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So, I guess it is bad when the patch that was put on several years ago by the previous owner rusts out.
Just thought I would put up a few pictures of my 86 floor before and after.
30 years of VT winter salt did a lot of damage. Lucky for me the body mounts are still solid.
The frame is in great shape. The previous owner oil sprayed the truck each year. I mix my own rust proof (chain saw bar oil, wax and mineral spirits) and spray it on with a garden sprayer each year.
I was going to just weld a new section in but I was not sure how much I would have to cut out before finding good metal.
I ended up fiber glassing in a piece of angle to give me an edge. I encapsulated it covering both sides.
I used wax paper over wood to form a bit of a mold for the large holes and for the channel I needed edge to hold the weather stripping.
I added some black pigment to the resin rather than have to paint the floor later.
I only did the drivers side as I ran out of time ... even now I had to put heaters on it and run the truck to get the resin to set.
Thanks ..... Mike
PS ... re-covering the seat is next. I just wanted to make sure it passed the yearly inspection .... which it did on Monday!
You can buy patch pieces to fix that if you ever want to put metal back in there. I have used fiberglass for the inner rear cab corner areas several times.
I then did one for someone else that had the money to spend, and ordered the large piece in front of the seat where your feet are, the inner piece beside the seat, and the outer piece of the rocker(the full rocker). Cut all the old out, drilled holes in the perimeter of the new patch pieces, used screws to temporarily hold them down in place, and filled the perimeter holes with weld. It looks really good if you can round up the money for the official panels.
Yours will work though. Been there, done that also.
You can buy patch pieces to fix that if you ever want to put metal back in there. I have used fiberglass for the inner rear cab corner areas several times.
I then did one for someone else that had the money to spend, and ordered the large piece in front of the seat where your feet are, the inner piece beside the seat, and the outer piece of the rocker(the full rocker). Cut all the old out, drilled holes in the perimeter of the new patch pieces, used screws to temporarily hold them down in place, and filled the perimeter holes with weld. It looks really good if you can round up the money for the official panels.
Yours will work though. Been there, done that also.
I also did the front floors, full rockers, part between seats & doors, rear door posts and cab corners on mine in metal both sides.
Then seam sealed top & bottom before I used 2 coats of roll on bed liner top & bottom. Should hold for a few years.
The fiber glass is one way to go and looks nice. I like working with metal and have welding sparks fly!
Guess when it gets warm again up there you will do the other side?
Dave ----
That looks awesome. I have never seen so much of the metal replaced.
I had the fiber glass laying around so it cost me nothing and was quick (not to mention the work shop is not built yet).
Maybe next year when the shop is built that will be a project to tackle.
The passenger side needs to be repaired (and at least I repaired the floor well enough to pass inspection). I have a welder so maybe it is time to learn to do body work.
When I bought the truck I was just going to do what needed to get on the road.
Well if you look the cab is on horses and turned into a cab off frame rebuild job.
Picture just before I painted the fire wall. I replaced half to make it factory AC as the truck did not have AC.
Not having a shop can be a pain but having a shop can be just as painful and why this turned into a frame off rebuild. I had to move my other project to the house garage for this truck & parts truck.
As it sits today and there is a car behind the parts truck.
People seeing pictures like this sometimes helps them, "If he can do it so can I".
Dave ----
I really would love to do an off frame job like that!
Winter set in so the workshop is on hold till spring but I do have a 3000 sq ft pad poured. I am dividing it into three bays, each 20 x 50 ( 60 x 50 building ). One bay will be dedicated to a machine shop (I have a couple of lathes, mills, welders, ..... I am a machinist by trade). One will be for storage of our RV (all three bays will have 14 ft doors) and such. One bay is for projects.
There is a car port on the house (house is almost finished after 3 years of building) for the daily drives.
That is truly an inspiring project !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really would love to do an off frame job like that!
Winter set in so the workshop is on hold till spring but I do have a 3000 sq ft pad poured. I am dividing it into three bays, each 20 x 50 ( 60 x 50 building ). One bay will be dedicated to a machine shop (I have a couple of lathes, mills, welders, ..... I am a machinist by trade). One will be for storage of our RV (all three bays will have 14 ft doors) and such. One bay is for projects.
There is a car port on the house (house is almost finished after 3 years of building) for the daily drives.
That is truly an inspiring project !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike
Hours into it??
Don't know as I have not kept track of them but can tell you I did vary little over the summer, to hot.
I bought both trucks last year at this time. I worked on it as I had time mostly weekends but if off from work, local trailer truck driver, because of weather I would do a little if I felt like it.
Most of the time when working on it would be 12 hours straight.
Dave - - - -
In the above picture you can see he used the cheaper "skin" for the rocker repair, which is fine if that is all you need. I had to use the more expensive full rocker, and it includes the turn up areas front and rear. I actually had to trim the turn up in the front a little bit to get it to slide up around the hinge area. I didn't want to take the door off.
Dave, The factory rocker is just like the one I installed other than not having the lip the weather strip fits over. The black patch has the lip for the weather strip.
You can see this from the front door post as I drilled out the factory spot welds.
The rocker is also a heavier gauge metal than the other patches.
The rear door post on both sides were rusted and why I did the patches for them. They were taller but I did not need them that tall so trimmed them down.
Same with the cab corners, they were taller so trimmed them down.
All the patch panels came from https://tabcoparts.com/ and was vary happy with them. With the first order they called me to say some of the panels overlapped and would not need so-n-so parts but would send a flat sheet for filler just in case. That saved me some $$ you done find that much now days.
Dave ----
Sorry,I thought they made the larger rocker for the 86-down trucks. I was working on a 89. I bought #16 in the link below, which includes a lot more metal and the turn-ups on the ends. I wonder why #16 will not fit a 86-dwn cab?
The #16 is a "slip on" rocker, you just slip it over the old rusted one.
#14/#15 are the ones you cutout the old and weld in the new one from what I see.
I do see about the year cut offs. Now I remember seeing a post about later doors not fitting the earlier trucks because of the bottoms not fitting right in the openings.
If the rockers are different that would be why I guess.
Dave ----
OK what year are we talking about?
I don't think the crew cab (CC) off the lot came out till later 80's if I have seen some posts right. Other wise think it was special order but could be wrong.
I would think if you do have one and need patches we could come up with something.
Dave ----
edit: just did a Google of 83 F250 CC and came up with a lot of pictures so guess you could get them almost off the lot?
Looking at the picture the rocker looks like all 1 piece but not seeing it in person cant say?
That is how they do 4 door cars and the center door comes down to it, kind of like how mine do.
I know crew cab pickups went back to the bumpside pickups ('67-'72) as they are pretty prized in that group. I had thought that they were available through the 70s up to the present time including Bullnoses.
I look at old trucks all the time on Craigslist and other places mainly looking for supercabs and vans, but I see crew cabs here and there and some peak my interest. Now finding a clean one that is 4x4, 351w, ZF trans, and a short bed for less than $5K, that's the problem!
I know the CC goes back, had a 68 back in the early 80's, but thought they were special order un-like today where you can go to a dealers lot and drive off in one an hour later.
I checked https://tabcoparts.com/amfinder/ and see normal cab, SC and one that is 42Lx6H L/R
Dave ----
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