How must rust is too much?

[castanza]

Hi folks. Happy to find this forum, believe me!

Well it was the car I always wanted, never had, until now. I picked it up cheap, it actually runs, but after about a week of tearing (way) into it, and reading a lot - I'm concerned about how much rust is too much? I can read a newspaper through the floorpans - that bad. Areas "above" don't seem to bad, just surface. Even the trunk, suprisingly, not that bad. But I'm guessing as bad as the floor pans are, the frame rails and other major support or going to need... a lot of work. More than I'm capable of - I have no experience welding (gasp).

I've contemplated just throwing it back on craigslist and waiting for something else, spending more to get something further along, and getting something I can do in my garage. But for some reason, maybe after a 40 mile ride home from where I bought it.. I just feel compelled to do whatever it takes, you know? I'm not going for show-quality, just something in good shape that is fun and safe to drive.

Don't be fooled by the photos, theres 3 coats of paint and some rust on the exterior as well (plus a few bondo spots, but nothing huge). Thoughts?

<img src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/castanza/DSCF9185.jpg">

<img src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/castanza/DSCF9179.jpg">

 

[mattrod70]

most of that type of stuff canm be repaired by a shop but it will get expensive fast. its only metal it can always be replaced. take a welding class and practice, practice, practice. and some picture might help.

there lots of intelligent talented people here ask alot of questions

matt

 

[stangman16]

I bet your cowl vents are rusted through - I'm currently working on drilling out the 180+ spot welds so I can fix mine on my '66. You can check out the cowl vents by laying on your back under either the d/s or p/s of the dash. (yea, it's not comfortable either)

Good luck, and have fun with it!

 

[castanza]

Taking some pictures today, hopefully before dark! Psyched to find these forums (this is one of 3 I've found that seem great). Thanks guys!!

 

[mustangdave]

Floorpans and frame rails won't be too expensive to have replaced but the cowl is a $2,000 job at a pro resto shop. If you need to do the cowl it will be much cheaper to learn how to weld and buy a welder. Usually the bottom frt. of the doors rusts. The only thing that would scare me is if the rear quarter panels needed to be replaced.

 

[castanza]

Not sure about the rear qtr panels, what's the best angle of photo to get? I can tell that one of them is bondo city, just by looking and tapping. I won't know until I get the paint off. My first goal is to get it into the garage, which I've almost room for (and a good thing, it's in the rain right now, and it leaks!).

Working on photos shortly, as some have suggested - I'm really psyched to get your guys input.

 

[danny clemens]

You can do it. Just buy a mig welder and read some how to articles. I've changed quarters, a tail light panel, floor pans and repaired a cowl with no previous experience and no experienced person to help me. Starting with the floor pans would be a good idea because it will not be easily seen. That would be good practice for the rest of your project. It's really not all that expensive (compared to having it done) and it is a good learning experience. It just takes time and the will to do it. If it's the car that you want keep it and get to work.

BTW, congrats on your new Stang.

 

[BB1966]

If the cowl is ok the rest is easy, how much did you pay for it if you dont mind saying? That will tell the rest of the story............

 

[geostang351]

The cowl isn't hard to do just very time consuming. I think that is a good place to learn as most of the completed work is unseen but a crucial part of stopping future rust.

 

[castanza]

Nice photo BB1966

I paid $1500 for it. I mean hey, the thing drove. On the freeway. 40 miles to my house! Maybe I got too excited. But I had been looking and looking (on and off for YEARS) and always ran into cars that were far along, often much farther - but waaaay out of my price range.

I have new rust photos, trying to figure out the easiest way to post them.

 

[castanza]

All righty here we go. I didn't get a chance to crawl under for anything underneath (small time window and wasn't dressed accordingly)

Not scary yet.... but wait!

Front floor (the passenger side is worse, I forgot to snap one on that side)

Rear floor

Trunk (hey new gas tank!)

Doorwell

Underneath

Let the analysis begin!

 

[Max Power]

It appears you bought a six cylinder spaghetti strainer. The car has no pedigree and will cost you far more to repair than it will be worth.

If you want to use it as a learning tool and want to do all the work yourself over a period of years, it's just as good as any. If I were to start with a car in that condition, I would make damn well sure to get something I really wanted when it was finished. Not sure if a garden variety 6 cylinder coupe is that car for you.

Not to nitpick, but these are the things you look at before you buy, not after.

