Take a look at this rust spot, please.

[Toad455]

Hello, this is my first time on here. I would like opinions on this rust spot, I attached a pic. It's on the top, front of the passenger door opening right behind the windshield, where the door gasket contacts. I have the whole truck stripped down and this is the only rust spot it has except for surface rust. The small hole is for a drip rail screw that I will weld up since I'm not using drip rails anymore. The rust isn't all the way through the first layer but close. I've done body work and paint for years but I don't really want to cut this out due to the shape. I've been reading on rust conversion, encapsulate, etc and would like to know opinions on just grinding this as much as possible and using products instead of cutting, welding. I can get behind it somewhat through the visor mount hole with a straw to shoot something behind the rust. If I cut it out and custom form a replacement piece I will still have to spray behind it, so my main worry is can I stop it from coming through later on. Thanks for any info. This is a 78 C10 we had since new.

 

[Toad455]

Well never mind, I cleaned it up more and now I do have a hole. I'll start cutting.

 

[bucket]

Don't you love it when you are wondering what to do and then the universe tells you exactly what to do? It makes for an easy decision, lol.

 

[Toad455]

Well, you know I love it, ha. Now I'm looking at either changing the roof skin or patching this one. This roof was hail damaged in 1979 (it's a 78) and my dad had a dealership fix it, they used body filler which cracked later on. I repainted it at the paint and body college in 1987 when I was 18 years old, I re-did the roof with filler and it cracked about 10 years later. So I don't mind changing the skin. I would like to know how the new skins fit and if the thickness is the same as factory. The pics shows both holes, the cab is sitting on the back. I guess I'll post that up as a separate question.

 

[CalSgt]

Well, you know I love it, ha. Now I'm looking at either changing the roof skin or patching this one. This roof was hail damaged in 1979 (it's a 78) and my dad had a dealership fix it, they used body filler which cracked later on. I repainted it at the paint and body college in 1987 when I was 18 years old, I re-did the roof with filler and it cracked about 10 years later. So I don't mind changing the skin. I would like to know how the new skins fit and if the thickness is the same as factory. The pics shows both holes, the cab is sitting on the back. I guess I'll post that up as a separate question.

Your call on re-skinning the roof but if it were mine I'd try to avoid it. Patching the few small rust spots and re-doing the top is a whole lot less work than the alternative. If you can metal work the top so it doesn't oil can quality body filler should last a long time.

 

[bucket]

Agreed, metal work the current skin and call it good. Try to keep the filler to 1/8" thickness or less. There's modern fillers that flex and expand/contract very well these days.

 

[Toad455]

Well after I did some research on the rear spot weld flange that's inside and not accessible I decided to fix what I got. I had no idea the roof skin was that big of a job. Thanks for the replies from you both.

 

[Toad455]

Ok, I'm back with another roof question. I did decide to repair my existing roof, "but". I did see several videos of roofs getting replaced. I don't like the idea of using a cutoff wheel on the rear where you can't access the spot welds and then having to but weld all the way across. But my cab is sitting on it's back and looking at the inside it "appears" that the inside skin can be removed and that would give access to all the spot welds on the outer skin. The main reason I was trying to persuade myself to replace it was so I could get inside and treat the surface rust between the panels that I know is up there and to add insulation, plus that would eliminate the rust holes on the front corner. Has anybody changed a roof using this method?

 

[DanMcG]

The roof would have to be pretty bad to get me to replace it....Got any pic's of the hail damage? Might just need a good stud gun and a body hammer or two. Or better yet see what the Paintless Dent Repair people would charge ya.

 

[Long Rider]

I would sand it then use something like POR 15 over the rust spots. It's easy to prep and paint over down the road and in my experience you can stop worrying about the rust.

 

[79K10Step]

What I had to do on mine was find a replacement roof from a Junker. I just needed the passenger corner where the windshield pillar is welded to the roof and about a 3 inch strip down the top of the windshield about 18 inches. Cut out my old one, welded in the replacement smoothed it up, a little bondo, primer all good.

 

[79K10Step]

Forgot to mention replaced mostly outer skin and some of the pillar.

 

[Toad455]

The roof would have to be pretty bad to get me to replace it....Got any pic's of the hail damage? Might just need a good stud gun and a body hammer or two. Or better yet see what the Paintless Dent Repair people would charge ya.

Here's some pics:

 

[Toad455]

I appreciate all the replies. I don't have the old filler removed yet to show the hail damage. As I remember the hail damage isn't that bad, and I do have a unispotter. I guess I'll look to just replace the spots and use rust converter, and encapsulate what I can get to and go on.

 

[Grit dog]

I don’t know how to metal work to fix oil canning. Although that’s not your issue with the roof, correct?
hail damage is just like 100 door dings? There’s a 0% chance that would cause me to replace the roof. Skin it with quality filler and sand away. Imo.
The rust spots are similar to the dozen or more I had around the windshield and back window except no rust in the door channel.
What I found once I started cutting it out was comforting in that the rust came from the outside-in and the metal was undamaged and full thickness with directly outside the rust holes. I cut out less than 25% of what I thought I was going to have to. I did burn up a can of that snorkel rust spray all around the windshield frame though.
Those 2 little spots are easy for someone with your experience.