Rust repair
 

Need some advice on fixing some rust spots on this cab that I picked up. I have it stripped apart and figured while its apart I'll pull the glass and address the rust issues around the windshield.
I've never done a proper patch before so I'm thinking, pull glass, cut out rusted areas, treat with ospho or por15, weld in new sheetmetal, treat, primer, then I plan on rhino lining the entire cab inside and out.

What products should I be using to treat the rusty metal? Is 22gauge sheet metal fine to use for a patch? Should i fiberglass over after for a smoother finish then primer? I'm not really sure where to begin

Heres a few areas I hit with a wire wheel to show what I'm dealing with.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...777290f82d.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...275665d058.jpg

yikes !! .. I wouldn't even try !
I think you'd be better off finding another cab .. ya gotta think , that's only the visible part ..

Someone in the 79-83 forum did this repair recently. They made it look easy but I know it's not. I can't remember if I saw it in a build thread or not but if you can find the thread, it was in the past 2 months I think.

Time is money, probably "cheaper" to get a better cab like slacker mentioned.

​​​​​I will point out some of what I see as flaws in your plan.

If you cut out the rust what are you treating, and why would you repeat this step?

The best product for rusty sheet metal is the air saw. Second best is a chemical converter, but keep in mind these are for surface rust they do not penetrate very well at all.

For sheet metal you want to use, ideally, as close a size as what is already there. (What ever that is.) It aids in the bonding and gives similar expansion and other properties.

You are see-sawing are you putting in new metal or just trying to slow the rust? You won't need fiberglass if you're putting in patch panels of metal. Material science has come a long way but nothing will last as long as a properly done metal replacement.

Grab some simple tools a hammer a dolly and sheet metal pliers and a bit of hardware store metal flashing, make a simple Z channel and see if metal work is something you're interested and in some way apt in the skill.

If you're still game now try turning that simple Z channel into a nice smooth/even arch.

If your still game, see if you can get that piece to fit the rusted out forward section of the cowel.

Now you're onto cutting straight lines, welding, dealing with warpage. After all that comes the art of finish work (smoothing and painting!)


OR, yeah start looking for a donor cab.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I really dont have the luxury of finding another cab. It took me almost a year to find this one for s decent price and this was the least rusty I've seen in the state of florida. The pictures I sent really are the worst of it.
I'm going to attempt to fix this so the replies with tips on how to do so are very helpful.
metal working isnt an issue and since this cab is stripped and sitting on blocks I do have the luxury to work at my own pace so that's nice.
as mentioned above I'll try my hand at some simple metal shaping, that seems like a good idea to start, then go from there.
Ideally I'd like to cut out all the rust, then treat so it doesnt happen again. Once I rhino line the cab I dont want to have to deal with this again.

This thread covers a lot with what you're dealing with:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...-maker-107858/

I have done similar , but its a lot of work . scroll down in this thread to the pics https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f209...ew-bed-242508/ I did a windshield repair on Todds truck
I have replaced pillars as well , lots of custom fab work , you can see the pieces in the pics

I suggest u-tube'in videos on metal shaping to get an idea on how its done and the tools to use. Good Luck.

thanks man. This was really helpful!

Man, that’s a lot of rust to cut out. Cabs like that are common here, and rust free. Road trip?

I wish but unfortunately Florida to cali is a bit far for a cab. The truck is a trailer only offroad rig. Eventually will be caged. I'll probably do a 4x innovations cage when I swap the cab over. The plan is to fix the rust, rhino line/line x the entire cab inside and out. Then swap and eventually cage