Fixing a Rusty Dump Truck Box

35 years of spreading salt and driving gravel roads has taken a toll on this old dump truck. But we can fix it!

[@WatchWesWork]

Looking for something I used in this video? Needle Scaler - amzn.to/2E5B2JM Metal Marking Pencils - amzn.to/2E85BhX Official Truck Repair Hammer - amzn.to/2Xe4qpM Mayhew Pry Bar - amzn.to/2XkoK9a

[@Chris-yy7qc]

Cant find the link to rusty dump trucks!

[@KristaMae]

I'd love a how to get started welding. I'm great with figuring things out but never looked into welding yet. When I saw Jessica on Vice Grip Garage weld, something clicked and now I've got to make it happen. I saw you moving in circles ... First I've noticed that. What's a good beginner welder? What do I do to start messing around with it?

[@stephenmeeks684]

I’ve been watching your welding 4 years ago on the dump truck. You have a talent for welding and common sense.

[@johnwinden8511]

Wes, is there anything your not capable of and doing it well? As a retired municipal mechanic and welder I’m quite aware of your abilities. You do exceptional work with great attention to details. Good for you, we need more like you!

[@Volcker1929]

Great video Wes, this isn't a concourse restoration, it is a work truck, you did a fine job. Great outro.

[@WatchWesWork]

Right. If we can buy it a few more years, that's all we need.

[@TedBishop1]

welding on an old dump truck the struggle is real.........Thank you Wes.

[@MRrwmac]

Wes, Great repair. Gonna be strong for a bunch more years! Thanks!

[@kutamsterdam]

Love to watch you work Wes, a day not laughed is a day not lived, remember that... you make me laugh so this day is saved hahahaha.

[@johnfry9010]

Great looking repair Wes !

[@chasiu75]

I was so grateful when I saw the reinforcements you put under the dump bed. I have seen so many people cushed whilst working under them.

[@z.102]

I helped my cousin buy 2 trucks today and guess who’ll be repairing the rust in them? Thanks for the video, it’ll help me with the work I have to do 👍

[@rickburris6164]

I love that sound of frying bacon when a MIG is set up correctly. You need a #10 shade lens to put on your camera so we can watch you weld

[@crazyfvck]

Awesome job! I am amazed that people don't undercoat trucks like that, especially here in Illinois! Even so, that truck has lasted a remarkably long time. And thanks to you, it will be on the road for a number of years more :)

[@James-fs4rn]

Another fine job Wes!

[@DaleDirt]

Awesome job .... Yes for any hard working truck , the closer you look the more things you see to work on ..

[@craigsudman4556]

I've had very good results by heating my steel and then painting it. I believe its the next best thing to a baked enamel paint job that one can get without actually baking the piece in an oven. I built a ladder rack out of 2x3 steel tube and the paint lasted for 15 years before I took the rack off and did it again. Nice work, good video, thumbs up.

[@SteveSummers]

Lots of hard work. Looks good. I'd trust her now for sure. You have to stop a repair somewhere. Thanks Wes.

[@GuyinWY]

I’m watching a lot of your older videos because they’re really fun. Here’s a comment for the algorithm, your channel is going to take off soon. 👍

[@bcbloc02]

Good paint doubles the value at auction even if it is rusted out. Lol that is what I always see. Glad it didn’t bite ya under there worse than that glove!!

[@WatchWesWork]

Well I'm terrible at painting, so I don't think I'll be getting top dollar for anything I sell.

[@the_hate_inside1085]

I used to work at a small factory, where we made specialty trailers for pellets and wood chip transports. We also tried to fix up the older ones, and others that had at some point ended up in a ditch during winter. Working on the old warped and rusty ones was zero fun. That rancid smell of burning paint in the morning... Luckily I was for the most part involved in making brand spanking new ones, with clean and pristine metal surfaces, which were a joy to weld! :D

[@poolmotorrepairguyFL]

The Florida pool pump motor repair guy approved ! that was good info and looks fun .. Wes

[@PorkBarrel.]

Was hoping you had an extra prop under there. Very clean and neat. Good job!

[@TheDaf95xf]

Superb fix Wes 🤩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@lawrencemalcheff9804]

Awesome. I learned a ton. Thank you. I want to learn to make dump bodies and repair them. I weld in a fab shop that makes dump bodies from absolute scratch. That’s the department I long to work in.

[@jakestabile7027]

looks like a Garwood dump body & hoist. I just gave mine the same treatment plus rebuilding 1/2 of the tailgate. Wow I thought salt was bad here in New England but it looks like they use lots of it in the Midwest! Nice job .

