major cab rust repair
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Troy, MI
major cab rust repair
i need some help here, ive never done much of any body work, done some simple bondoing and painting. the floor pan around the rocker panel is rusted all the way through, the carpet is the only thing holding it together and cold air comes through the carpet. the cab corners are real bad and im sure the rockers need to be replaced too. i dont have a mig welder yet, about to get one. i was wondering if this was something i can do myself, ive never welded before but i dont really care too much how it looks as long as its decent and ive done a lot of soldiering so i think after some practice i should be able to do it. i was also wondering how much a body shop would charge me to weld the new pieces of metal that i would supply. its pretty bad when i lift the door up the rocker panel lifts separate from the floor. thanks a bunch
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 432
Likes: 1
From: West London, England
Hi Hourang
Doing this yourself is definitely possible, it will take some time but will be very rewarding
You can teach yourself how to MIG weld but if you can find a local college that runs a class or a friend who can point you in the right direction it will save you time in the long run.
Start with the bits you cant see, ie the bits under the carpet then as you gain experience move onto the visible bits
There are some pic's in my gallery that may give you a few ideas. I had never welded before I started my truck.
Good Luck
Stephen
P.S Dont bother with the gasless migwelders, you will get much better results using gas
Doing this yourself is definitely possible, it will take some time but will be very rewarding
You can teach yourself how to MIG weld but if you can find a local college that runs a class or a friend who can point you in the right direction it will save you time in the long run.
Start with the bits you cant see, ie the bits under the carpet then as you gain experience move onto the visible bits
There are some pic's in my gallery that may give you a few ideas. I had never welded before I started my truck.
Good Luck
Stephen
P.S Dont bother with the gasless migwelders, you will get much better results using gas
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Troy, MI
yeah i thought about taking a class at my local community college, too much money right now. i dont know that much about welders, all i know is i want the cheapest one i can find that will work for what i want to do, on a tight budget here and this is my daily driver. i dont care too much about the looks of the truck as long as its functional, cuz right now its not. now i havent looked at it too much but how would i start something like that, what order do the pieces have to be replaced in? can i just replace the floor pan for now and do the rocker panels later? or do i have to do everything at once? i can deal with the cab corners but that floor pan has got to be replaced. is there a way i can just rivet the floor pan in for now until i get a welder and better weather to redo the whole thing? or is it cheap enough to just let a pro handle it?
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 432
Likes: 1
From: West London, England
It's difficult to say without seeing your truck
Also I am not familiar with the your year of truck but I am sure there are people here who are
If the floor and rocker panels are similar to my 54 (all part of the same panel) i would do them at the same time while you have the seats and carpets out
You need to cut out all the rusted metal, if the rusted areas are flat or simple shapes you can make repair patches from sheet steel and weld them in, if the shape is complex then buy a patch panel
I wouldn,t consider pop riveting, it would be as much work as welding, wouldn't be strong enough and wont last
To pay someone to do it depends on your circumstances, do you need this truck for daily transport? have you somewhere to work? and your budget
I'd start by removing the seat and the carpets to see the extent of the rust, take some pictures and post them in your gallery
Also I am not familiar with the your year of truck but I am sure there are people here who are
If the floor and rocker panels are similar to my 54 (all part of the same panel) i would do them at the same time while you have the seats and carpets out
You need to cut out all the rusted metal, if the rusted areas are flat or simple shapes you can make repair patches from sheet steel and weld them in, if the shape is complex then buy a patch panel
I wouldn,t consider pop riveting, it would be as much work as welding, wouldn't be strong enough and wont last
To pay someone to do it depends on your circumstances, do you need this truck for daily transport? have you somewhere to work? and your budget
I'd start by removing the seat and the carpets to see the extent of the rust, take some pictures and post them in your gallery
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 140
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From: Troy, MI
yeah the patch panels are like $30 so i would rather just get them, its cheap. the riveting like i said would be temporary until i can redo the whole thing. right now this truck is my daily driver, i have my camaro in storage right now and when its nicer out i will drive the camaro and can work on the truck. yeah i was thinking i should have gotten pictures before i posted, just wanted a basics. i think i may just temporarily rivet some flat sheet metal to stop the cold air from making my legs cold and then eventually do the full repair. anyone have a step by step on how to replace the floor pan, rocker panel and cab corners for a 85 single cab? i dont know if there are crossmembers or anything i have to worry about. thanks a bunch.
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 926
Likes: 3
From: SE, Michigan
Hey I did this on my 82 F100. Same cab as your 85. I replaced the cab corners, lower rear door post, and outer floor pan. I bought my patch panels from jeff's bronco graveyard. They are in brighton if you want to drive out there and buy them or order them. Anyways without seeing your floor its hard to tell how much you will have to replace. I had to make some of my own patch panels out of 18 guage sheetmetal. I too had never done any work like this before I replaced these parts. I had welded before, so make sure after you get your welder you practice on some sheetmetal. I have pictures in my gallery showing what I replaced, maybe it can help you.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...&albumid=12758
http://broncograveyard.com/products/cat/20/185/34037
http://broncograveyard.com/products/cat/20/185/34060
http://broncograveyard.com/products/cat/20/185/34021
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...&albumid=12758
http://broncograveyard.com/products/cat/20/185/34037
http://broncograveyard.com/products/cat/20/185/34060
http://broncograveyard.com/products/cat/20/185/34021
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Troy, MI
no way there out in brighton?? wow im out that way in south lyon area like everyday. sweet i can just stop by there. awesome that helps a lot knowing i can just do it myself, thanks a lot. ill try to take some pictures when i get a chance, i never get around to it. looks like your did an awesome job, maybe if i get stuck i can have you help me since your in the area
:wishful thinking: what kind of welder did you use for the job? i was thinking of something like this:
http://www.autopn.com/store/pc/viewP...idproduct=2802
would that do the job? thanks again.
:wishful thinking: what kind of welder did you use for the job? i was thinking of something like this:http://www.autopn.com/store/pc/viewP...idproduct=2802
would that do the job? thanks again.
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 432
Likes: 1
From: West London, England
That is similar to the welder that I have
It works fine for doing bodywork
Go for the gas option, you will get much better welds
Stephen
It works fine for doing bodywork
Go for the gas option, you will get much better welds
Stephen
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Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Troy, MI
oh i was at lunch so i decided to snap some quick shots with my camera phone, it comes in handy:d
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...&albumid=14113
as you can see its pretty bad tho with the door closed its just the cab corners you see. so how do i go about moving all the old metal and the rocker panel, with a sawsall?
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...&albumid=14113
as you can see its pretty bad tho with the door closed its just the cab corners you see. so how do i go about moving all the old metal and the rocker panel, with a sawsall?
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 926
Likes: 3
From: SE, Michigan
I used my lincoln electric pro mig 135 with 75/25 gas mix and .023 solid wire. It works great. Looks like you will need cab corners, lower rear door post, lower front door post, and outer floor pan from what I can see. If you go to jeffs bronco graveyard and you drive your truck you can have them get the parts and check to see if it is the correct piece to fix them in the parking lot. It was around $200 to fix both side of my truck on the cab. Here's something I found help full. If you have to cut out alot the the floor or lower door post/cab corner, make sure you brace up the good sheetmetal so that it doesn't move when you cut the old stuff out. I used a cut off wheel to cut my rust out. I also move my bed back about one foot so I could get to the backside of the cab corners. It took me about one week on each side. Good luck. Fred
