I've got some rust problems in the floor pan and in the lower cowl by the rocker panels that need repairing. They blow a lot of dust into the car and into the trunk. I have removed the front carpet and it seems the only problem in the front of the interior is on the sides by the sill plates. On both sides of the car, there is also rust holes on the cowl in the same area as the holes in the floor pan. I have some pictures that I will try to post onto here.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291647057&p=4254121888&idx=2

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291647057&p=4254121895&idx=1

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291647057&p=4254121873&idx=4

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291647057&p=4254121908&idx=19

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291647057&p=4254121918&idx=17

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291647057&p=4254121904&idx=18

I'll have to upload the pics of the rear inner wheel well/trunk rust spots tomorrow. What do you suggest for repairing these rust spots?
Thanks

------------------
Trever Maas
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

[This message has been edited by malibu man (edited 07-08-2002).]

Seriously, sell that Chevelle and get another better restoration candidate - and yes I do understand that you like this car a lot.

There is just not enough "special" about this particular Chevelle to warrant the expensive and time consuming job of replacing all the rot. Oh yeah, I'm sure you've heard it before, but it bears repeating anyhow - rust NEVER sleeps, the rot you can see is only the beginning of what you will find as you strip and dismantle this Chevelle to make the panel replacements.

In my opinion, there are better resto candidates out there, but then again maybe you are one of those individuals who is determined to "rescue" this car no matter the fractional return on money spent.

Good luck however you decide to proceed.

Thomas

------------------
"Bomber" '67 El Camino, Beater comes back to life.
Was 350/TH350 14.90 @ 93mph, 360,000+ miles on car.
Now 406 roller, 340rwhp, more hp coming, 3.08 gears.
Street radials, left in drive, 13.20 e.t.@108.35 mph.
8/1/01 added Plum Mist '67 to collection
ProCharger D-2R 468 under construction.

With rust someone always has to to cut out the rot and weld in new metal if you want a lasting repair. In my case, I ordered new full length floor pans and braces. What wasn't made in reproduction I had to fabricate.

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http://webpages.charter.net/65chevelle/

You have your work cut out for you. To do this job right requires a number of replacement panels and some hand formed repair panels.
do you have the tools to do this job ?
( welder, cut off wheels, lots of welding clamps ect. ? ) If you have access to the tool and a desire to SAVE this car,DO IT.
But if you must pay someone and mybe you should rethink your commitment.

------------------
Wayne
ACES# 1556
TCG # 186

I agree with Wayne. However if you do really want to attempt to save this car, try buying one that has decent floors as a parts car. I did this with my Impala. I cut the floor out in one piece and installed it in my floor in one piece. I also had to fabricate the inner rockers and used the lower cal piece from a donor car. But the reason I did this is because I had a complete running 62 sport coupe and it was worth saving.

------------------
Mat Ellison
Lincoln, Ne
70 SS 396 Chevelle
62 Impala Sport Coupe
2001 Grand Prix GT
Aces #2424
http://www.geocities.com/elliboom/Mats_70_Chevelle.html?994781720927

Darn, that's not what I want to hear! That car has been in the family for awhile. The rest of the car is good besides the rust. The interior is perfect besides the seat covers and a couple dime size holes in the headliner. Brakes are redone. Engine is modded slightly and I plan to mod it out. Frame is in great condition, just really dusty. I really want to keep this car for my own benefit. It's a great car to mess on and work on. After I get done with my two years of Auto Tech at college, I think I might go back for two years of Collision repair. Also, in my age position, you just don't go out and buy another car. Your lucky if you already have one. I think it wouldn't be a problem for my local body shop. They actually gave me an estimate awhile back for fixing and painting the whole car. It wasn't too much. I can't do it myself because I don't have a mig, just a arc and a gas(torch). It's a shame that both spots in the floorpan have to be under the kick panel area. And I don't know whats up with the floorpan seams being seperated like that. I think that i'll wait until I get my Goodmark fenders, then get another estimate. All I really car about is having my car in one piece, getting it street legal, and getting rid of the rust holes and leaks.

------------------
Trever Maas
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

Man I would really take a hard look at that body shop estimate again. Most body shops don't even want to touch restoration work because they want jobs that will be in and out in 3-4 days. Also by the looks of your pictures you have a butt load of work todo, andif you figure the amount of labor there is to do and figure a 45-50 bucks per hours charge out rate I would guess you are talking close to 20 grand to do the complete body. My guess they quoted a few patch panels and a quickie paint job.

------------------
Mat Ellison
Lincoln, Ne
70 SS 396 Chevelle
62 Impala Sport Coupe
2001 Grand Prix GT
Aces #2424
http://www.geocities.com/elliboom/Mats_70_Chevelle.html?994781720927

Can't they just weld in new pans, cover up the cowl holes, put patch panels in the trunk, and put a skin on the quarter? I just can't see it as impossible. A lot of people have to patch their car up don't they? It isn't uncommon.

------------------
Trever Maas
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

Ok, I saw the pictures and can see a lot of related panels that need to be cut out and replaced.

Yes, anything can be restored no matter how rotten it is at the beggining of the resto project.

I understand you attatchment to the car, I never questioned that. I do however question your commitment to having this done right. For sure the reasonable bodyshop quote does not include much panel replacement. More than likely it is an exterior "good for delivery" freshening - which will certainly have to redone again in the not so distant future to really stop the rot. Proper restoration would require dismantling and cutting up a considerable amout of that car, anything less will only buy you some time until you plow the bucks into it for the correct work. I guaranty that there is more rot than can be easily seen, when you open up some of the panels you will discover more rot.

Go ahead and put temporary patches on it if you wish, just don't have any long lasting illusions. Sorry, but I would do some out of the area search for a better resto candidate - all your good stuff, engine etc, can be swapped over. I swear that the price of a plane ticket to SoCal or other good hunting ground will turn up cars that need much less work and $$$ to complete, travel to a less rot prone area to look for old car resto projects, it will SAVE you money over the completion of a resto project.

Thomas

malibu man-- My 66 elky was pristine compared to your car. It has now been apart for 8 (EIGHT) years. I have two more grandchildren ages 6&7 since I started on my car. Think long and hard before you embark on this MAJOR resto. I OWN A BODY SHOP!!! Come up to the cities, my shop is in Lakeville. Let me give you a tour, show pictures of my car as it progressed and share what I have learned. It's not done but getting there. I'll buy lunch or dinner! I am also very familiar with the Minnesota auto trade schools. This site has been the best motivator and source of info for me. THESE FOLKS REALLY CARE and wouldn't steer you wrong!!! E-mail me Karl

Thanks for the replies. By patching I didn't mean tin and body filler. I meant cut, replace, and weld. I notice that someone has already put a panel in the passenger quarter panel because the wheel-well trim isn't curved and there is spots on the inside of the panel from penatration of the welding.

I'll say it again, i'm only 18 and am lucky to have such a car. My parents bought it for my older brother(he is like 23) when he was like 15 or 16. The car was fine when we got it for $1000. My brother had planned on restoring it. My brother opted to replace the fenders, but couldn't get them off so he torched the brackets and bolts on the fenders. Then for some reason his plans of the car changed, he wanted to turn it into a dirt-track stock car for the local races. Then he pulled the engine and put new head gaskets in, put a new cam-timing chain-lifter kit in, put headers and Dynomax Super Turbo's on, and put a factory 4 bbl intake and carb on. The car never ran very good after he put that big cam in, so he left it after he left home. The car sat there in the barn for at least two years with little or no attention. But after the car sat the rust just creeped up on it. So I decided to give it some attention. I figured out why it wasn't running good. First of all there was no choke on the carb, and the secondary linkage had been removed. The intake and carb was from a modifed-style race car. So I put a Edelbrock 750 on with a manual choke and manual secondaries. That made it run better, but it just couldn't accelerate. A new rotor helped some, but not much. So I put a Accel HEI in it, and that solved the problem. Then basically I just messed around on the car to give me something to do. Then I got a job, and that gave me money to spend. From then on, my dream has been to restore that car.

I will do anything to get the car restored. I've been working full weeks at my neighbors dairy barn and mow lawn for my church and the cematary. I only get paid $7.50 an hour at the dairy barn and $1100 a season for mowing. All of the money that i've earned has gone into the car. But it's not getting anywhere. I've only done little things to it. But now i'm getting sick of getting nowhere with it. So I want to start getting somewhere on this project.

Here is a picture of the part in the trunk where the inner wheel well meets the trunk pan. http://www.imagestation.com/mypictures/inbox/view.html?id=4254017501&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imagestation.com%2Fpicture%2F sraid25%2Fp068ae2b321a24c9956113cfcfbca8133%2Ffd8f 27dd.jpg&ca ption=passenger%20wheel%20well-trunk I believe there is a patch panel for this area.

I'm determined to restore this car. It means so much to me that it's getting to be the only high point of my life. It's all that I think about day and night. Almost getting to the point that I need a support group. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/redface.gif I also want to say that getting a parts car probably isn't an option because 1: My mom will not let me, and 2: I don't know where I can get one that has sufficent parts left on it. Any more replies is very appreciated!
Thanks

------------------
Trever Maas
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

[This message has been edited by malibu man (edited 07-08-2002).]