[@b.malnit8983]

Wes, you are a great welder. Nice job.

[@phooesnax]

Nice job! At end was like tossing out the dump truck in the trash a little at a time.

[@tomharrell1954]

Another great job!

[@stefantrethan]

Pretty cool example of rust jacking, I haven't seen anything that extreme before. That's why steel keeps rusting - the oxide is so much larger in volume than the metal the crust keeps fracturing and crumbling away. Many other metals form oxide layers just as readily, but once the surface is passivated they just stop. If there is no electrolytic action with other metals nearby that is.

[@dwitcraft]

Always like watching an artist wielding the gas axe!

[@richardforthofer9020]

Hi, I really appreciate the vids showing the problems, prep work, in progress vids, final results. Does anyone like or appreciate the vids of the actual welding as you do it? To me it just blinds me, and I really cannot see anything during the actual welding.

[@ActiveAtom]

Hi Wes. This rust is it caused by the snow and salt used on the roads we read about? We know about the runners on cars having this rust through. "Rust Jacking" always learning never heard of it that is amazing strength what it is able to do, if you did not show it, we would not have believed it. Collector dumper trucks are going to become a new KZbin thing now Wes. We just learned about the needle hammer watched a rebuild kit for we think a Snap On version it is amazing, used a lot on Semi-Truck frames and bodies per the video we watched. Boy Wes your welds are GRADE A to these two guys still needing to learn it. Even as you share working on these steel patches in a non optimal conditions your work welding looks really good and solid. Nice lesson on double framing only good in the western USA then? Thank you for the share, Lance & Patrick.

[@WatchWesWork]

Well this truck was used to spread salt on the roads for 35 years. The salt rusts everything. Since iron oxide has a larger molecular volume than steel, the rust creates a mechanical force between the beams and can cause a lot of problems. This is relatively thick material, so pretty easy to weld in my opinion. Thin metal is the hardest for me to weld.

[@bryanphillips1432]

Helped put in new pivots and section of channel at work. Wasnt to bad once i got in under it. Did all the prep work of course not a welder.

[@burtlade1705]

Nice job!

[@tlent55]

Really interesting work!

[@slypig24]

I like your open channel fix. Much better than the original. Cheers

[@WatchWesWork]

I think so.

[@ackack612]

Personally, I enjoy welding vids like this. Must be very satisfying and the repairs just plain look great.

[@WatchWesWork]

Heh. That video is a lot more enjoyable than doing the actual job. I can almost smell the burning paint...

[@morgansword]

Look , Wes, I believe in you and you many talents. I made tons of mistakes and I guess that could of made me a bad wrench but for some reason I would just be getting done that turned out perfect and it made my reputation look great while inside at times I just cringed and it affected my work at times. Some get lucky and others not so much. I hope when you read this that your struggle to stay afloat and ahead of a executioner less stress for you as your honest to a fault. Keep doing what you love and never work a day resenting choices. Being a store clerk doesn't get jr in college and hopefully unless he is in nucular or some high deff job a tech school is better in my mind. People go to college and get great diplomas and ask would you like fries with that to pay for it. And if that was what he wants then get him management. Trying to find and watch old videos for your clicks. Your going to make it.... your going to make it

[@Depression2010]

Good job!

[@mischef18]

Nice fix there bro. Stay safe

[@martinwild2087]

Great work Wes. Never did get that good myself, the grinder was always my friend!🦜🛠

[@greggb1416]

Well Wes, I am going thru KZbin (stumbled upon this one) searching for videos on fabricating a tailgate to somehow attach to the back of a 1966 Dodge grain truck that I just bought, to ball gravel out to my rural property driveway... Why in the hell i bought a 55yr old dump truck I will never know. It does only have 53k original miles, it much to look at (accept I like the particular style swing out fenders, and the old farmer was pretty meticulous about maintenance, and no rust from salt... Thank you sir

[@73DiamondReo]

i was doing the same with the bed on the diamond reo in the fall. got most of the one side done. had to make new sideboard pockets and patch the uprights as well. tackle the other side in the spring and the hinge is getting thin also

[@WatchWesWork]

Yeah I've seen a lot of these old plow truck rusted in the same places. The ones with braces on the sides of the box that run horizontal instead of vertical seem to rot out even worse.

[@houseofbrokendobbsthings5537]

Yup cut it out - replace. Continue until done. Good excuse to break out a plasma cutter. Got to love the road salt. _Dan_

[@WatchWesWork]

Pretty much all you can do.

