I've found a car that I'm interested in, and the body seems all there. Ditto with the interior. The owner hasn't pulled the rear bins and won't have the opportunity prior to me driving 17hrs round-trip. What worries me is that the rear axle, springs, mounts and hardware, as well as the fuel filter shelf, show quite a bit of rust.

I don't have any problem pulling, cleaning and painting the whole rear end, but what do y'all think it means for the body? Is there such thing as a car with this nasty a rear axle but no bin rust?

Photobucket Album HERE

 

Depends on how much time you plan on investing on it.

If it were me, I would grab new brake lines, new rear struts and springs, try to wire-wheel as much rust off the body/frame/rear end as possible. Hell, take the whole rear end out, then put POUR15 (or is it por15?) everywhere underneath the car.


Thats in nice shape btw.

 

PS - also check the strut top mounts and spring mounts, last thing you want is to go over a bump and have your hatch glass shatter from a shock going through it

 

dosnt really look that bad man. looks to me like aalot of the factory undercoat is pealing off and its jsut surface rust. It happens car is 20 years+ looks sharp grab it up por15 it and go have fun. just sprayed rhino liner under mine

 

just get him to take a pic of the rear fender wells at the watts bracket

for what you want and the cars condition id POR 15 the whole thing anyways to ensure that is lasts. ill be doing the whole SA when i get a chance.

 

Well, I really wasn't looking for a project, but the car's all there, otherwise. The owner sent more pics which are uploading now, but you guys get the idea.

Can you put POR15 straight on the rust, or is there a lot of prep work? I REALLY don't want another project, but if I can strip, clean and replace the rear in a weekend and put the POR15 on in a lazy week, then I'm still game for the car.


By the way, you can also see that the car's taken a shot in the nose that bent the front tow hook and knocked out the lower grille. Nothing else seems to be too badly affected other than some bent bracketry on the passenger's side just inboard of the bumper shock-mount.

 

It is basically made to be put directly on rust:

WHAT IS THE BEST SURFACE ON WHICH TO PAINT POR-15?
POR-15 likes rusted surfaces best. Seasoned metal and sandblasted metal are also good. POR-15 does not adhere well to smooth, shiny surfaces, but will adhere well to those surfaces with the proper preparation.

http://www.por15.com/faq.asp

 

Well, it looks nice on the can, but I didn't know how well it works in practice, or what it costs. Has anyone tried to save a car with a POR-15 undercoat?

 

Where has the car been most of its life? Was it garaged?

The rust I see isn't that bad on the running gear what concerns me is the rust I see around some of the rear link brackets from under the car. Looks like there may be some perforation there but until you are in person and can pick at it its hard to tell. Otherwise the car is very clean.

If it lives in state that gets snow and ice and they use salt on the roads, watch out. Thats what will eat it up fast. I should know, the rust on my SA is due completely to the use of the car in the winter during the first 10 years of its life. Since its been garaged for the last 17 years its not spreading too fast but its there now.

 

The car spent its first 12 years in Pennsylvania, then 10 years in Virginia, then Ohio for 1 or 2. I'm in Georgia, so the hope is that I would be able to stop the rust with POR or something else, and live out its life without salt.

I'm also concerned with the front-end damage under the nose, just inboard of the two shocks, only because the current owner doesn't drive the car and can't tell me anything about the damage.

 

How much is he asking for it?

 

To answer your original question - no, it's not a lost cause. But it is rusted and has some damage. You already have a (incomplete) restoration/project car now. Do you want another one or do you want an immediate driver? If you don't mind another project then go get it. If you do mind, then (in my opinion) you should keep looking, even if you have to spend more time/money to get what you want. Make the decision based on logic not your emotional desire for a GSL-SE (easier said than done, I know).

 

I'm not getting emotional about it at all. -SE's come around all the time, but I've got a line on a grey interior and have always preferred the black cars. I want a runner, but I've got 2 lazy workweeks weeks and 1 week of vacation that I could dive in, clean it up, and be on the road with a daily. What I don't know, though, is if the car can be cleaned up with a week's worth of prep, paint, and rust treating.

