94 K1500 Frame Rust

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OBS Oregon

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How is the rest of the truck? Interior, paint, body, engine, trans and so on? Add all this up and that's how I would determine if it's worth sinking $$$ into.
 

Redduc1199

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The rest of the truck is shot. It’s a 94 with 376k on it. It’s not about sinking money into it. It’s not a even a DD anymore. It’s just a truck that I like and sure beats a going to a dealer and buying a new truck.
 

Waldo

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I am in the last stretch of doing a frame swap on (the other route you'd take im guessing). Its a crap ton of work and is even more difficult with everything being rusty. I found a cheap frame down south ($500) with the luck of god and did a $50 rustoleum paint job.

I have a couple mechanics in the family who have been in the same situation and welding can be only a temporary fix. If you really wanna keep the truck alive, Id do what i did and swap, only if the time commitment is what suits you. They claim they can do it in two weeks with their fancy lifts and power tools. What ive found going through it thus-far with only basic tools is it takes about 6 months while juggling school and life (I can only imagine a wife and kids). It all comes down to how much the truck matters. For me, it was my grandpa's and i worked on it with him for about a year before he died, so it was worth it in my eyes. Im sure youll make the best decision regardless. Good luck.
 

Hipster

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Book time on these trucks was about 42 hours for a 2wd and about 45hours if 4wd just for the frame swap part of the job. I could start the frame swap at 8am and by 7pm was walking out the door all done except bleeding brakes and an a/c charge. Granted I had 2 stalls. One with a lift.

Think sub-assemblies, disconnect the drive shaft, 4 leave spring bolts , a couple cables and lines and roll it out from under one to the new one with the wheels still on it. The cab can be picked up with all the front sheet metal and hood still on it ju8st pull the fan shroud. Drop front diff, steering box, pull control arm bolts, and drop everything and move it over.
 

Kens1990K2500

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If the frame is repaired and repaired correctly, then painted it should be done better than the factory. I don’t see a legitimate reasons of how they could fail it. That’s just my $0.02.
If I repair the truck it will be better than any over priced truck sitting on a dealer lot.
I agree. Would rather fix an older, well built, simpler truck, than shell out big bucks for payments on a newer truck ... which will probably rot out in 10 years anyway (in the Northeast).
 

Caman96

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Why fix when you can replace?
 
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