mbrew2
Well-known member
This may be one of those "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" questions but I have to ask. How plausible is it to have a 1973 convertible that spent 35 years in the eastern Maryland/Washington, DC area and then another 10 years in coastal Florida/Gulf of Mexico area to be "rust free"?
When I bought this car in 2016, I went over it thoroughly with a paint thickness gauge and could find no evidence of body filler anywhere except for a probable accident repair about midway up the driver side door. While having repairs made (transmission and front suspension) the mechanics volunteered as to how clean and solid the car was underneath. Being a little surprised and having expected the worst, while it was on a lift having the front suspension replaced I asked to borrow a hammer from the shop owner. I then, with a bad attitude, proceeded to beat the crap out of every piece of metal that was exposed - trunk drop-offs, frame rails, rockers, floorpan and as much of firewall as I could reach. My intention was that if there were any soft areas, I was going to go ahead and knock a hole in it so that I would know what repairs were needed. Other than some light surface rust - nothing - solid as a rock. I did find a small rusty area at the bottom of the driver front fender near the door/cowl area but nothing that needed immediate attention. That was 3 years ago.
I recently discovered 3 small pin-holes in the driver rear quarter behind the wheel. Can't see these from the outside because they are in the black accent paint just below the accent moulding but can see light coming through when looking into the trunk drop-of. Front fender rust spot has gotten worse and will soon need repair.
When i bought the car it came with a notebook full of detailed mechanical repair records covering 20 years but there was nothing mentioning bodywork. I know that the car had been in a minor wreck and had been repainted sometime after 2008 but none of that is in the records.
I guess my question is : If its not reasonable for the car to survive this long with no metal repair, how do I tell if floorpans, trunk, body panels have been replaced ?
When I bought this car in 2016, I went over it thoroughly with a paint thickness gauge and could find no evidence of body filler anywhere except for a probable accident repair about midway up the driver side door. While having repairs made (transmission and front suspension) the mechanics volunteered as to how clean and solid the car was underneath. Being a little surprised and having expected the worst, while it was on a lift having the front suspension replaced I asked to borrow a hammer from the shop owner. I then, with a bad attitude, proceeded to beat the crap out of every piece of metal that was exposed - trunk drop-offs, frame rails, rockers, floorpan and as much of firewall as I could reach. My intention was that if there were any soft areas, I was going to go ahead and knock a hole in it so that I would know what repairs were needed. Other than some light surface rust - nothing - solid as a rock. I did find a small rusty area at the bottom of the driver front fender near the door/cowl area but nothing that needed immediate attention. That was 3 years ago.
I recently discovered 3 small pin-holes in the driver rear quarter behind the wheel. Can't see these from the outside because they are in the black accent paint just below the accent moulding but can see light coming through when looking into the trunk drop-of. Front fender rust spot has gotten worse and will soon need repair.
When i bought the car it came with a notebook full of detailed mechanical repair records covering 20 years but there was nothing mentioning bodywork. I know that the car had been in a minor wreck and had been repainted sometime after 2008 but none of that is in the records.
I guess my question is : If its not reasonable for the car to survive this long with no metal repair, how do I tell if floorpans, trunk, body panels have been replaced ?