2000 F350 Cab/Chassis Frame Rust Hell

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Oct 25, 2017 | 11:15 AM

coolfarmer

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2000 F350 Cab/Chassis Frame Rust Hell

Hi there, can't believe it's taken so long to find and join FTE. Looking forward to getting to know you folks, helping when I can and learning from you all!

I have the perfect all-around farm truck and ideal 2000 F350...7.3 with 30,000 original miles (awesome, right?!), manual 6SPD with creeper gear, 9' PTO-driven rack body dump, decent sheet metal. Being a New England truck however, the frame looks like it's been parked in the ocean, I could literally peen my way through the crumple zone tubes if I tried. The issue became priority when I came out of AutoZone with parts for another truck and discovered my fuel tank sitting on the ground, I kid you not.

I really need new crossmembers and the front frame crumple zone if anyone has them or has advice from going down this road. I'd actually love to do a rolling chassis swap or swap over the engine and drive train to a southern truck but it would be hard to take it out of service for that long.

Let me know and thanks!

CoolFarmer

Oct 25, 2017 | 01:52 PM

'65Ford

Cargo Master

Joined: Jan 2016

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Might surf the net for a southern truck in need of a motor. I'd think swapping your drive train and body dump bed into a rust free truck would be the same or easier than patching up your existing frame. The end result would be better in the long run, IMO. Then fluid film your "new" truck to slow down rusting of the frame.

Oct 25, 2017 | 02:07 PM

FractureCritical

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Joined: Dec 2016

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I found my frame on eBay of all places. Craigslist is a good place to look around, there are a lot of trucks in your area that died from body rust and left a good chassis behind, and there's always car-part.com for the formal salvage parts route.

Oct 25, 2017 | 04:36 PM

coolfarmer

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Thanks much for the thoughts '65Ford and FractureCritical, really appreciate the feedback. I incidentally started researching that option today, these southern trucks are sooooo much cleaner. Looking at a 2WD gasser with a failing engine on Ebay in Richmond, VA. Would be nice to find a slightly closer configuration but the sheet metal and frame are like new! Would be an investment in time and money but basically an engine/tranny swap, a little welding of my manual hump from my donor into the cab floor as that one is an auto, maybe the rear end, front axle and suspension (I failed to mention my is a 4WD). It would be a brand new truck with all the right things in the right places. I'm a solid mechanic and junkyard stick welder, not a sheet metal/autobody guy so I'd come out way ahead there.

Oct 26, 2017 | 05:36 AM

Raymond

Tuned

Joined: Oct 1999

Posts: 320

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From: Eastern TN

You can go to coutus.com, they are located in Willimantic, CT. I picked up a new cab from Alabama for my 04 F350 from them 2 years ago. They have rust free trucks that they buy from down south. I'm sure you can find the correct frame you need from them.