Sadness, Part II

[Dr.Jass]

Spent a good amount of time under the LeBaron yesterday with the 4½" knotted cup brush and the cutoff wheel. Not good, not good at all. Still nothing fatal but very disheartening, particularly find out the RH rocker is as bad as it is, and the fairly massive hole (I know, holes have no mass but I like the irony of the statement) in the trunk extension through which I was able to pull out a Mountain Dew can. I'd checked that area thoroughly when I bought the car knowing it's a trouble spot; this is a result of four years sitting on concrete.

Anyhow, pics are worth one thousand words each, so I'll just get to it.

 

[Dr.Jass]

I didn't get the chance to grind out the trunk extension, but everything's primed and protected until I can get back and work on it some more. I'm going to need a sand blaster... :doh:

That silly-string stuff on the rear tires is what happens when a high-speed wire brush comes into contact with seam sealer.

 

[Dr.Jass]

These used to be body panels.

 

[restoman]

Yup, you're gonna need a sand blaster.

Good old 80's Chryco build quality. Probably started rusting the day it was built.

 

[a12bee]

:quit: It don't look all that bad, maybe a little crusty down in the pinch weld but not like the whole rocker is doa. Grab some 14 ga. and get to hammering. No one said love is easy.

Besides, in theory, aren't black holes nothing BUT mass?

 

[Dr.Jass]

The pinchwelds and bottom of the rockers are really quite solid... the rust you see is just a little worse than surface rust. Any rust damage I found I cut well past the rust to get into good, solid metal to which I can weld.

Actually, for the age of the car, I still think the condition is pretty good overall, and having 217,112 miles on the chassis I doubt it wintered in climate-controlled circumstances. The sadness is that it's damage of which I was unaware... and, not coincidentally, the worst part of the car is the RH rear, which is the area in which water gathers during spring. That hole in the trunk extension and bottom of the quarter panel is definitely new, though. Nearly every F/M/J-car I've had was soft in that area and I was surprised at how solid this beast was 6 years ago.

Like I said, nothing fatal... just disappointed. I'm still convinced that despite its somewhat limited appeal, the car is still worth fixing.

Oh, yeah... black holes are massive, but then again, by definition, they're not actually holes.

 

[Dr.Jass]

Hopefully, with the 3-day weekend coming up, I can get some serious work done. That reminds me:

Stretch: I'm going to need to borrow my welder (yes, I have to ask him to use my own stuff )

Restoman: I have a spare hood for the car that I'm not using... think that would be suitable to cut up for patch panels, as long as it's clean metal? It should be the same gauge, shouldn't it? Or should I just start with new sheet steel?

 

[69.5CUDA]

doc that hood is EXACTLY what i would use..10-1 odds the steel is EXACTLY the same thickness...assuming its clean that is....imo "new" metal isnt always better as its clean shiny and unprotected..old re-used sheetmetal from another car has been dipped galvanized painted or whatnot and is more likely to survive longer

 

[restoman]

Yep, I'd use it too. Tho' I don't know about the galvanizing - it IS a Chrysler product from the 80's.

You'll find the hood steel to be a little "softer" to form patches with. Cold rolled sheet metal is a little harder than something that's been through a press.

 

[Dr.Jass]

OK, so I'll carve up the worse of the two hoods. Thanks for that input, guys.

My plan is to clean everything I can of rust. Once everything's back in place, I plan to use an anti-corrosion coating such as Chassis Saver or POR-15. I'm leaning towards the Chassis Saver as from what exposure I've had it seems more impervious to damage from bending and impact. Is this advisable, and if so, do I use the areas painted with the coating as a primer, or should I scuff and prime over it? If I prime, should I use a straight primer, primer/sealer, self-etching...?

Sorry for all the questions but I want to do this one time only.