 

[351w_swap]

looks to me like a great candidate for a hot restomod. I would start with that but that is because I would probably only end up using the roof anyways (that is what my 65 is turning into). You might as well start with that car, it allows for an awesome learning tool for future builds.

 

[castanza]

Yike! Learning tool? I just love 68's and want to get it driving for fun, get the rust out, redo the interior, and paint it. But if it's as bad as you guys make it sound.. maybe I should try and turn it around on craigslist and break even (unless I am the only idiot that would have paid that much for it?) .. aw geez.

 

[351w_swap]

Everyone has there own enjoyment. I would rather work on it and dream of how fast it will be when its done than actually drive it. 1500 bucks is not bad for that car, just get a welder and some replacement panels and start going at it. You may find that it is much more fun than you thought. You will end up with another several thousand dollars into the car but its worth it. Just make a decision about what you are willing to put into it and go from there.

 

[80deathtrap]

The question you need to ask is not can it be fixed, but am I willing to fix it myself or pay to have it fixed? And if you can't answer that off hand you need to ask yourself will the time and money I spend to fix the car be worth it both at the time I do it and when the car is finished?

If you are willing to fix the car then you need to come up with a plan for what the finished car is going to be. And realize that no matter what you do to the car it will likely be worth less in the end you than what you put into it. But that is really irrelevant unless you are trying to make a profit on the restoration and it doesn't sound like you are.

If you do decide to sell it I imagine it would only take a day or so to do so at $1500. There are so many different demographics that a running, driving car, and especially a Mustang, appeals to at that price that it would be difficult not to sell it for that much.

 

[castanza]

Thanks 351w_swap - i like your attitude. Not trying to make a buck, know exactly what I *want* it to be, just most curious to hear from people who know a lot more about this than me. I have always loved plain old 68 coupes. Not sure what it is about this car, but I just like it.

 

[JEE740]

I would say, like everyone else, it depends on what your plans are for the car. I'm in the process of restoring my first Mustang as well, a 67 fastback. Even though it was an AZ car, it still needed floorboards. I had the patch work done by a restoration shop, and the whole process was, and continues to be, a learning experience. My approach has been to start my build with a solid foundation. This meant stripping the car down completely before I sent it to the shop, having it media blasted, then have any rust areas fixed. This way I know that as long as I take good care of the car once it's done, I won't have to worry about rust coming back. It's hard to tell from your pictures exactly, but I would say that you definitely need two full length floor boards, and I would guess the toe boards (the area under the pedals) as well. Your picture of the trunk looks like the quarter needs to be patched too. How's the shock tower on the passenger side next to the engine? It looks like it has some rust holes in it from the picture, and that's the wrong place to have a weak area. Since Mustangs are unibody cars and don't have frames, the whole body needs to be strong for the car to be really safe. I really don't want to discourage you, and everyone is happy that you got the car you've been after. We just want you to know the big picture ahead of time. So let us know what your goal is with this, and we can help give you and idea of what it'll take to get there. This way you can make an informed decision as to whether or not you want to keep your coupe. With as many coupes as there are available, it shouldn't be too hard to find a good one for a decent price on eBay or elsewhere.

Chris

 

[Rusty67]

My friends dad always says, "You either got time or money, take your pick." If you are going to do this work yourself and enjoy it, then its absolutely worth keeping and doing what it takes to make the car the way you want it. If you are going to pay someone else to do the work it would be cheaper to just buy another car and have that one done up properly.

On the other hand, if you are not a hands on type of person and don't feel that working on this car to make it great (by your standards) is going to be something you will enjoy then get rid of this car. Realize that this will definately cost you a lot of money over time. Just make sure that you are geting into something you want.

I'll tell you for sure that I LOVE working on my car but the money its going to take to fix the rust isn't worth it. What I'm going to do is get my car going and set it up so that I can transfer all my hard work to another chasis. You can do the same this with this car and learn a lot in the proccess just as I have. Maybe you can fix the chasis yourself and have a car you can be VERY VERY proud of when you are done.

 

[castanza]

Man I am digging the enthusiasm. I'm trying to explain this in the simplest way possible. I am not going for every-nut-and-bolt is in the right place and restoration perfect. I just love these cars, and want a safe, nice looking mobile that I'm proud to drive, and know that I got back on the road. Because I love 68 mustangs (truth be told, I love 65-68 and those are my favorite).