammer and dolly it flat, this will keep the heat down and stop warpage ( you should even practice this with the proctice pieces I mentioned eariler) . Once you have the patch in place with a spot weld weld a couple of more spots and hammer them with the dolly behind now skip a few inches and weld a few more spots, do this all the way around and you should come out ok. Just remember if you get the metal to hot it will warp and it is not fun getting it back into shape.
If you can afford a mig or tig then that is the best way to go.
Keep us posted and pictures would help if you get stuck.

 

Spend an extra 10 bucks and get them from Dennis Carpenter. I got my second set from them and they fit perfect. The first set were from a different company and weren't even close to fitting!