I will sell you my username for $1.00 You will earn it! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif ;D Karl

I don't need it, da**it!!! LOL You need something to be called, don't you?
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by more ambition than brains:
I will sell you my username for $1.00 You will earn it! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif ;D Karl<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

------------------
Trever Maas
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

[This message has been edited by malibu man (edited 07-09-2002).]

"Can't they just weld in new pans, cover up the cowl holes, put patch panels in the trunk, and put a skin on the quarter? I just can't see it as impossible. A lot of people have to patch their car up don't they? "

Yes, it can be done and can be a decent repair if done carefully. Will it win the Concor de'Elegance? NO. Gee- don't a lot of other cars have this done to them on this site? I've seen pics of those, but no one is breaking their B***S.

"I would guess you are talking close to 20 grand to do the complete body."

Unless you have a SUPER RARE car that is worth MUCH GREENBACKS when done, or you are a moron, then you will pay 20K to have someone else "fix" (HOSE) you for 20K to do the complete body. He said he was 18 and learning- not 55 with no brains just looking to relive the Good 'OL days. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/rolleyes.gif

"I swear that the price of a plane ticket to SoCal or other good hunting ground will turn up cars that need much less work and $$$ to complete, travel to a less rot prone area to look for old car resto projects, it will SAVE you money over the completion of a resto project."

Ya, sure. They sell them for dirt cheap around here http://www.chevelles.com/forum/rolleyes.gif . Try getting one thats not full of dents which call for panel replacement and actually RUNS for less than $3000. I don't think he wants to take his chances buying a car that he JUST DROVE for a test drive another 1000 miles back to his home- IN MINNESOTA! If it breaks down, tack on the costs of a tow truck (HOLY %^&*, that would cost), Hotel, meals, gas for someone to come pick you up, etc. OR at least tack on motels and food, and a truck and trailer, if he needs to rent one. So much for the Cheap Arizona "powderpuff". If you think the cars in the Southwest are all rust free, and a dime a dozen, think again. I know- I've looked .

Look Malibu Man, is your car rusty? YES. Is it beyond the scope of repair? NO. It's just that your car is rusty in weird areas- that seam area just isn't a common area. Give it a shot- you have got a lot of time to learn, and really nothing to lose, and only experience to gain. I would guess for your neck of the woods (MN), that your car is actually LESS rusty than some. If you enjoy it that much, then do it. I'd guess that you are just looking to make a driver out of it- not a showcar. You'll never know until you try, so give your plan a shot.

I totally understand your desire to save this car. So why not wait a few years until you can afford to do it correctly. Or better yet if you do decide to go to body school see if you can use it as you training aid. I went to a trade school where they had an auto body program and those guys always had stuff like that in the shop that they were working on. Then you would have all the tools, good teachers, and the room to do it.

------------------
Mat Ellison
Lincoln, Ne
70 SS 396 Chevelle
62 Impala Sport Coupe
2001 Grand Prix GT
Aces #2424
http://www.geocities.com/elliboom/Mats_70_Chevelle.html?994781720927

I agree with Mat. Look, I've owned my Chevelle for 32 years, driven EVERY day through all kinds of weather, rain, snow, sleet. Through the years I've replaced every panel on the car with the exception of the trunk lid and the two doors! I was lazy having the front windshield and the back window resealed so I wound up having to patch the floors. The trunk floor still needs replacement. My car will NEVER be a show car, and I wouldn't want it to be! I bought it for a single purpose in 1970 and it still serves that purpose. Take it ONE step at a time. Work on the floors first. I, 20 years ago, welded in new floor pans on my 57 Chevy with nothing but a Sears arc welder! It CAN be done! Don't take the whole car apart at one time or you will wind up overwhelmed and disgusted. KEEP IT DRIVABLE during your work! It'll keep the "satisfaction" factor up! Everytime you repair a panel or do a replacement, you will be proud that you did it yourself. Go to a local body shop and see if you can get some usable sheet metal from some old disgarded fenders, etc. If you love the car, make it a labor of love! As long as you're having fun and learning, hey, do it! But, most importantly, keep it drivable. If some parts don't come out perfectly, you can always do it over in the future. I did some body work and repainted mine in 1998 and in some spots, the paint is bubbling, but SO WHAT! I'll sand it down, repair the spot and reshoot it...no problem! IT'S A DRIVER!! Good luck to ya!

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MalibuJerry350
TC Member #1279
Original owner '70 Chevelle.
580,000+ miles on car.
Hey, if it's got wheels, DRIVE IT!
My Chevelle: http://hometown.aol.com/erie614/myhomepage/index.html

[This message has been edited by MalibuJerry350 (edited 07-09-2002).]

You don't know how much I appreciate the replies! Thanks guys. This car only has like 70,000 miles on it tops, and i'm the second owner. The first owners were old people that never drove it. I've got a sheet along with my Protect-O-Plate, somewhere, that came with the car saying all of the stuff that they did to it. They kept good care of it. The car was in good condition until my brother got ahold of it. He had to mess with the engine and take the fenders off. So basically the rust just crept op on the car while it sat in our barn.

I am seriously thinking about buying a mig welder and cleaning out our farm shop, and tackling some of these problems myself. Talked to my local body shop today and they said that they're so busy, they wouldn't be able to take it till at least fall. I'm sure some of the stuff can be fixed by me. I'm just afraid to tackle it because I think that I will end up forgeting about the whole car after it's not driveable.

I too can't believe that that floor pan seam is apart. Aren't they supposed to be welded together?

Isn't there a patch panel for that trunk filler area?

------------------
Trever Maas
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

I could not find a patch panel for the trunk filler area. I had the exact same rust on the leftside of mine. Looks like it happens when the trunk leaks at one of the top corners. I found a good donor piece in a yard and welded it in. But now the bad news. Poke around with a scredriver a little bit. I am willing to bet that the rust has gone through the inner wheelhouse that is next to the trunk seam. I had to replace mine. That involves removing the quarter, the outer wheelhouse and then finally the inner wheelhouse. Like somebody else said, rust never sleeps. The nice thing about that repair is that you can hide alot with a nice thick layer of spatter paint on the trunk floor.

------------------
Mat Ellison
Lincoln, Ne
70 SS 396 Chevelle
62 Impala Sport Coupe
2001 Grand Prix GT
Aces #2424
http://www.geocities.com/elliboom/Mats_70_Chevelle.html?994781720927

The wheelwells seem pretty solid. Just the seam where the trunk pan meets both of the inner wheelwells, that area is bad. The driver side is starting to show surface rust and has a few pinholes. The passenger side has flaked through, the frame is slightly visible. What should I due to remove the rust before cutting out the area? Should I take a hammer to it and try to pound/remove the flakes, or should I just cut out the majority of it? Or should I leave it for now?

------------------
Trever Maas
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

I would poke around with a sharpened screwdriver, or try grinding down until you hit shiny metal. If you don't hit shiny metal you need to move on until you find a place where the metal is good and shiny. Then cut out the metal in a nice rectangle, I usually cut out a little extra just to be sure. I did not notice that my wheel wells were rusted through also until I went to break the spot welds between the trunk floor and the wheelwell. When I hit them with the air hammer I punched right through the metal, so just be careful. Then cut you a new piece using the old one as a pattern and butt weld it into place. Use seam sealer on the welds when done and enjoy. Be very careful when cutting and welding where you are at. The gas tank is not far away from you. Good luck man.

------------------
Mat Ellison
Lincoln, Ne
70 SS 396 Chevelle
62 Impala Sport Coupe
2001 Grand Prix GT
Aces #2424
http://www.geocities.com/elliboom/Mats_70_Chevelle.html?994781720927

I'll go mess around some more with the rust. Hopefully i'll win the battle. LOL I've got some more questions.

What kind of metal do I use to fix the trunk areas and where do I weld the new piece onto?

How do I cut over and around the frame in the trunk?

What do I use to cut the floor pans?

How do I remove the kick panel piece(I've Got Astro Vents) so I can cut out the bad floor pan area?

How do I work around the floor braces and kickpanels?

What holds the floor pans on around the sill plates and the rocker panels?

Thanks

------------------
Trever Maas
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

[This message has been edited by malibu man (edited 07-09-2002).]

My replies may have been in the negative for this resto project being a good idea, but I would like to take a moment and wish you well in your efforts. With time and patience it can be done, I just didn't want you to kid yourself about what it will take to bring this to completion. You have displayed the kind of enthusiasm and determination that this job will require - post pics of your progress, it would make me happy to see you realize your automotive dreams.

Funny thing about fixer muscle cars in SoCal: everybody thinks they are valuable when they go to sell, but if you go to the big collector car swapmeets like Pomona or other popular venues you will find that these cars rarely change hands until the seller becomes realistic in pricing (although there are enough *stories* of buyers falling so in love with a lump that they lose their head and pay a price that keeps all the other sellers of lumps in unrealistic pricing). In SoCal the cars that bring the money are the completed or nearly completed cars that someone with money can practically just turn a key and go cruising. Otherwise, I still run accross good complete and running Chevelles that sell in the $2,500 to $4,000 range. To me it is a no brainer when given the choice I would always reccomend starting with the cleanest example your money can buy. Anybody who has ever rescued a rot car will realize that a plane ticket and transportation costs pale in comparisson to the cost of extensive panel replacement.

Trevor, cut out sheetmetal from the good sections of a salvage yard car and form the pieces you need which are not commericially available.

