Ok guys, i'm almost in tears right now as i type this but today i finnally started stripping the paint off my '67 Camino to find the worst mess i could ever imagine. It started with the taillights. when i pulled the old ones out, a small chunk of filler came out with them. I was curious (and since i was planning on painting it anyway) i got the DA out and started grinding. Well after about 5 seconds of blowing white dust in my face i got a screwdriver and a hammer and started chipping the bondo off of around the taillight receses. the area around the taillight was completely formed with filler and IT WAS 1/4" to 1/2" THICK!!! I started getting really worried so i decided to grind the whole quarter panel. From the doors back the car is pure body filler!!! Both quarter panels, and its 1/4" thick! Every line on the car from front to back is/was formed with filler! After about 3 hours of grinding i gave up. If i want things right again the car needs new door skins, quarter panels, tailgate skin, hood and pass side front fender. Is the car a total loss? Is it even worth putting the effort into it or am i better off just getting another frame/chassis and transferring what i have over to it? I don't know what to do and my head hurts just thinking about it. Any suggestions are appreicaited.

man, what a bad day! first i would check on another body, probably the least expensive way to go. but if all else fails replace body panels. its worth what it is to you!GOOD LUCK!

[This message has been edited by Smallt (edited 04-01-2002).]

man, what a bad day! first i would check on another body, probably the least expensive way to go. but if all else fails replace body panels. its worth what it is to you!GOOD LUCK!

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72 HEAVY CHEVY

sorry about double post. tried to remove it.

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72 HEAVY CHEVY

hey i here ya. my 71 only has half of a good floor pan and a roof. ive managed to round up most of the parts to fix it though just waiting on good weather. i cut a 71 half into just to get a good trunk floor with wheel wells. just set it aside for a while and the shock will go away and it will be easer to deal with.

We bought a 69 camaro in primer. We didnt know how much work it was going to need till we started sanding too. We ended up replacing everything except the roof. Hang in there, at least you'll know you have new panels on it, so there is a positive side http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

Ditto to what Buddy said.

You still have a lot of car left after removing the bad panels. And, when you get done you will KNOW what is under the paint!
Right?

sorry to hear about your surprise.
It crunch time. Not a easy decision.
If the floor pans. sub frame and trunk area are sound. You have a good foundation to do it right with new panels. A big project but one YOU WILL KNOW what you have.

I know the feeling - My 64 ElCamino had the same syndrome - crappy body work all over the back 1/2 covered with primer.- I agree with Buddy, Dave and Wayne above - set your mind to persist if the rest of the car is solid. When you get done, you will KNOW what you have.

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Make it the way you like it, forget what the other guys say!
http://chevelles.com/showroom/alelcaminofront.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/al4/alcamino64/index.html

Thats the chance you take when you strip it.Its common though.Same thing on my camaro.I replaced the quarters and its good now.If you replace it you know what you have or you can take a gamble on another body.I'd fix it but thats me.

That is depressing, Sorry to hear of your misfortune. I'd agree with the others, By replacing what needs you'll know what you have in the end and It'll be worth it.
I had a guy bring me an early '55 chev p.u. a few years ago. It had fairly good paint but the pass fender had some "mud" cracks and asked if I'd repair it and paint. After I dug into a little deeper we found nearly the entire veh was a "bondo wagon" The poor thing was this guy paid nearly top dollar for this old truck. 3 months later and quite a few dollars he had a "solid" ride again.
Good luck with your project.

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'68 SS-396 (still workin' on it)
"Children in the back of the car can cause accidents,
accidents in the back of the car can cause children"
-2 Below Custom Automotive
Fbks, AK.

i just recently found out a few weeks ago when i got my 68 painted that one rear quarter is almost all filler also.when they started sanding it got all screwed up and ended up having to knock it all off and do it over again.i was dissapointed also but i know its there now and when i get enough cash and finish some other tasks im gonna get a new rear quarter.
i say keep it and just take your time piece for piece.