I've made arrangements for a spotblaster, full sandblaster, and my welder for the weekend so I'm hoping to make some real progress on the old gal... even if it's just finding and isolating more rust. :doh:

 

[restoman]

Well, what we do is blast everything as clean as possible, do the welding, blast the welds, and then give everything a coat of etch primer. In the case of your rockers, do the inner repairs as needed, blast it clean, etch prime it and then weld the outer rocker on.
Chassis Saver? What is it?
The absolute best thing for preventing rust is oil. Spray it in every cavity you can find, let it creep as far as it can, and do it every year. Of course, do it after painting the car.
POR 15 is a waste of money as far as I'm concerned, There are cheaper products out there that do a better job with a lot less work.

 

[Dr.Jass]

I thought I'd have to re-blast after welding, just so I'd have clean metal to which primer can bond. For the most part, the inner rockers are pretty solid, so I'm hoping not too much will need to be done there... especially since no one makes outer rockers for the car to my knowledge. At this point, I still plan on finding more damage. I've been mentally prepping myself for it for a week and a half.

If you have used POR-15, did you prime over it or just apply paint straightaway after scuffing?

Chassis Saver The stuff is pretty awesome. You can paint it on a piece of metal and once it's cured, you can bend the metal back and forth until it breaks but the paint will hold it together. If you press two pieces of metal together with this stuff between them and let it cure, its bond is nearly weld-like. We painted the steel workbench at Auto Value with it, and had to hit it with a hammer and chisel to scratch it. Much like POR-15, it claims to get a stronger bond to metal in the presence of moisture nor is it UV resistant to direct sunlight. It's a single-stage sprayable product, but even brushing it produces a smooth, glossy finish. I've used POR in the past and am far more impressed with the Chassis Saver. At Auto Value, it's about $34USD for a quart retail; $86 per gallon.

Of course, I get it at cost. :dance:

I'm not really concerned about visible areas but I'm thinking inside the rockers and other similar concealed, hard-to-reach areas it might be just the ticket.

 

[69.5CUDA]

that chassis saver sounds like the eastwood stuff ive used..IMPRESSIVE stuff...if your thinking of internal areas..wash them out with the hose and air blast them out then get in there with an undercoating wand and have at it

sooo can you ship that chassis saver?

 

[Dr.Jass]

Actually, I could. Its flash point is high enough that it's not considered a hazardous material, though I think it still can only ship via ground service.

They used to offer half-pint free samples that came with a demo panel (a piece of sheetmetal painted with the color of your choosing, applied by brush), a pair of gloves, a small paint brush, and a brochure. I don't know if they still do; you could try calling them.

If you get the stuff on your hands, the only way to get it off is to let the skin grow out, so gloves are highly advised unless you want paint-stained hands for a few weeks. Also, when re-sealing the can you MUST use Saran Wrap or something similar between the lid and the can. It doesn't matter how well you clean the can's rim, if there's ANY paint in there, you will never, ever get the lid off again. I've heard this from several customers (we sell this stuff like crazy), even one smart guy whom I warned. He came back saying "I cleaned the rim so well, you couldn't hardly tell there was ever paint in there." Two days later, he was chiseling the top of the can off. Lesson learned.

 

[69.5CUDA]

sounds like killer floor and belly paint

 

[restoman]

sounds like killer face and belly paint

:naughty: I'm not gonna ask.:shifty:

 

[dodgechargerfan]

This shit washes off, right?

 

[69.5CUDA]

ROFL

interior floor and under floor(belly) paint

wonder how far 1qrt would go

 

[learical]

This shit washes off, right?

:naughty:washes off the body, yes. stays on the psyche forever![smilie=2:

 

[thrashingcows]

The absolute best thing for preventing rust is oil. Spray it in every cavity you can find, let it creep as far as it can, and do it every year. Of course, do it after painting the car.
.

I agree...a old timer locally showed me his car he had been driving daily for the last 40 years and it was MINT...I asked him how he kept it in such good shape...he told me he used oil in every nook and cranny at least once a year.

I've been doing this to my vehicles ever since.