Thomas

If i was you i would go buy a mig welder,learn how to use it and work on patching the rust a little at a time.It sounds like you just want a decent driver,not a show car.I have fixed a lot worse.It would be easier to start with a better car,but if your patient and tackle one area at a time it could be done.That cowl rust is a joke.The bottom three inches was gone on both sides of my car.You can buy trunk and floor pans and you will need to make whatever else you need.There are rust free chevelles out there,but the prices are going up every day.If your going to do it yourself,go for it if you need to pay someone,forget it.

Malibu Man don't let them talk you out of your dream.My 65 was just as bad maybe worse,it took 90% of the floor from the firewall to the rear bumper plus both rear quarters and both rocker panels.For your car every panel you need is avalible.Spend some of your money on a small Mig welder about $350 take your time and don't give up.

------------------

Malibu Man don't let them talk you out of your dream.My 65 was just as bad maybe worse,it took 90% of the floor from the firewall to the rear bumper plus both rear quarters and both rocker panels.For your car every panel you need is avalible.Spend some of your money on a small Mig welder about $350 take your time and don't give up.

------------------

Yeah, i'm not going to give up. I just need to find the right deal on a mig welder. I've decided to go with the Goodmarks for fenders. Getting them for $279.99 a piece at a Chevy Dealer. I don't know if I can afford a MIG welder right now. After I buy the fenders, wheel well trim, emblems, front end fastener kit, bumper bolt kit, and get the fenders painted, i'm probably talking at least $900 worth of damage there. I haven't even saved up for my tools for college yet. I think I have about $1000 saved up. There's just not enough money in the world. What are some good cheap welders? Would a 110 or 135 be big enough?

------------------
Trever Maas
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

I've got a small Lincoln gasless Mig I think it's a 110, works off regular household current and does a great job, I got it at HomeDepot for about $275 four years ago.

------------------

Trevor your car can be saved, that rust is pretty common for cars of this area. But just keep this in mind once you remove one panel to rid the rust you are likey to find more rust behind it. You might find out that you need to replace the floor braces, inner wheel wells and so on. You want to see a rusted out piece of sh!t look at my current project. Ive been working on this car for almost 4 years now. Many times did I loss interest and not touch the thing for several long months. The only original panels on this car are the roof and firewall everyhting esle is used, NOS or repo.

Keep the repairs small and repair what you can DONT go over your head and tackle soemthing you arent ready for.
Ive got thousands of dollars invested in just the rust repair and I stopped counting the hours after I got sick from seeing what I had invested in it, I was over a thousand hours and that was two years ago. I dont even try to think what Ive got in it now


A great piece of advice is READ. Read any book that deals with bodywork(found in the back of your OPG catalog) read mags like street rodder or rod and customs. They have pretty good articles dealing on bodywork. One of best is custom classic trucks, they might not show you want you what to see but you can see how its done properly. Read any thing that you can get your hands on, reading is knowledge and knowledge is power.


Trevor I usually dont do this but take a look at the pics I have on my car, when you get ready to make a repair on floor or trunk just email me and I will do what I can to help out. Ill give you a step by step on what to do and what not to do...Eric


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1970 chevelle
1970 chevelle SS455 not a typo its a buick baby
1949 and 1972 chevy trucks
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/sevt_chevelles

Thanks Man!! The braces look great from underneath the car.

I actually think the only reason for the rust in the front floor pans is because my brother torched the fenders off. Maybe he got the cowl area while he was torching, then it softened the metal on the cowl, then it spread through the cowl to the floor pan. The car was never this bad when we got it, the fenders were just bad by the wheel well where the trim was.

Am I going to have to remove the braces since the pans are bad by the rocker panel and kick panel? Most people are able to just cut out the area in the floorpan, and weld a new piece in. But my pans are bad under the kick panels. That won't be as easy as the normal "cut and weld".

What can I do about that seam area? The front passenger floorpan is good, it's just bent up at the seam. It would be a shame to buy a front passenger section, and only use the seam area and waste the rest since I don't need it.

------------------
Trever Maas
TC Member #: 1432
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

The rust on the cowl isnt there because of your brother its there because of the way GM built the cars. When it rains the water enters the cowl right behind the hood and flows down the kick panel area. Then down by the rockers it leaves by small holes that were drilled into the cowl. Not only did water enter but leaves and other samll items that in time plugged up those drain holes leaving standing water in the cowl which in turn lead to your rust.

Your best bet to replace that type of rust is finding a good donor car even be a 4dr. But try to stay with a 2dr car you never know what else you might need and some parts you need would be different on that 4dr. A good place to start looking would be Auto city classics, hopefully you still their number. They have tons of parts cars out back, that they can cut off a front clip. A front clip would be cut through the A pillar and through the floor, basically you get a cowl. that way you have everything you need to repalce the rust on your cowl.

If they dont have any good ones I know of a few in Iowa that have good cowls. You live by Marshell Minn right?...the last time I drove to marshell it took me about 2.5 hours so not a bad trip to make if you need a cowl. I even have a cowl out back its in rough shape but might have some metal on it that you might need...Eric

------------------
1970 chevelle
1970 chevelle SS455 not a typo its a buick baby
1949 and 1972 chevy trucks
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/sevt_chevelles

Trevor, Save some money for school. In the long run your education is what wil help you fulfill your dream. Karl

Very true, I know what your saying.

sevt_chevelle,
How do you actually fix that rust? Do you take the whole cowl off the car and replace it with a new one, or do you just cut out some metal and weld in some new metal? I took the kick panel off the passenger side, but not the driver side. There is no rust behind the kick panel, just below it on the floor pan. I don't think I will spend anymore money on "Lucy"(my car) until I get a MIG.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by more ambition than brains:
Trevor, Save some money for school. In the long run your education is what wil help you fulfill your dream. Karl <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>



------------------
Trever Maas
TC Member #: 1432
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

Malibu Man what about the PRO/Street route? Replace those floor pans, install steel tubs, some monster rubber,and a clean paint job, you'll be crusin those cornfields in style!

------------------

Not to burst any bubbles about the quality of the Chevelles and El Caminos here in sunny Los Angeles, but take a look a couple of pictures of mine in the folder labeled "RUST"
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/ElCaminosandChevelles/lst

This is a 1970 El Camino that I am correcting. Keep in mind that none of this rust was visible from the exterior of the car and was only noticed when the fenders came off for work on the engine. At that time I noticed a rust spot the size of a nickel and start digging with the business end of a screw driver. The pictures are what I found lurking in the cowl. The passenger side seems to be fine-the poor design would not allow the buildup of debris to flow out of the car and created the corrosion.

Unfortunately, I've brought this to the attention of a few friends that have also found this to be a surprise on their cars.

Fixable, but completely unexpected given that this is a California car born elko and has stayed here ever since. To those of you that may think of So. Cal as a bed of clean cars: let the buyer beware.

Best of luck with the repairs-it looks doable from my end!

Dan Latta


------------------
1970 El Camino
Student, Santa Monica College
Santa Monica, CA
ACES #5204
SCCC #416
Watch the "progress" at:
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/ElCaminosandChevelles/lst

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jdanlatta:
Not to burst any bubbles about the quality of the Chevelles and El Caminos here in sunny Los Angeles, but take a look a couple of pictures of mine in the folder labeled "RUST"
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/ElCaminosandChevelles/lst

This is a 1970 El Camino that I am correcting. Keep in mind that none of this rust was visible from the exterior of the car and was only noticed when the fenders came off for work on the engine. At that time I noticed a rust spot the size of a nickel and start digging with the business end of a screw driver. The pictures are what I found lurking in the cowl. The passenger side seems to be fine-the poor design would not allow the buildup of debris to flow out of the car and created the corrosion.

Unfortunately, I've brought this to the attention of a few friends that have also found this to be a surprise on their cars.

Fixable, but completely unexpected given that this is a California car born elko and has stayed here ever since. To those of you that may think of So. Cal as a bed of clean cars: let the buyer beware.

Best of luck with the repairs-it looks doable from my end!

Dan Latta


<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

POP- http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif

It's called.. the monsoon season, car washes, water filled potholes AFTER the rain, freaky rain storms, drives to the mountains and ocean...etc.

Looks to me like your repairs are coming along just fine- nice job too! I remember a post on the Camaro board about a guy with a 1st gen "cali" convertible. Spent its entire life in SOCAL, and he took in to get some sort of suspension mods. Turns out it had numerous traffic signs patching the gaping holes in the floor pan, along with the ever present trunk rust. There are cars that are NICE in the arid areas- BUT they are NOT cheap. THe people who have them know what they have- even the 307 and less models are priced pretty high. As I stated in my earlier post in this thread, I have seen a few project cars with no rust (some run, some don't)- BUT the body is SO dented, usually in the 1/4 panel area, the time involved to straighten the dents would be better served putting on a new panel- but its still rust free http://www.chevelles.com/forum/rolleyes.gif .

Good luck to you with your elky, and good luck to Malibu man.

Thanks. I think that i'm going to take the seats out of the car today and see if I can find anymore rust. Then I can use some of that POR stuff. I need to replace the carpet and reupholester the seats anyways.

------------------
Trever Maas
TC Member #: 1432
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

Wow... Lots on MN people around this place! Karl.. what shop you at down in Lakeville?

