Hello everybody. I have a '90 GTU that looks great except for a rust hole in the passenger floorboard and some other significant rust in the frame rails. I've already taken it to Royal Autobody in Rockville, MD because they came highly recommended and they're very close to where I live. Their opinion is that the car should be scrapped. I hate to do this because it runs great, has a newer street ported rebuild, I've owned it for over 11 years, etc.

Where else should I take the car for rust repair estimates/opinions in the DC-suburban MD-northern VA area? Thanks for your help!

 

Although it's a long walk from where you live, Auto Eurotec may be able to help you. I just had some work done there, and it was done well. Their shop rate is lower than most body shops, so projects that were economically unfeasible at most shops might be workable there. Ask for Joe Jr. when you call.


Auto Eurotec Inc
320 Baltimore Pike Ste B
Bel Air, MD 21014

Phone: (410) 836 0780

 

Auto Crafters Performance
Locustgrove VA

They can do anything, and do all The Redskins cars.
The only Person to win the ridler with an IMPORT
Look it up. Barney is the man to speak to
540 854 6200

rest assure it will be done right, the first time.
They specializ in full restorations and chassis building
for pro cars.

Tell him VAZ sent ya

 

Thanks guys for the recommendations. I'll check them both out. BTW, I think I met you George with the 20B 'Vert at one of the MSCW "Rotary Expos" around 1999 or 2000. Glad to see you still have the car.

-Dave

 

Ah, yes. Back in the old days.

George

 

holy crap, I remember seeing that car for sale in Autoweek.

I was wondering where it was!

 

I see both suggested shops are about 1.5 hours away from me. I'm more than happy to make that kind of trip for affordable quality work, and to save my beloved 7.

Hey "VAZ"/snoopy13b, the place you recommend sounds very high end. Can you comment on the relative cost of their work?

Does anyone have any other recommended shops for fixing serious rust damage?

 

Yes they are high end. But they get the job done and its backed.

I just have to many horror storys with regular shops. I help out there on weekends and learning for my own good, I love old school cars, and doing rust has to be a priority for me. I am taking a sheet metal class at NOVA this Jan.

Bodywork for me is a must. My 69 Corolla venture is killing me, but I refuse to die! LOL
VAZ

 

Thanks for the additional info, VAZ.

Assuming I decide to repair the car vs. junking it, I definitely want it done right and would be OK with paying a little more for that. To me, the rust damage doesn't seem like enough to justify scrapping, but if the cost climbs high enough it would be smarter for me to just look for a better car. Hence my dilemma.

Hopefully this week I'll have some time to call the two shops you guys suggested and maybe visit one or both.

 

Not sure if they'd be able to help you, but with previous other odd tasks, Auto Body Craftsmen (801 East Gude, in Rockville) has helped me out quite a bit. They do damn good work too.

Do you have pictures of the rust damage? I could ask them if they can help you out for you.

 

Mr. Spoiler. www.mrspoiler.com. He'll make it mint, but I hope you have deep pockets...

 

As requested by xthephilx, some photos; first from the interior of the passenger side footwell:

1. In the first picture, the arrows indicate the line of rust running from the front of the car to about right under the passenger seat. The circled area that looks in the picture like a gray rock is about a 2" hole, through which you're seeing my driveway.

2. In this picture, you see the same hole circled. The body seam just below the green line has split and water and rust are coming through here.

3. This is a closeup of the same area from underneath. The rust damage is pretty much contained to about a 3 foot by 4 inch line running just behind the rocker panel seam.

 

In the next two pictures you see damage to the joints in the frame rails and minor body panel rust.

1. On the driver's side, rust in the seam has caused a layer of metal to lift off though the metal underneath still seems solid. Still, I'd be worried about the crashworthiness of this joint. Incidentally, I had the car on a lift about a month ago and the floorboards on this side are quite solid. There is a little surface rust which I may take care of in the spring with some POR-15.

2. On the passenger's side, the damage is much less significant, but is still there.

3. This picture shows a small area of rust-through in the fender just in front of the passenger rear wheel. I cut this out and bondoed over it about three summers ago and it lasted for a while. When you view this from under the car, you see it isn't very extensive. Probably caused by an opening between the body shell and the wheel well that wasn't welded together right during manufacture. There's no other outer body rust anywhere, which brings us to...

4. A shot of what the car looks like from six feet away. When I tell people I may have to get rid of this car because of rust, they look at me like I'm nuts.

 

Oops. Looks like I forgot to attach the last two pictures. Here they are:

By the way, FDNewbie, thanks for the suggestion but I don't think I'm going to consider the deep pocket option for this car. It got this way because it put in some long years as a daily driver (127K on the body, 38K on the rebuild) and went through quite a few winters back in Pittsburgh. It's no longer a daily driver, but probably isn't a nice to become the basis for a cost-no-object ground-up restoration. If I could keep it on the road for a few more years for around $2000 max, I'd consider it, but I'd be reluctant to spend, say, $5000 on what will never be more than a $2500 car. I appreciate the help though!

 

It's still here. Autoweek mis-printed the url, so no one could see the car or contact me. I took this as a sign from God and just kept it. It wasn't a hard decision to make, since the car is just wonderful.

 

digging up an old thread here, but just got a 86 fc that could use some rust treatment... any of these shops still around?? i'm pretty much looking for a place to treat rust and get it ready for a paint job.