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rocker box ?

K

K5dreamer

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so ive been looking for a first gen, but may have found a 74 that i might go with instead. i asked in the 73-89 forum but havent gotten a reply yet.

do 2nd gen full convertibles have rocker boxes too? i havent looked at the truck in person yet, and am trying to do my homework. its a fresh paint truck which makes me very concerned about possible rust issues.

EDIT

and a 2nd question, that would apply to 1st or 2nd gen trucks, how much should i expect to pay to have rotten rocker boxes repaired/replaced?
 
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K5dreamer said:
EDIT

and a 2nd question, that would apply to 1st or 2nd gen trucks, how much should i expect to pay to have rotten rocker boxes repaired/replaced?
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Somewhere between $100 and $8000.... :haha:

The problem with the question is knowing what a shop considers "repaired". There are plenty of trucks out there that have been repaired with scrap metal, rivets and lots of body filler, and there are few that have been repaired so faithfully that you'd be hard pressed to even detect that anything was ever done. The price for those two repairs are huge multiples of dollars apart... And most regular body shops don't want to do that type of work at all. It's way too labor intensive and not nearly as profitable as collision repair.

Once you find a shop that truly cares about old truck restorations, you will probably be in for some sticker shock. I would guess that you could EASILY be into rust repair in the footwell / cab support / rocker box area for $5000.... And that's not even ready for paint, that's just the structural work to get the sheetmetal solid again.

There's a reason why most guys here are doing their own rust repair. It's almost impossible to justify the costs of paying someone else to do it for you. The second best option is to pay $15,000 -$20,000 for a completed truck where someone else already dumped $30,000 - $40,000 into a complete restoration and now is selling it off at a loss.

One way or another it's going to cost you either lots of time (DIY repair) or lots of money (hiring someone else).... Buy the best example you can afford and you'll be miles ahead of a "bargain" K5 that ends up being a total basketcase.

-G
 
frak me gently with a chainsaw! :eek1:

and just to be clear, these rocker boxes are structurally important right? to stiffen the body in the absence of a roof?

EDIT - thanks for the clear and detailed reply.
 
K5dreamer said:
frak me gently with a chainsaw! :eek1:

and just to be clear, these rocker boxes are structurally important right? to stiffen the body in the absence of a roof?

EDIT - thanks for the clear and detailed reply.
Click to expand...


You can re-build a convertible without the factory rocker boxes, but you need to find a different way to provide the same structural benefit. Most likely with a carefully constructed rollcage to anchor the cab / footwell / windshield area to the rear tub area (everything behind the door striker).

When the door is open, there is precious little to keep the truck from folding in half at that door opening. There's not much preventing it with the door shut either..... just the forces of the door being wedged into a sagging body and scraping everywhere around the door edges. Not good.

It might help to talk to a few body shops NOW about your questions, to see what sort of hourly rate they charge and whether they would even agree to tackle a massive rust-repair project on an old truck. You've really got to go into it with your eyes wide open and understand how easily the project can spin away from you in terms of $$$$.


-G
 
oh nonono don't get me wrong, I'm just doing learning here. I still have no intention of getting a rust bucket. but in my shopping around I'm trying to get a measure of how expensive "some" rust can be. And for what are probably obvious reasons, most of the trucks I've found have all the visible sheetmetal replaced, but the rocker boxes are always ignored because no one can see em.

I don't have a $20k budget for a daily driver rust free truck shipped from the other side of the country, so whatever I'm gonna find is gonna be a little rough, and I'm trying to be realistic about what thats gonna mean dollar wise.

based on the wise counsel of y'all here, any truck that has bad enough rust that the rocker boxes are already gone, I walk away from, but ill be expecting a truck I can afford to have some rust, and maybe a few small holes in the rocker boxes. for me the catch is finding one that's not too far gone. which is tricky, because the rule as I understand it is that if there's rust that you know about, theres ten times as much you wont know about until you get into it.

but i do greatly appreciate all the feedback, definitely taking notes here. :waytogo::bow:
 
Well what are you going to be using this truck for?

If its a wheeler, maybe it's less important that everything be perfect. But if you want to buy something that will eventually be a well-restored time capsule, you have different objectives in your search.