Hey Malibu. Don't feel bad about your ride. The guys here I think just know the work involved and would rather not go through it, but unlike many here... someone your age doesn't have the money to buy a better car. Heck there is is almost no such thing anymore... no one really knows how much rust a vehicle has until you gut it. Guys who have never had their dash or carpet out and think they have rust free cars are most likely just fooling themselves. I also think that this "don't bother to restore it unless it is easy" stuff is lame. Since the car craze of the late eighties, clean projects are few and far between. Cheap ones are nearly impossible to find. Now muscle cars are begining to be like the car of the 30's and 40's. There is no such thing as a finding a unrestored Model A with little rust!!

But all and all... it doesn't look like you are going for a show perfect restoration here.... just a daily driver. 90% of your work can be hidden by carpet, undercoating, trunk paint, etc. Very few people in reality will look that close to see or know what to look for unless you are in a show. Most people will just be like "Sweet Car". Happens all the time on my 68. It is a drag car with a roll cage and soon a destroked 502. It looks ok from 3-5 ft, but the less then perfect paint spray can be seen up close. It also has sheet metal patches in the floor and trunk, but now one can tell. Someday I will just replace the floors with a removable tranny tunnel for easy access to bellhousing bolts and tub it out back, but for now it is fine.

One of my favorite sayings is "Built, Not Bought". Anyone with some credit can go buy a 20+ thousand dollar turn key resto... but to do most of the work yourself is a bit rarer then that. Good Luck.

Mikey

My thoughts exactly mikey.

Everyone seems to think that my plans for this car is going to be a daily driver car. Maybe true right way, but I have different plans for it once I get settled with my life. It may not need to be a show car, but I don't want any evident imperfections. If you have seen my other posts in the performance and engine section, you would notice that this car is going to end up being a car that won't see much daily driving due to the engine and drivetrain profile. But for the next one to two years, this car will just get driven only on occasion since I will be working on it in college. I'm actually scared of driving it for reliablility reasons. Although the engine only has 70,000 miles, which was a lot for V8's back then, I don't even trust driving it until I get the engine rebuilt.

Won't I have to take the body off of the frame to repair the spot in the trunk? I'm worried that i'll cut the frame when I cut out the bad part of the pan.

How do I cut off the floor pan around where the rocker panels are? You know it's by the cowl under the sill plates, and where the braces are. Is the floor pan connected to the rocker panel?

------------------
Trever Maas
TC Member #: 1432
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

CaptCrunch-- Crystal Lake Automotive, Our New building is on 35W at Co. Wd. 46 interchange, just south of Buck Hill. We have both mechanical and collision. 25+ employees. malibuman, You and any others are ALWAYS welcome to stop by. PS Since you are looking at automotive trades, take a look at Dakota County Technical's ASEP or BSEP programs. Karl

Malibu Man:

I agree with Malibu Jerry 350:

Do the job a little at a time, and one thing at a time.

Don't work on the motor, and the body, and everything all at once, unless you win the lottery. Pick the thing that needs attention first, and fix that. Make the car driveable. Drive it during the week, and take it apart on the weekends.

I would go in this order:
1) stabilize it. Fix the things that will wreck the car if left for a couple of years. This does not mean go in and fix all the rust. It means fix window leaks, get the fenders back on (even get some old rusty bent ones, you're just trying to protect it). Maybe paint over the rusty spots with something like POR-15 just to slow down the rust. Or you could make temporary patches. I have used old printing plates and construction adhesive from Home Depot for temporary patches in places that don't show. (like floors). It looks like S**T, but but lasts for several years and if you spread enough adhesive over it, the rust is stopped dead (almost). Remember, you are just trying to keep things from falling apart or rusting away. It does not have to be pretty. You can fix it later.
2) Make it safe. No structural rot, good brakes, steering, etc.
3) Make the engine run and the tranny shift.
4) Now you've got something you can drive to work, and you have not spent much money.
5) Start fixing things right. This is the part that takes years. Just pick away at it a little at a time as you get time and money. But don't wast your money, do it right.
6) Once you graduate from school and have a good job, and a garage, you can begin the frame off and build a show car.

Just mu .02
Have Fun!!

Mike Novak



------------------
Mike Novak
'71 Chevelle convertible
red daily driver

Well pretty soon my car will be street legal, or at least look street legal. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif Getting the Goodmark Fenders on Friday. I still don't trust the engine, even though I baby it. Been many times where it has quit on me because of carb problems or timing problems. Just last night it quit on the road while I was turning into a driveway. Tried starting it, starter cranked for about 10-15 times and I was pumping the gas. Finally started. This morning I started it and after about 10 seconds, the primary's were overfilling with gas. It was coming out of that tube that goes up, in the front of the primaries. Besides that, the rest of the car is capable of daily driving.

------------------
Trever Maas
TC Member #: 1432
1972 Chevelle Malibu
Mohave Gold
L65 350/M38 TH350
2.73 AXL RATIO
Undergoing Resotoration

Sounds as though you may have a "sticking" float in that carb causing it to flood. Nothing that a quick rebuild won't cure. Are you running a fuel filter before the carb? If not, do so. Sometimes a small particle of dirt can become lodged under the float needle valve preventing it from closing and causing a flooding condition. As was stated on the previous post, stop the rust with some POR 15 for now, and make sure the car is in tip top mechanical shape first. This way, you'll have a dependable vehicle that you can work on at your leisure. If the mechanics are in good shape, the body work can be a "work in progress"! AND, as I stated before, as long as the car is drivable, your interest won't wane.

------------------
MalibuJerry350
TC Member #1279
Original owner '70 Chevelle.
580,000+ miles on car.
Hey, if it's got wheels, DRIVE IT!
My Chevelle: http://hometown.aol.com/erie614/myhomepage/index.html

Hi,

I figured that I would give you guys an update. It's about time.

I haven't addressed the rust yet. Mind has been on other things. My daily driver, 94 S10 ZR2, has went downhill lately. Been putting a lot of money into it, but now it's fixed. Just today I noticed the tranny fluid was a pink-ish color. The oil is contaminated with gas, oil is thin and smells like burnt gas. Also, their is oil in the coolant and the truck is starting to smoke more, oil floating in the radiator and grease in the over flow tank. Would like to get a 1994-1998 Dodge Ram 5.9 12 Valve Cummins Turbo Diesel to replace the S10. That's been on my mind but I think i'll have to give up on that. Maybe during my summer internship, might get a better deal on one.

I got the Goodmark's hung on the car while ago like I said. Everythings going good in college. For my project for engine class, I rebuilt my L65 350 with 165 stock hp into a 500 hp/450 ft-lb 383 strrrrroker. I'm in transmission's class this semester. Just rebuilt a TH350 out of a 74 Nova. Put a rebuild kit in it and put a B&M Transpak in it along with a 3500 stall converter. The car really hauls. Thinking about rebuilding a Muncie for it if I ever want to swap.

Dad's been thinking about buying a MIG now. Would like to learn how to use it and we probably have things that we could use it on. We just bought a sandblaster to use for restoring cars, so that will come ine handy. Been working on restoring a 48 Chrysler Windsor. Finally got the engine rebuilt and got the car driveable. Working on the brakes now. Then were going to park that car for now and start working on a 30's Dodge pickup. Probably pull the chassis into the shop and get the engine running. Then put the truck back together.

I would like to get the rust fixed on the car, at least the floor/trunk panels and the cowl, by this spring or summer. Don't know if I should tackle it or to send it in to one of my mom's friends shop. He charges little to nothing and does excellent work. As far as I know, the rust hasn't gotten any worse except for some decaying or bubbling where the trunk panel meets the driver side inner wheel well. I found one more spot, but it isn't a rust hole. It's a crack or pinhole visible from the inside passenger rear where the quarter panel meets the floor or something.

So we have the front floor panel/kick panel area, lower cowl area, quarter/floor pinhole, bubbling above front and rear windshield, rear passenger side outer fenderwell, rear quarter panel skins, and hole/rust spot on extreme right rear quarter panel facing the back of the car. The only stuff that I will probably be able to tackle will be the front floor panels and the pinhole in the floor. As for the rest, I have no clue how to tackle it or fix it.

So there's the update. Hopefully we can get this done thi year so I won't have to worry about it. Even if the car doesn't get painted or if the carpet doesn't get put in. We can do it! smile.gif

Regards

I say dont stop, we only live once and who cares about money... if it takes 10 months (which it wont ;) or 10 years... its something for you to do. I get inpatient with mine, Im pretty sure I have rust in my floors, youve got my scared ****less after reading all the posts smile.gif But anyways, Some people need more of a project ... keeps the brain busy, I know its what I need! Post more pics! tongue.gif

Hey Malibu Man, sounds like you have alot of nice car toys and space to work! i will come live there :D

make sure that you get a gas shielded welder. also an auto darkening welding mask is a good investment and makes it easyier to learn to weld

i'm only 18 ... The car was fine when we got it ... I will do anything to get the car restored. ... I only get paid $7.50 ... $1100 ... I'm determined to restore this car. Guys! You're not being realistic. Sorry, the kid is waaay in over his head. You,re not being fair to Malibu Man. Sometimes we have to be reasonable with site visitors and members. Restore a class, ok. Bu remember how much it will cost! You want to see what Svt_Chevelle did (some of my fav pics of a good restoration):

http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/sevt_chevelles/lst?.dir=/70+Chevelle+Project&.order=&.view=l&.src=bc&.done=http%3a//briefcase.yahoo.com/

But the guy had the time, and the cash and hte skills. You have neither.

