Need some body suggestions!!!

[nova801428]

Well, here I am.  I have a 75 Chevy k20.  It has been wrecked in the front end (the clip needs to be replaced) and the floor pan has lots of rust (barely holds up).  Anyway.  What should I do?  Is it easily fixable?  Should I go another route and buy another truck, and get that body and put it on my frame?  Any suggestions?  Thanks

[werewolfx13]

Its always rewarding to bring the dead back to life, but I'd be afraid of not finishing with the amount of work that needs...I'd find a better body and go for a body swap..

[nova801428]

Is a body swap fairly easy?  I am assuming it is.

[Dragon]

Is a body swap fairly easy?  I am assuming it is.

Everything stripped from it, ie doors/interior/front clip,all mounting bolts removed, it is fairly easy with atleast 3-4 decent sized buddies, and a few beers(Asuming all are 21+) as incentive

[nova801428]

I'm only 17, so buying beer is pretty darn hard (never tried)  I do have some friend that can help and I have 2 brothers.  I did find a very nice long bed, crew cab body sitting on the ground.  But I know it would not fit.  What could I do?  I could shorten the bed....and have a unique truck!!!

[Blazin]

You could shorten the bed and mount the crew cab on there, but that would be more work than fixing what you have. What you have judgeing from the pictures is an easy fix. Why not price the parts and any labor you cant do your self. Price a 110 mig welder while your at it, then you could do more of the work your self.

[ccz145a]

Here in the south east, Its pretty easy finding good truck bodies from the 80's models, cabs are about the same. I went 16+ years with my '75 in the same condition as yours (as far as the rust goes), thinking I'll never find what I need. But then I started looking, on the first trip to a salvage yard I ran into a guy that had a rust free shell and frame -- no engine -- perfect. $300 and I had a project. I am over halfway through the body swap now.

Just start looking.

Chip

[nova801428]

I already have a tig welder at my house, but I am not allowed to use it though.  What welder would you suggest?  I am thinking about a Lincoln Electric mig welder...what do you think? 

Yes, it would be probably more work than just repairing what I have.  I obviously have to take the cab off, so I might as well take everything else off a do a complete resto. 

I haven't quite seen the frame, but when I was underneath it doing my 6" lift, it looks sound.   I heard of people boxing the frame.  Why would they do that?  Is there any point of doing that?  Thanks

[werewolfx13]

Extra strength. If you wheel it hard, its a really good idea to box the frame.

[nova801428]

I think I might just look for a donor truck....it would probably be way easier. 

[Captkaos]

Check out this thread:  http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=5661.0
This is the installation of one of our 5 piece repair kits done by a member here.  It will give you an idea of what the floorboards will need to fix it.

[nova801428]

Thanks, I just don't know if I feel that confident in doing that.  I don't know.  I could get a pretty cheap truck, verses buying all the parts new and saving a couple hundred bucks. 

I have also heard that bought parts don't fit as well as original parts, is this truck?

[Captkaos]

Any part you purchase either it be aftermarket or original are not going to bolt onto a truck and look like 21st century body gaps.  ALL of them will have to be aligned and adjusted to fit.  The doors on my project truck are original, the don't fit worth a dime, they are going to have to be manipulated to fit. 

As for patch panels, they would be cut to fix.

[85MudMonster]

A grinder with a bunch of cutoff wheels, or a torch, and a welder and some sheet metal. You can fix most of that yourself with some simple (but slightly expensive) tools.

[nova801428]

O.K, I priced out fenders, hood, core support, grille, molding, inner fenders, and cab repair kit, it was around $1k.  Is that worth it?  I probably could get a pretty nice looking truck for $500, and have some left over.  What do you think?  Sorry CaptKaos, I am not saying your parts are expensive, they are not really in my price range.  But, it would be worth it since they are new.  What do you think?  Maybe I am just being a baby.