Trevor's got a point here.
If all you're talking about fixing is the immediate spring mount area,
then you're not talking about much of a problem. (I thought that the
mechanic was quoting $5,000 just for that repair alone.)
Reading the posts since (where rust elsewhere in the structure has been
mentioned) the picture changes. By the time you attend to all of that
(unless you're talking about only the most minimal surface rust) you're
talking some serious $$$ in replacement panels, in which case $5,000
isn't a bad estimate.
Options include:
Find a solid shell with a dead drivetrain (not that expensive, even
after you figure the costs of going and getting it).
The Heritage Bodyshell option (pricey, but hard to beat in terms of
certainty of what you're getting).
Go ahead and work on it bit by bit, but remember that you're taking a
chance that you'll get so sick of chasing entropy that you take a bath
on a partially fixed-up parts car.
You pays your money and you takes your choice...
Chris Kotting
ckotting@iwaynet.net
Trevor Boicey wrote:
>
> Chris Kotting wrote:
> > MO$$ Motors lists the assembly required (unless the rust is REALLY
> > extensive), ready to be welded into your body, for around $100, and the
> > individual components of the structure are available as well.
>
> The problem with this is that, in general, when this part
> of the car goes you need a SIGNIFICANT amount of metal replacement
> to shore up the area.
>
> As the saying goes, you can't weld to air. Once you hit it
> with the grinder to cut out the useless metal, you are very likely
> to find nothing left for a foot in all directions.
>
> I have to admit I lean to the "find a different bodyshell"
> crowd. A couple of listers have already told stories of finding
> good ones for free or near free.
>
> Essentially, get one that is worth the time and money you
> are going to be putting into it. You can patch a little rust
> here and a list rust there and bondo some there too, but
> without proper repair with new panels the car will always
> be a patch job.
>
> In order to fix it right takes money and a lot of time
> to weld up all new panels. Generally, with cars available
> as they are for the prices they are, it's not worth it.
>
> --
> Trevor Boicey, P. Eng.
> Ottawa, Canada, tboicey@brit.ca
> ICQ #17432933 http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
> "If it's alright, I'll be lying prostrate in my room." - Ajax
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