I have a 2000 F-150 Scab 4x4 5.4 6.5 Bed with an ungodly amount of rust.

The floor is almost gone, the seat will flex the floor when moved, I can lift the passenger rear corner of the bed up several inches, the tailgate doesn't really fit in between the bed rails properly, it is just bad.

What I am trying to figure out is if it would be better to buy a rust free cab and bed, or to find a good truck with a bad engine or transmission? Which would be cheaper to purchase, which swap would be easier to do, where do I need to look other than craigslist for trucks with blown engines? I assume scrapyards would sell whole cabs if I could find one undamaged.

Is it potentially viable to repair this rust damage without a new cab or truck?

Drivers Side:











Passenger Side:



Bed Underneath and Rear Passenger Side:

 

Good lord, trade it off. That truck is gone. Surface body rust is one thing, but that's falling apart. Cab swaps are no easy task on these new trucks. Drivetrain swaps are easier IMHO, but you will end up with more in 1 truck than its worth.

 

I don't know who I could get to buy it, that's why I was looking to at least salvage the powertrain. The engine runs great, I just have the whole issue of falling through the floor. The frame is actually not very rusty either.

 

New question, what is the cheapest way to temporarily repair the cab enough to be safe to drive around. i simply can't afford to do either the cab replacement or engine swap. I want the seat to be solid and somewhat safe if a collision occurs. Where are the strong structural points on the cab that could be welded to to create extra support for the seat area?