Full set of pictures:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5...mxHNktQaUlaTjA

This is an FD I'm looking at. Monarchcrx was kind enough to take these pictures, and the car looks like a go to me. Much better condition than the black FD in Houston I was looking at.

So, is this level of rust acceptable? What kind of work will it take to clean that up? I don't know a THING about rust because Texas so any help is appreciated!

 

Any help?

 

All that looks normal. Surface rust on components is normal and not a problem. The rust you need to be concerned with is body rust, usually lower quarter panels. Spraying the more rusty parts with WD-40 won't hurt and you may want to replace your brake lines with SS ones (with the issue being the rubber, not the rust).

That said, the rust could be an issue when you go to disassemble components (i.e. brake lines). When you go to do that, soak them good with penetrating oil overnight.

 

^Agreed. I don't think of this as 'rust'. I think of it as corrosion. Nothing that I saw in the pictures would be a deal-breaker as it's surface corrosion. Much can be attributed to age and seems like I see stuff like that on cars that sit outside. Most of the components, bolts, brackets, sway-bar endlinks etc. can be removed pretty easily and with a little elbow-grease, wire-wheel, primer and rattle-can black can be brought back to near-new appearance. Since I wouldn't like working for free, any offer would be made with my time and some cost considered.
Look for shots of the rocker's underside, spare tire well w/the spare removed, quarter dog-legs, floor pan etc. If that's good, I'd have no qualms.

Is this car in Omaha?

 

I'd rate that a 4 on a scale of 1/10. There's some rust but it's not affecting performance or dangerous. Does need to be cleaned up though and it doesn't look good if you were to resell it. Gotta offer a little lower because of that. You should buy my car instead it doesnt have any rust and probably costs less and is rarer haha

Edit looked at the rest of the pictures. Ive never seen a FD with rust before but I have seen other cars, Id say this is an easy 5.5 / 10. You need to consider looking for a car without rust because most FDs dont have any rust since they are summer or weekend cars. I wouldnt buy the car if it was me. If you did you should discount it heavily as purists and collectors want these cars.

 

That's a non issue. That's mild surface rust on very heavy cast suspension components which is completely normal.

If you looked under your neighbor's car or any 5 cars parked on the street, you would see that.

Debris like rocks and road dirt are thrown into these components during normal use. The debris abrades the factory black paint. Then surface rust appears. its normal.

To whoever said "Oh that's a 5 out of 10 on a scale of rust severity"

You obviously have never had to cut out and replace a an entire rotted out Mustang windscreen pillar, or seen a hole of rust big enough in the back corner of a Dodge Duster engine bay you could fit your hand and arm through it and into the plenum chamber. I've repaired both of those scenarios myself. They are truly 5's and 6's out of 10.

What you're looking at there barely rates as a 0.5 or 1 out of 10. Its not structural rust. Its only light surface rust.
Get a wire brush or wire wheel and clean the parts up, use some epoxy etch primer and then some black epoxy paint and it will look like new.
Until the road debris abrades it away again in 5 years time..

 

What price have you settled on?

Anything over 10k and I'd buy a different car for sure