1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

Rust! How much is too much?

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Old May 16, 2004 | 02:05 PM
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Rust! How much is too much?

I have been scraping one of my 85s of rust along the sides along the bottom. Man, there are holes and **** ,along the channel its just crumbling! Plus there is a hole in the back so you can see the back of one of the bins! And things look a little shakey around the rear end links. I will take pics this week and post them. First off I would rather get a serious case of the flu then give my red baby up. So at what point does the 7 become "helpless"?
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Old May 16, 2004 | 02:25 PM
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when you've got "speed holes" in it, then it's too late :P:P jk ... If you find it not safe to drive, then give it up , not worth killing yourself for a 7 ... or is it ?? NAH !
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Old May 16, 2004 | 02:45 PM
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Originally posted by The_Dude
when you've got "speed holes" in it, then it's too late :P:P jk ... If you find it not safe to drive, then give it up , not worth killing yourself for a 7 ... or is it ?? NAH !
What do you mean by "speed holes"? I have yet to "feel" that the car is unsafe. Then again I love racing which puts a person in that "false sense of security mode". Things still feel tight but I am concerned about its structural integrity.
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Old May 16, 2004 | 02:49 PM
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You can always cut out the rust and fix it. But for me when the rear starts trying to pull out from under the car , is when it is done.
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Old May 16, 2004 | 06:02 PM
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my 83GSL was like that...sketchy...so i found my self a non running car with a killer rust free body for $600 CDN, transferd over all of my modified parts, LSD and disks, and now i have a new body with all my old parts.

as a bonus I sold the parts i didnt need and made back all of the money i spent buying the rust free car...

just a thought
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Old May 16, 2004 | 06:21 PM
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it becomes hopeless when the rust eats through the rear control arm mounts and they are no longer attached. that would be when i gave up. my first 7 actually flexed and poped because it was so rotted. a part of me misses that car.
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Old May 16, 2004 | 07:14 PM
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Originally posted by mazdaverx713b
it becomes hopeless when the rust eats through the rear control arm mounts and they are no longer attached. that would be when i gave up. my first 7 actually flexed and poped because it was so rotted. a part of me misses that car.
The rear control arms are still attached but the metal has some pitting and seems fatigued. Can this area be shored up with plates and some welding? If not I guess at that point I would have to think it were a lost cause.

This real is a sentimental thing. The thought of giving this car up makes me sad. Is'nt that wierd?
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Old May 16, 2004 | 07:35 PM
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This is too much rust imho

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Old May 16, 2004 | 08:31 PM
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it can be saved. you will need an expert welder. i live in ohio as well and i was wondering how far into ashland you are. how far are you from 60?
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Old May 16, 2004 | 08:50 PM
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ANything is fixable if you have a good welder and some experience with welding. Just gotta cut some new metal to put into the area, or to strengthen an area, and its all good. I redid both passenger and drivers floors (including rails under car), some pretty severe bin rust, and some other not so nice rust around the rear bumper area. Check my website out to see the fixup. Click on WWW at the bottom of this post.
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Old May 16, 2004 | 09:06 PM
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Thumbs up

Now you two guys are Optimists!( I like that! )
Good pic, my problem is very similar but not as severe.
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Old May 16, 2004 | 09:10 PM
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ummm dude there is no WWW at the bottom of your post
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Old May 16, 2004 | 09:16 PM
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Originally posted by r0tary noob
ummm dude there is no WWW at the bottom of your post
Sorry for being stupid, but what do you mean?
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Old May 16, 2004 | 09:18 PM
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no, not you, 85 rotarypower, and just in advance, i'm not trying to be snotty
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Old May 16, 2004 | 11:43 PM
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trust me that pic isn't that bad, My rear control arms seperated completely from the frame, there was tones of rust, and most of the plate were see through ( like yours) I paid 450 at CP racing and they did a sweet job, and now its stronger than its ever been.
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Old May 16, 2004 | 11:58 PM
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sorry, that was me be in dumb ( my Last post)
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Old May 17, 2004 | 07:34 AM
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Here's about how bad the rust can be and still not require welding:

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/479957/8

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/479957/9

Ray
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Old May 17, 2004 | 11:58 AM
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In advance, I'm not trying to be snotty either when I say this, but some people just don't look at the whole posting area. If you look around a persons post, you will see their username, avatar, and various other info at the left side. If you look under the signature (sig for short), you will see various buttons. Not all of them will be their for some people, because it depends on what you entered into your profile. But generally there is an email button, pm button, profile button, search button, and buddy button. These are all common for most users.
Some people have websites, so if this site is entered into the users profile, it will appear at the bottom as a button that says WWW on it. Click this to link to the website.

Again, I'm not trying to be mean when I say this. Its only information for those of you who may not know this stuff.
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Old May 17, 2004 | 01:19 PM
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85 rotarypower, you said you replaced some rail sections. Do you have more details on how you did that? Maybe I didn't go far enough in the site you linked, but I didn't see any details on that. And what guage sheet metal did you use? I did a half-assed repair on the wheel wells, but seeing what you did makes me want to go back and do a better job.
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Old May 17, 2004 | 01:37 PM
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My 84 has the very same rusting as in the photo. It is only on the drivers side. The right side is mint!

There must be a design flaw causing it to retain moisture on that side.

Has anyone seen this prob on the right side?
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Old May 17, 2004 | 01:57 PM
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this was too much for me so i replaced her with another that wasn't rusted at all...







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Old May 17, 2004 | 04:42 PM
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Originally posted by ray green
Here's about how bad the rust can be and still not require welding:

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/479957/8

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/479957/9

Ray
How did you fix that bracket for the rear end links?
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Old May 17, 2004 | 05:33 PM
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How do you still have the stock muffler??....
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Old May 17, 2004 | 09:10 PM
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"How did you fix that bracket for the rear end links?"

--1985rx7

I didn't really, there was enough metal there (IMHO, as they say) so that I could just clean up the remaining metal and seal it up to prevent further deterioration.

Anex 570, you are correct, it's not a stock muffler, just some kind of generic replacement that's been holding up nicely since I got the car a year and 23,000 miles ago. A previous owner also patched up a bunch of rust over the driver's side rear well that probably looked alot like the problem shown in bizzaro's photos. They used stock fencing wire and a bunch of fiberglass, pretty funky but it forms a water tight seal that is holding up well.

I think Max7 has a problem, however, the bracket to the rear end links looks like it's floating. To late for the sheet metal screw and glue fix.

Ray
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