Questions about body work

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Green79k10

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So this is the first truck I’ve owned that I plan on getting a major amount of body work done to it. I plan on having a body shop do the work due to me having zero experience and a job with a large amount of overtime.. I have a few questions for anyone with experience doing the work or taking it to a shop..

the first thing I plan to do is get the cab fixed up.. it needs rocker panels and cab corners.. it has a hole in the driver side floor pan.. and the cab mounts on both sides needs to be replaced.. my question is could anyone give me a rough estimate to what it might cost to have what I listed fixed and primed? I will post some pictures to give a better idea (don’t mind the oil leaks on the driveway that is from the previous truck I owned lol)

my other question is the body seems to be original.. so I would like to keep and fix whatever I can on the body.. but it is pretty beat up.. I was wondering can anyone just by looking at pictures tell me if any of it is salvageable? Any help would greatly be appreciated!

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Green79k10

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Here are the pictures for my second question

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80BrownK10

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I have no idea what it will cost but it probably won't be cheap. New fenders would be the cheapest thing. New floor pans and inner and outer rockers and floor supports. As well as new cab corners. Not too in depth as far as rust repair but it WONT be cheap at a body shop. Someone a month or so back asked about rockers and cost at a shop. I believe a few people threw out what they paid or estimates. I think it was $1500-3000 if I remember right for rockers. I might not be remembering right though. Me throwing out a number at a normal shop might be $2500-5000 is my guess?? Total guess and could be totally wrong. Now if you have a backyard guy do it it would be cheaper.

As far as parts a quick look on eBay shows a seller selling inner and outer rockers, cab corners the floor support you need and both floor pans for $250 shipped.

Just looked quick on brothers and 81-87 fender is $99 with a minimum of $70 shipping it says. New fenders will be the most cost effective route since your paying someone and time is money. If you want original find a donor truck and get it's fenders if better. But if it were me I'd throw repops on there. You won't have original corners or rockers or floors so the original value is gone there.

But my point in all this is you have close to $400 in two front fenders and the other patch panels will be $250 ish so you have probably $700 in metal parts. And several days labor I guess. Just throwing out a price of $100/hr an 8 hour day costs you $800. They may hit you for shop supplies as well. But two days is $1600 plus the $700 parts. I don't know how long that would take someone to do, what else they would find and have to cut out to get good metal. They will have to probably fabricate something at some point as well. And the labor rate may be more than that since welding is being needed. I just don't know.
 

jjester6000

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You could get that stuff way cheaper from LMC or JC Whitney, but the thing that kills you is shipping.

I got all my parts from LMC, but I didn't have to pay shipping since I actually was in Kansas City near the national headquarters.

Also, you need 73-80 fenders for your truck, 81-87 onea just won't fit unless you change out he hood, and core support as well.
 

eskimomann209

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It’s 100% fixable. And relatively easy. @legopnuematic has a good thread on literally most of your damage. The issue that occurs when coming to shops is how much time it takes. It take TIME to do it right. And everyone has differing methods. Some faster and cheaper but not better. The guys that charge more should be doing butt welds and not lapped.
I’m not going to argue against lap. Opinions are too high on this fight. I will say lap welds are quicker. And tend to cost less. If it were me. I’d fix it.
 

mtnmankev

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I hope you have lots of money for parts and overpriced shop labor..............................
Nice looking truck, and it'll be sweet when done.
Seeing your pix reinforces my belief that road salt should be banned.
And makes me appreciate my Arizona no rust trucks.
 

80BrownK10

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You could get that stuff way cheaper from LMC or JC Whitney, but the thing that kills you is shipping.

I got all my parts from LMC, but I didn't have to pay shipping since I actually was in Kansas City near the national headquarters.

Also, you need 73-80 fenders for your truck, 81-87 onea just won't fit unless you change out he hood, and core support as well.
Yea I didn't pay attention to the year that was just the first ones I clicked on. But you are correct he needs 73 to 80 fenders. Probably the same price but not sure.

And your right on LMC price. But they kill all is guys who have to ship esp since they ship based on price. A bunch of small switches or rubber gasket that may cost $100 may cost you like $25 shipping in reality not costing $10 to actual ship.
 

80BrownK10

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Yea I didn't pay attention to the year that was just the first ones I clicked on. But you are correct he needs 73 to 80 fenders. Probably the same price but not sure.

And your right on LMC price. But they kill all is guys who have to ship esp since they ship based on price. A bunch of small switches or rubber gasket that may cost $100 may cost you like $25 shipping in reality not costing $10 to actual ship.


I also missed the pic of the rear quarter rust. So you will either need that whole wheel well piece but for sure need the rear lower quarter patch panels as well.
 