That's a bummer. My car has lots of it too, mostly in the sides. I can see cracks in the quarters and fender but the car is rusty so I know what I'm dealing with. I already know that the quarters will need replacing as well as a bunch of other parts. Haven't gotten into stripping it yet, but I won't be surprised on what I find, there was 1/4" thick bondo under the vinyl top from a previous quarter panel replacement. What I'll do is buy a donor car and take metal off of that. Good luck with yours.

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1970 Chevy Custom El Camino (http://www.dreamelectric.com)
Originally was & will be Green Mist & Silver w/Green Vinyl Top (now black)
350ci/300HP 4bbl & Dual Exhaust
TH-350 - 2.73 Posi Rear - Factory PS, PDB, PW, Tilt, A/C & More
My El Camino Home Page (http://www.dreamelectric.com/index.html)
Other Restorations -1969 Snowco Trailer (http://www.dreamelectric.com/Snowco.html) & 1967 Sears Custom 600 Tractor (http://www.dreamelectric.com/1967Sears.html)

[This message has been edited by Shawn (edited 04-04-2002).]

Ahw man, that IS a bummer. I hope that this doesn't ever happen to me...
I hope that you'll find a cheap way to iron out all the f**k ups the previous owners did. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gifKeep cha head up!

Olli

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[O]==+==[O]

Wow.
Sure like your responses better than the ones I got. I was looking for some advice on alternatives for fixing a spot on one front quarter, and the areas around the rear wheelwells. I was told to send mine to the crusher and start looking for something else.

Glad to see there are some folks here who will offer encouragement -- I think situations like this are difficult, but not impossible, even for a relative newbie (like me). Chin up, take it slow... you'll get there. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

Cheers,
mark.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by hd99fxst:
Wow.
Sure like your responses better than the ones I got. I was looking for some advice on alternatives for fixing a spot on one front quarter, and the areas around the rear wheelwells. I was told to send mine to the crusher and start looking for something else.

Glad to see there are some folks here who will offer encouragement -- I think situations like this are difficult, but not impossible, even for a relative newbie (like me). Chin up, take it slow... you'll get there. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

Cheers,
mark.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Mark,

Of your post awhile back, I for one was on your side about fixing them. You didn't need to "get another body" and swap everything- thats more work than LEARNING to do some bodywork!! Your rust spots are typical, and very fixable.

As for the El Camino in this post, 1/4" of filler is really not that thick. You can apply heavy filler up to 3/8" , but thats pushing it. The car is over 30 years old- and unless you buy a "cherry" example, they're gonna need some work. If your'e not willing to spend the time to fix it to your satisfaction, then the simple solution is to go buy a turnkey car, but you then miss out on A LOT of the "hobby" aspect old cars. Otherwise be patient and give it your best shot.

JU87 -- Thanks, and my apologies if I came across as, well, um, anyway...

You probably recall that I did get more than one response advocating the crusher, and that's very disheartening. You're absolutely right -- the reason I drive a car as old as I am, is that it holds my interest -- I want to learn how to fix it, both mechanically and cosmetically. I enjoy the Learning, and the Hobby. (As an aside, No, the Wife does not understand; which makes the Hobby even more difficult to justify...)

And, someday, I'd like to have a vehicle worth a second look from the Resto crowd -- but you'd better believe I'll be DRIVING it to the show.

Enough of that -- hoist a glass of your favorite beverage, this round's on me.

Cheers,
mark.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by hd99fxst:
JU87 -- Thanks, and my apologies if I came across as, well, um, anyway...

You probably recall that I did get more than one response advocating the crusher, and that's very disheartening. You're absolutely right -- the reason I drive a car as old as I am, is that it holds my interest -- I want to learn how to fix it, both mechanically and cosmetically. I enjoy the Learning, and the Hobby. (As an aside, No, the Wife does not understand; which makes the Hobby even more difficult to justify...)

