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Wagon rebuild too far gone to begin?

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Discussion starter · #21 ·
thechevellekid said:
Your wagon is not bad at all....my quarters where a lot worse and el camino patch panels were used to fix them!!!

Here is a before shot.................

And the patches welded and installed (pictures are in this thread)
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=382845
Click to expand...
Funny you mentioned that, I have spoken to a lot of people who stated El Camino panels work in the rear, but was told by a guy in NC that he couldn't get them to work on his 68. Took grafting parts from three cars to get it solid. Good to hear it is possible, and seeing it actually done. Appreciate the detail. You wouldn't have any of the inner quarter would you on the before?
 
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#22 ·
Ditto on the Elky patch panels. They work, but have to be trimmed a little to fit the rear of the wagon. Check out the resto pics of my wagon after my signature to see them in place. I got everything I needed from James at Hinshaw's Chevelle. He has wagons and knows what fits. Keep at it and good luck!
 
#23 ·
Sounds like the shop is setting you up to give you a good gouging for what he decided was more work than he originally thought.
Sure it can be fixed...just as others have said.
Be careful, before letting that guy do to much work.
 
#24 ·
Alot of cars have trouble spots and unless they have been garage stored and never seen salt they are going to have rust. Whether the rust is pin holes or a gaping 6" hole it really doesn't matter. The part that will drive up cost is structure rot. Roof repairs are a pain but other than that it looks to me to be normal rust and unless you are from the SW I wouldn't look for another body. Maybe you could limit some of your costs by doing some of the structure work yourself and then turn it over to a body man to put the quarters on and such.
 
Discussion starter · #25 ·
drklynoon said:
Alot of cars have trouble spots and unless they have been garage stored and never seen salt they are going to have rust. Whether the rust is pin holes or a gaping 6" hole it really doesn't matter. The part that will drive up cost is structure rot. Roof repairs are a pain but other than that it looks to me to be normal rust and unless you are from the SW I wouldn't look for another body. Maybe you could limit some of your costs by doing some of the structure work yourself and then turn it over to a body man to put the quarters on and such.
Click to expand...
That's a good idea, but I am the world's second worst welder. I took it to a shop because the family doesn't allow enough time to sit down to better my welding skills. I was trying to get ahead because the garage is getting cramped with the wagon just sitting there. I should have done a rolling restoration, but after doing some inspection, I would've never felt safe putting the family in it. The previous owner did some crazy ?;@t to it like tack welding bolts for shoulder straps (that had come loose) held in place by thin strips of metal. The electrics were rigged more than an NBA basketball tournament, and when I took the seats out; let's just say something was living the good life.

That wasn't that bad, but since I had the interior tore out, and knew it needed a frame that wasn't chopped and screwed that I might as well complete it before putting her back on the road. I hate to see good projects get sacrificed to scrap metal if they can be saved, so I wanted to hear some honest talk about the condition. Appreciate all the insight from others who have taken on the wagon. :thumbsup:
 
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#26 ·
That is nothing major. That's if you have solid floors, toe boards, and storage well (even if you don't they make these parts), you're way ahead of the game. You've got new doors so that not an issue. This is a good car. It's hard to find anything East of the Mississippi that is going to be less rust. Check my build thread - I started with an car from Chicago and went to AZ to pick up a roller that was dry. I have Realtor signs for floors of my old car and a lot more rot than yours. That car can still be saved. In fact, if you put my Chicago body with yours we'd have one good car! As DROPTOP L-89 LS-6 (Jim) noted - this ain't rust! Check out some of his projects in this old thread. Just scroll down until you hit his post with some pictures of actual rust!

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=354641&highlight=

If the floors are and everything else are solid you can put this right. Good luck. Keep us posted.

BG
 
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Discussion starter · #27 · (Edited)
Thanks for all the help. After talking to the builder, I decided to go with it. About 50 hours in, the body is mostly complete. First coat of etching primer applied. I guess he was just trying to feel out how serious I was... Anyways here's a pic:
 

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cmac06
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