Hello, I have a 54 1/2 Chevy pkp that I inherited. I have a rebuilt 283 and a Sag 4 speed that need a home. So I thought the truck would be a good low buck build. I want to put disc with power on the front and keep the straight axel and a Camero/firebird/nova etc. rear end. My problem is major rot in the cab. It has affected the "structural' interegrity. By the battery box I can grab the rocker panel and lift. Everything in that corner is rusted away. I checked prices on floor pans and the support beam and this is the neighborhood of $600. Then I need cab corners, the area at the back of the front fenders, and probably more that I have not found. Also on the inside of the cab on each side of what is the rear portion of the front fenders is rotted all the way through. I don't even know where to start. I ***ume the cab needs to come off to repair all of this. I guess what I'm asking for is some direction as to where to start. I have searched and found lots of info on panel replacements, which should not be to difficult as I can weld sheetmetal fairly good. But I need to find out about the structure of this cab. It seems very "loose" to me. I'll try to post a pic of the floor at the battery box. The floor support beam looks like the end has rotted away. So much is gone from this area I can't tell what is suppose to connected to what. Thanks for any help. Mike
Hi, I just cut out most of the metal in that area on my truck (also a '54). They like to rust out in that area due to poor drainage from the vents. Dig in! Start cutting! Since it's mostly flat sheetmetal, I've been making my own patches (with the guidance and superior welding skills of Chopolds). All of the support brackets in mine were in fine shape so I just wire-wheeled the hell out of them and brushed on some POR15. Have you considered an S-10 ch***is swap? Given the point where you're at in the project and your goals, it seems like a natural fit. You'll get the brakes and 5-lug rear you're looking for, and since you're already pulling the body off the frame, why not just put it on a different frame. Check out the tech-o-matic for a how to. FWIW, if I had my whole project to do again, I'd start out with a truck that didn't require rust repair and I'd put in a Mustang II to compliment the 350 / 700R4 package I already have going on. Ed
Check out this site...it has some really good photos of cab repairs. I hope this helps a little and gives you a few ideas of what is involved. http://www.chuckthetruck.com/ My truck has the same rot in the upper fender wells. I'll probably be taking on that task next. Another thing to think about is the clearance issues with a V8 and the steering box with a straight axle. It requires a little creativeness with placement of the motor, exhaust manifolds, and steering box. You might want to poke around and see how other folks tackled the problem. -Rich
Hey guys, Thanks for the info and that link is great. Looks like I will have a lot of work on my hands.
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