Green79k10

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I have no idea what it will cost but it probably won't be cheap. New fenders would be the cheapest thing. New floor pans and inner and outer rockers and floor supports. As well as new cab corners. Not too in depth as far as rust repair but it WONT be cheap at a body shop. Someone a month or so back asked about rockers and cost at a shop. I believe a few people threw out what they paid or estimates. I think it was $1500-3000 if I remember right for rockers. I might not be remembering right though. Me throwing out a number at a normal shop might be $2500-5000 is my guess?? Total guess and could be totally wrong. Now if you have a backyard guy do it it would be cheaper.

As far as parts a quick look on eBay shows a seller selling inner and outer rockers, cab corners the floor support you need and both floor pans for $250 shipped.

Just looked quick on brothers and 81-87 fender is $99 with a minimum of $70 shipping it says. New fenders will be the most cost effective route since your paying someone and time is money. If you want original find a donor truck and get it's fenders if better. But if it were me I'd throw repops on there. You won't have original corners or rockers or floors so the original value is gone there.

But my point in all this is you have close to $400 in two front fenders and the other patch panels will be $250 ish so you have probably $700 in metal parts. And several days labor I guess. Just throwing out a price of $100/hr an 8 hour day costs you $800. They may hit you for shop supplies as well. But two days is $1600 plus the $700 parts. I don't know how long that would take someone to do, what else they would find and have to cut out to get good metal. They will have to probably fabricate something at some point as well. And the labor rate may be more than that since welding is being needed. I just don't know.

thank you for throwing some numbers out there for me.. you bring up a good point about losing the original value with the cab corners and rockers.. I don’t have an issue using after market parts.. as long as they are semi-quality parts.. I don’t want a paper thin door on a truck that I hope to keep a very long time.. but at the same time I do understand after market parts are not OEM parts.
 

Green79k10

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It’s 100% fixable. And relatively easy. @legopnuematic has a good thread on literally most of your damage. The issue that occurs when coming to shops is how much time it takes. It take TIME to do it right. And everyone has differing methods. Some faster and cheaper but not better. The guys that charge more should be doing butt welds and not lapped.
I’m not going to argue against lap. Opinions are too high on this fight. I will say lap welds are quicker. And tend to cost less. If it were me. I’d fix it.
It’s 100% fixable. And relatively easy. @legopnuematic has a good thread on literally most of your damage. The issue that occurs when coming to shops is how much time it takes. It take TIME to do it right. And everyone has differing methods. Some faster and cheaper but not better. The guys that charge more should be doing butt welds and not lapped.
I’m not going to argue against lap. Opinions are too high on this fight. I will say lap welds are quicker. And tend to cost less. If it were me. I’d fix it.

thank you I will check out the thread!
 

MisterB

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Looks like you are in Illinois. The rub with that, is that if you spend all the money to have the truck fixed with patch panels, it's just going to rust again. Unless you park it during the winter months and don't drive it at all, you're probably looking at it rusting again in 5-10 years. The patch panels are often times Asian made, and thinner metal than the thicker US steel your truck came with that rusted to hell in the rust belt.

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legopnuematic

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Looks like you are in Illinois. The rub with that, is that if you spend all the money to have the truck fixed with patch panels, it's just going to rust again. Unless you park it during the winter months and don't drive it at all, you're probably looking at it rusting again in 5-10 years. The patch panels are often times Asian made, and thinner metal than the thicker US steel your truck came with that rusted to hell in the rust belt.

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Properly protected repaired areas and taking care of the truck in general will prevent future rust issues. As far as commercially made patch panels go, they in my experience (which if you look through my threads, I have used just about every panel at least once) match or even surpass the OE thickness. these trucks were stamped primarily out of 19 gauge steel (.043), with it common in the deep drawn areas to be thinned down to around 22 gauge (.031). Patch panels being within +-.002 of that OE thickness, which is not noticeable whatsoever in the welding process.

Looking at OP's trucks rust issues, I would say the rust is from dirt roads, rodents, and water seepage into the cab more so than salt.
 

MisterB

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Properly protected repaired areas and taking care of the truck in general will prevent future rust issues. As far as commercially made patch panels go, they in my experience (which if you look through my threads, I have used just about every panel at least once) match or even surpass the OE thickness. these trucks were stamped primarily out of 19 gauge steel (.043), with it common in the deep drawn areas to be thinned down to around 22 gauge (.031). Patch panels being within +-.002 of that OE thickness, which is not noticeable whatsoever in the welding process.

Looking at OP's trucks rust issues, I would say the rust is from dirt roads, rodents, and water seepage into the cab more so than salt.
Good to know about the patch panels being that close. I still think unless the OP moves or drastically changes when and where the truck is driven, it'll just rust again quickly. I've seen 8 year old trucks in Indiana and Illinois rusted out as badly as the OP's truck

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