a 1979 f150 restore

[raelayotte]

Hello Everyone
i going to be restoring a 1979 f150 for my wife. What i need to now is do i need to put need body bushing on before i stare replacing the floor and rockers and others.

[Phil V]

Do you have that truck stripped down yet ? I live in the rust belt and I have been running Ford F150 4X4s for the last 30 years at least, so I know them pretty well. If the floor and the rockers are rotted out enough that they need replacing then the odds are the back panel of the cab lower is also rotted bad and the bottom of the hinge pillars will be rotted out also. Body mount areas are probably rotted out also. LONG before I would ever do all the repair work (at considerable cost in time and money) I would replace the whole cab with a rust free (or close to rust free) cab from down south or out west. I've seen several older rust free ford cabs around here for less than $500. At least that way you have something when you're done instead of a temporarily decent looking repaired rusty cab that will haunt you as long as you own the truck. Based on my 38 years of doing this work professionally my personal and professional advice is --- if you want a rust free vehicle when you're done then start with a rust free vehicle to begin with. There is absolutely no possible way the average bodyman (let alone an amateur bodyman) can or will repair all the rust in a rusty vehicle. The only guarantee is that the rust will pop through or swell seams in a relatively short time. I quit restoring rusty vehicles a long time ago, to me its a waste of time and money.

[raelayotte]

im from Michigan so there a lot of snow ans salt

[raelayotte]

i under stand the rust part but i would like to do this

[Phil V]

The only person you have to please is you (and possibly your wife). So go for it.

[Rustbelttrucker]

im from Michigan so there a lot of snow ans salt

Phil V's advance is valid and comes from years of experience. However, given enough time and money, you can restore almost anything. Even so, it won't necessarily make the end result worth the time and expense. That said, due to the scarcity of desirable project vehicles, you are now seeing cars get restored that wouldn't have been considered more than a donor vehicle for another project 10-15 yrs ago. MIG welding and increased availability of repro parts makes it possible. A good relatively rust free example is always better to start with tho'. Unless you have some kind of illogical emotional attachment to this cab, let logic rule the day and find yourself a good donor.

Check with these guys: http://southern-truck.com/ in Imlay City. They might have what you need.