The Work Begins???

[Pleiner87]

My '72 240 has been sitting in my garage for just over a year, and before I bought it it sat 23 years in a garage. It has sat in a garage untouched and in need of (what else but) rust repair. I have the classic floor board, dog leg, rear wheel well, and some engine compartment spots, but the frame rails overall look good. I have no welding equipment (have welded before... fences) I'm wanting to do the floorpans and smaller-complete body work myself (college kid... tight on money). As for my garage, it is a one car garage and only have a 110 Amp power source, so I was looking at a 110 Amp, 220 Volt Flux and MIG Welder from harbor freight. I should have many uses for the welder, like my Jeep Cherokee's passenger floor board (looks worse than my Z!) so I want a decent one that won't break the bank. Here are some refrence photos of my serious rust. -Thanks, Todd

Edited January 27, 2009 by Pleiner87

[Zak's Z]

Hey Todd. That does look like some pretty serious rust. I have replaced my floors, frame rails, and rockers on my '72 and the cost and time involved has been far greater than getting a better car would have been (no welding experience).

Other than the pics you posted, how is the rust in other areas like the rear hatch, wheel wells, under the battery tray, doglegs, inner/outer rockers, firewall, drain tube area (rear of fenders), etc. Does the rust stop at the floor pans or does it creep up into the trans tunnel and rockers? Post some pics if you have them.

I really hope this is something you can tackle yourself to save a few bucks and get good results. But some other people on this site with more experience than I might have some good advice on how to proceed and they may be able to diagnose if the rust is any worse than it seems.

More pics!

[Pleiner87]

Ok, the exterior of the Z has had fiberglass and bondo work on the doglegs and rear wheel wells before I bought it (sometime in the early '80's), looks like the bad was cut out folded and fiberglass was put in place. the fiberglass is on the rear wheel wells 2 or so inches up from lip. The lower rockers are in great shape except where the dogleg joins in. the floorboard rust seems to stay on the pan and did the most damage on the outside portions of the frame rail. the spare tire well has NO RUST, not a speck of it, although the rear deck has a few spots 1/2 of the way between the side and the latch, and the lip that holds the hatch seal in place is rusted away in some areas. The battery tray has mostly surface rust, no through the body anywhere around the mounting area on under it. BUT the one spot that is bad is the frame rail above the swaybar monting location, it is through the rail on the passenger side and flakey on the driver side. -Thanks again, Todd

paint is bubbling near the fiberglass/bondo/metal border. (This is one of the first pictures of my Z when I went to buy it. 23+ years of dust)

Battery tray area, mostly surface rust

Rear deck area rust

A bad spot on the frame rail above the swaybar

---My Z was just under $600... so the money I saved on not buying a running Z will go towards rust repair... Owning a Z, Priceless.

Edited January 27, 2009 by Pleiner87