You can spend the next 10 years on this car, and you will spend a fortune. Mow all the lawns you want. I'm going to tell you what you don't want to hear, but you have to come to terms.


Crush it, sell it, or wait 10 years. If you are that determined, put the car in a dry safe place. Go to college in body mechanics and body repair and welding. Then take the car out in 10 years. The have fun. The car, if kept DRY, will not lose value.

Put your money away. Go buy a beater and go back to school.

If you want to dream, look at these ... but these guys had the know-how and the cash and the time:

http://www.goodmarkindustries.com/Chevelleprojectintro.htm
http://home.attbi.com/~superstreet70/bodywork/
http://photos.yahoo.com/ochrisl

You do not. "Restore a great part of history" baloney! No one gets their money back. In 3 years you'll have spent a fortune and will never get the $ for what you think its worth. Look at your brother. he gave up.

Sorry to be a hard-ass, buy you have to stop dreaming.

And the other have to stop encouraging you.

Seems a little harsh. Whatever. :confused:

I got referred to a body shop, up where I go to school, by a bunch of people. Shop is called Bob's Collision. I've seen some of their work on classic cars and it is pretty great. They even do custom work. Went and talked to the guy, bull****ted a lot. Seems like a very nice guy. There's two guy's working there. They seem to know a lot and they're prices are verrrrry good. I told him about my floor and trunk, my quarter panels, my cowl area, and my rear outer wheelwells. He said he could do all of it for $700-800 including labor and parts or $250 including labor and parts just for the floor pans and trunk pans. I don't know about you but I think that is pretty damn reasonable for a professional job. He says that he makes you pay only cost for all of the parts, no markup. I told him that I would get back with him. What do you guys think?
Thanks

Originally posted by jtjohnston:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />i'm only 18 ... The car was fine when we got it ... I will do anything to get the car restored. ... I only get paid $7.50 ... $1100 ... I'm determined to restore this car. Guys! You're not being realistic. Sorry, the kid is waaay in over his head. You,re not being fair to Malibu Man. Sometimes we have to be reasonable with site visitors and members. Restore a class, ok. Bu remember how much it will cost! You want to see what Svt_Chevelle did (some of my fav pics of a good restoration):

http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/sevt_chevelles/lst?.dir=/70+Chevelle+Project&.order=&.view=l&.src=bc&.done=http%3a//briefcase.yahoo.com/

But the guy had the time, and the cash and hte skills. You have neither.

You can spend the next 10 years on this car, and you will spend a fortune. Mow all the lawns you want. I'm going to tell you what you don't want to hear, but you have to come to terms.


Crush it, sell it, or wait 10 years. If you are that determined, put the car in a dry safe place. Go to college in body mechanics and body repair and welding. Then take the car out in 10 years. The have fun. The car, if kept DRY, will not lose value.

Put your money away. Go buy a beater and go back to school.

If you want to dream, look at these ... but these guys had the know-how and the cash and the time:

http://www.goodmarkindustries.com/Chevelleprojectintro.htm
http://home.attbi.com/~superstreet70/bodywork/
http://photos.yahoo.com/ochrisl

You do not. "Restore a great part of history" baloney! No one gets their money back. In 3 years you'll have spent a fortune and will never get the $ for what you think its worth. Look at your brother. he gave up.

Sorry to be a hard-ass, buy you have to stop dreaming.

And the other have to stop encouraging you. </font>[/QUOTE]

Seems a little harsh. Whatever. :confused: Not harsh. Realistic. Sober second opinion. Ask for more. I've been watching good restorers at work. As this person hints, it's better to ask for hourly rates.
http://www.guildclassiccars.com/restoration_articles.htm

A good restoration on a hopeless case can take up to 900 hours.

Yours, maybe ?200? hours, maybe more? Read this:
http://www.guildclassiccars.com/flat_rate_vs.htm

Who knows how far you can take it? A "project" has been known to take 4 years. This guy is going to do what? For how much? Read up a little. I'm trying to help you / protect you from a lot of heartache. You are not going to get off cheaply?! And does this guy know zip about a real restoration? Read this: http://www.guildclassiccars.com/classic_cars_choosing_a_shop.htm
Don't believe me, read this from the Chevelles.com site: http://www.chevelles.com/shop/

"He said he could do all of it for $700-800 including labor and parts..."

That's just the beginning of the money pit. You'll get a new trunk floor tacked in. Will he treat the metal? Will he paint the trunk, prep the metal, repair the rusted support underneath. Will he use a mig? No mig, no $. Will you get a splash of trunk paint? We haven't begun to talk about the floor, quarter panels and the cowl? And he'll do this for $800. He'll get you in the shop and suck you dry, or fill it so full of bondo. It will only be worth $800. The price makes me nervous.

Please someone, step in and tell the kid the truth. You might get the car licencable for $800, if htey don't do that close of an insepction. Show us links to photos that work first.

How much does a shop cost per hour guys? A good shop?
Now total up the parts, add 50% or more for the parts you have not thought of and then add %50 for the parts the guy will order without asking.

He has done several restorations. He uses a mig. I think he is going to cut out and patch the trunk floor to cut down the cost. And he'll cut out and patch the floor pans and cowl with his metal, which is thicker than factory, or will buy new ones or let you buy them. He is going to put new quarter panel skins on. I don't think he uses bondo to cover up the holes, I know he doesn't.

He says that he only charges cost for parts which is good. Someone else chime in please.

Thanks

OK this has become a popular thread:) so I will input my 2 cents also.
It looks like a great car. It will become what you make of it. Remember "It's not what you buy it's what YOU build".
I am still working on a frame off restoration of my Olds 442, and it is a several year thing. It is a hobby, and my 442 looked alot like your Chevelle whe i bought it.
You need a welder! Do it yourself, and save the cash for a good Lincoln mig welder. They run about 300 to 400 bucks. The Gas set up is extra on some of them, and gives a better weld then flux core. I still use my flux core tho..cuz i am cheep. I do not have any real weld experience. It is a learning curve everytime i turn it on, but what the heck its fun. I have also done some brazing in areas. You have to watch the heat but it is an option. I am not building an exacting restoration either. I am building what i want to build.
Clean the area you are working on very well and weld in some metal. Not those damn rivets I see in the pictures smile.gif Get some metal that is heavy gauge and weld it in. Hit that passenger side fist. Its in tough shape!
Make it SAFE, make it clean, and pick ONE area at a time to work on. Divide and conquer. Pick a spot and fix one spot. Move on to the next after you get one done. This is not a one summer project but rather a long time investment. If you want to drive it, and restore it, fix the most vital spots first. When you are done with school, and have another daily driver, take the Velle off the road and take the time to realy restore the beast the way you want to.
Go easy on yourself and take it one step at a time. It does not have to be a concourse restoration on the first shot. Have fun with it, and focus on school. Getting the education you are after will serve you better. Worry about matching numbers later smile.gif

Have fun,
Steve

No edit option on this forum :/
Forgot to add....when I started my restoration I didn't even own a floor jack! I buy what i need as i need it. This may be once a month or 2, but over time you have tools that you need. I dont buy the best, but i dont buy the cheapest either. You are planning on this as a career so take the time and money to buy good tools.

Steve "always use a jackstand under that jack" 442

Bud take a real good look at my 70 project chevelle!! Ive seen the pics of your car its just as nasty as mine and even worse. Yes Ill admit it can be done, but understand I do this crap all day long. I have the skills the tools and the place to do it. It seems like you have none of those. Ive done 2 70 chevelles working on the thrid, a 72 and 49 chevy pu all of my own stuff, so this aint my first rodeo. I know when this part rust away you are going to have to replace that part also. I know what it takes. I really do think you need to open your eyes and fully realize the amount of money that will be dropped into that car. And why you so determined to restore THIS car its a plain jane 72 malibu its not a LS6 car, come on!! Open your eyes to reality there are much better cars out there to start on. You say there are none?? Well I have one that all it needs is one quarter replaced due to a wreck, NO RUST at all!! You know what, I bought this car for 2500 bucks. :eek: I can guarentee that you will have more then that in just the parts to replace the rust. Rust free cars are out there just look. In fact a guy from here in clarion recently had a 70 chevelle, 69 dart and 68 firebird all for sale on ebay all RUST FREE and all perfectly straight bodies. The chevelle sold for 4500 bucks in my book thats cheap.

But your so called body guy will replace all the rust and even buy the parts for a measy 800 bucks!! Whats his name I got a chevelle for him to do!! :rolleyes: Seeing your pics I can tell the floor needs replaced not patched. Plus the rockers are shot along with the trunk and wheel wells and quarters. I think you need to open up a catalog and price out some replacement panels and do the math. But since I can tell you havent Ill do it for ya. Floor-550 bucks incluedes the toe pan, two floor halves and rear seat area. Plus you WILL need the 2 braces at 100 bucks a pop. The rockers at 100 bucks a piece. Plus the inners will need to be fabbed up my guess 100 bucks for both. Lets see my math tells me thats 1150 for just the floor in parts. Now the trunk-250 for a kit which includes the floor and the braces which you will need. The inners at 130 a piece. Outers at 100 piece, trunk exts 80 bucks. Thats 860 bucks for the trunk :eek: Plus you got quarters!! Know the only way in my book to do quarter is the full OE quarter like the goodmark quarter. Simple reasons are that by the time you figure the labor to install a 80% you exceed the cost of the full. Plus in the end you have a much better repair. You need two quarters at 500 bucks a piece and plus you better fugure in the deck lid filler thats around 50. Now we got 1050 for quarters. A quick adding gets me at 3060 bucks in RUST REPAIR PARTS ALONE Holy sh*& batman, now your body guy only wants 700-800 bucks... am confused. Now keep in mind that just parts no labor. Plus you better add 300-500 bucks in parts that you will find that need to be replaced. Just a real quick lesson on labor, it pays 13.2 hours to replace a full quarter on a 70 chevelle. I didnt make this up its according to my mitchell crash books. Most resto shops in Iowa run at 30-35 bucks an hour. Now you take that 13.2 times 30 and you get roughly 400 bucks to install that quarter. How much you think its gonna run to replace the rest of that car???

