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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Body, Glass & Paint => Topic started by: turpentyne on October 03, 2014, 12:33:38 pm
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Working though my plan of action for this truck. There seems to be remarkably little rust.
The worst spot I've seen is down in the cab-side corner of the passenger door - toward the back of vehicle. That flat corner area has a patch of rust. From what I've seen, it's a common problem area on these trucks.
I'm not fond of bondo, if it can be replaced with metal, but I'm not a body guy. In that awkward spot, is it really feasible to cut and replace with new metal? Anybody had experience in this?
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To use no filler at all is going to be a challenge. If you're going to do it yourself and haven't done bodywork, it's unlikely you'll get it that straight in just steel, but who knows. How about posting a picture? Is it pitted rust or rust holes? About how big?
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It's holes, about 4 - 6 inches diameter of cancer.
Tonight I'll post a couple pics
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here are a couple pics to show the damage:
(http://www.mergecreate.com/truckpics/IMG_20141003_171211_485.jpg)
(http://www.mergecreate.com/truckpics/IMG_20141003_171230_623.jpg)
Now that I post the pics.. I guess it's a little worse than I described.
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Do you have a welder?
If you just pack the hole with bondo, it won't last.
What are your long term plans for the truck? You might want to find a rust free door if you plan on getting the truck painted.
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I just have an old old Mig welder and not much practice.
I'd like to keep the truck on the road for a while. I just don't want it to be like the other family '73 - still going strong as a farm truck, BUT with rust in every nook and cranny.
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both of my trucks, my moms truck, and my dads old truck all have/had the exact same problem in that spot. its pretty common
without at least some body work talent, it would be quite a task to replace the metal. it would be easier to replace the door with a rust free one or at least a better one.
but it might not be easy to find one