well nice day today, I finished pulling all my wheels, making inspections noting what not right where, alls going great till I get to the passengers side front wheel. Looking around, oiling this, tapping rust off that..... then I hit the solid looking cab mount and it crumbled. its mostly all gone and part of the floor. it explains the odd cracks in the fender support.

now I am looking for a good replacemt cab mount to bolt in there, I dont like jcwhitneys design, it needs welded in and isnt very "right looking"
I found one at blue oval parts,
here => http://blueovaltruckparts.com/catalo...oducts_id=6746
this looks better made and overall larger to bolt/weld.
opinions?

any ideas where to get new cab panels like this maybe even better designs?

they sell floor pans too but I cant find them for a 65, they have em for 67 up like this => http://blueovaltruckparts.com/catalo...oducts_id=6759

are the 67 and 65 floorpans the same or shuld I be looking for 65 cab floor pans...

(dunno whats the same design wise)

blue oval seems to have all the cab parts but the 65's floor pans...

my floor over the cab mounts are tin and holey, so a new pan with a new cab mount on both sides will be good and strong.

the drivers side cab mount has a hole in the side and the tack welds are shot on one side so if I replace one I think I should replace bit mounts and floor pans. the ends of the rear cab supports are eated off so those need new ones bolted in too. blueoval sells those to, damn expensive for little ends!
=> http://blueovaltruckparts.com/catalo...oducts_id=6676
why are they so expensive? i think I can make my own from thick body plate steel I have here and a little hammering. looks like an easy part to fabricate.

I will take some pics later and toss em in the gallery.

good report on the frame its all in very nice shape, no heavy rusted nuts or joints.


the front strip that sits under the front of the grill and bolts to the frame... sorta... looks like an angle oron made of sheet metal
its rotted out I cant find replacemts for that either. but it too is pretty easy to fabricate, all flat angles and such.

Looks like I will be removing the front clip after all... oh well, nothing worthwile is ever easy and if it is you missed someting really important!

any advice on this body work I will read with great apreciation!

 

2nd, The floor pans are identical from 65-79. I have one cut from some mid 70s (don't remember any more) to weld into my 66. In 73 Ford added 4" to the rear of the pan, but you don't need to go that far back. Just cut it under the seat and you'll be good to go.

John

 

2nd Mouse. . . .

That's some Sage Info & Advice from John. I concur 100% !!

I'll add this preservation & finishing information to what jowilker has said. 1st avoid using POR 15 on anything you want to paint later that needs to last, be duarble and/ or look good too! Keep your $$ in your Jeans!

Apply a couple liberal coats of Ospho available at any reputable body & Paint Supply jobber as well as NAPA stores. Slather it good with a spray bottle. Then wire brush loose stuff off. Then make your cuts & splices.

After you weld it back together, wire brush & clean it up again & slather it inside & out with a good Epoxy Primer Sealer, Note that's SEALER as opposed to primer SURFACER. There is a profound difference between primer surfacer & primer sealers.

Primers GENERALLY do not seal since they're made with porosity so the next coat will better adhere, hence "primer coat" que? But Epoxy Primer Sealer does a better job as a substrate PLUS seals the undersurface completely since it is NOT POROUS AT ALL!

If fact it is not only possible, but common th run Epox Prime/seal as a finish coat as many guys do so on "nostalgia street rods". It lasts as long as most paints! In addition, unlike primer SURFACER
the Epox Pr/Seal is a better foundational substrate than bare metal is for the polyester fillers like Tiger Hair, Bondo and feather fill.

You can Epox a surface, drive it for years, wash it, clean it with prep compounds or lacquer thinner/reducers, scuff it, dust it with a light, fresh coat of Epox & continue on with a show quality finish paint job 5-6-7 years later. . . . NOT SO WIT ANY OTHER PRIMER.

I include non Epoxy primer sealers in that exclusion, Mouse. . . . Epox stands aloneas hands down the best for all finish coats, Show Quality or Utility Grade, or a LAST "FOREVER" (figuratively speaking of course) nearly Show Quality Utility Grade Finish of BC/CC or BC/IC/CC Poly U paint.

