Hey guy's my 15 year old son and I went to look at his first Cummins today and imeadiatly fell in love! The truck is a 93 1 ton with a utiliy body on it. The truck has 160k on it and is an auto with od with 4x4. It ran perfect shifted perfect,and the cab was in decent shape with minimal rot. The bad was the utiliy bed was compleatly shot and totaly rotted out. The seller was asking 3k for it and I told my kid to deal with him try to negotiate the bet deal he could. Well he talked the guy down 500 bucks and had a deal.. That was until I decided to take another very thorough look underneath. That was when I found two sections of lower chanel of the frame that were about 10 to 12 inches log that were missing. It looked like the bottom of the c-chanel was gone.. The kid was devistated when I told him that he should pass on this one... I'm having secound thoughts now.. Guy's can this sort of frame rot be welded?I want the truck to be safe for him and I also wouldnt mind seeing him drive this truck.. Wht do think? Anyone ever make this repair?

Thanks

 

I would definitely pass on it .If the main frame is actually missing that amount the rest is substandard as well as all the control arms
we are talking the main truck frame not the smaller sectionals that are under the floor of the cab or under the door where the rockers meet the a post .the main frame can be re done but every thing has to come off and the frame has to be blasted its a lot of work .the trucks worth about 1000.00 max as its a parts truck now .Think about this as well if the frame is that bad due to neglect whats the rest of the mechanicals on the truck going to be like . find a southern truck and pick it up is safer and easier to replace mechanical parts than body parts and you and he can look together. Most of us on this site are willing to assist in finding or answering all your questions .This is just my opinion based on having done it both ways in terms of rebuilding a truck .good luck

 

I too would pass on it. Safety and security are number one and always should be. there are more 1sst gens out there, give it time. Kudos for not buying on emotion.

 

What he said......

 

Pass... you can drive a few hours south and find a clean truck, pay a few hundred more and NOT have to work on it, and like was said the frame is the thickest part of the truck and you cant see inside some of the part that are rusting from the inside out .

we bought this 92 in show room condition with 42,000 orig.miles $4000 bucks . keep looking there out there still

 

Ok, I have to say it, the person who sold you that 92 in that condition with that mileage for that price had a screw loose. That truck would fetch 8 to 9k in the Seattle area. Even then, you would feel lucky to find it whether 2 or 4wd.

To the OP - I agree with the others, a pass on it was the best decision. I have no problem with super high mileage trucks that are well maintained. Just look at Rebal's 700k mile truck
With frame damage you are starting with a bad foundation.

 

i really hate to go against every one but ,,,,here i go,,,if the truck runs and shifts as good as you say it does and the inside all looks good and the 4 wheel drive works,i would try talking the guy down to about 1500 or 1000 if you can ,,even if the frame is shot ,if you like to work on trucks yourself you could pick up a gasser from a junk yard or something cheap and just build a truck..i know it gets expensive but it would be a good father son project and its always cooler to drive something you put together your self....plus when hes driving it to high school and every one else is saying their moms and dads bought them their cars,,he can say he built his and busted his knucles taking parts off,,or a rat almost bit his finger off cleaning out the h vac box,,,thats what good memories are made of,,,,

 

I cannot believe that someone that looks himself in the face when he shaves would even offer it for sale other than for parts being in such an unsafe condition, you cannot tell me that honestly did not know the frame was rusted out, If the frame rusted out the brake lines might not be far behind.

The first thing out of his mouth should have been this is unsafe and is for parts only, then if you chose to try and fix it then it is up to you to make it safe.

Think how embarrassing it would be when you are showing off to your buddies and you twisted the back half of your truck off at the stop light.

I would pass on it also.

Jim

 

It's required, here in NJ to disclose any known faults with a vehicle prior to selling it... His *** would have been sued here if the buyer got hurt.


T.

 

Thanks guy's I appreciate all the tips and agree that this seller had to know about the rot on this frame and the sad part about it is my Son fell in Love with the truck at first sight! However I am still kicking around making him a low ball offer due to the overall condition of the entire truck. I spoke with several people who have been here and done this on frame repairs and was told that this can easilly be fixed with angle iron and a good welder. The bed is a knaphide utility and is also preaty rotted out too and will be scrapped so I will have compleate access to the frame to make the repairs as needed. I really want to pass on this one but my boy has his heart set on a 1st gen and this one has both an OD trans and is intercooled to boot! If anyone knows of anything out there in the tri state area (North East) please let me know. In the mean time I have to think about this. I asked the seller to send pix of the damage and will post asap....
Thanks again
R

 

I agree with the above, bargain him down to 1500 or less or pass on it. There are a lot of rust free trucks around here that might make a father/son road trip a lot of fun, kind of like rig picking. The entire used auto market is still depressed around here and prices are well off their highs of a few years ago. Let him see a good rust free truck and he will instantly forget his first love...Mark

 

Right now, on Phoenix's craig's list is a 90 4x4 running, looks decent for 3500, I found it in 5 minutes. It might be worth your while to do a western road trip...Mark


OK, thanks a lot guys I found no less than 3 pretty good looking 1st gens on that list, all close by and all asking less than 3500 bucks. I need another vehicle like I need another ex-wife...

 

I think a road trip to AZ as suggested would yield a better truck and likely be cheaper than starting an ever going patch job on a frame. Swapping frames or bodies without proper lifting tools, facilities and planning can instantly turn into a risky situation when something unexpectedly fails. I'd start out by watching Craigslist ads from AZ, southern CA, and western TX.

 

I agree... to a point. Yes, it can easily be fixed, but PLEASE don't use angle iron! IF you can proficiently weld, and IF you want a sizable project, then go for it. But to pay someone might get more costly than expected at first glance. I can almost guaranty you'll find more things that will need repair, which is ok if you can do it yourself. Scabbing together frames with mild steel is not a good thing as far as I'm concerned. And KNOWING how to weld on a frame is important too. It's not just a matter of getting something to stick to it, there are methods that should be used to ensure a proper, safe and strong weldment and repair. A lot of general welding shops might not know these procedures either if they're not actively involved in truck frame modifications.

Sometimes it's best to go with your first impressions and not second guess yourself. I know you want to give your son a truck he wants, but he's also old enough to start learning how to deal with disappointment and the value of waiting for the right thing to present itself. Not preaching to you here so please don't take it that way! There are a million 1st gen's out there for sale, you just have to find the right one.

 

Well I aint gona argue with you on this deal But like I said there out there
paid $3000 for this one too


this is my sons truck we paid $3500 for it too also bought and sold a 92 club cab w350 in great shape for $4000 ,like I said there out there .
and Mark mentioned doing a road trip with your son , what a better way to make a memory with him and not a night mare of the truck from rust hell.