Please asses this rust damage for me

[DougN]

Like others, I would not want to tackle the repairs of this car and would look for another. However, as Abe has said he wants to do the work and learn how to weld, and that appears to be a driving factor in getting his current car, I'm going to have to agree with Kenny here.

My advice would be to start cutting and welding on the parts that you don't see (underside, floors, etc), and then move to the parts you do see. That way you get a little experience before you get concerned about looks, and it gives you a solid platform to start lining up body panels.

[oldhemi]

I would kill for the front frame rails on your car! Even the floors have floor rails left! Prolly not for long on the floors. You are gonna have to poke and prod. If pretty solid, weld or fiberglass some patches on the floors.

Escalon and others have summed up my opinion. Fiberglass, bondo and cheap paint are the way to go on this car.

If the car runs decent, the brakes are good, the suspension is good, drive it like you stole it!

Looks like you have a car that spent some time near saltwater. They usually rust from the top!

Tabco sells patch panels for fenders, doglegs and Zeddfindings sells floors.

Welding is dirty, hot and potentially dangerous work. I have been toying with the idea of leaning to weld also, but now that it is summer in Houston, my enthusiasm for it has waned. But still, keep me in mind if you part it out. A sawzall on the front rails is easy!

IMHO, the car is not resto candidate. Could be a good mule or DD. Dont forget, chicks dig scarred cars that go like stink!

Edited July 6, 2010 by oldhemi

[revlis240]

perhaps I better explain my motives...

im not trying to build a show car. I read a thread the other day about some guy who spent $100k+ on restoring his Z!!!! good lord!

I want a good looking, beastly powered, "nicely done" Z that i maybe spent $10k on. bear in mind I will do 100% of the work myself. I already have 70% of the tools to work on cars, but no metal fab equipment yet. I will look for another candidate, but it appears that EVERY car around $1500 has rust on it. I will not start with a $5k car, because thats not the point of what i wanted to do. Which is build a car from the ground up, learn how to weld on it, learn how to do body work on it, learn how to metal fab on it, etc.

Ill take some time and strip this of all its crap and get a real good look of how it looks underneath all the paint and sound deadening, and in the mean time Ill try and find a better shell, but i have my doubts ill find one. There are absolutely ZERO Z's within 200 miles from me that are in good condition below $5000. There are a few backyard rotting shells, but i doubt theyre in better condition than this thing...

Edited July 6, 2010 by revlis240

[Sailor Bob]

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/1825956728.html

This is in LA for $2500 needs work but it appears to be way ahead of where you are. Check Craigslist, California is floating with Zs.

[revlis240]

Im watching like a hawk on craigslist.

That one is salvage titled with unibody damage...you think its good?! I found some guy in fresno that has one, but man I tell you its tough to guage..because the car has been atleast 2 colors that I can tell from the pics and who knows what rust they just painted over!

Edited July 6, 2010 by revlis240

[psdenno]

.....and who knows what rust they just painted over!

A buyer with a magnet usually knows where the Bondo is hidden. I always take one of those flexible credit card sized fridge door advertising magnets to slide along the body panels. It won't scratch the paint and will drop like a rock when it encounters Bondo or fiberglass under the paint. It's always fun to see the look on the sellers face when that happens

Dennis

[EScanlon]

A buyer with a magnet usually knows where the Bondo is hidden. ..snip... It's always fun to see the look on the sellers face when that happens

Dennis

To those of us who know how to do body work properly, it shows us the ignorance the magnet wielder shows.

Bondo, the "trade name" for polyester filler, is NOT the all-encompassing "curse" that people make it out to be.

If you were to approach a car I have for sale, and tell me you were going to run your slick little "bondo-detector" all over the car to "prove" how bad a deal I was offering.... I don't think I could be polite in telling you where to stick your magnet. I'd tell you to pay up, IN CASH, and then you could stick whatever you wanted wherever you wanted to stick it into.

Bondo, used properly, is VERY common in the old/used car market. There are literally MILLIONS of cars with bondo applied.... with no deleterious effects. Heck, can you honestly say that a 35 to 40 year old car will NOT have ANY problems?

I'll grant that there are equally millions of cars with poorly applied "repairs". Those are the ones which you need to be careful of, but this "one-size-fits-all" approach to detecting them is not the true detector of bad repairs you make it out to be. In fact, it's likely to make you pass up some otherwise EXCELLENT vehicles.

It doesn't take much filler or primer or icing or red-cap before your little refrigerator magnet will NOT adhere properly. Did it really find a bad repair or did it find an area that may have been repaired at the original receiving dock when the car came off the ship, and that repair was done professionally and properly? Heck, some of these vehicles have been repainted more than once, twice even three and four times, and not always sanded down or stripped to the metal. Go ahead, test those, you'll find that some of them are "dubious".

That little refrigerator magnet usually has a hard time holding more than 3 or 4 sheets of paper on the refrigerator door, it's NOT a precision tool.

2¢

E

[psdenno]

To those of us who know how to do body work properly, it shows us the ignorance the magnet wielder shows. ....but this "one-size-fits-all" approach to detecting them is not the true detector of bad repairs you make it out to be.

E

Fortunately for us "Magnet Wielders" most Z bodywork gurus looking for a quick sale don't have your skill in applying the magic putty.

Just like a a Phillips screwdriver isn't the only tool in my toolbox, neither is the magnet my only tool for determining the structural soundness of a well used car.

Sorry to hit a nerve with my comment and attempt at answering revlis240's question, "who knows what rust they just painted over!".

Dennis

[pjoe]

my father in law gave me his '73 240z thats been sitting for 20 years and rusting. I had no welding expierience but my dad does(not expert but can weld). i paid 350 to 400 dollars for new floor boards and 50 bucks for 4 x 8 16 guage sheet of sheet metal. we have replaced firewall section under battery tray, made new battery tray, and fixed 4 rust areas behind all wheels. if you get the metal work in the ball park, a skim coat of bondo will smooth it out and it'll be solid because theres metal behind it. firewall, etc...wont look original but im just trying to get it on the road and have fun with it. blah blah.....i say go for it. its just metal. weld it, grind it, bondo, and whatever else gets it back on the road. oh and now i know how to weld.

Edited July 7, 2010 by pjoe

[ZCurves]

Abe' date='

For every true restoration there should be a part car - now that you have a part car you can look for your car to restore or refresh - I would part that one out - dismantle every part you can - keep all the screws and nut and bolts you can! Bag and tag everything!! Once you get another car it is amazing how many pieces you need to replace - repair. You've got a great start and don't get dis-hearted.

Now you can look for a $4-6K car and you will be set for your project.

This is not a setback, this is an opportunity!![/quote']

This is the single best piece of advice I have seen on any Thread in a long time. This is what I did on my restore and it saved my tail many times. A $200 parts car yielded over $2000 in parts and also helped several other member with components that they needed.

[revlis240]

this may seem a little crazy, but i bought this fully restored "rust free" z today, 1971 with a crate chevy 350 in it. I stumbled upon a deal i absolutely couldnt pass up! Bought the car for the price of the motor more pics soon. Ignore the color, i dont like it either

[Mike B]

this may seem a little crazy, but i bought this fully restored "rust free" z today, 1971 with a crate chevy 350 in it. I stumbled upon a deal i absolutely couldnt pass up! Bought the car for the price of the motor more pics soon. Ignore the color, i dont like it either

I will not start with a $5k car, because thats not the point of what i wanted to do. Which is build a car from the ground up, learn how to weld on it, learn how to do body work on it, learn how to metal fab on it, etc.

So I am guessing you got the new one for less than $5K then .

-Mike