[@robertklein9190]

Good repair Wes, I'd be careful sticking my hand through those rusted pockets, "Captain Hook". You could have wrapped it, in a truck skin, used to cover rusted out wheel wells and dents in our area. Keep on trucking.🚚🚛

[@WatchWesWork]

Hah. Maybe I ruined the antique patina.

[@DaleDirt]

Great Content ... I have a Ford F 800 that I know how to fix now . Thanks

[@shaneharrison4775]

Just when it was just getting interesting good work wes I've seen those dump beds in far worse shape in fact I know of an f350 with the old bus motor (IH) the dump beds almost just a skeleton you could toss a cow through anywhere. And it drives one scary beast

[@tomalberts5195]

catching up being new subscriber - like the videos and better than scripted tv crap. The Cat tubs at the end of video as scrap bin reminded me of the 28 years working for a certified Cat manufacture where I had access to build projects.

[@ronsmith3065]

Just for your info. Since you brought up up. Down here in Florida cars dont rust but mowing decks do. By just tryng things I happened upon something that works. I used a wagner paint gun to mist coat my mower decks. Works great. Hi TBN oils like diesel oils work best.

[@bigswede7241]

What a cute guy. Bet he will do more videos

[@JourneymanRandy]

Your looking a little like a "hammer and chisel mechanic". Making me proud. I always say a sows ear into a silk purse. Good one Wes

[@WatchWesWork]

Lipstick on a pig!

[@turbocobra]

Awesome video Wes, nice work on those rust repairs. I was just thinking of leaving a comment to ask how much time you had in that, was guessing 2-3 days, so good you answered my question :)

[@WatchWesWork]

Well I started on it almost 3 weeks ago. Kind of hard to stay motivated on a dirty job like that.

[@RANDALLOLOGY]

I like how you did a keyway on the frame rather than a straight butt weld. Why not get a old electric wiper motor from the junk yard and with a few mods the problem is solved much easier.

[@WatchWesWork]

I'll have to look into electric wipers. I know that the cab is basically the same as the newer trucks, only the hood is different.

[@ShainAndrews]

Can't under state how important it is to always engage safety supports (carrying the load) under any elevated box. Had a younger guy fixing some damage caused when it was overloaded with sand (shocker right?). He was cutting some material out, and a big piece of slag/material managed to land on a hydraulic line. He rushed out to have lunch with his girl. Returned to find one hell of a mess. Oil sprayed everywhere, and of course the box was down. I'd like to think he would have noticed it had his mind been on the job and not something else. On the other hand it is difficult to maintain full situational awareness when cutting or welding. Did the distraction contribute or save him? I sure as hell wouldn't wan't to check out like that. I bet if a torch was running when it happened it probably would have been a massive fire ball.

[@WatchWesWork]

Yes. There are some risks not worth taking.

[@jameskirby2604]

What an all rounde.

[@dnjmachine]

Wish I had the confidence in my welding to do that. Need a decent welder then will practice some more. Good video.

[@WatchWesWork]

I use an old white faced Millermatic 200. It's probably at least 40 years old. It's still a better welder than I am!

[@Ruben901]

I bought a lincoln weld pak 140 from home depot for my mobile welding business, i plug it to my lincoln 305g generator and man does that small machine really handle the tough jobs. Only downside in owning those small machines is you cant be constantly welding and welding, otherwise you will max duty cycle quickly.

[@davidhamilton7628]

Nice work Wes it won't stop raining here in Tennessee either mud slide took out a subway restaurant yesterday

[@WatchWesWork]

Yeah it's a mess. Back below zero tonight.

[@RichinZhills]

Hey Wes, great video, and maybe this is a stupid beginner question, but at @10:52 when you reinforce the plate, why wouldn't you cut the rust out and try to weld that patch into the hole? I was thinking that if that arm twisted, the patch might just be broken off. But if it was welded into the frame, it would twist also. I'm considering repairing a Knapheide dump body used on a Missouri snowplow as a salt bed, so all the rails are in bad shape. My first thought is to cut out the rust and weld the support piece into the hole, then maybe patch around those welds.

[@j.c.smithprojects]

I think you did a good job.....it was a repair not a resurrection! jobs like that can snowball out of control with no end in sight...if someone wants a perfect truck, they should shell out the $90k for a new one.

[@davidhoover8877]

Nice welding..

[@lawrencemalcheff9804]

Awesome.

[@jasonstinson1767]

I don't know if you'll see this comment on an older video but I would like for you to know that your style is not only informative but entertaining and as I have been a subscriber for several months now I never miss a project. going through some of your older entertainment and I was just wondering was that clamp you use on the uprights a old valve spring compressor? Didn't see it for very long and the shape is what immediately brought that to mind.

