In every classic truck builder's life there comes a point when you are faced with rust and what to do about it. It's probably the most common and most troublesome-not to mention expensive-problem we all have to deal with. There are basically three solutions to the situation: 1) Leave it and keep driving, 2) Pay someone to cut it out and fix it, or 3) Fix it yourself. All of the three answers have their pros and cons, all of which revolve around your budget, time, skill, and resources, or lack of any or all of these things.
If you are anything like myself, you like to do things on your own and don't like other people working on your "baby," which just so happens to work out well since I don't have the money to spend on a $50-plus hourly shop rate for a tedious job such as rust removal. Well, having been in this same situation since I learned to drive, I quickly jumped in and really gave fabrication the old college try. If I did manage to mess things up, at least it wouldn't cost me much, and I'd still learn something. And in the event that I was successful, I could smile and put another notch in my body hammer.
Tools aren't everything, but having the right stuff saves time and can help make the work that much tidier. Air tools are quick and easy to work with and more compact than their electric counterparts, but, of course, you need an air compressor that'll keep up without running continuously. You don't need to break the bank when it comes to buying air tools, and you really only need two or three different tools to get started, but remember that you will most likely get what you pay for, and if you think you'll be using them often, don't buy cheap ones! Even though Snap-on helps sponsor the Primedia Tech Center, I've always used Snap-on's air tools, which have withstood all the rigors of daily use in the shops I've worked at in the past before coming to work here at Classic Trucks.
Welding may be the albatross that hangs over the heads of many reading this, but all it takes is practice and patience. Patience is the number one key in any metal fabrication job, as it is with most things, but the end result of the project will turn out much better if it's not rushed. Both MIG and TIG welders have come down in price in the last 10 years and have gotten much more advanced at the same time, which is great news for those thinking about taking the plunge. I think it's safe to say you could easily get a nice MIG welder from a company like Miller and set it up with shielding gas, wire, welding helmet, gloves, basically everything you'd need to plug it in and pull the trigger for less than what a reputable shop would charge to fix the rust in the floor I'm about to show you. Read on and stay tuned for an in-depth DIY welding story in an upcoming issue of Classic Trucks.
After I dismantled and had the '68 F-100 soda-blasted (Nov. '07 CT), I found rust in the floorboards hiding under the rubber floor mat, which wasn't noticeable from underneath with the truck on a lift-so much for thinking it was rust-free! I flipped open my National Parts Depot (NPD) 1948-79 Ford truck catalog, found the patch panels I needed, and got on the phone to order 'em. Even though there aren't as many new parts available for '67-72 Ford Bumpside trucks as there are for C-10s of the same vintage, NPD makes an effort to carry everything they can get their hands on, so order a catalog or go online and check them out. If you're not welding and grinding yet, get ready to face your fears and fabricate!
 Before jumping straight in...  Before jumping straight in and showing you how to install the new floorboard patch panels from NPD, I thought I'd take a few moments to show what's used to get the job done. One basic tool used for metal and fab work is this straight cutoff tool (Snap-on PN PT250R). It uses 3-inch cutoff discs that can quickly cut through sheetmetal and tubing. This version is just a cutoff tool, but there are more universal straight die grinders (PN PT200R) that have a 1/4-inch collet, which is kinda like a drill chuck, so you can switch out different arbors or use carbide cutting as well as cutoff wheels. |  Favored by many professional...  Favored by many professional fabricators as well as my personal favorite and most-used air tool is Snap-on's .45-horsepower 90-degree angle die grinder (PN PT210R) with an arbor to use 3-inch Power Loc-style abrasive discs. This tool has the 1/4-inch collet and a grease fitting to help make it last longer, but it's also fully rebuildable if anything does happen. Power Loc refers to how the abrasive disc attaches to the arbor with half a clockwise turn onto the rubber-backed arbor thanks to the small plastic spiral on the back of each flexible abrasive disc. |  Here's how to turn one tool...  Here's how to turn one tool into many-swap out different arbors. While it's nice to have both angled and straight die grinders with each of these arbors in them, most home users won't need to buy two or three extra grinders. But that's OK since the arbors are easy to switch out. On the left is the arbor for the flexible 3-inch Power Loc discs, and on the right is one for cutoff wheels with a 3/8-inch shank. Each air tool comes with simple wrenches to swap out arbors. |
 One tool to avoid while doing...  One tool to avoid while doing most metalwork is a common 4-inch electric grinder with a hard stone. While the grinder isn't the problem, it is somewhat cumbersome compared to svelte air tools, but it can be used with good results if that's all you have. The hard grinding stone is what can potentially make a scarred mess of your work. Hard stones dig into thin sheetmetal and remove lots of material fast, which is bad! If you have a grinder like this, go buy a rubber backing pad to use with 36-grit paper grinding discs. If you use 36-grit paper discs for grinding down welds, the end result will look much nicer. |  Sometimes a cutoff wheel is...  Sometimes a cutoff wheel is too big to get in a tricky spot-and you find plenty of them-so a tool like this reciprocating or "body" saw is a much better fit. It's often called a body saw because it's great for auto body work and can get in tight places and cut sheetmetal quickly. When buying replacement blades, make sure to get the right tooth count or TPI (teeth per inch) for the material you'll be cutting; 18-24 TPI works well for sheetmetal. |  Another handy and sometimes...  Another handy and sometimes overlooked tool is a spot weld cutting bit. If you are working around body panels that have another behind them or are trying to remove, say, a whole rocker panel without getting into the panels around it, a spot weld cutter will make the job quicker and easier. The cutters come in different diameters, and I settled on 7/16 since it's big enough to go around the spot welds on the F-100, but once you have the arbor, you can always try different cutters. |