So, in replacing the fuel pump a little while back, I found there was a bit of rust on the bed and wheel well on the drivers side. A mouse or 5 had decided to make a home in the seat latch. Got the angle grinder, wire-sanded that off and thought, "Well, thats not good, but it can be made good'nuff."

After that, I decided to check out the extent of the A-pillar rust. I knew the floors had rusted through a little from doing the fuel filter and transfer case oil. Wow. Started on the drivers side and sanded a bunch of that down to quite the scene.

I took it to a place that services semis and they didnt wanna touch it. Said the best he could suggest is to rivet sheet metal best I can. Gonna try Maaco and see whay their welder says.

Anyone else been through this extent of hole?

Drivers Floor




Passenger Floor



Drivers Rear Wheel well

 

There was a guy who has a thread of a complete frame off rust rebuild.
That drivers floor looks like my first car.
Buy some sheet metal, cut to fit, seal the edges, using self tapping sheet metal screws screw it down.
Rattle can it, forget about it.

 

Well that is getting pretty bad. But we have een worse. Slanginsanjuan has just done a good bit to his. Another fellow in Canada took one a lot worse than yours and a donor that was an Isuzu Trooper and cut up the Disco and merged the majhority of the Trooper into it.

Spike method is certainly one way. I would choose a slightly different method myself, and there are other options as well.

I did some aircraft corrosion control work in the Navy one cruise as a disciplnary lesson from the Squadron Master Cheif. To effectively deal with the rust, you have to eliminate it or it will continue to spread. Even if you patch or attempt to seal it is like cancer.

If possible you need to cut it out as much as possible to solid material and rebuild from there, welding is preferred when that much is involved.

Another significant method if your running gear is worth it, find a donor with a good body but blown engine or other major problem and merge the two into one.

What condition is your frame in?

 

The frame is surprisingly in half decent shape. Much of what is there (that I can see) is surface rust. The worst is on one of the rear suspension A frame mounts, but even that, fingers crossed, seems like it only got to the layer just under the paint coating.

The front is very good cause of all the oil and ATF (power steering) all over it. There is a cirucular patch on the frame under the passenger front shock mount on the side facing the engine (its under another mouse chill spot). Its a hard spot to test for rigidity, but hopefully that is mostly surface too.

 

Does anyone have an opinion on the safety of that front left seat mount?

 

I dont see a problem with the seat mount.
How much are you willing to dump into this truck?
I would factor that in before spending a ton of money on rust repair.
As long as you keep the floor dry and "plug" all of the rust holes, you still have many years left in the truck.
Rust needs water and air to "grow", like Danny said, it needs to be cut out completely, otherwise just fill the holes and drive it until it is no longer driveable.

Where are you located Pinky?
I'm in the rust belt, we dont worry about rust here because just like death it will happen.

 

A simple test for structural integrity is the sledgehammer test. Smack it with a sledge hammer and see if it will withstand the mechanical shock.

You may call it surface rust, but from what I see, I would have to say it is in a more advanced state. When you got holes in sheet metal, that is bad.

If you were strapped into the seat doing 60mph (88ft per sec) and you came to an abrupt panic stop or even slid into someone, would the seatmounts withstand the extra "G" forces? or will it break loose at a critical point in time like if a major section of the floor rips away.

Get behind the seat, put both feet against it and exert some sudden force, does it feel safe.

You can cut out major sections and replace with plate steel. Do not just skin over the holes with some thin sheet metal to keep the water out or you will be wasting time and effort.

You have to evaluate total picture and choose what course is best for you.

If the current condition cannot survive a few stategically placed hammer blows, it will not survive when you need it to.

 

Do you need a decent grinder? Removing the paint down to the bare metal is the best way to see just how bad it is. I have a couple of small handgrinders in my toolbox, want one?

 

I was thinking a couple hundred at most whether the solution is hired welding or personally riveting. This is just meant to be a fun-mobile that gets a few thousand miles a year tops. Wrenching is a new hobby of mine and I got this beast to learn suspension and engine work since both are relatively basic.

And yeah, if I do the rivet route, Im gonna cut out as much as I can and permatex rust treat whats left.

 

Man you guys who never see rust sure do panic!! lol
The rust we see Danny (in his pics) is not surface rust, surface rust is on the surface, it can be scrapped or sanded off, once down to bare metal it is gone.
Never hit a rusted area on a car with a sledge hammer, just use a regular hammer, tap it gently, using the peen on a ball peen hammer works best.
Rust on cars is different than rust on ships.