[Chaparralman1974]

8/1/2023 - 8/10/2023
Starting on the Cab
I have decided to start the daunting task of repairing the cab. The end goal at this point is to get the metal work done and to get the cab cleaned and primed so that I can set it back on the chassis and recover some much needed real estate in my garage.
I began by fully stripping the cab of all various components. This included the pedal linkage, electrical, and everything under the dash. I had initially hoped to salvage the wiring harness and make repairs where needed, but unfortunately, the fuse block was beyond saving. I will most likely upgrade to a harness that has modern blade style fuses, but that is something that can happen at a later date.
After completely stripping the cab, I rolled it out to the driveway and hit it with the pressure washer. There was about 100 pounds of dirt and garbage that I was able to wash out of it, but now it won’t be quite as bad when I start hammering on it in the garage. Over the years I have come to despise working on the underside of any vehicle just to have it rain dirt and rocks on me.
The pressure washer really did a good job, and I think that I have a somewhat clean work surface to mess with.
This was the first time that I really took a good hard look at the cab since buying the truck. My attention has been pretty much exclusive to the chassis and drive train, so I really didn’t pay attention to the overall condition of the cab. Of course, I knew the floor needed work and now that I have it fully stripped I can see more of the damage. Both inner rockers are trashed…that much is certain. The outer rockers really don’t look half bad and are still somewhat solid. The cab supports and cab corners are near perfect with some dents and surface rust, but it is comforting to know that I won’t have to mess with those. After making several measurements, I carefully cut out the driver side outer rocker. There was a good 10 pounds of dirt and debris packed into it. I found that the A-Pillar bottom half was rotted out, but the face of the cab support was solid as a rock. The lower portion of the B-Pillar was also solid. I did have to cut it out partially for access, but I will be able to weld it back in. I do believe that I got lucky with the floor for the most part. I have ordered a few replacement panels and will begin to graft these back in.
Regarding the lower portion of the A-Pillar, I tack welded in a piece of metal through the hole that mounts the front fender. The idea here is that when I weld in the new lower portion, I will have a reference point to ensure that I get it in the right place. Another thing worth noting is that I have researched others bracing the cab before cutting any of the floor. As I am only doing one side at a time, and my floor is fairly solid, I didn’t brace mine. It should be noted that I observed no noticeable movement of the pillars after I cut out the lower supports and inner portion of the floors as was confirmed by double checking the measurements I took before cutting anything.