Ranchero rust

[Charter]

Can this area under the bed floor  be cut out and eliminated ? Is it a structural area that needs to be repaired ? Are the rear floor pans used in the Ranchero the same as the Fairlane ? And the surprises get better.

[KYBlueOval]

Can this area under the bed floor  be cut out and eliminated ? Is it a structural area that needs to be repaired ? Are the rear floor pans used in the Ranchero the same as the Fairlane ? And the surprises get better.

I'm in the process of building a Ranchero and have been down the "rust road" as you are now experiencing. All of the rust repair is completed on the body, and there was a lot. It's not clear to me as to what area you are showing in your photos. I think it is behind the rear floor pan and around or near the wheel well. A picture from a little further away would help. As to the rear floor pans.........EMS  P/N 180 says they are for '57/'58 Sedans, Hardtops, Rancheros and wagons. My rear floor pans were badly rusted and I solved it by replacing the floor pans with flat steel. As I recall 13 ga. was used as that what was readily available ( read free ), and then braced on the bottom.
John

[Charter]

These are taken through the access holes behind the seat under the bed floor of the inner wheel wells. Notice all the roof tar. should be fun getting that off. I'm not sure but I think the outer wheel well patches are galvanized. 

[terry_208]

The lower edge of that area can be replaced with 18 gauge steel.  It is single wall panel and is spot welded to the main inner fender.  At least on my sedan it was.  It appears to me that the lower edge of the main wheel well has also rusted away.

[KYBlueOval]

These are taken through the access holes behind the seat under the bed floor of the inner wheel wells. Notice all the roof tar. should be fun getting that off. I'm not sure but I think the outer wheel well patches are galvanized.

OK......it is the area I thought it was. You asked if it is structural.I can't say for certain, but I would think it is. A  couple of suggestions. Go to the "Parts and Service Supplier Links" and when you open it go to the first listing "Salvage Yard Info". There are many sources listed. I've had very good luck with Roger Vahsholtz in Kansas. I'd suggest you call him and find out if he has a body  from which he would cut those areas out and ship them.........or start fabricating.
My other suggestion is post your questions on the "General Discussion" section. More viewers in my opinion, which results in more looks and more replies / answers.
John

[Charter]

I will call him Monday. I am waiting on some pictures from dessert valley. They did say that the floor pans will need replaced even from the south west. If I can find a solid shell at a reasonable price I will buy and ship. It may be cheaper than the metal work this one needs to be done right. We are going to wire it. Rebuild the front suspension and disc brakes. It should make for a decent driver for now.

[Charter]

Where do you cut off the back of a ranch wagon for the tail gate area ? My car is all bondo in back I,m not going to mess with that. Where do they rot out so I know what to look for in a donor car ? I may have found one in Cali. I have not been able to get a hold of Rodger in Kansas.

[Charter]

Is 750.00 a fair price for the rear cut off ?

[RICH MUISE]

Quite a dilemma, isn't it?! Seems like a lot of money, probably what I would expect from Desert Valley. Is that where you got the quote from? The obvious problem is your talking sheet metal that probably isn't being reproduced, prone to rust, so finding a rust free parts car they are willing to cut up is difficult at best. Rust free cars are usually going to be project cars,not parts cars. I was at Desert Valley in Casa Grande a few years ago, took a bunch of pics of all the '57 and '58 Fords there. The pics are in my old computer, can't get to them right now, but I may have posted some in the salvage yard thread. I'll look.
PM being sent

[KYBlueOval]

Is 750.00 a fair price for the rear cut off ?

Not knowing exactly how much of the rear you would be getting, it's hard to answer your question. Will it be cut off right behind the rear window? Is it in fact rust free, or relatively rust free? Do you get the tailgate and bolt in truck bed floor? My approach as to the "value" of the $750.00 ,is to add up the cost of the EMS panels you need as compared to what  panels / parts you will get for $750.00.
John

[Ford Blue blood]

I had a similar problem with the 65 Bird.  The rear of the roof was completely "assembled" with tiger hair.  It took me over a year to find a replacement section.  When I finally got it home and drilled out 10,000 spot welds I had a bunch of great parts to rebuild the roof with.  Cost?  Found out a long time ago it is all relative......means nothing if that part is the part that stops the project.

[Charter]

I found the car in Denton TX. and one in central CA. Both owner's won't cut up the rear quarters. So I ask, where exactly does the tailgate area rot out ? Does the rot extend from the tailgate corners all the way around the the back of the rear quarter ? Can the car get cut straight thru to the ground from the center of the light housing ? And 6 inches in from the inside edge of the tailgate opening leaving the outside panels alone ? The area that I described is 750.00. I have not found any new panel's for the rear section of the ranchero or wagon. I did read on here where guy's bought cut offs, Please describe what you received.

[RICH MUISE]

The question is: what do YOU need? Are your rear quarters in good shape? what about the inner rear wheel wells, etc? Where other cars have rusted is not necessarily the same as where yours has rusted. Make sure you have stripped bare enough of the panels so that you know what you need, then have them cut beyond that. Keep in mind most rust works its way from the inside out.
Where are you located? Are you within a reasonable driving distance from either of these?
I wouldn't cut straight down from the center of the tailight, btw, that's a spot welded seam area. I'd have them cut beyond that if that's all you need. If they have solid rear quarters however, they may not be willing to do that.

[Charter]

They won't cut past seam. That's why i ask how far the rot goes. If the northern cars rot past the seam then I need to keep searching for the right donor. If the rot generally stops at the seam then I may get one of these. BTW I have no visible seam. All bondo light to light. There is no spare tire bucket under the bed floor. They cut it out and put in a large gas tank. When it was on the lift I thought the way that it was installed was a clean prefabbed brace for the rear tank to mount. LOL, NOT they did this to cover up the rotten frame. I'm havin fun now. Rich I live in PA. It may be cheaper to buy a complete stripped body from D valley and have it shipped in. The dog house is all good. Most likely southwest parts. Door bottoms rotted but not going up the sides. Tailgate is junk. So full of bondo that I thought the hinge where inside the gate, like the door hinges.

[RICH MUISE]

One of the more common areas to rust on most any old cars are the rear quarters........inners(not sure if the Ranchero has them) and outers, so to answer your question, there is a good probability yours are gone too.
I forget where/when/how you got the car, and I realize how hard it is to find any Ranchero, so I'm not sure what to suggest. If it was a more readily findable model, I'd have to think about cutting losses and looking for another project car. Tough call on the harder to find models, and it sure is good to save another '57 Ford in any case.