The rust kicker.

[SentandBent4x4]

This might be a dumb question, but if the two fenders are rusted, should I replace the other ones while I’m at it? I read that the manufacturer sprays this tar like foam up in there, and it retains water really well, rusting it from the inside out. I just don’t want to spend all that time painting my truck only to have that happen again in two years!

 

[letitsnow]

Any time that there are 2 layers of steel, that becomes a moisture trap that rusts from the inside out. I wouldn't overlap if possible.

 

[Hipster]

Fenders, better off just replacing them with non rusted stuff. The bed kind of falls into the same category, if both sides are rotted like the one pictured. Also, need to to look at the inner piece above the wheel that the outer beside attaches to. Might be nothing left of it either. A couple hundred for patch panels, $100 for body materials, sandpaper etc, several days to do the bedsides, a clean used bed starts looking like the way to go. With as much rust as I'm seeing on this truck I would want to look at the frame very closely, In the bedside photo looks like somebody bolted on some kind of reinforcement plate to the frame rail below it. At the least, it needs investigated.

 

[Erik the Awful]

YouTube body guys make it look a lot easier than it is. If it's your first time, it's going to go a lot more like this:

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

 

[SentandBent4x4]

It has a body lift, but that in the picture is a fifth wheel hitch reinforcement.

 

[Hipster]

fifth wheel hitch reinforcement.

gotcha

 

[Hipster]

I saw a guy on YouTube take a replacement panel, cut out the right size piece, and then take three inch strips off the leftover panel, and tack them inside the hole. Then he butt welded the panel in place. Should I do that, or just cut the panel bigger than the hole, and weld it in there half a piece at a time?

that's not butt welding. butt welding is when you match the 2 pieces with no backing material and again nearly impossible to pull of with a scratch start arc welder or gasless mig, hard enough with argon/co2 mig even easier with tig.

 

[Hipster]

I just don’t want to spend all that time painting my truck only to have that happen again in two years!

well you don't want to do it it with flyswatter material and crazy glue then. Why are you searching out those half ass jackleg repairs if that's not what you want. Search the internent and eventually you get somebody to give you the answer you want to hear instead of correct and worthwhile information. If you just want to jackleg/half-ass it together say so.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Your truck needs:

1) Bed: A used (rust-free) box. Yours is full of dirt and debris over the wheel arches, and not worth repairing. If you were to cut into them you would likely find they were full of 3" of dirt on each side. The rust it worse than what you're seeing. Just buy a different fox for $500 or so. If you can find a similar color that'll make it easier for you. In your area you should be able to find one easily.

If you try to fix what you have it'll a) look terrible and you won't be satisfied, b) take more work to make look 'good' (even by someone who knows what he's doing) than it's worth. A good used box will save you time and money in the long run. Before you install it, tip it upside down and bang the wheel wells with a rubber mallet to dislodge any built-up dirt. Then wash it completely clean over the wheel arches (get to by the taillight).

2) Fenders: New front fenders: Yours are rotted out and not worth fixing. If you can find rust-free originals in a local salvage yard, that's even better. Otherwise look for fenders which are CAPA-Certified (better quality product).

3) Cab Corners: No easy way around this one: Cut out the old rusty metal with a grinder, then weld in new cab corner patch panels. You shoud hire someone who's done this job a few times before. Pay an experienced guy to do it "right" so it lasts forever and looks pro. Also, you can't really use a *stick welder* to do it 'right' (Who the heck said that???!!)

4) Rocker Panels: IDK how yours are. Start probing and poking with a screwdriver. They're probably rusted too, but maybe yours aren't. Check them out.

It's a lot of work to do quality metal fabrication work. Everyone wants to do a quickie and they are mystified and angry after quickie work looks like crap in 2 years. After you do all the necessary metal work in a quality manner, THEN...and only THEN should you start the actual paint and bodywork process. Paint and Bodywork isn't quick, easy or cheap either. But it's very rewarding.

 

[SentandBent4x4]

I’m not. It’s just something I saw. I’m definitely doing this the right way, not some 1/2*$$ way. I might look around for a new box. Not sure I can find an eight foot though. We’ll see. The fenders….. one of them is perfectly fine, but…. For how long? Should I fix it while I’m at it? Also, there’s just no way I can get any access to a mig or tig welder. It’s either get rust free used parts or try stick weld, which from what I hear doesn’t work the best. I do have a freind who stick welded his body panels, and it looks perfect, but he’s an experienced welder, me…… my welds look like chicken dung.