Is this cab salvagable or should I find a new one?

Here are some pics. Thought I'd get some of your opinions from guys that have been at it longer than me.

Pretty much it needs:

floor pan
cab corners
fire wall
rockers
cowl panels
doors
patching on the roof

Would you do all that or look for a better cab???? I can handle the patching and welding, theres just gonna be a lot of it. In the end though Im wonder if I should save my time and money.......













If you reccomend a cab, does anyone have any leads????

Thanks

 

It's up to you... do you think you can find a better cab quicker and cheaper than patching this one?

 

what is?whats the odds of finding another one in your neck of the woods?anything can be saved with enough $ and welding wire------chuck

 

Anything can be saved! Can you do the work yourself? If you can't, I would look else where, 'cause your going to spend some cash to fix this one. If you can, what is your time worth? Either way don't scrap it, because some where some one is looking for one they can afford, and this could be the next guys golden ticket.

 

Any pics of the whole cab...what is it?

 

Is that a 50's IH cab?

 

Omg

 

Looks like 53-56 Ford.

 

Aww, I see, thanks Roothawg. If I was gonna go the mile on that cab cut the cancer and dip it. That being if a another cab is availible i would go that route or it's gonna cost. I've fixed worse but it takes time.IMHO.LB

 

Like the others have said its going to be lots of pennies to get it to the poiint your happy with it. that's a swiss cheese job to say the least. Just be comfortable with your abilities---ive seen worse but never tackled it. Best of luck.

 

Depends on what it is...and the old adage probably applies, the rust that you see is probably not as much as what you don't see...as others have said, how much time and money to be spent, cause this is going to take a lot.

 

Yard art. Save ur money for a better one! My 2 pennies!

 

I believe it was last year at Carlisle there was a vendor with 3 rust free cabs on a trailer neither of witch was priced over 650.oo. I know your's is a 56 but the cabs all fit the same frames. 56 will cost a lot more. Just the repair panels.braces.corners,door posts.on and on etc, etc will cost you much more than 650,oo. Unless your looking for a long term frustrating project I would certainly look for better.

 

The 56 F100 roofs are hard to fix in that area. Anything can be fixed but your best is to look for another cab with less rot.

 

You're gonna have to do some work on any cab, but that one is gonna take more time than the cab is worth (IF you're hiring the work done). That said, you can get most of the repair panels to fix it, except for the roof. And I don't understand why no one makes a roof panel for them, they all have rust damage there.
Larry T

 

Get it prepped and dipped Its salvage able.If not sandblast the rough areas and patch Da and metal prep.Wirewheel .Looks like north east metal to me .........

 

56 Ford F-100, if you are asking I would say get another cab. They are still out there.

 

Us Northern guys/gals usually end up with 3 or 4 cabs to make 1 good one. So save it for patches and parts for another cab. My 2 pennies.

 

Maybe, if it's a big window otherwise find something else.

 

Looks like a 56 Ford F100. It looks like alot of work. Depending on where your at look on Craigslist, my son has found some very salvable 56 cabs cheap. they all need some work. I live in California and have a few 56's. Lokking to pick up another soon. Shipping is expensive so look local or close to home. Please send me a private message, thanks, Bill

 

If you have that one dipped to get rid of the rust I'm not sure you would get enough back to be able to build a truck out of. The cost of patch and repair panels would exceed the price of a decent cab plus the time invested.

Before tackling that cab I'd spend a bit of time hunting for a better one. Around here at least you can find non running 1 ton and up trucks for a reasonable price with good cabs quite often and even if you had to give a few hundred for one of those you could scrap out the frame and running gear and get quite a bit back.
I'd at least set the cab in the corner and do the chassis while I hunted a better cab.

 

Get another cab.

 

Thats the plan, i want to get the chassis to the point I want it, and just use this one for mockup. I can definately patch panels in, but today I sat down with a LMC catalog and was up to 600 bucks not even counting the small stuff, then a dip costs about 450. Like chevy said I'd have a big piece of swiss cheese.

Main problem for me is location, most trucks around here are in the same shape. I'm willing to drive to pick one up, If I can find one. I'm not at all opposed to a different year though. I love a 55 grille.

Thanks for the opinions, most go with what I thought but wasn't willing to admit.....

 

i too would like to see some pictures of the whole cab its just hard to tell i sent a 60 impala to ohio that you couls stick your finger through the deck lid i told the guy how bad it was he got it and was happy as could be with it good luck on whatever you decide

 

You could save a lot of cash by making the panels yourself. Most useful tool is a bead roller. That way tiwain only gets some of your cash. The floor pans, toe boards and side panels are all pretty close to flat with beads. If you're like me you have more time than money, and I dont have much of either!!

 

I'll get some more pics later, dark and raining now. The doors are so bad that the patch panels won't cover the rust on the bottoms. I literally tore the bottom half of the door off with my hands like ripping cardboard, the front fenders were the same way. I removed some of the bolts and the other metal was so rotten that the bolt just twisted a chunk of metal off around the nuts............

I knew the truck was in bad shape when I bought it, The frame is good and I was hoping the cab was salvagable along with the hood. Looks like all I've got is a frame and hood.

There is so much rust that I'm paranoid of spending time and money patching it and then have rust crop up from the inside out somewhere and EFF up a paint job.

The cab as a "whole" looks decent but thats because its full of bondo(it looks like it has screen door/window screen laid in between coats of bondo, and has a bout 5 different coats of paint on it.

 

It depends on the price. if its dirt cheap then go for it.

 

Hahahaha! Not to laugh at your misfortune, but we do media blasting at the shop I work for and I see more of that than I should! Lots of 70's "customs" coming back around! Save it for mock up and all the little shit you can get off of it, there's always something that you dont think of that nobody reproduces, and that's a good thing to have when you need it.

 

Hey if you are willing to consider a slantcab (53-55) you can find one here in TN I believe in solid shape. I am pondering selling this one.











I bought it out of Augusta, GA in 09. Search Craigslist in North Carolina, Georgia, KY, and Tennessee. IMHO opinion on these 53-56 replacing the 4 cab corners and maybe pieces of the floor are a given and just smart. Now on a 56' with a rusted roof I would personally would keep on walkin' my friend. Unless you are good with an English wheel and such or can source a good top it is just best to look else where. PM me I can help you possibly locate a better cab. Thanks

 

there is a fiberglass roof panel for them.but no metal.................yet