Rust repair options helpNo

[Walter Joy]

It has been a few months since I posted last, and in those few months I have gotten a lot of positive remarks on the car spanning from engineers at Hotchkis Sport Suspension in California to a guy I met at Carlisle with the very first 1970 Hemi Roadrunner. Now that's all fine and good, but in order for me to start on the car I need a solid foundation. And after this car has sat under an acidic pine tree for 20 years in East Coast climate, she's a bit rusty. A pillars are gone, front and rear valences have spots completely eaten through, the rear window (under the rubber) has some small spots that are completely through, the left fender has a nice hole, and I have no clue what hides under the vinyl roof or under neath the car (it sits so low to the ground). I talked with the guy you recommended to me while at Carlisle (Mark I believe) and he said he has most of the stuff. I don't want to cut the entire roof off the car and would much rather have everything patched up. What's y'alls opinion on it? We all hate rust but I hate to replace the original sheetmetal.

 

[shooter65]

You need to get that car on a concrete or blacktop surface as quickly as possible. Preferably indoors or at least a carport with a tarp or car cover. Get the interior, including carpet, windshield, rear windshield, and vinyl top off and treat all rust with a rust converter, search google, until you have time to start working on it. At this point, it's damage control and exploration before you decide how to fix it.

 

[challenger]

The original sheet metal has already been replaced. It's been replaced by rust . As stated above the first good foundation you need is a concrete pad with overhead protection from mother nature. Strip it down completely and get it media blasted (or something similar). Get it etch primed IMMEDIATELY after Stripping and you'll see exactly how to proceed. No short cuts when it comes to dealing with rust IMO. Get it all gone.
What's so bad about replacing the sheet metal anyway? If it's crap replace it. Nobody will know the car has had ANY metal replaced unless it was replaced poorly.
Just my two cents and worth what you paid

 

[MrMoparCHP]

Which car would you rather work on...

This one...

Or this one...

And all done...

Just clearing the rust makes the project seam less daunting.

FYI, I knew nothing about bodywork when I tackled this.


Alan

 

[Big_John]

Based on what I see, if you want to build a C body with a trick suspension, it would be best to start with another car.

There's just too much rot on the topside and I'll guarantee it's not any better on the bottom. If you change floor pans, trunk floor, frame rails and what ever else, and then patch the A pillars and the window surround, you'll still have a car that you're going to get real discouraged with every time you have to deal with a rusty bolt.... Plus you'll have way more money in the car over what you can purchase another 4 door C-body for.

I hate to discourage you, but I've seen so many projects start like this and get abandoned half way through.

I wish you luck.

 

[Samplingman]

That's a tough call. With bad A pillars, you most definitely need a solid parts car to do it correctly. It won't be pretty under that windshield chrome.

Ask yourself, are you doing it because it is of sentimental value or because it will make a cool looking autocross car?

If it has sentimental value, then Challenger has it right, strip it down completely to get a good assessment of what you are starting with. Get it off the ground and on dry land. Buy a solid parts car and start tearing into it.

If it is all about autocross, Big_John has given you the best advise: start with something solid. There are a lot of orphan C bodies out there without their motors that you can get for under $1000. Collect the parts and then get to work.

Unfortunately, Once it stops being fun it becomes an up-hill battle and usually ends at the scrap yard.

 

[Walter Joy]

The original sheet metal has already been replaced. It's been replaced by rust . As stated above the first good foundation you need is a concrete pad with overhead protection from mother nature. Strip it down completely and get it media blasted (or something similar). Get it etch primed IMMEDIATELY after Stripping and you'll see exactly how to proceed. No short cuts when it comes to dealing with rust IMO. Get it all gone.
What's so bad about replacing the sheet metal anyway? If it's crap replace it. Nobody will know the car has had ANY metal replaced unless it was replaced poorly.
Just my two cents and worth what you paid

Well I did get it for free. I wish I could get it inside someplace but i don't have an indoor garage of any sort. I'm looking to get a car cover but as of now my money is tight due to college

 

[Walter Joy]

That's a tough call. With bad A pillars, you most definitely need a solid parts car to do it correctly. It won't be pretty under that windshield chrome.

Ask yourself, are you doing it because it is of sentimental value or because it will make a cool looking autocross car?

If it has sentimental value, then Challenger has it right, strip it down completely to get a good assessment of what you are starting with. Get it off the ground and on dry land. Buy a solid parts car and start tearing into it.

If it is all about autocross, Big_John has given you the best advise: start with something solid. There are a lot of orphan C bodies out there without their motors that you can get for under $1000. Collect the parts and then get to work.

Unfortunately, Once it stops being fun it becomes an up-hill battle and usually ends at the scrap yard.

That's very very true. I don't have as much sentimental value as my father or my uncles because I never saw the car in its prime or met my great grandmother. I had planned on starting the car as a project in the next few years once I get a true job. But it is an uphill battle that hopefully, after I throw money at, I'll come out on top. Right now I'm going to stay with "return to running and driving condition"

 

[cantflip]

Well I did get it for free. I wish I could get it inside someplace but i don't have an indoor garage of any sort. I'm looking to get a car cover but as of now my money is tight due to college

The best move right now IMO, is to get her off the dirt and carefully inspect the underside... stored like she is, I would bet on serious rust damage under her. If she doesn't scare you off, put down a decent tarp or plastic and block up the wheels on big pavers to minimize the bottom exposure. A car cover at this point is less important than the bottom.

