Terminal body rust?

[mopar-maniac]

Spent today cleaning my 67, debating whether or not I should fix it or buy another one. I found the metal just above the wing window on the body of the cab was rusted through pretty bad. You can only see it when the door is open, but is this a "biggie".

I'm worried about it being load bearing. I know the frame is supposed to carry this, but I grew up with uni-body cars. The other relevant data on this is the truck is a crew cab. It was a forestry service/ fire dept. truck and has 15K on the odometer. Though it has been sitting since 92 (I know, very hard on cars), I believe the miles are original (95% sure) and overall the truck is in amazing shape considering I bought it for $500. Slant six w/ a four speed.

If anyone could let my know if this would keep the truck from being a driver, I would sure appreciate it!

[cudajimmy]

IMHO, there is no such thing as "terminal rust". I used to build street rods for a living. 30's and 40's cars mostly. I've started out with stuff that other people just laughed at....until they saw it done. I think the question is whether the rust repair outways the value of the body part. Truthfully, you could find a GOOD body man (lead, hammer and dollie kind) that could probably fix you up for several hundred dollars and it would be as good as new. BUT. Could you find a mostly rust free cab for less? Even a crew cab? Probably. If your patient. Being that it's a crew cab, I would fix it, or if you don't have the skills, go ahead and pay someone to fix it.


Or, you could sell my your truck for the initial $500.00 investment, plus a little "bonus" money.

[dieselbilly]

From your description, it doesn't sound like you have any major structural issues. The cab doesn't support any significant amount of load unless you roll the truck over. Even if you do roll it, the rot would have to be considerable to have any real effect on strength. If you're still unsure, post a pic so we can see how bad it is.

I agree that anything can be fixed, given enough time, patience, and/or money. Clean crew cabs are tough to find, so unless your floors & rockers are gone, too, I'd suggest fixing what you've got.

[WD]

I know where there's a clean cab, but the guy knows what it's worth. If you get desperate, give me a holler. It would have to go truck freight, very spendy. Try to fix what you already have.
-WD

[mopar-maniac]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input!

[Guest]

Daaaang Man! Sounds like a total lose to me. But as a favor, I'll come drag that rust bucket out of your yard...coz I like ya!

[moparscott]

MINE TOO, HAVE A MIG WILL PATCH UP ALL THE NASTY HOLES. THE ONLY CABS I CAN FIND UP HERE ARE IN THE SAME CONDITION AS MINE OR WORSE. JUST GONNA BE EASIER TO FIX IT.