I bought this 66 ss 396 a few weeks ago for $3000. It was stripped down to bare metal once and left to rust. I wasnt aware how bad the body is till I got it home and started sanding it. I dont know if it can be repaired or if I should just try to part it out and make some of my money back since everything in the suspension and rearend is new. Comcast is being screwy now but I will post more pictures later.

I have been trying to sand it back down to bare metal but I cant seem to get it all the way clean, there are still tiny rust pits in the metal that I cant sand out. Will media blasting remove this rust or is it a lost cause? I am just looking to have the body somewhat straight and look ok in a black primer. Its primary duties would be drag racing. I took photos of the most serious rust and holes in the body. I know the tail light panel, and rear window panel need to be replaced. There is also rust in the sail panel area by the rear window that you can see in the pictures, its in the same spot on both sides. The passenger side had a previous fiberglass repair in that spot that I pulled out. Anyway, let me know what you think. Pics below

Thanks
Dave

Inside of car roof http://home.comcast.net/~riby1971/Insideroof.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~riby1971/DriverQP.jpg
passenger lower rear quarter
http://home.comcast.net/~riby1971/PassengerQP2.jpg

More photos.
http://www.norcal-ls1.com/multimedia/data/500/2943PassengerQP.jpg http://www.norcal-ls1.com/multimedia/data/500/2943Rearwindow.jpg http://www.norcal-ls1.com/multimedia/data/500/2943Rearwindow2.jpg http://www.norcal-ls1.com/multimedia/data/500/2943Roof.jpg http://www.norcal-ls1.com/multimedia/data/500/2943Tailpanel.jpg

Hmmmmmm well it looks to be pretty solid. And it's a true SS from what I gather. It looks like it would be worth of a chemical dip to remove all the rust and then you know what you really have. Will probably need one hell of a skim coat LOL.

Good luck to you!

It actually looks alot better than what I started with although I only paid $1200. but had no "new" suspension pieces. I'd say if its a true SS replace some of the panels and patch in some metal where you have deep pitting. The rear deck panel is available aftermarket and is not that much of a problem to put in.

Lokks better then most cars that are restored to start. If you have cold feet on the project sell it to a member who need an easy project.

Here in the north east if we were to scrap every car in that condition we wouldn't have anything left ;)

No but seriously, that is nothing out of the ordinary, don't be surprised or shocked to find more problem areas, because I'd bet there will be, but most likely that is a repairable piece.

damn that thing is in better shape than mine is and was. i have about 600lbs of bondo on it. looks just like alot of surface rust, sand it all down, and replace what is needed. u will not regret doing all this after it is done.

good luck man.

aaron

Thanks for the input guys. Im still trying to make up my mind but Ive been thinking of ebaying it with a buy it now of 3k. Not sure if I could get that much back out of it but its got a lot of new pieces.....Need to sleep on it for a few more nights. Im really looking for something with less body work.

what did you use to sand it down?

I just started sanding it to find out that I cant quite get every tiny spec of rust out. I used an electric random orbital sander and 80 grit wheel since I dont have a compressor to run an air DA sander. At this point ive decided to stick with it and get it down to a body shop and see what they have to say about the car....im willing to spend $3000 on body work and a primer job, but I dont think that will get me very far.

It's better than the 2 cars I have done and the 3 I am working on. Send the body out and have it media blasted for a couple hundred bucks. All of the rust will come off then and you can go to town on the body work.

Thanks for the encouragement...its easy to get scared of a project when no one is behind you telling you it can be done.....I have no experience with paint and body stuff so its kind of scary.

Originally posted by BlueSS454:
It's better than the 2 cars I have done and the 3 I am working on. Send the body out and have it media blasted for a couple hundred bucks. All of the rust will come off then and you can go to town on the body work.

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/71metbu/DayOne.jpg Trust me, the picture's don't show all the hidden rust. Replace the panel's yourself then take it to the body shop for bodywork and primer. Save some cash and get some experience while your at it! Trust me I'm no pro at this, it's just a mother of necessity type thing. (i.e. I'm broke from buying engine parts) Good luck, Dave http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/71metbu/bodyinprimehood.jpg http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/71metbu/quarterinstalledtemp.jpg

be careful with the sandpaper! that is what got the problem you are facing started. if you are not prepared to etch or epoxy prime right after sanding to bare metal . then dont do it. that is what kills alot of these cars . people will start out gung ho,grab a sander and start, after several hours the fun and excitement is gone. then they go get another project started and another car destroys from rust. sitting with bare metal exposed . that being said. how is the underside look? floorpans ok? how about the trunk? braces? if they are good you have a great car to work with. GOODLUCK

looks better than what I've started with more than once. save it or give it to someone you can.

What do you guys think about the Quarter panels? Should I replace them with full skins or just try to patch and repair what I have. I got a little carried away this evening and melted the lead out of the passenger side quarter panel because I was figuring on replacing it. The pictures show the damage and rust that the panels have. In the full picture of the passenger 1/4 panel, where it is down to bare metal in front of the tire, that area is really rough. Also they both have the rust holes in the sail panels right at the lower corners as you can see in the pictures. Let me know what you think. Thanks again.

Dave

If it were mine, I'd go with a full quarter. But I guess it depends on your budget and how nice you are looking to make it. Looks like you would spend a good chuck of time fixing up the originals anyhow.

Doesn't look too bad...especially if its only a drag type car. The sanding might save you some weight smile.gif

The 70 in my backyard is a case of junk...has holes larger than my size 11 foot in all 4 bottom corners, frame looks worse than your 1/4s, floors are rotted through several places, front lip of hood is rotted out, bottom rear lip of trunk is rotted out...only thing on it worth a crap are the doors. Has a vinyl top on it too *shudders* I can only imagine what lies beneath...