Bud Ive been around alot of shops, lots of rodder shops and Ill tell you this that the guys that talk BS and probably full of it. A guy like that can smell a sucka a mile away and he's thrown you the whole hook line and sinker. One of two things will happen, he'll tell what you want to hear up front then take you for every dime you got. Or he might just charge you 800 bucks but in the end all you get is a patched up car held together with rivets and chauking. Just cus he owns a shop doenst mean he's a pro or knows what he is doing.

Why dont you make a very short little trip up too the chevelle club meeting this sat in Minn, look in the cruise area for details. And its not too long of a drive cause I drive 3 hrs to go that meeting. There you can see good work being done and you can ask guys that have been there and done that.

On a side note ive been working on and off on that 70 chevelle for 4 years now. I have around 5 grand in just rust repair and countless hours and you know what I still have a big POS. That 5 grand could have bought my a real nice car or two. And all so I could prove a point to someone, and now I wish I had never started on that car. I might seem harsh or more like an A$$ but am speaking the truth. Come up to the meeting this sat and Ill talk to ya and show you pics and bills I have stacked up, you might just see the light...Eric

Thats good advice Eric. Most resto shops here in NJ are 55-65 and hour. And a regular collision shop is at $42 but wont touch a car like that. That $800 guy is full of crap,he smells blood!

A quick adding gets me at 3060 bucks in RUST REPAIR PARTS ALONE
... 13.2 times 30 and you get roughly 400 bucks to install that quarter. How much you think its gonna run to replace the rest of that car???
A guy like that can smell a sucka a mile away and he's thrown you the whole hook line and sinker.
... he'll tell what you want to hear
... go to chevelle club meeting this sat in Minn,Thanks Sevt. I know you are exicted and everything, a fellow member to boot, so this is coming from the heart, sloooow down and add it up. Listen to Sevt. I am only trying to help. We are only trying to help. I jumped in on the thread becasue I saw someone who needs more information. I came back and reposted, only to help you out.

Go to the meeting in Minn. Meet Svet. Listen to anyone who has had real experience with it. Go to other shows. Listen, watch, learn. By all means have fun, but take your time. There are very expensive lessons to learn here!

Do you have a dry place to keep the car? Use it as a parts car for something you will be able to afford in a few years. We all want to live it. Took me a while, a $30,000 yer job, and even then I was lucky to get an inheritance before I found what I wanted and was able to afford something. Boy it was hard to pass up a few "deals", but I am glad I took my time.

God luck hey!

You all are right. And I thank you for shaping me up. Anxiety is a bad thing to have, and sadly I have it. No patience.

I think I might start doing some of this work myself. I talked to a guy yesterday that has a restored 69 Nova. He told me that that thing was terrible. 4 times as bad as mine. Nothing left of the floors or trunk, fenders rusted, quarters rusted, wheel wells rusted. He said that he got the tools needed and did all of this work in his shop. He has a nice shop. In the end he replaced the floor panels, patched the quarter's with skins, replaced the fenders, and opted to tub the car. He says tht he hasn't regreted tubbing the car.

I also talked to another guy with a different shop who helped him. He told me what was all involved in the process of doing all of this. He said that he uses and adhesive glue to put on the panels. Apparently it works better and is cheaper. He said that in the end, I could spend like $1000 to do all the floors and set the car up for tubbing. Then extra to do the quarters. He was a very knowledable guy who told me the truth. He also has a lot of experience doing it, from what he was telling me and from what I heard. I told him that I may get the car over to him, or at least talk to him.

What do you guy's think? People from where i'm from have been giving me mixed reviews about who I should have do the work.

Thanks

Trever, I have talked to you via email a couple times about the Northstar Chevelle Club.

Please do attend the meeting tomorrow. The topic of our tech-session is welding/rust repair. Bring a welding helmet along in case we don't have enough for interested. You may learn enough to tackle your project on your own.

I went the CHEAP route in fixing my malibu. Parts of my trunk and floor pans are hand-formed from a Dodge Spirit trunk lid, and a Ford Taurus roof-skin.

Here's a little motivation:
BEFORE (http://www.geocities.com/derek69ss/malibu.html?1016345447730)
AFTER (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/Derek69SS/Derek69SS.jpg)

Derek,

Thanks for the invite. I would go, but I have to work tomorrow and it would be a long drive for myself.(Not familiar with the cities too much.) I'm not making a whole ton of money because of my busy schedule during the weekday morning's, so i've got to work whenver I get the opportunity.(Can't wait for my summer internship.) I've got school from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM, then I either try to keep busy in the shop or sit on my ass and pick my nose(J/K) for the rest of the afternoon and night in the apartment. Also, the school dropped my workstudy due to lack of funding from the state and federal government. Apparently, they say their is no money left but when I go to the Financial Aid and Workstudy site on the internet, i'm supposed to be able to work another $250 of work which is equivalent to about 30 hours. So i'm padding in the hours(so to speak) trying to save some money up. I'm also fixing up and selling parts from old antique tractors to make money and as a hobby. Currently i'm collecting,or working on, and selling Minneapolis Moline and Twin City tractors and parts.

I know how to use a MIG. It's not that I don't know how to use one, its just that I don't know if my MID welds would be strong enough. I'm a much better Arc welder than a MIG.

I really don't think my rust is all that bad on my car. I'm pretty sure that I can take care of the floor panels and maybe the cowls by myself. The hardest part for me will be to fix the lower cowl/rocker panel and to get the correct pattern for the passenger floor pan patch. Also, it's whether or not to use original-style panels or just some sheet-type metal. What is preferred? What thickness is good to use?

I guess what I always thought is that the panel has to be welded all along the seam. I was unaware that the panels are just tacked in place and sealed with seam sealer. I just became aware of that when I went to the first guy's shop to talk to him about my car. Then I saw that the panels were only tacked down. Also, an option would be glueing.

The part of the car that i'm probably going to send off to be done will be the trunk and quarters to setup for the tubs. I have no clue how they measure for the quarter skins and how they get the quarters to be so smooth after they weld the skins on. What happens to the weld and the seam? I'll probably have to have someone else weld the tubs in and patch the quarters. Putting the tubs in should take care of the rust in the trunk, since the tubs are wider than the stock wheel wells.

Then, the rest is just minor and can be filled in with filler and sanded. Those spots include the rust under the rear window, rust and hole in rear of quarter panel, bubbleing on right rear of trunk, bubbleing on the door(s), and the screw holes from the old Malibu trim.

I'm determined to do the work. I really want to do a body-off resto. That way I could really examine the car more and get the chassis treated and checked. I don't know if that is a lot to take on or ask for but it would be nice. A buddy told me that he could have the body off the car in 2 hours. I don't know if that's a close figure or not. Then I would have to figure out how to prop the body up to hold it off the ground. Almost have to have nothing in the shop or else a new shop.

Let me hear some of your views now.

Thanks
Originally posted by Derek69SS:
Trever, I have talked to you via email a couple times about the Northstar Chevelle Club.

Please do attend the meeting tomorrow. The topic of our tech-session is welding/rust repair. Bring a welding helmet along in case we don't have enough for interested. You may learn enough to tackle your project on your own.

I went the CHEAP route in fixing my malibu. Parts of my trunk and floor pans are hand-formed from a Dodge Spirit trunk lid, and a Ford Taurus roof-skin.

Here's a little motivation:
BEFORE (http://www.geocities.com/derek69ss/malibu.html?1016345447730)
AFTER (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/Derek69SS/Derek69SS.jpg)

Most everyone has said the car is too rusty to fix. What exactly is the point of keeping on asking "is it too rusty" or "Lets hear some of your views now" when it is obvious you have decided to fix it? Its YOUR money, YOUR time, YOUR car, YOUR life- fix the thing if that's what you want! Other people telling you to sell it are telling what they would do if it was THEIR car. Well, it isn't their car, you are NOT going for a "class" (LOL :rolleyes: ) restoration, and are not looking to win any trophies (or are you?!) IMHO, Doing a body off resto or even replacing 80% of the metal on your car is not worth it (its actually worth it on very few cars), But thats me. It aint my car or my time, or their car and their time, so knock yourself out! Not being "harsh", just "realistic"...

