Rust repair
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
Rust repair
Im looking to repair ALOT of rust this summer. I mean ALOT! Lol typical rust spots for fords, question is how difficult is the rust repair process? Any tips? Pointer? Tricks? Anything to make this easier on the nerves... And maybe the wallet lol
Moderator
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 56,995
Likes: 2,741
From: Virginia
If your bed is rusted out under the taillights, I would not waste my time on it, get another bed. You will never get it strong enough to support the rear of the bed and the tailgate.
If your rear cab corners are rusted out on the inside, then you have serious problems there also. It really can't be fixed correctly, but I have fiberglassed it in. It's never the same, and there is no strong place for your seat belt to attach, and really the only repair is a different cab.
Most other areas are cosmetic, and the patch panels work ok. The rocker panel is an important piece, but they make a nice patch piece for this that restores all of it's strength.
If your rear cab corners are rusted out on the inside, then you have serious problems there also. It really can't be fixed correctly, but I have fiberglassed it in. It's never the same, and there is no strong place for your seat belt to attach, and really the only repair is a different cab.
Most other areas are cosmetic, and the patch panels work ok. The rocker panel is an important piece, but they make a nice patch piece for this that restores all of it's strength.
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
Trending Topics
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 7,437
Likes: 4
From: Charles Town, W bygod Va
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
Moderator
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 56,995
Likes: 2,741
From: Virginia
Don't take my word for it. Look it over carefully and determine what you want to do. If you have a large hole in the floor on either side of the cab corner, then yes you have problems. Will your truck fall apart in the road? No. What I did was put layers of fiberglass in the area, just so when I put stuff behind the seat it would not fall out into the roadway.
But if you study the situation, the piece that is rusted out is part of the support that the rear cab mounts bolt to that support the rear of the cab, and they go out and support the outer cab corners. I believe the No 1 cause of this is the seam sealer leaking above the door on the upper rear corner of the cab. The water runs down the inside of the cab and rusts it out.
After I fiberglassed it in, everything seemed to work fine, but it was one of those "it's not right" things that gets in the back of your mind and never goes away.
But if you study the situation, the piece that is rusted out is part of the support that the rear cab mounts bolt to that support the rear of the cab, and they go out and support the outer cab corners. I believe the No 1 cause of this is the seam sealer leaking above the door on the upper rear corner of the cab. The water runs down the inside of the cab and rusts it out.
After I fiberglassed it in, everything seemed to work fine, but it was one of those "it's not right" things that gets in the back of your mind and never goes away.
New User
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: chepachet ri
I can relate to that. I just pulled off the plywood that the P.O. had put down on the bed of my flairside. Long story short. the rear cross sill is totally rotted on one end. Cheapest new one i have found thus far is 200 bucks not including shipping. How to explain it to the wife will be priceless.
Moderator
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 56,995
Likes: 2,741
From: Virginia
I can relate to that. I just pulled off the plywood that the P.O. had put down on the bed of my flairside. Long story short. the rear cross sill is totally rotted on one end. Cheapest new one i have found thus far is 200 bucks not including shipping. How to explain it to the wife will be priceless.
Mine was rusted out under there, and then a hairline crack developed that ran up the inside corner of the bed. There are no repair parts for this stuff that I know of, and it would be a lot of work to fix it. That's why I found a used bed that did not have this problem.
If you can find a bed that has holes over the wheels, but this area at the tailgate is good, then buy it, it's fixable.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
From: Lancaster County, PA
A alternative to brand new, reproduction panels, is (depending on where you live, and how close to a u-pull-it yard) going to a junkyard with a cordless sawzall, and cutting out the pieces you need. I find this easier because you can also get other parts or whatever you need while you're there. Not knocking anyone else, but there is other fixes to rust problems that work just fine. Sure if you're that **** about things, drop a whole new body part on. But IMHO that's not always appropriate. Welding in a patch or a panel is just fine. It will last if done right. My Grandfather and Dad taught me bodywork skills in every way imaginable. Get your welding skills up and bang em out! Good luck
Moderator
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 56,995
Likes: 2,741
From: Virginia
A alternative to brand new, reproduction panels, is (depending on where you live, and how close to a u-pull-it yard) going to a junkyard with a cordless sawzall, and cutting out the pieces you need. I find this easier because you can also get other parts or whatever you need while you're there. Not knocking anyone else, but there is other fixes to rust problems that work just fine. Sure if you're that **** about things, drop a whole new body part on. But IMHO that's not always appropriate. Welding in a patch or a panel is just fine. It will last if done right. My Grandfather and Dad taught me bodywork skills in every way imaginable. Get your welding skills up and bang em out! Good luck
The problem with these trucks, they all have the same problems. It's very difficult to find good body parts on these year trucks if you live in the eastern US.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
From: Lancaster County, PA
Been there, done that. The junkyard guy didn't have any acetylene for his torch set (a lot them don't like using one in the yard anyway) but he gave me a short cut off piece of leaf spring that he had sharpened. Said he cut panels out of old cars with it all the time, and sharpened it up a little bit and gave it to me. It took me awhile, but I cut the complete trunk floor out of a 61 impala to install in my 64 ss. It worked pretty well, though it was a lot of banging.
The problem with these trucks, they all have the same problems. It's very difficult to find good body parts on these year trucks if you live in the eastern US.
The problem with these trucks, they all have the same problems. It's very difficult to find good body parts on these year trucks if you live in the eastern US.
And yeah I know about some of those problems myself. Lately, I've been finding trucks that are in good shape, rust wise, here. Of course that's when I don't need any body parts. Go figure.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 497
Likes: 4
Reading about these rust issues just now got me curious; how much do other brands of trucks suffer from rust? It turns out...just as much, so it must be a function of living where they put salt on the roads, as most everyone complaining about (serious) rust seems to live in those areas where they do that. I wonder how much money it costs vehicle owners yearly in repairs? I'm surprised there isn't more of a movement to put an end to the use of salt. Don't some parts of the U.S. use sand? It doesn't melt the ice, but it does provide some traction on it.