The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Cab rust with pictures FOLLOW UP

Here are the cab parts that I must replace. Can anyone tell me what I need to order?

[img]http://images5.theimagehosting.com/54no1.jpg[/img]
This one is the R.H. side

[img]http://images5.theimagehosting.com/54no2.jpg[/img]
Same as the first, different angle

[img]http://images5.theimagehosting.com/54no4.jpg[/img]
LH inside fender

[img]http://images5.theimagehosting.com/54no6.jpg[/img]
LH inside of cab, been patched many years ago, I know it's just as bad as the RH side.

The door columns are shaky too, I guess I need all of this replaced. How hard and is this all expensive? What skill level? and precautions?

You can see that on the RH side the bottom brace is poking through the floor board. I don't want just a patch to get it by and to get back on the road, I want the peace and mind that everything is a least solid and been replaced with new every place where the old rusted out stuff was. If I replace everything this is gone it should be as good as it was in 54 and maybe for another 50 years. Also you can see where someone bondo things to make it appear to be soild. I think on the other side I took about 20 pounds out, LOL!

Any help is greatly appreciated.

John Niekamp

You need a toeboard, left and right inner cowl panels as well as left and right floor panels. The one photo I believe to be a left side inner to outer cowl panel. Good Luck.

Hello John,
That looks almost as bad as mine.Here is my list as well as my plan.Parts I bought left and right of the folling cost around 500.00.inner cowel,inner-to outer cowel piece,outer cowel-full,lower door post,floor support,floor toeboard combo patch(LMC) door hinge rebuild kits.Tools=mig welder,die grinder,spot weld cutter,drill with phillips screwdriver bit,air chisel with nibbler bit,level,combination squair,lots and lots of time and basic set of tools.THE PLAN=1remove front end clip and tires.2level the frame,find a A.D in good condition (if possible one that has not been previosly patched)Take measurement from seam where toeboard meets cowel straight down to frame on both sides.I am not sure of this measurement yet cant seem to find a A.D. in good shape to get it,hey mabe one of you A.D.could help us out I fill it is verry important to get cab in right position before patching,I have read many horrer stories on A.D. door& hood alighnment.Ok when we get the measurement we need set your cab at that same measurement and support it with a couple of 2by4 braces(see Chucks The Truck in gallery 1952)Now using the approprite cutting tools remove cancerous pannels.Rebuild door hinges.start replaceing pannels.Dont weld yet.Put it all back together using self tapping screws to hold it together.When its all together and you are satisfied with fit remove screws one at a time and use hole to make a plug weld.Well this is my plan.I am still trying to get that @!*&measurement.I wold also love to hear from anyone who has performed this procedure.Good luck and keep us posted as will I Aaron

mine looked like that i blasted it clean then fibrglassed it its very strong now and will not leak or rust the floor boards look like new and it was so easy

Look like Aaron called it. Rust is like an iceberg and when you start removing paint, rust, and panels, you'll find it really grows.

Been there done that, look for an Arizona cab or a good cab at a meet, beleive me, it's cheaper in the long run. Zeke

Being that that is a 54 cab it will be difficult to find a donor cab that is in much better condition. What you have there is typical and how you repair it depends somewhat on your overall restoration plan. Are you looking to make a driver out of it? Are the floor boards and inner cowl panels going to be bare or covered with carpet?

My 54 was in similar shape. I welded in sheet metal to the toe board to repair the holes but used the inner cowls, inner-to-outer cowl panel and the short outter cowl repair panels to fix my 54 cab. The prices vary from supplier to supplier but most came from Chevy Duty. Be warned that these panels are not direct refits necessarily and some take some significant modification to make fit.

Tools you will need to perform this include a MIG wire feed welder, drill, good metal drill bit set, sport weld cutter (not the saw type), angle grinder, grinding and cut-off wheels, and patience. Lots of patience.

I had never done a patch panel repair previous to my effort and beieve anyone with the tools and patience can perform this work.

If you farm this out the cost would be prohibitive.

The other option is that if everything is going to be covered up, you can remove all the current rust, treat it, and either install homemade patches over the rusted areas or fiberglass the heck out of the areas to seal them. Once it is covered up you are the only one who knows or cares.

Good luck.

The Pros do these kind of repairs all the time. Take a look at the Iron Chief site. There is a good project on that site. The idea is to leave as much in place as you replace bit by bit. On some of these sites they do all the welding and then send the cab out to be stripped. That way it doesn't change shape in the process.

I am doing my cab right now and when things get a bit tough, I take a break for a while until I figure out what went wrong. It is very gratifying to see the new metal come together.

Well thanks for the advice here guys.

The truck will be a on/off daily driver, since it's flatbed truck I will doing rock hauling for myself and friends. You know how that goes.

Still being that I want it to look good and safe to drive. I knew there was some cab rust in it when I got it, because is was saging on one side.

I have been getting prices on some guys here in town on a complete restoration all the way down to the rubber moldings and windstrip lacing to the paint finish.

They have been all within a few hundred bucks from one another. The one that I really like his work quoted me tonight $5,000 OR tade my 30 Model A Coupe for the parts and labor. That is still under strong consideration.

From everyone's experience who has done one of these old trucks, is $5,000 out of line any? That's with all rusted out metal replace and new steel welded in and stipped and the cab painted inside and out. If only this was an old tractor I would not hesitate doing it myself, but sheet metal is not my cup of tea.

This guy told me that if he could get it late this year to early first of the year, he could have it done by early to mid spring 05, painted back to the original dark blue and ready to go hopefully for another 50 years. He has a old Mustang he's promised out at the end of the year. I have seen this person's work and itlooks like he goes that extra mile.

Give me your input, does this price sound within reason?

John

If you have the money and other things you'd like to do, then let him do it and enjoy a beautiful truck. If you have more cash and a bunch of time, do it yourself.

I love doing it all myself, but if someone said they would beautify my truck to high standards for $5M, I might think hard.

Do you want to do it more than you want it done? That is the question to answer.

5 grand is way hi i can get a just done 49 5 window close to show condition for 6 grand the cab is mint mayby i should get it and sell mine mine is a 50 3 window the cab needs work and its all apart in the drive

32-

I've thought the same thing many times. Everytime I looked at one of the reasonably "done" trucks,it turned out looking poor and left me prefering to just do mine.

You may be right that 5 grand just for the cab may be high. I was thinking of a more complete job. But rebuilding a whole cab looks like a lot of work.

It still comes down to a time vs money issue. Which is more valuable to you? Is it more the pride of doing it or the thril of driving it that floats your boat?

Everybody that reads this will have their own take and may even offer great points of view, but the decision comes back to you.

Good Luck, and keep us posted!!

Seems like for $5g you could ride out to MT's & grab a rust free cab. Panel replacement is not rocket surgery, I just did my 64's rockers,corners,floor etc. I thought rust free cabs didn't exist...they ARE out there-I bought one last week-a year too late but couldn't pass it up. Paid $500 for cab & doors.'64 C60 farm truck, shedded all its life. Still has all the drip rail sealer intact. I know yours is older but the 64 is still 40 years old, in amazing shape. Brian