Casey,

I was told to consult you on my project. I have a 1982 f100 flareside with some rust. I have a few spots on the bed rails and on the bed where the flares meet the flat part of the bed. There are some holes in the bed rails. The other bed rust is not all the way through yet. I also have some at the top of the door jambs right under the drip rails. I would really like to keep the truck, but I also want a permanent fix for the problems if I keep it. Even if it costs a bit, I'm willing to save her. In your opinion, what's the best fix, or the most practical. Your input would mean a lot. Please help a Louisiana boy out!

Thanks a billion,
Calvin

 

Calvin, hang in there casey gets real busy he works something like 6 days 10-12 hours so I'm sure as soon as he gets a chance he will be on and give you an answer. John

 

 

John
I'll wait for him for sure...his answer will probably make my final decision on whether to keep this truck or not. I just want my next truck to be the one to keep for a long while. If it's this one, great. If not...

Thanks,
Calvin

 

Calvin,
Hopefully I'm not too late to help out! My apologies to all for my absence, but time is hard to find when your slave to the grind. :-(
Anyway, about your truck..............
First you need to remove the flares from the bed. Then apply the following procedure for repair on all rusty areas. You should use an angle head grinder (with 40 grit roloc discs) to grind away all scales, flakes and paint from the affected areas. (I prefer the roloc discs to larger grinding discs because they don't tend to "scar" up the metal as bad.) Now, dim the lights and hold a drop light or a flash light on the opposite side of the panel from you.This will show you every miniscule hole present. I then use a small felt tip pen to tag each hole as they appear. Once this is done, each hole should be mig welded shut, and ground flush again using the angle head grinder. Next, change over to a d/a sander with 80 grit paper and set it to the grind mode. Re-grind over all areas once more. This will remove any deep scratches left behind by the angle head. Follow this by using a heat gun to heat all areas enough to force all remaining moisture out. Use a hammer & a small punch to tap each weld in ever-so-slightly. Then mix some fiberglass resin. (Just resin & activator. No cloth is necessary.) Brush these areas well. Pay special attention to the welded areas. This provides a water proof seal to anything possibly missed and seals any microscopic pin-holes that may exist in the welds.
If you have any low areas that now require filler, use dura-glass instead of body filler.(Bondo) Because, it too is water proof. Unlike bondo.
Next it's all finish work & paint prep. If the factory seam sealer is brittle or gone (in the jamb area) remove all that remains & re-seam seal. Use a good catalyzed urethane or epoxy primer all over & you should be good to go!!!
LMK if you hit any snags & I'll try to answer your questions in a timely fashion next time.
Best of luck, Casey B. Allison/A1FenderMender

 

Casey,

I've been looking out for you every day. Thanks a lot for your reply. Like I said, I wasn't going to make a move without your input. It sounds like some work, but I'll manage. I'm waiting for a building to free up and I'm going to rent it and put this truck on the shelf so I can work at leisure. Thanks again for your time. I may be forced to bug you again later.

Regards,
Calvin

 

Calvin,
No problem. You aren't bugging me, I just purchased a new home complete with a huge shop. I am trying to get set up to open my own shop for once. So, just be patient for my response.
Glad I could help. Good Luck!
Casey

 

GOOD LUCK CASEY!!!!! John