Rust Repair on Squarebody Chevy

[1975 K20]

Good Afternoon! I have a 1975 Chevy K20 in need of rust repair. From what I have seen so far it needs rockers, door sills, cab corners, and probably floor pans. I am wondering what recommendations there are for replacing these. Thanks!

 

[Ricko1966]

Good Afternoon! I have a 1975 Chevy K20 in need of rust repair. From what I have seen so far it needs rockers, door sills, cab corners, and probably floor pans. I am wondering what recommendations there are for replacing these. Thanks!

Probably better off to replace the cab.Time and money wise.

 

[gilby959798]

I am in the process of this, you can buy almost all of the parts but it is super time consuming.

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I found the rust was more than expected but it was a family truck and I wanted to learn how to do body work. Lucky enough, my uncle has helped me along the way. I know people say I should've swapped the cab but I will know exactly the condition of my cab when I am done.

 

[GXPWeasel]

Good Afternoon! I have a 1975 Chevy K20 in need of rust repair. From what I have seen so far it needs rockers, door sills, cab corners, and probably floor pans. I am wondering what recommendations there are for replacing these. Thanks!

If you can't find a good cab to source (they are getting hard to find, depending on your location) then both LMC and AMD offer the parts you're looking for. Both reasonably priced to, in my humble opinion.

 

[Cyrillious]

I am in the process of this, you can buy almost all of the parts but it is super time consuming.

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I found the rust was more than expected but it was a family truck and I wanted to learn how to do body work. Lucky enough, my uncle has helped me along the way. I know people say I should've swapped the cab but I will know exactly the condition of my cab when I am done.

Kudos to you on saving that cab and replacing all those panels! I agree with you that you will know what you have because you have already inspected and repaired it. Work with what you got.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Took me about 3 minutes with the AMD catalog to decide to take a trip to Arkansas.

And honestly, that's pretty much where I'm at for anything nowadays, I'll just head west and get a rust free one.

 

[gilby959798]

Its time consuming but we keep chipping away at it.

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[peats]

I've done 3 cab repairs similar to what you describe. It's not that difficult. You'll need a mig welder if you don't already have one. Take a class or teach yourself like I did. You don't have to use the whole patch panel. Simply cut back to good metal and fit the new metal. It's a dinosaur truck, not a space shuttle. Take your time. There are plenty of good videos on YouTube to show you what is involved.

 

[ss454elco]

I went through the same thing and long story short, I replaced the cab with a rust free cab from AZ. I'm fortunate enough to live close to Carlisle, PA where a guy brings truckloads of sheet metal, spring and fall. Good SB cabs go for around $2k. Might find someone near you and do the same. Fitting aftermarket sheet metal can be a real PITA. Glad I went the route I did.

 

[ss454elco]

Kudos to gilby959798! BUT, being stripped down that far, at that point it's easier to replace with a good cab, IF one is available. Aftermarket metal is so thin. With that being said, I was fortunate enough to have a selection of cabs less than an hour away. Got one with small rust hole on pass floor for $1800. I had to change tunnels but that's not bad. At least with you doing it you know it's done the way you want it, not possibly butchered by a body shop like my original cab was.

 

[gilby959798]

Kudos to gilby959798! BUT, being stripped down that far, at that point it's easier to replace with a good cab, IF one is available. Aftermarket metal is so thin. With that being said, I was fortunate enough to have a selection of cabs less than an hour away. Got one with small rust hole on pass floor for $1800. I had to change tunnels but that's not bad. At least with you doing it you know it's done the way you want it, not possibly butchered by a body shop like my original cab was.

Part of that is the fact it was my wife's grandfather's truck so she didn't love the idea of just swapping the cab because then it wasn't Grandpa's truck... I don't know if she realized what she signed me up for but it has been a great learning experience. Making my own patch panels has been... Fun. The idea is after this is done, I can get another project car to do, because I like the punishment.

 

[ss454elco]

Sentimental value trumps anything! Best of luck.

 

[Craig Nedrow]

Yep what so many others said. I bought inner outer, cab supports, and floor only to find a nice rust free cab just down the road. If you are young, that is a good thing to do as after that you are not intimidated by body work, on just about anything. Here's what I looked earlier today after removing the undercoating on the 64 nova. Wife said just put what you have on in the washer....no hug or kisses.

 

[peats]

Good Afternoon! I have a 1975 Chevy K20 in need of rust repair. From what I have seen so far it needs rockers, door sills, cab corners, and probably floor pans. I am wondering what recommendations there are for replacing these. Thanks!

A few pics of the rust issues would help us give you some direction.

 

[gilby959798]

Just for reference on what my cab looked like

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Both of the cab support brackets were real thin and I was worried how bad the rear of the cab was and after talking with my uncle who is helping me we decided to go the complete floor pan route.