I went to look at a cab and the first thing I check is the lower area around the cab and it's solid...even the cab corners. The cab is off of a F3 utility truck that put power line poles in the ground. Inside the cab is clean metal, even the floor, dash and ceiling.

My concern is something I've honestly never seen before and I apologize for not getting pictures but my phone had died and I was in my wife's car.

The surface is pretty rough and does have what looks to be surface rust. It covers pretty much the whole outside of the cab. The paint is still in tack (for the most part but is peeling up) but is rough as well. It's like the rust got under the paint. When tapping/hitting the exterior of the cab I can't find any soft spots and it feels very uniform. I even got in the cab and was hitting the panels from the inside and still felt and sounded solid. I did take my finger nail and was able to scratch the flaky rust off the top, which afterwords looked that it could be smooth with a DA sander. Which leaves me to believe it's just surface. However the doors have more damage than anything the front corners and the bottoms. Which I've been told it a problem area like the cab corners. Normally when I've seen rusted cabs they didn't have any paint and were smoother. With this one feeling rough and having rust I can't tell if it goes really deep or it's a combination of the rust and paint peeling up that causing the roughness. The worst part of the rust where there is no paint is dead center on top of the cab.

Reason for all this is I bought a cab last weekend that I shouldn't because I'm going to have to sink either alot of money or my time fixing it. I'm not a fab guy but it would be a good cab to learn.

The cab in question I'm getting dirt cheap and another seat of CLEAN doors. These doors were stored in a cargo van

 

A solid cab? Dirt cheap? Another set of good doors? I say buy them now before somebody on here does!

 

Sold on the inside, yes. The exterior concerns me. I have a cab now that I shouldn't have bought. Now I'm learning how to weld patch panels in.

 

Wait a minute....there is no such thing as 'shouldn't have bought this truck part' in our group.
We are a group of professional enablers who can help you rationalize any decision when it comes to buying stock parts.



It all happens for a reason. For example, some day you'll be out in your yard and a golf ball size hailstorm will break out of nowhere and you'll dive in the cab to save your life and a stray dog too.
Or....you'll find a bargain priced abandoned project for sale dirt cheap locally that has everything but a cab. Put the extra cab on it, sell it for a profit, and put the money towards your existing truck fund.
Lots more reasons come to mind.
I think one member here lived in his extra cab when his wife threw him out for spending more time working on the truck than her.
I better stop now, you get the picture.
Tom

 

Funny. I was on the way home from picking up the first cab and mention to the wife I already had a deal sprung up on this cab. She didn't care to much.

All I really need is a grill, hood and bed. I'm building a hot rod. Going fenderless and using a 6bt motor.

 

Just my 2 cents worth but have your cab blasted. You'll be glad to know for sure that you're starting with good metal or you'll see ALL the problem areas you have.

 

I would love to do that but places around here charge a arm and a leg. Got quoted 3,000 to do foxbody. I do have a smaller sand blaster though. Could work in suspected areas.


I really think the exterior is ok but I've never seen rust do this or give this effect. Think of really dry skin and how rough it feels but doesn't appear to go through. hitting the panels for inside and out side have that distinctive "thud" solid sound.

 

Can't help much without pictures. Also suggest that you add your location in through UserCP link. If this is an Arizona truck that is one thing but an east coast truck may be something else.

 

I'm in central NC. My thinking is. If the metal sounded good from banging on it. And the cab corners are ok then it should be sound $600 for solid set of doors, cab with repairable doora

 

Sorry to break into your thread, but I wanted to give you a warm FTE welcome to the site.

 

Yup,....Jim, sometimes we just have to intrude and say our welcomes. One short line won't hurt their feelings I hope lol.

 

Welcome to FTE
I have only been down here in NC for 2 years from CT and you do see a lot more surface rust as the sun bakes the paint off cars & trucks. Only thing with surface rust is how deep do the pits go?

Now that does not mean you should not check for rust in normal places like you did.

You have to watch what you use if going to blast the cab as some of the products can warp the panels and turn the cab to junk.
I find Eastwood sells products to fight/kill rust that work pretty good and I also use https://www.ebay.com/p/?iid=251591511073&&&chn=ps
on surface rust.

I Have a 81 F100 flare side project I am rebuilding, killing rust so most of my time is spent there.
Dave ----

 

Well guys I got the cab with 2 doors (bottoms needs repair), also got two really good doors but I hate to blast the pinta off, 2 F1-2 axles. Have no clue if the spindles are good or not. All for $700.

The cab I'm kinda disappointed but it's a easy fix. The top roof is pitted (lightly as I would call it). But going to take it to get blasted this week hopefully and then spray some high build primer to seal it back up. The picture looks worst because it's close up but buddy of mine is a painter he told me the primer to get, ever coat Super Build. I just used 180 grit to sand it down. This is the picture from that. I then took a wire wheel and it looks a lot better but didn't manage to get a picture of that. Can you believe the cab corners are fine!? The only area in question is the floor plan corners. I'll know more once we blast it.








Here's my other cab. The worst part of it is needs new floor, cab corners and the interior floor corners. I'm OCD about my work like most, I'm using this cab to learn off of. The body though is in great shape. I know of another cab locally I may pick up. They aren't making these anymore soo why not. lol