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Worth fixing? (also, a very weird discovery)

10K views 56 replies 21 participants last post by  Austin Powers 
#1 ·
First off, I'd like to start by saying that if you have a rusty car, please please PLEASE don't fill it full of bondo and sell it as "rust free". Only reason it's rust free is because bondo doesn't rust!!

I did some more sanding, trying to get the whole car to bare metal, but i found a few spots with some bondo. So today i took the wire wheel to a few rusty/bondo areas and made some gruesome discoveries. The worst part of it is that i've only gotten to the top half of the car (from the tops of the wheel wells up) so far.
Now for the pictures. I'm not sure if it's worth patching it or if i should just get new metal since it's so full of bondo.
This is the back right quarter near the rear window. Yes that is mesh to hold the bondo.


Here's the back right wheel well. It's hard to see but there's actually no metal there at all. All bondo from the bottom up about 5 inches


Here's the front left fender up by the hood. There's no metal here either. I know there's bondo in the lower part too, just haven't gotten there to see how much.


And here's the weird discovery. As i started going through the paint, ridiculously thick primer, and the bondo, a steady stream of discusting water started pouring out from the panel. A good quart of it.


Should i just buy new metal? I'm not sure if it's worth the hassle to fix. I have to take it all of anyway.
 
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#57 ·
If I can do it...

As the old saying goes, if you can do it then it shouldn't be a problem for me. Unlike you, my 1950 Austin was loaded with rust but I knew it when I bought it. As this was my first 'Project Car' I had no idea what I was up against. My buddy, who has built several Rods warned me against it, advising me to "cut my losses" but I was already too deep into it. Besides, I enjoy a good challenge. Well, 2 months later and progress, although slow is being made finally. As welding with a MIG is new to me it remains the biggest pain in my grinding wheel. Unlike others that have gone before me, I have most of the tools I need to build entire fenders if i choose, but I am patching as I go instead. The biggest problem has been trying to remember how it all goes back together. One piece of advice he gave me that I'm learning quickly, the 'why' factor. He told me to take plenty of pictures. It seems my memory isn't as dependable as I believed it would be. Thank gawd for photos! and good advice.
The biggest issue with this is the fact there is so much rust it is damn near impossible to figure out what it used to look like when metal was more commonly present.
Plug away my friend. It may seem like it should take a miracle to get through but all of a sudden one day, something will make a difference to everything so that you can move on confident in the fact that there are more hidden treats for you around the next corner!!!
I'll send you some pics of my fiasco if you need some inspiration. That big hole you keep talking about would be a considered minor sandblast pitting on my car. I know this isn't a contest to see who has the worst project car, but as the saying goes...if I can do it, you most certainly can too. Oh yeah, one last thing. My car used to be a four door. I wanted a two door so now I have one, and a back seat that will fill a stadium with speakers. If that wasn't enough, as a final test of my patients, I am going to be cutting the car in half lengthwise to widen it. I'm nothing if not a beggar for punishment! With the fenders pulled forward off the front of the car I am now contemplating making the whole mess a bit longer too, about 8" longer
 
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