 

[shooter65]

The best move right now IMO, is to get her off the dirt and carefully inspect the underside... stored like she is, I would bet on serious rust damage under her. If she doesn't scare you off, put down a decent tarp or plastic and block up the wheels on big pavers to minimize the bottom exposure. A car cover at this point is less important than the bottom.

Absolutely, you have to get air circulating under the car. Air circulation will dry it out and is the first step in saving it. I highly recommend you also address the existing rust as soon as you can because it will continue to eat it away. I remembered that you said you're in college and money's tight, that's why I suggested a rust converter. It's a relatively inexpensive temporary solution if you can't get to the car right away. Buy a can whenever you have the money and start with the worst first, wire brush the rust then spray with a rust converter.

 

[challenger]

There is a really great source for tarps in the billboard industry. I've procured used and new billboards and the make great tarps. Much heavier than the blue garbage tarps. I've paid a little for some off c'list but got most of them for free. When I saw guys s
changing a billboard ID stop and ask for the one they took down. More often than not they would give me at least one. Sometimes they would have others on the truck from jogs done earlier in the day.

 

[LeBaron1973]

If you can't remove it from its current location you can forget it - in a few years - there won't be anything to save.

 

[bluefury361]

The rust you can see is just the tip of the ice berg. If you got the car free, keep it as a parts car. You can locate and buy a solid example of the car for less then the cost to repair this one. Just trying to save you from a lot of frustration and disappointment. Plus you'll save a bunch of time.

 

[Walter Joy]

The rust you can see is just the tip of the ice berg. If you got the car free, keep it as a parts car. You can locate and buy a solid example of the car for less then the cost to repair this one. Just trying to save you from a lot of frustration and disappointment. Plus you'll save a bunch of time.

That's true, I am afraid of what hides underneath it, but it still has some sentimental value. And they are getting increasingly harder to find. As of now I live in my great grandmother's house and use the garage that the car once was stored in as a storage shed. It would be cool to have the car running and driving like back when

 

[bluefury361]

That's true, I am afraid of what hides underneath it, but it still has some sentimental value. And they are getting increasingly harder to find. As of now I live in my great grandmother's house and use the garage that the car once was stored in as a storage shed. It would be cool to have the car running and driving like back when

I see. Sentimental value is something only you can determine on a car. But the value to you does not translate to monetary value. Just food for thought should the time come that the car may need to be sold.

 

[cantflip]

There is a really great source for tarps in the billboard industry. I've procured used and new billboards and the make great tarps. Much heavier than the blue garbage tarps. I've paid a little for some off c'list but got most of them for free. When I saw guys s
changing a billboard ID stop and ask for the one they took down. More often than not they would give me at least one. Sometimes they would have others on the truck from jogs done earlier in the day.

The local billboards changed from really really heavy vinyl to a nice lightweight woven material... they are my choice tarps, but I lost my ability to get them. Some outfit buys them by the semi-trailer load. BTW, they print 2 when they need 1 so they can get it back up fast if weather damages it... those trucks are hauling the new discards.

 

[Big_John]

That's true, I am afraid of what hides underneath it, but it still has some sentimental value. And they are getting increasingly harder to find. As of now I live in my great grandmother's house and use the garage that the car once was stored in as a storage shed. It would be cool to have the car running and driving like back when

Since there's sentimental value, here's what I suggest. By an identical car and use this one for parts. Transfer as many parts as makes sense and then you still have as almost as much of your great grandma's car as you would if started replacing sheet metal.

Ship of Theseus.

 

[tbm3fan]

When I saw the rust through on the front bumper I knew things had to be bad. Can't recall the last time I saw a rusted through bumper. That alone would make me dread what I am going to find once the car is jacked up so I could look under. That is assuming there are safe and strong points for jack stands.

 

[Walter Joy]

When I saw the rust through on the front bumper I knew things had to be bad. Can't recall the last time I saw a rusted through bumper. That alone would make me dread what I am going to find once the car is jacked up so I could look under. That is assuming there are safe and strong points for jack stands.

The bumpers are solid. It's the lower valences that are rusted through. I know the trunk pan is good. I don't know about the floor pan because all the original interior is still in it but I think it may be ok

 

[challenger]

If that car has solid floor pans I'lleat my hat.
Emotions usually cause us to make dumb *** decisions. That's all well and good IF you have bottomless pockets But if money has anything to do with restoring a car for sentimental value then it makes absolutely no sense.
Considering the input from members here that all suggest ditching this car I'd say a decision to proceed with a restoration should bring along with it NO requests for help from here. Sounds harsh but the car is all but gone. personally i wouldnt walk away from the project, I'd run.
Then again if it has the rare "torque boxes" maybe it still has enough structural integrity to make it justified.