I am sad...What would you do....?

Topic: I am sad...What would you do....? (Read 1770 times) previous topic - next topic

I am sad...What would you do....?

November 08, 2005, 11:09:11 PM

well, heres the story.

i got this car...geesh, i think a little over 2, maybe 3 years ago. the car looked awesome, very clean and rust free. under the doors were just starting to show symptoms of rust starting. otherwise, it looked great. ive maybe put 250 miles on the car the whole time i had it. i bought it spacifically as a project car. after all everything was factory on it and it was untouched. time went by. money and ooppertunity never filtered down to the car. it sat at my sisters house, outside, uncovered untill early winter last year. i finally threw some plates on it and had it inspected. i converted it over to a 5 speed, installed TC wheels and hood, eliminated the AC, put the used dual exaust on it as a band aid and threw the HO upper on. i was dying to tinker with it and that hit the spot. i drove it maybe 200 miles with a leaky header and basically parked it in my driveway. it hasnt been washed, waxed or anything more than driven down the street and back. that brings me to now...something like 3 years later.

a few weeks ago we had a week of streight rain. 2 days of it were pretty unreal. my buddy came over to fix his jeep, it had a bad leak so he wanted to pull the carpet and paint it with bedliner. i went into my car for my maglight and to my supprise there was a good 2" of water in the drivers side rear floor. under it was my a9l computer for my ho maf swap. nice. the carpets felt dry all around as well as in the floor on both sides of the front and the passenger side rear. i was pissed enough to take a nail set and punch a hole in the floorpan for the water to drain. the rain stopped a few days later and i pulled the carpet out. to my suprise, neither of the power seats worked...great. i still managed to get them out though. i powerwashed the carpet and hung it to dry. i dryed the floor out completely. the metal brace across the tunnel was rudty where the water got to it. everything else looked fine. it rained a little one day and i watched for water and got nothing. it rained again a few days later and nothing. it rained again 2 days ago and finally there was water. strangely enough, nothing at all in the back but there was some in the front. the mat thats against the firewall was wet on the botom only. i was a little pissed so i ripped it out. the top was dry as a bone. i raly didnt want to pull up the sound deadaning on the floorpan but i figured what the heck. well, to my suprise, i found a spot of rust. actually, a hole. just in one spot. i can imagine it was from the drivers feet. its about where your right heal would be while driving. makes sense. still me off though. i guess it could have come from the bottom up as well but i have my doubts. the car must have been garage kept. anywho.....so that sucks, daylight in my floor. cool if it was a glass botom boat. i dont know how ti fix it right. i decided to give the car a good lookin over to realy evaluate what ive got here. i already knew the doors got worse. i think they could be repaired fine but i hate chaseing rust around so i figured id just replace the doors if i could find nice, rust free ones. think ive located some but thats besides the point. the only other real rust spot is just starting on the drivers side fender. the pain it just stsarting to ripple in one spot. the moonroof leaks. the corners are damp but i seriously doubt they caused the water in the front and deffinetly not the back. the trunk is dry as well as under the rear seat....never been wet. i funneled water down all of the drains for the moonroof and they all drain fine. doesnt seem to be a leakage there at all. the plate that covers the lower portion of the windsheild shows no sign of rust. its not tight on the glass but i dont think it should be. i just cant find any reason for water to be in the floor. i suppose it could be from the rust hole, that sounds fairly obvious but the car sits on level paved ground and does not move.

so what would you do? fix it? let it go and find a better car like the one tom had for sale? this one isnt bad but i dont know where to go with it now. i havnt installed any of the new stuff on it yet. i was wating to paint it first. would you fix the doors or replace them? would you fix the floor? what about the water.

i can replace anything. i get things mechanically. my fabbing skills are more limited by the lack of equipment than my imagination. i have basic hand tools only. anything else is borrowed or rented. i wouldnt be afraid to gut the car completely but it cant stay in the garage here and im not pushing it around all year. it also needs to stay registered/legal to stay here.

just looking for some input. anyone have the same trouble or issues? what would you do? thanks for your time....john

ill have pics in a few....

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #1 – November 09, 2005, 01:10:30 PM

Hmm depends on how much money you want to spend and or how hard it is to find these cars in your area. Personally that isn't the worst rust I've seen on these cars. I've been I wreaking yards looking for parts and have come accross Birds/Cats where I can poke holes through the lower quarters with my finger! If you want to keep the car I *think* that fixing the driverside floor panel shouldn't be too hard. But fix the leakes first or you'll be doing this all over again! I would get new rust free doors though. Probibly easier then cutting the door skins off and welding in new panels. If it's a factory sunroof car I would keep it just because there aren't too many of them around. Also for leakes check all door seals, the rear window, and even the trunk seals. Water can get in through the goofiest places:hick: .

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #2 – November 09, 2005, 01:33:44 PM

If time and money is an issue, a temporary band-aid to prevent the problem from getting worse would be to apply concrete etching solution/rust remover to the affected areas and it will stop the rust from progressing. Then when time allows, you can do the repair correctly. A good rust repair place to see is here: http://www.buickperformance.com/CowlLeaks.htm

I know it is buick related, but the techniques are the same.