The RX-2's a nice project, but I hate driving a pig of a truck every day that I don't enjoy, so I'm looking to get a daily that I CAN enjoy, and cheaper insurance / selling the truck is an added bonus. Besides that, it's easy for me to lose momentum on the RX-2 if I'm not reminded how fun these things really are when they're finished.

Because I've never fought rust, being in Georgia, I didn't know if it's reasonable to sort the car out in a week or less, and that's my real question.

The next is how many dollars of POR-15 would it reasonably take, as that impacts what the car's really worth to me. Blasting, sanding, priming, powdercoating aren't high costs for me, and I enjoy working on the car. The real costs are the fuel and trailer to go get it, and the POR-15 to make it right.

 

HOLY CRAP, i just looked at "Daisy" wow, that is gonna be awesome, dont loose momentum

 

i dont think you'll have trouble with that car! not bad at all for an ohio car. i considered buying that same car. its not that far from where i live. most of that is just surface. you can sand and prep and undercoat most of that rust before it gets any worse. i have had much worse last for awhile and much worse fixed and looking good with no problems.

 

Is the Por-15 stuff spray on, like through a spray gun and compressor?

 

mazdaverx713b, can you give me an idea of how much time and money it takes to clean up the underside?

kozar, Daisy had a brother, Petunia HERE which was the old car, a GSL with SE suspension, bastard 4-port 13B, and Nikki / Hitachi / Mikuni PHH 45 / Weber 44IDA / Dellorto DHLA48 / Holley 465 setup. I sold her when the wife and I got engaged, have regretted it ever since, but need a daily this time around. I'll make big power in the RX-2 - I just need to get to work with a smile.

I've sworn that I won't allow the wife to name cars anymore, but I doubt it'll stick.

 

What motor is in the RX-2?

 

S3 12A irons, SE housings and rotaring assembly, bridgey with a 51IDA. Not terribly unique, as it's just cobbled together S3 parts, but it runs strong. I hoped to grenade the SA tranny, but it looks like it'll hold up.

 

Oh man, that is gonna brap brap real nice!

 

So do y'all think that a week and $150 will get me rid of the rust, or is POR-15 rediculously expensive for the coverage, or what? It matters only because I'm trying to figure what the car's worth to me vs. the price. I've got a number in my head minus gas, trailer and POR-15. If that's higher than the price I've worked with from the seller, I'll be good to go.

 

Crit, what i personally do is sandblast or wire wheel the underside or area that i'm working on, depending on the amount of rust. i get it looking clean and rust free then i use a primer sealer on the floorpan and wheel wells and undercoat the entire underside of the vehicle, staying clear or the engine, brake and fuel lines, rear end, and exhaust and bushings. if the holes are bad i will make metal patches. if you do that you will have to remove the carpet and weld the patches in. really doesnt cost much money at all, it just takes time. now if the rust is only causing pin holes or pitting, i will use duraglass. i'll clean the area and patch both sides of the area if possible with the duraglass. i'll sand the area and apply the first patch, sand and apply a second coat, sand and make sure the area is mostly smooth and then prime and undercoat the area along with the rest of the underbody. i just prefer the undercoating because it deadens sound and protects the vehicle from further rust issues. i use 3M brand undercoating. i use two different grades of the stuff. one for the interior and one for the exterior. i can post pics of the cans if you'd like.

 

Yeah, pics would be very good. It looks like I'd take the suspension off, clean and seal it, disassemble, blast, powdercoat the axle housing and springs, and let that occupy my week. It sounds like putting the car in the air with no suspension would be more than I could bite off right now, with the RX-2 in the air and someone else borrowing my front end for development (guesses, anyone?) so I can't put the 2 back on the ground to free up the tools.

What kind of setup do you use to sandblast the underside of the car?

 

Por 15 can be sprayed or brushed on. I do not think it is very expensive, and only a small can did a whole engine bay with some left over. Ask robs_seven, he is the guy who did the por15 near me. I wish I had some pictures... Let me do a search.

 

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ighlight=por15


Bingo