I simply wanted someone to read what I just posted and reply back stating what they thought about what I said. It's just a way to keep conversation going. graemlins/sad.gif graemlins/waving.gif

Trevor Ive seen the pics of your car, the floor boards, rockers and what ever else you posted. Please try and understand this, that amount of rust cant be patched with simple 18 gauge sheet metal from your local metal yard. It needs factory type boards, meaning a call to OPG or year one and dropping that 550 bucks for a floor kit. THERES JUST NO WAY AROUND IT PERIOD. Did you read the part were I had 5 grand in just rust repair parts? Your car looks worse then mine!!

You want to know about adhesives or glue theres a very current post on the board about gluing in panels...read it

Kid I admired your determination but your dreams of this car and a body off or blinding you!! Why do a body off on a car that needs everything, and for what a 72 malibu? A LS6 or yenko is a differnet story but a 72 malibu. I have a 70 bought for 2500 bucks and all it needs is one quarter thats it. Why not do a body off on something as easy as that?

All it boils down to is that you have decided to fix the car and just want others to tell you HEY man thats a great car to start on when you know JACK. I can tell the car will end up stripped out half part and soon be put on the wayside cus you got way over your head or too much money dumped in.

I highly suggest Ill repeat it again I highly suggest you look at the pics on the link below of my 70 project car. There you will see what your car will soon look like. Then ask yourself is 5 GRAND worth all that?? it sure aint in my book

5 pages and counting. Now here is a beauty car & thread:

http://www.chevelles.com/forum/Forum30/HTML/000582.html

It was worth it!? The man had the $, so why not. Your links don't work anymore. But if it is worse the Sevt's ... crunch it up, grind it into little pieces. Or sell it. My next car will be a rust-free, non-bondo queen, Arizona car or nothing at all.

Maybe you want to ship a car or a body up here for me then. ????? graemlins/clonk.gif Frankly, I don't give a damn about the damn Yenko's or SS' or LS6's or whatever. (Excuse my language moderator.) It's the same car to me. I'm not the type of guy that has to brag and think i'm better because I got a better car than anyone. No disrespect to the asses that do. :rolleyes: I just want a project. I'm not here on this world to go out and make money and be greedy. Their is too much greed in this world.(I don't know why this statement is in a thread about Rust but I just put it there.) smile.gif

I am not saying that you are accusing me of being stupid and not thinking but everyone has to realize that you don't have to do everything so you make money off of it. Of course that would be the ideal way to do things but that is not how it works or has to work all of the time. Sometimes you do stuff to learn and have fun, which is why i'm doing this. It's an experience. Just like why I restore tractors. A lot of people always have to make a buck off of everything. (Probably the reason why fuel and everything else is so high. Their is a markup on everything. Always has to be a middle man.) It gives you a good feeling after you restore one and get it running.

I admire that you are trying to persuade me and won't give up. But sevt_chevelle, weren't you the one that wanted to guide me step by step in repairing this? :confused:

Originally posted by jtjohnston:
My next car will be a rust-free, non-bondo queen, Arizona car or nothing at all. ROFLMAO! I hate to burst your bubble, but GOOD LUCK on finding that one. If you believe that those cars are a dime a dozen in AZ, make sure Santa loads one his sleigh for you next year so you dont have to pay shipping for it! Or at least the body work on nothing will be fairly cheap. Non-Bondo makes it even funnier. Cars rust in the Desert SOuthwest too. Do rust free cars exist? YES, but they also exist in the SOuth, North, East and West. Look for a garaged car in your area :rolleyes: . It does RAIN has MUDHOLES people WASH them, etc. Will they rust like Malibu Man's car? NO- but there will still be some rust to contend with.

Your links dont work MalibuMan.

I agree with the previous posters- body off restoration is unreal for a rusted out (not somewhat rusty ie. a 1/4 and floor pan patch or two- ....RUSTED OUT BEYOND REPAIR!) car.

Here's the album. I hope it works.

72 Chevelle Rust Album (http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291647057)

I guess when I said body-off resto I meant take the body off so I can sandblast and paint the chassis. Not to put it on a rotisserie. I would like all the underbody painted as well.

"I guess when I said body-off resto I meant take the body off so I can sandblast and paint the chassis."

Why? Not that you owe me or anybody else an explanation, but seems over the top for your car.

Do you have any pics of the whole car? Floor pans are common rust out areas- its just yours are rusty in a weird spot. Your 1/4 is rusty, but once again that is a common area. Cowl rusting is kinda common for Chevelles, but not something I'd (the key words here- it's your car) want to mess with. A whole body picture of the car would be good to look at. Your car doesnt look as rusty to me as that blue chevelle derek69ss? posted (RESIZE THOSE PICS! THey are HUGE tongue.gif ) BUT, why not turn it into a strip oriented car? Don't believe the BS about Southwest cars- they do NOT rust out like your car (for the most part), BUT they DO rust too. Common sense would tell that an 18 or 19 y/old doesnt have the means or ? to be shipping cars, flying around to look at them etc.

Thanks for the reply. I'll get a picture by tonight. Don't have any current ones on the computer since I put the fenders on.

"BUT, why not turn it into a strip oriented car?"

That's what i'm actually intending on doing. That's why I built the engine that currently leaks out of every exit it can.

"Common sense would tell that an 18 or 19 y/old doesnt have the means or ? to be shipping cars, flying around to look at them etc."

Exactly. I think you are the only person that realizes that.

Originally posted by malibu man:

Exactly. I think you are the only person that realizes that. Hey, it's reality. I was 18 once too, as was everybody else here. If some of the posters here had that kind of big money when they were 18, more power to them. Are there better cars than yours out there to start with, of course. The car is simply rusty in weird spots, and rusty PERIOD- there is no way around that. But if it is a "project"; much like other hobbies people pursue (model trains, rc cars, collecting), I dont see the harm in messing with it. Who really pursues any hobby solely to make money on it? Thats not a hobby- its a BUSINESS. You have nothing to lose, and only experience and knowledge to gain- who knows- it may make you money by actually teaching you skills you can use elsewhere in your life! Lots of people with old cars think they are all worth big bucks, but that is a pipe dream. The big money cars ARE the Yenkos and LS6, Hemi Cudas. Other cars are for "tinkering" with or going to the cruise in or local car show.

BUT tongue.gif - when you are talking frame off restos, etc. thats when you are losing people when bantering about this car :D

Be realistic about it, and I am sure many would not post such harsh "realities".

Here's the new pictures.

New Chevelle Pictures (http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291711869)

How hard is it to take the body up enough to get the frame out? I heard that you can supposedly do it in 2 hours. Then I could replace the mounts. Of course I would have to do all of the metal repair before I take the body off.

I was doing some calculating. I don't think that I need all of those braces and other panels. They appear to be fine(poked around with scredriver), unless it is mandatory when you replace the panels. The rest of the floor panels are good, no rust, and the trunk floor rust (besides drop-offs) will get cut out when the car gets tubbed. If I go through Year One I can get all of the metal that I absolutely need for under $700, unless of course I have to use the full quarters. It would probably be easier, but why would it be necessary?

Parts
-------------------------------------
LH Partial QP Skin: $144
RH Partial QP Skin: $144
LH Outer Rocker Panel: $ 98
LH/RH Front Floor Pans: $118
LH/RH Trunk Extensions: $164
--------------------------------------
Year One Total(after Disct): $601.20
Rear Tubs Pair(Summit): $ 65
Misc Metal for Cowl Repair: Free
--------------------------------------
Metal Materials Total: $666.20

Trever,good luck with your resto and don't let anyone discourage you about your car.These cars aren't getting any cheaper.If you can do alot of the work yourself,and you're patient,anything is possible graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Chris,
Thank you for encouraging me! I only want to think positive, not negative. That will be the only thing that will get me through all of the work.

I know how to use a MIG, but it's been a couple years. Looking for a MIG. Don't know whether to get one just big enough for the body work or to get a big one for all of the farm repairs, we already have an arc. Does anyone know the time span of one of these resto's or repairs?
Thanks

Brother don't let em get cha down! These fellas here are one of the best groups of guys I've ever talked to. They are only telling you this stuff from first hand experience. I'm a bone head like you. A real glutten for punishment. My 69 is in worse shape than your car. It needs new floors from the toe pans all the way to the trunk. I needs new quarters and outter wheel tubs, fenders, and door skins. I don't care though. It even needs a new frame but I have lots of paperwork and wish to save the car. Another reason is sentimental value. This car was the first car I ever legally owned and had in MY name. Lots of people say "I sure wish I still had my first car" Well I will still have mine. There are a few people in my Chevelle club who have offered to show me the ropes and help me weld in my floors and braces (Tri-State Chevelles...if you are in Ohio Indiana or Kentucky drop me an email). Just take it one step at a time and check, check and check some more when measuring and cutting. Join up with a chevelle club and make it to the get togethers whenever possible. Make friends...they'll help you out. Don;t go and dive into your car and turn it into a basket case. Leave it driveable. Oh well. Drop me an email if you want to see how bad.... bad can be.

Here's the album. I hope it works.

72 Chevelle Rust Album (http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291647057) Nope. Too bad. I'm not signing up to be able to view it and receive a whole bunch of spam.

That said, we were trying to help. Do what you want. I suspect you are having more fun watching the thread grow to 6 pages than anything serious.

Again, a full quarter, while being more expensive, is actually cheaper. FYA, the time you spend on labour costs more getting it right than exchanging out a full ¼. Buy the braces if you are going to.

