Hey guys,

So I was back home to visit my car this weekend, and I was thinking about maybe doing a little rust repair before repainting the car this spring... so I took out the wire brushes and started going at the rust... and going at the rust... and going through the rust ...this is the result:

Drivers side wheel well...



More drivers side... not rusted through, but still pretty deep...


Drivers side floor... rusted through the first panel... also notice the rust on the right side of the pic, near the frame rail...


Anyone want to guess what's hiding behind the plastic on the passenger side wheel well?


So my general assesment is that this is pretty damn bad... but I'm wondering what your opinions are, as to how fixable this is? ...or is it time to part it out and buy a new chassis?

BTW, if the pics don't work, the album is located here: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2108736626

edit: 'cause I don't type good...

 

Ive looked into doing this with another rx7, it would seriously be cheaper, easier and have better results to find a clean shell with the features you want, and a blown or high mileage engine, and have it shipped to you. In order to fix that kind of rust properly you would need to replace all that metal with new.

 

He's right. That's some horrid rust right there. Sorry man.

 

...kinda what I was afraid of (you know its bad if you can stick your fist into the side of your car....) ... thanks for the condolences though

...shitty salt covered roads...

...I guess I get to go car shopping though, thats always fun

 

Ive crushed shells that have no rust, come on down and buy one. I have also shipped rust free chassis to people in Canada

 

nooOOOooo... don't tell me you've crushed a rust free chassis... gonna make me cry... lol...

I would love to come buy one, just need to find some funds/sell some parts... just for curiousity's sake, how much did shipping a chassis to canada run, and how was it shipped? ...I was figuring I'd have to go pick up a rolling chassis somewhere and roll it on back

 

Well, the good news is, soon you'll be able to flintstone that bitch around town!

 

I left the shipping to the buyer. He found a shipping company that had an empty backhaul from Graniteville SC (one of the textile mills). I loaded the car in the trailor by loading it on a rollback and then pushing into the trailer.

The customs crap was quite a hassle for the guy who bought the car. I will see if I have any of my old correspondance from him so you can contact h9im to get the details of shipping

 

thats nothing matey .. runs off to find pics

 

Damn... thats a winner... although if you'll notice in my pic of the underside, the car is currently resting on a couple of 2x4's, to keep the bricks from going through the rust I have in that same location... (although I think there is still some metal there... lol)

 

ha ha ha it was like that on both sides to be honest

from the back to the front - i think i welded 20 plates on in the end !

thats what you get with living in the UK

it all started when i went to check the front wheel bearings and put the jack thru the floor

its the first time i have welded a car and it passed the MOT first time

i will see if i have some better pics

 

Do they salt the roads in the UK? I didn't think you got much snow/ice?
I know water will eat a car eventually too... but thats worse than my salt-related rust...

...so I guess it may be possible to save the chassis... but I think I'd rather a clean new chassis to start with... anyone want to sell me a rolling chassis for cheap?

 

you guys are all fucked bad by the salt roads, looking at those pics makes me very greatful to live in AZ where my chassis are safe

 

Thats seriously aint much dont panic at all. I had rust in some of the exsact same spots and I showd how I took care of it in my blog. So you may want to take a look.

On the floor board take a grinder see how bad it is. If it is not through the metal and it still hase some structure take a grinder and a wire brush clean it up some and paint it with POR15. If it is through cut the section out and weld some new metal in. Repeat in places as needed.

The only time I would be afraid of the car is if major strucual portions have been compromised.

 

I was talking to some friends I know that go classic car restoration last week when I went to get paint. On this journey I picked up a new tip. Buy a cheep paint gun for primers like $50 and put POR15 in it and turn the PSI way up you don’t have to dilute it. Give the car hell. While it is still tacky spray back over it with rubberized undercoat. It will bind together looks really nice. I was checking out his restored GTO done like this.

 

Holy ****, man. That's awful. That rust is terrible! Gawd...no...seriously, wtf! Man..terrible.

ok aside from all the negative...the only useful information I can supply is...well...replace is all...or get a new rolling chassis. Sorry man..that's just irreprable.

 

That's some good advice right there. Especially since you're driving on salted roads.

 

yeah its a pain on salted roads - but we have no control over that

 

I know that go classic car restoration

sapost to be

I know that do classic car restorations

 

just buy my 88 GTU shell and be happy

 

Really sad part is I never even got to drive this one on salted roads... (so it wasn't my fault!) and the top sides of the car are spotless... ahh well... Arizona/California car, here I come! (something that will never, ever be driven on salty roads... you can rest assured of that... )

 

im one of those type who gets attached to the car. i have some decent rust on the GSLSE and guess what, im going to fix it damn it!

 

The thing is on a uni body chassie evrything is easaly replaceable. So if you have a bad part you cut it out and put a new one in.

On older cars with real frames this is harder as you must weld new pieces of a frame together.

Your floor pans can simply be cutout if needed to suit, weld new metal in or cut the whol thing out along the welds. The other rust I showd how to take care of in my blog.

 

I know, I know, I really want to... just need to come up with some money from parts sales first... and need to get the parts off the car first (car is 4 hours away, I'm at school... )

 

Ehhh.... don't really feel comfortable in my rust repair skills... plus I don't really like the idea of a welded together chassis (yes, I know, it's welded together already....) ...I dunno, call it weld - prejudice or something... I could see trying to do the rust repair on the chassis after gutting it, I don't know yet, I am attached to the car... but I am definately still going to look for a clean chassis on which to start a build.... Thats one of those things that I feel is best done on a clean chassis (unless of course you are already doing a RHD swap too )