FBp

 

2ndMouse;
I was just looking at different threads, look @ 63f100 Cab to frame mounts; Balucas claims that Carlonia Classic possiblitily have floor pans for 65 Sloicks.
Hope this helps.

C.C.

 

http://www.motorhaven.com/customer/home.php?cat=155

 

coolie... you guys rock!

I suck at welding, can thes pans be drilled/bolted in and be just as sturdy?

 

Thanks Pete for the flowers.

CC The cab mounts for 64 and prior will not work on 65-79 cabs. The pans at Carolina Classics were molded from Ricks own 64, and are excellent replacement parts, but wont work for this job.

John

 

This all depends on what you will be bolting to. If the new panels are attached to parts that are still rusty, you will be wasting your time.
You will have to remove all of the rusted areas and a few inches past that.
Welding in not too difficult if you follow a few basic rules.
1. Remove all paint, rust, grease, etc from the weld are.
2. Panels should be cut to fit with about a 1/32" gap between.
3. Use a .23 wire in your mig welder with Argon gas
4. Use spot welds to hold the panel. Start by spacing them 6-10 inches apart, then move around the panel and spot halfway between each spot weld. Leave some cooling time between trips around the panel. Once all of your welds are about 1/4" apart, you can lay some 1/4" beads between the spots. Agiain, leave some cooling time to minimize warping.
5. I now like to use flap wheels sanding discs to smooth the welds. Grinders heat up too much and take away to much metal. rough down the welds with a 60 grit wheel and smooth that ith a 120 grit wheel.

You can check out this link for an example of one of my first panels I welded. It turned out real well and I have little experiance as well.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...threadid=82480

 

Thank you for the tips krosati.

 

I cut all the rust out today and added some pics to the gallery.. go see the horror!

these old trucks are pretty well made.. ive underestimared them all these years. even after a day with the air sheers and air chisling the rust off, there is still ALOT of solid body to weld/bolt to. I ordered the cab mounts and i will bolt them in and then tack weld all over for good measure.

then i have to replace the floor I cut out.

always lift the carpet and hammer hammer hammer!
I wouldnt have bought this pig if I had done so, BUT the more I look at it the more repairable it seems. my nissan didnt have half this much rust and I couldnt patch it together worth a damn, they dont make body repair panels for nissans!!

but they do make all I want for fords... so I made a good deal.

A little more work than I planned, a lot less than I expected when i saw the rust.

 

2nd, I think I would look at a different cab before I tackled that project.

There is one in the Charlotte NC area in pretty good shape for under $100.00, that is gonna be chrushed if not gotten soon.

You should be able to email me through my profile, if not go to the ncfto.org site and click on the contact ncfto button just above the counter, and I'll try to help.

John

 

More Flowers to ya J.O. ! Great solution, it's what I'd do. N.C. Queen City is a spit in the wind from the Keystone State Fo' Sho
Mouse Take him up on this deal, it's well worth it IMHO . . . .


FBp

 

Ahhh to be poverty stricken! If I was closer maybe.

I'm on my last pennies, 100 bucks and some welding will put in a new mount and new floor pans. the rest of the cab is solid.
Ive patched worse...

Besides its just me doing it I am hard pressed to find someone to "actually show up" when it came to not only picking it up but taking the old one off and...

If I hasd a bette cam I could take better pics close up, the tin rusted off the tack welds, and whats left is solid. I( as a friend of mine he said he would weld the pans in if I couldnt do it.

I'll get my sisters good digicam and take some detail shots.

its what I got its all I can afford and I have seen far worse made better than new...

at 2 bucks a gallon I dont think I will be going farther than the store and back. I may shelve this project and use the nissan till next year or untill we bomb someone with cheaper oil.

100 bucks for a better cab IS a deal... wish I could take it.

Stick with me and I will post pics of my progress.

like I said there is pleanty of solid in this pig left, this is just sheet tin.