My theory is never trust a recent paint job. Unless you can see detailed photos of absolutely everything that was done, you should assume that corners were cut during the prep and rust is waiting just below that delicious paint waiting to bubble up as soon as you take possession.

An unmolested ,never repainted desert truck is the holy grail IMHO... You can see what's really going on, and you know that everything you are seeing is factory original.

Unless you are buying a perfect restoration (that $20,000 we spoke of) any truck you buy is going to need some rust repair.... So just educate yourself as much as possible about the costs involved, and if you don't already know how to weld its time to start learning! :deal:

One final hint: if you see a truck that looks good to you, post up a link to the ad. I'm always amazed at how much information the CK5 membership can provide from a handful of photographs... It can be a great learning tool to see what other people notice, and will make you a more sophisticated shopper.

-G
 
Greg72 said:
One final hint: if you see a truck that looks good to you, post up a link to the ad. I'm always amazed at how much information the CK5 membership can provide from a handful of photographs... It can be a great learning tool to see what other people notice, and will make you a more sophisticated shopper.

-G
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that is a great point and I personally wouldn't buy anything without doing this first. That said, be aware that what you are asking is for us to nitpick the living crap out of whatever you post. Take the information so you have more to go on, but still use your own judgment about whether or not to buy. Everything is going to have issues, but it's still good to know as much of them before you bring it home as possible.
 
have I mentioned lately that I love you guys :whistle:

anyway, back on topic.

Use of the truck....

If I wind up getting a solid 1st or 2nd gen, Serious rock crawling and abuse would not be on the menu. (Id get another M1009 to use for that and swap in a manual transmission) It would be my fun 2nd vehicle, and snow weather warrior. probably half way between a mall crawler and a trail rig. Used for tailgating at country concerts, drive in movie theaters, camping trips and trail rides at national parks, driven to work once a week (to prevent the number one killer of my previous vehicles... sitting), firewood hauls to the cabin, trips to the dump, general truck use, etc. The big thing is I want to keep it a long time.

The dream for a long time was a NV4500/203/205 doubler setup, but over the years ive realized i just dont need that. The plan would be to find a factory SM465/NP205 setup, swap under my DRW Dana pair, with H1's and 37's, with a detroit locker rear open front and 4.10 gears. maybe later on a lomax 3:1 set of gears for the NP205. Nice and driveable on the highway but with plenty of gear and tire to get around when the pavement stops. And some big aftermarket front and rear bumpers to protect the truck from fender benders on and off road. lots of flex isnt necessary, and wouldnt want to trim the fenders.

Just a well rounded, swiss army knife kid of rig, not the best rig ever built at any one thing, just as happy on the trail gettin dirty, as heading into old town to go out to dinner when its nice out. Certainly not a show quality full restoration. I was thinking stripped and rhino lined full tub interior, wheel wells, and bed rails. And a "pretty" paint job, like "Nordic Gold".
 
Greg72 said:
My theory is never trust a recent paint job. Unless you can see detailed photos of absolutely everything that was done, you should assume that corners were cut during the prep and rust is waiting just below that delicious paint waiting to bubble up as soon as you take possession.


-G
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and THIS is my current issue with the 74 I'm looking at, waiting on the wife to send me pictures and then I will share. It seems to have a lot going for it, but its a very shiny new looking paint job, (very 80's ugly if you ask me). Needless to say, I'm being cautiously pessimistic about it, but I might be able to get it for a song if its a decent truck.
 
I never gave much thought to the rocker boxes, as my truck never had them. but I am starting to think that this is what is leading to a lot of unnecessary body creaking and moving.


Could anyone get some pics of the boxes and where they mount in front and back of the truck?
 
72k5mike said:
I never gave much thought to the rocker boxes, as my truck never had them. but I am starting to think that this is what is leading to a lot of unnecessary body creaking and moving.


Could anyone get some pics of the boxes and where they mount in front and back of the truck?
Click to expand...

If you remove a critical structural component to the body, you can expect unpleasant side effects..

Without major rework of the body / rollcage mounts you can't get that torsional stiffness back.

The factory rocker boxes are now available as reproduction units. Adding a set of those would be the simplest way to add structure back to your chassis.



-G
 
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