Driver Side (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/p13abd6cb33522ee5c548116be5de7e41/fc801184.jpg.orig.jpg)

Front Left (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/p4ba70d10c5d3668ba105708d751f56bc/fc801179.jpg.orig.jpg)

Front (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/pefdde37d3d19a7f96c9a47fc2f57e85f/fc801173.jpg.orig.jpg)

Front Right (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/pfcd424770a5e8d399c34b37e8da0eb9e/fc80116b.jpg.orig.jpg)

Passenger Side (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/p75f3e6ee384140669bd2bd412312bb20/fc80115f.jpg.orig.jpg)

Back Right (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/pf97876e274198f56215997dc411ded9b/fc80115a.jpg.orig.jpg)

Rear (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/p567500a4fa9531d63eaa8f08ca0d9385/fc801154.jpg.orig.jpg)

Back Left (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/pae4442cbf6205ed07f2b972f6a3e8fec/fc801144.jpg.orig.jpg)

Nope!
http://www.imagestation.com/images/sorry.gif
This is all the outside world gets.

Welllllll. graemlins/sad.gif It was working fine yesterday. I think i'm jinxed or something. graemlins/angry.gif

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/p13abd6cb33522ee5c548116be5de7e41/fc801184.jpg.orig.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/p4ba70d10c5d3668ba105708d751f56bc/fc801179.jpg.orig.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/pfcd424770a5e8d399c34b37e8da0eb9e/fc80116b.jpg.orig.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/pf97876e274198f56215997dc411ded9b/fc80115a.jpg.orig.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/p567500a4fa9531d63eaa8f08ca0d9385/fc801154.jpg.orig.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/pae4442cbf6205ed07f2b972f6a3e8fec/fc801144.jpg.orig.jpg

graemlins/clonk.gif graemlins/clonk.gif graemlins/clonk.gif graemlins/clonk.gif graemlins/clonk.gif graemlins/clonk.gif graemlins/clonk.gif

I was right, I am jinxed. redface.gif

Why do I encourage tongue.gif ? But if you have $15,000 to burn go to this site and read more:
http://64.177.19.53/chevelle/

http://64.177.19.53/chevelle/sideview.jpg

By the way,
http://chevelles.com/showroom/jtjohnston/nope.jpg

You guy's were right. I did find more rust and holes. I've got the whole interior stripped besides front seat, dash, front door panels, glass & brackets, and wiring.

I found out the both the trunk dropoffs leak water. I found two holes in the floor that were under the quarter door panels. It looks like someone either covered them up with strips of rubber or seam sealer. Also, there is some surface rust on the passenger quarter that allows you to see daylight through from the inside quarter to the outside. It's right where the quarter meets the rocker. I found some surface rust in the trunk that will eventually turn into holes, not quite brittle enough to chip away yet. I found some surface rust to the left of the front driver seat that is starting to get brittle and allows you to see daylight through it. I also can see daylight if I look into the inside of the drivers quarter and look towards the top of the wheel well. I stripped out the headliner and found lots of surface rust and some spots where it was starting to rot in the front on the support metal and on the A-Pillars. The front windshield must be leaking and the area above it must be starting to rust, you can tell from the outside. I also found out what happend to the stuffing from my rear seat. The mice must have tooken it and eaten though the headliner. It was full of nests in the front and sides. In those areas, the felt on the roof took on some moisture and the support metal shows surface rust and rot through. So I got a suprise today.

I'll give you a re-cap of the rust locations. I'll start with the trunk area.

Back:
-The trunk dropoff's are rusted.
-The drivers quarter panel wheel lip is rusted.
-The passenger quarter panel has a 3/8" hole in the back of it.
-The passenger outer wheel house is rusted and torn.
-The seam between the outer and inner wheel house is bad and the outer wheel house is bad.

Interior:
-(2) 2"x4" holes in rear seat floor pan where front seam of wheel well meets floor.
-Lower passenger quarter is showing pinholes of daylight through the quarter if viewed from inside.
-Drivers floor pan to the left of the front seat is starting to show surface rust and shows pinholes of daylight through the surface. Area is also brittle.
-Driver side front floor pan/firewall pan is rusting though next to kickpanel seam.
-Passenger side front floor pan/firewall pan is rusting though next to kickpanel seam.
-Passenger side front floor pan/firwall pan seam is rusting through and seperating.

Mid-Body:
-Lower drivers cowl/rocker is rusting off/through.
-Lower passenger cowl is rusting through behind fender.
-Various pinholes on rocker from lower moulding screws.

Front:
-No rust.

Misc:
-Various rust bubbling throughout the car.

I'm debating on whether to restore this car or turn it into a pro-street type-car. If I find the correct type/size engine sometime for it I will probably just restore it since it's cheaper, or at least do a restification. But if I can't find the right engine I might just leave the 383 in it, put in some big-chamber heads to lower compression, back-half the car into a 4-link rear suspension, tub the rearend, and mod the interior. As far as bodywork, that would be the cheaper way to finish the car. But if you figure all of the expenses for parts and labor, restoring/restifying it might be the cheaper way of doing things.

There's the update. Maybe I shouldn't ask this for fear of getting yelled at again, but what are your views on the new areas of rust and what to do with it in the end. Again, either i'm going to restore/restify this car or turn it into a prostreet/racing/cruiser car. I've thought about putting a different body on it.

Thanks

sounds similar to my 67 project

has rusted fenders

rusted quarters
rusted outer wheel houses
rusted trunk floor (fixed)
rusted inner wheel houses (fixed)
rusted trunk dropoffs
rusted deck filler panel
rusted roof
rusted floors
rusted bottom of cowls
and that pretty much covers it
it has lots of rust but i am not gonna let anyone tell me that its not worth it or not cost effective. Yeah i know its not but thats not gonna stop me good luck with your project and remember paint every thing with por 15

Thank you. Do you have to wear some sort of respirator or mask when you use the POR 15? Is their any equivalent to the POR 15?

some would say that epoxy primers and metal etch primers will stop rust but I have never used them so i dont know. I am not sur about the respirator you could contact the company or im sure some one else could tell you if you need one. I would think that you would when doing any kind of painting

Been poking around some more. The body braces, that are parallel with the rear seat brackets on the front seat, are rusted with deteriorating surface rust right in between the seat belt bracket and the rocker panel. I also found out how they fixed the passenger quarter panel. Found a piece of metal, sheet metal, sticking in between the outer wheelhouse and the quarter panel that was tacked on. What a professional repair!!!

I completely cleaned out the interior of the car and the underbody and trunk with water and a pressure washer. I really can't understand why you are all saying get a different car or body. The factory grey primer and the special marks are still on all of the floor pans and interior metal, as well as the trunk pans are full of all original spackle-paint. If you think mine is bad, take a look at these.

1970 El Camino Rust Damage Pictures (http://www.dreamelectric.com/Rust.htm)

Floor Pan Replacement (http://www.chevelles.com/forum/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=004852#000002)

http://www.dreamelectric.com/images/scan6.jpg

http://www.dreamelectric.com/images/scan7.jpg

Don't you think those are much worse? I am not trying to start a flame war. smile.gif I know that I asked you all of your opinions, and i'm sorry for dragging this thread for an enternity, but how do you figure that this car is that bad. Everyone that i've talked to around here say it's in excellent condition for a 1972, although my 48 Chrysler is in better condition.

I rest my case. :D

Originally posted by malibu man:

Don't you think those are much worse? I am not trying to start a flame war. smile.gif I know that I asked you all of your opinions, and i'm sorry for dragging this thread for an enternity, but how do you figure that this car is that bad. Everyone that i've talked to around here say it's in excellent condition for a 1972, although my 48 Chrysler is in better condition.
I rest my case. :D Who are all these people who say its in such great shape? What do they do and why are they so much more knowledgeable than the people on this board who A) Do bodywork for a living AND have hobby cars of their own or B) Have showcars that have THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of dollars in them? If you don't value people's opinions or experiences here, why post? Your car is not as rusty as that El Camino, true- but you both have one thing in common. You refuse to know your limitations both pocket book wise and common sense wise; you are both restoring cars that would have been unloaded by many here a long time ago due to the degree of rust out they have graemlins/clonk.gif .

All you are trying to do is egg people on to debate whether or not THEY think its worth it for YOU to restore the car when you have made up YOUR mind to do it. If you are so adamant about doing this car, GREAT- get to it and start posting other threads asking people for help on different topics instead of wasting bandwidth rehashing this ancient post. It doesnt have to last an eternity.... graemlins/boring.gif

Buzzbomb, you took the words right out of my mouth!!

Trevor all Ill say is GOOD LUCK graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Sorry if I seem like i'm not listening to a word you guys say. I actually like to hear the opinions and arguments. That's why I carried this subject on. That's the only reason why I keep on asking you guys questions. How's a guy s'posed to learn any other way? Really bends you into shape and straightens you out. I actually like getting criticized on the internet. Learns you what's right and what's not, or what's a standard way of doing things from a different perspective.

Well, now i'm thinking about turning the car into a demo car with a new 383 engine and new goodmark fenders. :cool: I'll have fun anyways. Make good use of the $4000 I spent on the car already. tongue.gif Either that or else i'll throw it in the corner of the yard and quit monkeying around with chevy's. I've always wanted a 'Cuda and a Coronet anyways. Maybe even a '33 Ford Coupe, 5 window or 3 window with a Performance Flathead and a Tremec. :D

THE END :D :D :D :D