'73 Scout II Body Work

[Binder73]

I recently bought a '73 Scout II that runs top notch. The body is really rusty and is in need of some serious TLC. The passenger side floor is rusting through and the rocker panel is gone. Both rear wheel wells are loose from the body panels. One of the rear body mounts is completely loose and everytime I hit a bump it sounds like the whole rear half of the body is going to fall off.

I will try to get some photos uploaded to show the problem areas. Would it be beneficial to patch work everything together or would I be better off swapping bodies?

I will take any and all ideas.

[Allan E.]

lots of binderfolk in Rapid City. Don't know how many in the rest of the state.

I'm a body swap fan. To each his own.

[Binder73]

How hard is it to do a body swap?

[WarlordX]

If u have the new body.. not that hard. (lifting can be abit tricky if u never done it) But with everything u said about the body... it sounds almost like a swap is your only option, Some pics would definitely make it easier to say for sure, but it sounds like you will have A LOT less trouble just finding a new body that's in prime shape as opposed to trying to patch all the cancer and reattach cancer to more cancer... (Gona be VERY hard and frustrating) I went that route.. on a vehicle that was 90% cherry (body wise) just had to patch a couple little things and replace one of the seat mount holes, and it still was bit annoying (and i hate the smell of bondo-hair!) :eek:

[Binder73]

Finding a good body won't be easy in the Midwest... I am sure everything has quite a bit of rust. But, I would be willing to take another body if it has less rust than what I have right now.

I have access to a shop with a lift but, I would only be able to use it on weekends and since it is the dead of winter here, i don't think it is something I want to tackle outside! I am sure this isn't something that could be done in a weekend... is it?

Thanks for the info, I will probably start my search for a decent used body. This is just a hunting rig and summer cruiser, so I don't need anything fancy... just don't want to feel like I am going to fall through the floor or have the body bounce off the frame when I hit a bump!

[lindstromjd]

Actually, if you have access to a shop lift, it is very possible to do a swap in a weekend. You'll likely run into some problems with your emergency brake cable (since they never like to come off easily, I had to cut mine) and brake lines (since the master cylinder is connected to the body). Make sure you disconnect EVERYTHING before you lift the body off. If you do everything right before you detach the body, you'll be golden.