Need Quick Rust Advice

[440sixpack]

Hi, I'm a new guy in need of some quick help . I'm from the northwest high desert so rust isn't something I normally deal with. because if I see rust I walk away.

I'm looking at an otherwise pretty nice 78 K10 , what's holding me up is it has about a 2"" x 6" strip of rust coming through behind both rear wheel wells at the lip. is this common? and obviously if there is rust there then other rust is possible. where are the most common areas for lightly rusted square bodies so I can look close ?

I can weld in patch panels and fix these 2 areas, but if there is more I'm really not looking for that kind of trouble. it has an older paint job and there are no other obvious rust issues.

 

[Frankenchevy]

is this common? and obviously if there is rust there then other rust is possible

Yes and yes. Floors near rockers, rockers, cab corners...

Lift up the carpet for starters and bring a weak magnet for the exterior. Or if you have a buddy with a body shop he can lend you their magical body filler finder gizmo.

 

[Charlie]

 

[1973c10]

Welcome

 

[440sixpack]

Rockers and floor panels look fine. rockers look great. cab corner I need to look at, I assume you mean in the bottom rear corners?

if there is any other rust it's very minor, but rust scares me to death. I normally would run screaming but even here a totally rust free square body seems to be a unicorn.

Thanks guys.

 

[dajn37]

What I gather from your post is that it's a money issue. which is a problem for 95 percent of us. I have learned the hard way myself but the best advice I can give is to be really patient before you buy. If there is something you dont like about this deal, just look elsewhere. Just keep looking and being on the alert. Eventually exactly what you are looking for will show up. But the price is always an issue. Most people are smart enough to realize that a rust free squarebody has good value. It just depends on what it's worth to you.

 

[440sixpack]

Not really so much the money is I don't want rust, it's just simply nothing I want to deal with. I'm just not sure if expecting to find a totally rust free 70's square body is possible realistically. so I've lowered my standards to some degree, but not far .

If the rust I described are all I can find I could live with that. this is why I'm asking where else I should look. besides this rust the rest of the rig is very nice, really nice actually. from 20 feet it looks new.

it's a '77 K10 Cheyenne short wide 350 4spd pretty original . with the rust I described is 10K too much to pay do you think? I've been watching a while but I'm not up to speed on these models that well.

 

[Frankenchevy]

Rust free stuff is out there. The good thing is that it’s isolated to the bed. Swapping the bed is easy. Painting everything to match will require more talent than the bed swap.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

I don't blame you, finding a rust free truck isn't a big deal. It's just a matter of money. Always start witht he nicest thing you can afford.

Photos would help, but I basically agree with the other poster, if you're not comfy, skip it.

 

[peats]

10k with rust is a lot to pay, walk away.