Anything can be repaired with enough time and money. I wouldn't bother with that ca though. You'll have several thousand into the cab alone just in rust repair, not even finish work and paint. Get another cab or a whole new truck and call it a day. I've never seen them rust out so bad around the top.

On the other hand, if you can weld you cna patch it up yourself. I assume you're not experienced at body work since you're asking here, but it can be done. Just give yourself a LOT of time to do it. Cut out the rust, make a new panel to patch what you cut out, weld it in. Body work isn't rocket science, but making panels from scratch is kind of an art. You can get hte floor pans, rockers, and corners aftermarket but for the rest you're on your own. Note even using patch panels those that stuff there's still a bit of fab and creative whatnots involved.

If you cant' afford $1500 for a parts truck, you cant' afford to fix this one... Whether you pay someone to do it or do it yourself. It just won't happen for $1500 no matter what you do. So either save your pennies and learn to do it yourself, or get a better job.

Body work just plain sucks, but if you're a sadistic masochist then give it a go yourself, more power to you.

 

Hey, man.... he said he's interested in repairing this one because it has a lot of
sentimental value to him.

Reading the thread and looking at his username, it was apparently his father's who
apparently recently died.

Go easy on the guy.....

 

fixed it for ya Chris

 

Sentiment can get in the way of practicality. The $1500 for the donor truck would be a deal compared to what it's going to cost to fix that cab. And as they already know, a lot of the panels are not available, so even if you wanted to save that cab, you would need another good one to cut parts off of. So I don't see any way in avoiding not buying another cab, if it's just to repair that one.

 

and this would probably be the way to go.


too bad I don't live near there, I would be all over that truck for my 82. I need a cab, a bed, and a frame..... hey, I have good doors and a front clip, so I'm part way there.

 

Ya good cab, good frame, but I snagged the good bed haha.

 

First of all yes I am a girl, I'm 23 and still learning the automotive trade. I know my mechanics, but have no clue on body work, as I said, still learning. As far as buying a new one I have my dodge ram. I am starting my business which should be off the ground by June. And BTW just like everyone else I have bills that take precidence over toys and hobbies. I cannot just go buy a parts truck right now because yes money but right now I have no place to put one for a teardown as i live in an apartment. Basically I am just going to say that if you cannot find anything nice to say then please move on to the next post. And for everyone else that has been giving me advice I thank you dearly, it means so much to know that i do have options to get my truck on the road.

 

Ctubutis where can i find this dennis carpenter guy? i have never heard of him.

 

00Boss I am in Lewisville, (dfw area)

 

It will not cost $1500 to fix a cab guys, come on.

I got a whole roof for my truck from the u-pull-it for $75.
Factor in maybe $100 for panel adhesive, seam sealer, and body filler.
Rockers for this truck would be another $100.
Then you might need some plain flat sheetmetal for an odd patch here and there.

Some labor is more than worth the sentimental value of saving a truck. That is the same reason I fixed so much on my own.

I'm always so shocked at how against actually fixing rust people on this forum are, after being on the HAMB all the time.
Why don't you tell this guy he would've been better off "just buying a new one": http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=466490

 

After looking at the pictures of your truck I would have to give you some grandfatherly advice and that is to have someone who knows these old trucks look at it. What is the condition of the frame, spring hangers, etc? What is the condition of the bed? There is just a certain state of degradation where it is no longer practical to repair a cab and a replacement is the prudent way to go. Have you thought of finding a dry storage area where you can store the truck 'till you find time and money to work on it? Water intrusion is the truck's worst enemy now. Good luck with your dad's truck. I am sure he would be proud what ever you do.
Be mindful too that unless all the rust is eliminated it will come back. But you probably know that.

 

DFW huh? Id almost drive the parts up to you lol. Though at $3.60 a gallon might be a bit costly for me. Send me a pm and I may just hook you up with somethin to work with.

 

We are all here to help. I can certainly understand you wanting to repair and keep running your Dad's truck, and I along with everyone else here commend you for that. I don't think anyone was trying to be negative at all but just trying to make sure you understand the time, effort and money it would take to repair what you have over replacing it.

It seems to me your in over your head on this but if everyone just gave up because someone told them it's too hard or too much, there would be a lot less of these trucks on the road.

However....I think your Dad would completely understand any decision you make in keeping his truck, his memory alive. And I'm also quite sure he wouldn't want you to be driving something that is not safe to be in.

Don't give up on it. Do what you can or make a plan on how you want to approach this. No matter what your going to have the support of all of us here to help you along the way.

 

that's a nice build, as is yours. I myself would do either project, but I have the skill, tools, and shop to do it. we are meirly sugesting that it would be faster, and cheaper to replace the cab. the floor in the truck I just finished was estimated by a bodyshop in my area..... $5000. I can buy another truck or two for that.

 

Body work is expensive because it sucks. It's extremely tedious and if you get impatient and rush it, you're gonna mess it up and make more work. You can ignore the facts since they're not "nice" and wind up spending a heap of money to fix the truck if you ever get that far, or you can acknowledge them and come up with a plan to restore your dad's truck. Bottom line, it doesn't sound like you can afford to repair that cab since you can't afford a parts truck and can't do the metal work yourself. It does not make financial sense to repair that cab. Keep your eyes on Craigslist, eBay, etc. and find yourself a solid cab. Swap it on. The rest of the rust repair will probably be easy enough that it won't cost you a fortune when it's time for paint.

For comparison I was quoted a bit over $3000 to replace my cab corners, replace the rust over the wheel wells on my bed, repair two small dents in the bed, repair a dent in the door, and replace the fenders and hood with parts I provide, and paint. I'm doing the rust repair myself and only have one panel left to go. I may just do the paint myself as well. If that's teh case I'd expect to have under $800 into the whole thing, vs. around $4000 at the body shop after everything is included. Just some numbers that may help you plan the project.