Hey guys. Got to looking today and above my drivers door and around about 1/4 of the windshield the cab is rusted threw where that little lip thing over hangs over. How and with what is the best way to fix this problem.

Where is the best place to find body parts. I have to get this front part fixed so that I can readjust the fenders. I think that may be part of my door problem.

Looking for core support and grillle and the part htat hides below the grille and beind the bumper.
THanks
Matthew

 

Matt most trucks suffer from rust through on the rain rails. That is the little lip the sticks out from the lower portion of the roof. There are a few methods to repair the area, some better than others. One method if to remove all the rust that you can get to and patch the holes with bondo or fiberglass. The second method is to replace the missing metal with patch panels. I haven't been able to find any patch panels so I am going to start making some out of 18 guage steel tomorrow. The third method involves replacing the entire roof from a donor. Unless the area is completely sealed afterwards it will rust again in a few years or more.

There are replacement radiator core supports, grilles, and stone deflectors available through some of the vendors on this site. Check out Mac's Auto, Blue Oval Truck Parts, Carolina Classics, LMC Truck, and Dennis Carpenter. You can also find them on other websites using google as a search engine to find them. Remember that some replacement panels are not stamped exactly as the original and they cost a few hundred $$$. If your budget allows your best bet might be to go to car show/swap meets or junk yard crawls.

You may want to look into buying a wire feed welder to help with some of the repairs that you'll encounter. The intial price will be offset by how much you save replacing sections of a bad panel rather then the whole thing. Plus it will come in handy for all sorts of things besides repairing the body.

Just out of curiousity what part of the country do you live in? You may be able to have a few people give you a hand that live close by if your parents are cool with it.

 

I'm from Arkansas. Near Batesville. My parents would be alright with it. As long as its weekends and dont inter fear with school. My mom is the one that helped me find the truck. So really likes fixing up things. My dad likes to fix too but dont know much about that kind of stuff. If my grandpa was still alive we'd have it made. We got this truck as a project the hole family can work on. Kind of funny I got a Ford and my dad got a 65 GMC. We going to work on them and have family time. thing is his runs and is almost road ready and mine aint. Oh well give me a few weeks and well have her at least running.

Got a friend thats going to put her tranny back in for me and we will go from there.

Thanks guys,
Matt