When is too much rust not worth saving?

[markrazz]

Finally got a trailer and picked up the 1973 Cheyenne k5 blazer and was glad to put in the key and have it start and sound so easy and good. Drove like a champ up ramp and mechanically seemed fine.
Paid 3k does that seem like a fair price?

Still have engine tag and original a/c in engine bay.
Roof looks a little rough but plan to go topless anyway so not a big issue and probably just need a wipe and paint to bring back to life.

Now love the truck and so excited to get it out and about but unfortunately it’s all original and needs all floor pans and interior redone. When does too much rust come into play not worth restoring a truck?
The frame looked great no rust holes just surface and the outside body had a few spots but not so horrible like the interior steel panels all rear panels , rear wheel wells and front floor pans are rotted out.
Exterior wheel wells are rotted and most of the metal attaching to the frame seems rusted so not even sure where to start...

I’m not a body guy but always up to learn if the price to farm out outlays the worth of the vehicle.
What kind of wilder would I need to get if I decided to give this a try myself
Cheapest option that would work via craigslist used ect.?
Also need to find a windshield wiper switch if anyone has a link or a cheap working one lying around.

 

[Scribbles]

Gut the interior and post some pictures for us to see. I know of a couple trucks on here folks are doing a ton of rust repair so I’m going to say it will come down to if it’s worth your time or not.

 

[wazzabie]

when you have frame rot

 

[ryoken]

high in the door jambs, upper windshield are, etc are generally the sign it's time to throw the towel in IMO... frames can be swapped, floors completely replaced... up high, unless you are tanking the cab, will always come back at some point...

 

[markrazz]

high in the door jambs, upper windshield are, etc are generally the sign it's time to throw the towel in IMO... frames can be swapped, floors completely replaced... up high, unless you are tanking the cab, will always come back at some point...

Here are pics gutted yesterday

 

[ryoken]

very doable.... but a project like that needs a commitment to "right"... cutting out bad material, media blasting, proper patching, etc... one thing to watch with a rig like that is, how pervasive is the rust in the body panel seams...

is that last one the rocker boxes?

 

[NorCal69]

Several CK5 phrases come to mind when I look at the pics.

-It’s time to peal the onion.....

-You can only eat an elephant one bite at a time....

Now order up some panels. Grab a Miller 211... because if you stay with this site.... the Might as Wells will kick in and you’re going to want to weld thicker stuff later. Grab the grinder and start cutting out the old stuff slowly...


And the number one thing with dealing with rust replacement on a full vert. Brace the door opening so stuff works later.


Ps.... brace the door openings!

 

[sweetk30]

click my budget beater link below to see when to much is time to cut it up and start over .

 

[obijuank5]

In my opinion it's already past that point. Take all the full vert stuff and convert a later model that's better off.

 

[blazer74]

Mine was worse in some ways and not in other ways.

Don’t get ahead of yourself. Do a section at a time.

I had a wet noodle on my hands and took some doing to get it all straight.
My front cab and floor supports were in pretty bad shape.
Keep the top on when working structural areas and use braces x2

 

[markrazz]

very doable.... but a project like that needs a commitment to "right"... cutting out bad material, media blasting, proper patching, etc... one thing to watch with a rig like that is, how pervasive is the rust in the body panel seams...

is that last one the rocker boxes?

Ya the rocker boxes are gone so refuted out
Are there cross sections across the frame that can be replaced one looks bad on ends?

 

[wazzabie]

nothing a little bit of bondo and a spray can can't fix?

 

[campfire]

@markrazz, First off, welcome to CK5. Second, the guys above already hit it, you can save as much of this truck as you want to pay for (in time more than money). Third, what corner of Wisconsin are you in? We're in the Northeast corner.

 

[campfire]

P.S. - I'll buy that transmission tunnel cover off of you if you're replacing the entire pan. If it's as clean as it looks.

 

[markrazz]

Beaver Dam about an hour north of Madison

 

[campfire]

Beaver Dam about an hour north of Madison

I drive through there every couple of months. Just came back through there two days ago. Lemme know if you want a second set of eyes on the rust.

 

[campfire]

Looks like the tailgate is clean?

 

[tRustyK5]

I was gonna say...tailpan/tailgate looks pretty good, but the rust at the rear wheelhouses is pretty bad. Rocker boxes are dust, but the outer rocker skins look pretty good. Strange...

 

[campfire]

Bump. Any progress, @markrazz?

 

[markrazz]

Had hip replacement on Tue so not much as of recent lol but have had time to do some searching for parts..
I am planning on meeting up with a guy that has the rear floor pans , rear floor , door skins and more new stuff I’m buying for a bundle price
Also picking up a 75 as a parts truck that’s rusted out also, but has a roll bar that I could use, good top ect so can’t refuse
All under $1000 so should save me a ton in the long run...