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #3 – November 09, 2005, 01:36:38 PM

My floors were worse than that in the front on the Tbird. I just cut it out and welded in new material.....no biggie.

You do need to find the source of the leaks though. It's possible that when you get too much rain, it's more than the drains can handle and it flows over.

The doors I would just replace if you can find some.

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #4 – November 09, 2005, 03:11:00 PM

Quote

It's possible that when you get too much rain, it's more than the drains can handle and it flows over.

Went through that last month......14 inches of rain in 9 days made the carpet slightly damp (the car didn't move so it didn't come up from the floor). Nothing the wife's hairdryer couln't fix.

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #5 – November 09, 2005, 03:11:56 PM

I feel exactly like you, when i removed the damaged fender of the cat, i found the half of the firewall very rusted, 3 days ago...

Now i dont know if i´ll fix the car....

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #6 – November 09, 2005, 05:25:21 PM

thanks...
ive got a few great leads on some nice doors. think im gonna pick up a pair.
im gonna have to gind someone to bend up some metal to fit and replace the spot. maybe its time to suck it up and learn how to weld and buy a welder. expensive though.

i started stripping the sound deadaning. i know its gonna make the interior noisy but the drivers side was holding water in some spots. did all of the cars come with the coating? its pretty nasty stuff. as far as claims of saving 100lbs from the car im a little sceptable about that. it soesnt seem to weigh much. the front and rear floorpans couldnt have weighed more than 3 or 4 lbs. i also pulled the unsulation from the back of the carpet. all its realy good for is holding water. they take forever to dry out. ive funnled a good gallon of water down all of the drains for the moonroof and havnt come up with anything. its deffinetly moist at the corners on the headliner but i cant see that causing the water problem im having. either way, im gonna need new seals and a new headliner eventually. i had a bud spray it down with a hose while i eyeballed from the inside and came up with nothing. its getting annoying. its got to be something that takes some time to work its way in and to the floor. i guess theres always the possibility the water i found worked its way out of some knook and was left over standing water from when it realy filled up. doubt im that lucky though. if i have to camp out in it durring a friggin rainstorm i will...id take the moulding off from around the windsheild to scope it out but im afraid id make another problem.

Quote

You do need to find the source of the leaks though. It's possible that when you get too much rain, it's more than the drains can handle and it flows over.

seems as all the drainage goes under and along the rockers beneith the doors. what does it look like internaly? are there tubes un there or some sort of track? could it possibly fill up in there?

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #7 – November 10, 2005, 03:08:54 PM

the drains for the moon roof are only 1/2 or a hair larger mine was full of leaves and stuff . it filled the rear floors with water regulary untill i cleaned them out . the drins lead into the inner panel io the quarters it is possible for those drains to be stopped up also and filling the inner panel till it runs over.

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #8 – November 10, 2005, 05:14:45 PM

too late....its off to the crusher....

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #9 – November 10, 2005, 07:32:40 PM

To bad u killed it.
Thats floor was not to bad but i dont think thats how the water got in.

Now this is a rust bucket.
We are putting in new floors and about every other part u can think of. The only thing good is was the roof LOL

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #10 – November 10, 2005, 11:29:18 PM

Quote from: shame302

too late....its off to the crusher....

You sent a car with that little bit of rust to the crusher? Dear Lord, I've seen mid to late 90's Hondas and Toyotas around here with more rust than that! My '87 Sport had NO rocker panels left, NO quarter panels left, NO fenders left, and NO door bottoms left, but the floor, the only part of the car that I am capable of doing bodywork to, only because it doesn't have to look good under the carpet, was fine. I bought new fenders and drove that sucker for two years like that. I finally gave up on the idea of ever fixing it and sold it. I ended up buying the mint white car in my signature, but I actually enjoyed the Sport more. The white car only had 47k miles on it and now has about 65k, and it's given me more trouble than the Sport ever could. The Sport also rode better (firmer, but it felt more solid as well).

I'm not even gonna go into what my old Cherokee looked like (the floor was reminiscent of ChirpALot's car), or my current Dakota 4X4 (the box literally rusted off, it is now awaiting a wooden box because I don't wanna spend any money on it)

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #11 – November 10, 2005, 11:45:59 PM

Quote

You sent a car with that little bit of rust to the crusher? Dear Lord

nohoo...not realy...

sick joke...i know. im sawie

i still cant replicate the friggin leak though. im going to look at some doors this weekend. also borrowing a welder next week. i might even try to weld it myself being as it wont ever show. i wouldnt have the heart to just send the car off like that. thanks for the concern though ;) im just in an off mood.

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #12 – November 11, 2005, 12:49:37 AM

Good cause I was like

I am sad...What would you do....?

Reply #13 – November 11, 2005, 02:31:42 AM

Yeah you scared me alittle bit. It can be fixed, maybe not easily, but it looks to be a good car.