[@RubenKelevra]

DTM maritime grade paint from Valspar or Sherwin Williams is some levels above "primer". Should work fine for a dump truck :)

[@fredhart7904]

Good job on repair, but I just expected a dump truck bed would have been made out of stronger thicker material

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

How did rust push those two beams out that far? I was expecting for a ton of rust to fall out. Do you think maybe junk built up in the bottom and water froze and ice did the work?

[@tommymann69]

You can go to the local scrap yard and buy used steel for the dump truck body

[@richardbaumeister466]

3M weld thru primer is better suited for multiple layer applications. The benefit is that it conducts electricity. Hence the name weld thru

[@iamtheomega]

they just did an ad for Ru Paul's "dragrace" ....my eyes are burning, this blindness may be permanent

[@WatchWesWork]

Hmm, what have you been searching on google?

[@motor2of7]

What genius thought it was a good idea to leave the tops of those uprights open to the elements!!

[@firesurfer]

It's open to allowing for 2x4s to be put in. To extend the height of the dump or to allow for a cover.

[@puterbo]

them damn woodpeckers are very destructive

[@johnborn1600]

Good ol Cat tubs

[@GunfighterWyo]

Only 3/4 of an inch in an hour? Try 4 inches in an hour. Glad that you did not flood.

[@clarencewiles963]

Thumbs up 👍 now I know.

[@wills5482]

In this case stick weld is amazing, slap some 7018 and it will never move

[@WatchWesWork]

Everyone seems to love stick welding. I'd rather eat my own hand than get out the stick welder. MIG is so much faster and easier.

[@kenmccormick3052]

think you are right about the orientation of the channel.

[@jamesdearman814]

caveman style works for me. i don't care what nobody says - your vidjas are entertaining and educational - and you are obviously intelligent and educated- keep it up.

[@billbourque8807]

What’s the cost for these repairs?

[@daddyphatsax304]

What business did ya have up here in the motor city?! Machine tool work i assume? Had i known...i would've bought ya a beer!

[@danbartolini27]

Your welds are much clearer than mustie1

[@joejakubec9708]

Mustie is a hack. He needs to stick with small engines.

[@ke6bnl]

would it have been a good idea to put weep holes to let moister and debris out at the bottom

[@WatchWesWork]

I don't know. Maybe I should drill one side and leave the other then re evaluate in another 35 years. Doubtful I'll still be around though.

[@dontblameme6328]

Wow... 3/4" of rain? LOL

[@yh_852]

Have you ever seen automatic open dump box (back door)? Search 'automatic dump box' on youtube. You can open dump box back door about 180degree without box elevation

[@Tallguy203]

Hey Wes, where are you located? That truck looks like it lived in the salt belt here in Cleveland Ohio.

[@WatchWesWork]

Northern Illinois. We use plenty of salt here, and this truck spent 33 years spreading it.

[@djm8707]

Just asking why didn’t you put the channel like it was Weld it an plug weld it , I think the way it is it looks like it would hold a lot more shit like a opened box frame would , cool vid thought 👍🏼

[@WatchWesWork]

I could have. There's not really a good way to do it. Since the ends are open, at least you can clean it out. What seems to rust really bad is box sections that are closed on the ends. They get a small rust hole somewhere and then pack full of crud and rust from the inside out.

[@caintfindme4735]

Late question for a older video,what kind of welder do you use?

[@WatchWesWork]

A Millermatic 200 that's significantly older than me. I'm confident it will be running long after I am dead.

[@caintfindme4735]

Thanks My friend,I do really enjoy what you do,keep it up.

[@tlak]

I would have put a drain hole in the box uprights.

[@xXxCrazyJay810xXx]

You work in Michigan?

[@jefferypowell9885]

we had a sheer n brake at work we made new up rights wider to cover over old one

[@debztully1339]

Ye ha!

[@stephensafraniii3396]

Anything to pass inspection.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Good patched Repair Work @Watch Wes Work

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

40.000+ views and only 2100 thumbs up? As Uncle Joe would say, "C'mon man!" Your safety prop measures are very good. Glad you'll be safe while under the truck bed.

[@rickbarger5161]

That box on that truck is ready for the trash Heap

[@maxpacker5288]

that will outlast the rest of the truck

[@tommymann69]

Put that dump truck back to hauling asphalt again

[@AaronsRandomLife]

Primer isnt waterproof….

[@pauljohansson7697]

It's called a dumpbed not a box.

[@WatchWesWork]

Not around here...

[@MrPhotodoc]

Watch what they do on Pakistani Truck. Simple job to them.

[@paulatkinson2849]

there is nowt wrong with cave man style if it works and in most cases it does