The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Cab Repair

There seems to be 2 ways to go on the standard repair on the 56 task force cab I am ready to start on. The cab is on a dolly I fabricated out of angle iron to mimic the exact diminisions of the frame. I have one local body man telling me I need to have the cab sandblasted and then lay a good coat of epoxy primer before I start cutting out the rot and installing the patch panels. These will be the normal cab corners, floor boards etc. I have been recovering from surgery and I read in depth many threads here on the bolt. Woodys documented cab restoration takes the other approach of cleaning and repairing the damaged areas as you go and eventually you have completed the entire cab. I believe I prefer this method. Any advise one way or the other would be appreciated.

Kenny

Either way is fine. The first method has the advantage of addressing all the rust at once, in one shot. The other way you are addressing the rust, just more at your pace. If you go the second route (that's the way I go) then the biggest thing is to make sure you are very thorough about dealing with the rust. The goal is to stop the rust, fix the damage, and prevent future corrosion. Which way you want to go is entirely up to you.

One other thing to think about is how will the truck be used. Mine is garaged and used only on nice days so I don't drive it in the rain or snow. Slide underneath and it looks like a brand new truck. So I used approach #2 and carefully repaired and coated everything I replaced. It is not really ever going to rust since the only water it see's is in washing it. Now if it was a daily driver I would really have focused some time on the historic rust areas knowing that they build-up mud, leaves, drain holes get plugged, road salt or gravel (which sandblasts undercoat and paint off) etc.

Probably the way you're considering is best for you, but keep in mind that blasting the entire cab will likely expose all the bad areas at once and where bondo may have been used. The known areas of rust need to cleaned well beyond the rusted area anyway.

We installed some repair quarters on a 55 wagon (the lower half only) and afterward sent the car for media blasting. One side had so much rust appear that we found an NOS quarter to fix all the damaged areas and cut out the one we just welded in. So with results like that, I would suggest media blast first and then worry about cutting out the rusty areas. If you'll be awhile getting it back together, it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and spray the primer, just don't waste it on areas that will be cut out anyhow....

I agree with MPandC, blast first and then fix. I found some surprises I wasn't expecting when mine was blasted, so I'm glad I hadn't thought I was "done" before that. I also had a fresh coat of epoxy over everything else that I wasn't fixing so I know it was protected.

Kenny 3100. there are alot more advantages to using a good epoxy primer other than the rust issues. For one, most epoxy's are a high build very solid primer. By primering with epoxy first you are creating a good sanding base for the rest of the cab and a good epoxy will fill in small pits, scratches, and even some small dings. This eliminating the use of body fillers later. Most body fillers these days are a polyester base and tend to shrink after awhile and you can see this in the paint. Epoxy won't. If you spray the cab with epoxy, repair your rust, then block the rest of the cab you will be saving your self a lot of work, and waves later. You should listen to your local body man. Ever watch an episode of any good restoration show, and the first thing they do after dismantling the vehicle is media blast and epoxy then guide coat and block the whole thing. It makes a huge difference in the end. PPG makes a good epoxy primer. IT's there CRE and you can get it in different colors and I think you might even be able to tint it, not sure about that. Any way, we use it alot at our shop, and it's only runs about a $100 per gallon and that includes the activator. Although it's supposed to be a 3-1 mix I recommend adding 1 part reducer to it also, it sprays a lot better.

How does one remove the epoxy when doing a repair? I am interested in knowing of a chemical to apply.

Cut out rust and then 50 grit roloc disc right around the edges, then weld in the new panel. Filler can (and some say should) be applied right over the epoxy, but read the tech sheet first regarding re-coat windows.

Thanks everyone for the comments. I had not really thought about hidden damage I would find until the cab was completely cleaned up. That makes sense to me that it may be better to have the cab blasted first. I guess this is like everything else with these old trucks, it boils down to what you want to do with your truck.

Kenny