And, someday, I'd like to have a vehicle worth a second look from the Resto crowd -- but you'd better believe I'll be DRIVING it to the show.

Enough of that -- hoist a glass of your favorite beverage, this round's on me.

Cheers,
mark.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Cheers to you, Mark for wanting to LEARN and DO IT YOURSELF! It's very commendable in such a "instant gratification" society. No apology necessary, I know what you meant.

Good luck with the "California Suede"- and if you're still interested in doing this type of "primer paint job" DO take a hard look at the Martin Senour paints- I am SURE it would serve you well (I say this because I'm interested in doing the same thing and looked at A LOT of paint systems!!)

Good Luck, HAPPY HOBBYING!! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Well i appreciate all of your encouragement, I think i'll try to fix what i got. As soon as i have the whole car stripped i'll see what's all there and then make my decision. Hopefully i can fix it, if not i'm sure there's someone else who can. All it takes is time and money.

one thing you might take into concederation, just tackle one part of the car at a time. when i got my 71 i took it apart completely just to see what i had to work with, now its in a million pieces. my 67 on the other hand im just doing one piece at a time, this dosent seem to be so frustrating, i now its in as bad as shape as the 71 but i dont have to look at the hole problem at once.

hd99fxst: Didn't see the original post your referring to but I've been told the same thing many times about my car, "it's shot get a solid one" and "there's no fixing that". My car IS shot, there's rust in nearly every panel, but with a welder, a little knowledge on metal forming, some tools and money I think it'll be alright. That's why they call it a labor of love. I know it'll end up costing me more than what the car's worth, but it's not about reselling value I'm interested in, I don't ever plan on selling it- I enjoy the hobby and the sense of accomplishment I'll have after I finish it.. not only that but the fact that I can show everyone who told me otherwise how bad it was before. If I sold it now, I know the next owner would part it out, the last guy beat the crap out of it trying to kill it then abandoned it in a field. My car has a lot of potential, it came with lots of options, even a few rare ones as well as a decent sized motor and a cool original color.. green mist! Plus it's a '70, how could you beat that?

old67camino: Good luck on yours, I've got it 1/4" thick in my fender and doors (but the bed's solid, go figure), but I already know what I'm dealing with so it's no surprise.

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1970 Chevy Custom El Camino (http://www.dreamelectric.com)
Originally was & will be Green Mist & Silver w/Green Vinyl Top (now black)
350ci/300HP 4bbl & Dual Exhaust
TH-350 - 2.73 Posi Rear - Factory PS, PDB, PW, Tilt, A/C & More
My El Camino Home Page (http://www.dreamelectric.com/index.html)
Other Restorations -1969 Snowco Trailer (http://www.dreamelectric.com/Snowco.html) & 1967 Sears Custom 600 Tractor (http://www.dreamelectric.com/1967Sears.html)
Team Chevelle Member #995

Shawn,

I took a look at your website (nicely designed, BTW), and the pics of your El Camino. Your car has an EXTRAORDINARY amount of rust. Not to belabor a point that I am sure has been made here many times I'm sure regarding your car, but you really should strip it and get a "rolling" donor for a body and frame. Marks car is VERY fixable- rust holes in the usual spots, nothing really out of the ordinary. BUT your El Camino is just too rusty to sink money into- remember that its really just a car. Your time and money would be WAAAY to much to spend to even get it to the "normal rust" state. Normal rust is VERY fixable, and you learn along the way- BUT the type of rust on your El Camino is not conducive to time well spent working on cars- you should spend the $500 or whatever and buy an El Camino with the usual rust (good luck finding one with NO rust in your area). You will thank yourself in the long run, and you'll be MUCH better off and will be able to focus your restoration talents on a better example instead of starting on your car literally from the ground up. In reality, with the amount of rust you have, you will be hand crafting a new car. Good Luck either way though- you sure have patience and determination! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif