How much rust is too much?

[special-K]

I have gone out west and brought back many a rust free truck. It's not a matter of cheaper,it's a matter of having a truck with all original metal for me. You can buy a cab back here for what it costs (or less) to travel out there and back to buy a truck or having it shipped. You can have a cab repaired for what it costs to buy a rust free cab. Shipping just a cab is about out of the question for cost as well as handling issues. You may be doing a lot of dent repair when it arrives.
Very few trucks have too much cab rust to repair. I would replace the entire bottom of a truck as soon as rockers,outer floor,corners,supports,lower kick panels... It's not really more work for a larger area of "all new metal". I shy away from rusted rain lip/header panels and cowl rust (which I find a lot of western trucks have hidden due to the sun cracking out the seam seal and dust accumulation in the cowl bottoms) and cowl rust. Those areas hold moisture between panels and are hard to get it all and have it stay good. The cowl is designed to handle water. Water "will" get in there and the question is will your repair allow it all to get out.
When you bring a truck from the dry west to the humid parts of the country,rust that has been on the backside of panels all these years will come alive and start showing it's ugly face if it's not a garage kept truck that sees little to no rain. Even still,there's more moisture in the air and the cooler damper months leave things moist for extended periods. When you've repaired a panel,it's a chance to protect the backside better than it was from factory. It's all about "how" you do the repairs.

[70monte]

Well, I have read a lot of the posts in the projects and builds section and have seen quite a few trucks in worse shape rust wise than the one I looked at that are being fixed up so it seems there are people doing it. I know though that fixing one up that has a good body is way cheaper than one that doesn't. I like the idea of buying a rust free western truck but I don't know if I could ever buy one sight unseen.

The truck that I went to look at is a good example. The owner told me that the floor pans and cab supports were good and that the truck ran good but needed a tune up and some carb work. The truck did have rust in those areas as well as not running very good at all so it wasn't an accurate depiction of the truck.

Wayne

[72 K20]

Wayne
The K20 was the first truck I got out of Vegas and at the time my son was living there and I had him meet with the seller and take a bunch of pictures,, 30 some as I remember. He sent them to me and I haggled a little with the seller and we struck a deal. I sent a cashiers check to my son and he made the transaction, got the title and picked up the truck.

I almost skipped over the C20 because it was listed as a "72 chevy " , not as a pickup,C20,or truck, just 72 chevy. I went ahead and clicked on it and there was a 72 hugger orange 72 C20.

I tried for almost a week to contact the seller with no response. About the time I was going to give up he called,, said he had listed the truck and his phone had screwed up,, he had only received the last message of 6 i had left for him. He turned out to be a good guy,, had it listed for $1200, dropped to a grand , and before I committed he dropped to $900. I asked him to take pictures and he took every angle, sides, underneath, engine compartment, everything. And told me up front about any problem areas , and/or issues with the truck,, 43 pictures I received.
For this one I had my daughter pay him, get a bill of sale, and get the title. The seller offered to work with the shipper to coordinate pickup. All in all both deals were pretty much straight forward ,, it helped having my kids there to deal in person.

I used Carshippers usa for both trucks and am very satisfied with their service.

If you know anyone trustworthy that is in the area that you are looking for a truck you can always offer them a few bucks to take pictures and do the paperwork handoff. It's usually cheaper and faster than traveling to the location yourself.

I hope this has helped a little !

Have a great day !!
Tom

[70monte]

Tom,
Thanks for that information. Sounds like things went very smoothly and the owner's were willing to take a bunch of pictures for you. Sounds like you got a great deal on both trucks. I have a sister that lives in Thousand Oaks, CA so I could potentially have her or her husband look at some trucks for me in that area. Other than her, I really don't have anyone that I know in the areas of the country where the trucks would be relatively rust free. Anyway, thanks again for the info.

Wayne

[Hdogkuvachio]

I don't know where Nixa is but I know in the KCMO area there are multiple guys who sell parts and solid trucks from across the country on craigslist. They may be a little pricier but I'm building a truck that has such bad rust that I have had to replace nearly every panel and that is way more expensive. Btw if a truck is really rusty and has coil rear springs check the frame because they are known to rust the frame out (which REALLY sucks)

[67 cst swb]

Originally Posted by RenoKeene

I personally won't tackle a cab that needs cab supports and major roof repair (I don't have the time or talent). Inner and outer rockers, cab corners, small roof, cowel and floor repairs are all managable for me. I like to keep the metal repair on a cab in the $1500 range (not including doors) or less.
Now if it's a rare and/or super desirable unit I'll consider spending more. Remember they made millions of these cabs so good ones are still out there. You also have to factor travel or shipping costs if thats what it takes to find a solid one.
In my opinion a nice solid a/c deluxe cab and doors (requiring no metal work)is worth $2000 to $2500....here in Florida.

I think this is a very normal realistic answer. Good Job RenoKeene!

[TALLone71]

Originally Posted by 70cst

I would say this is to much rust

Imagine what the cab looks like!!!