Hey gents , I removed the stainless trim at the bottom of the windshield and found out the metal behind it is badly rusted. I talked to a local body man that quoted me $$$$$ to fix. At this point I'm not sure if its very wise $$ to continue with this project. Please advise
Lastly the area below the heater box; I bought this car about 3 yrs ago and let it sit up at the time of purchase I didn't realize all of this:eek2: Anyways just looking for opinions on the extent of the repair. Does anybody want to buy a rust free convertible :Brow:
This is one of the worst problems you can have. Thsi is why a pre buy inspection is essential. You need a rust free section from a donor car and it is still going to cost. Depending on the car you might consider changing it to a parts car.
Its funny you mention that I actually considered it but I quickly realized this car doesn't really have any parts on it. Trying to find a convertible body is going to be a pain in the rear
Are you any good with tin snips and a welder? I ran into a lot of the same on my 72. I have attached a pic of the worst corner, and my repairs to it. I had rot all around the front and rear window openings. My trick is to cut cardboard pieces/templates of the pieces I would need by test fitting them. Then I scribe the cardboard outline on sheet metal and snip away. You have a lot of rot. Unfortunately its an area where no one mass produces panels for. Good news is, you can fix it yourself with less precision than a body shop because its hidden by your windowglass and the trim pieces. Choices: get a solid-er piece from a parts car Fab it yourself from sheet metal use your car for parts, buy a more solid car. My choice, obviously, was to fix the problem myself. I was happy with the results. Best of Luck to you!!
That's a shame. You must have felt sick when you removed that piece of trim. :eek2: I wonder if that area is the same on all GM A-bodies of that vintage to broaden your chances of getting a section off another car. And is the cowl of a convertible different than a closed car? o No:
I immediately stopped working on the car I felt horrible. The cowl section is the same but the convertible header is different from a closed car.
The local bodyman said I should just cut the entire cowl from another car is this repair really that extensive???? He's talking about cutting the from toeboard to windshield surround does this repair require that much work ?
Cole - thanks for letting me know about this thread. I've put my project on hold because of this. Though mine isn't nearly as bad as yours I don't think. Techg8 you are my damn hero! Mine is just rusted at the base of the windshield channel, and I've found replacement pieces to that are made, so I can weld in a stamped piece. It is only listed however, as a chevelle piece. Since I only need the windshield channel, I assume it's the same. The piece is only $99 so.. You guys are such a source of inspiration and motivate me to continue on. Thanks guys.
I found that piece as well but my bodyman told me that secondary damage would be very extensive and the only way to tell is to start ripping stuff off. Thanks Guys
If it's any consolation Chris, all the Buicks, any body style, are prone to rusting in this area - some people just haven't removed the bottom stainless trim to discover it yet ! The same holds true for areas under the rear glass too. It can be repaired, but if your paying someone to do the repairs, it just may not be feaseable cost wise ! o No:
A lot depends on how well he plans to fix it. Frankly, the whole metal dash assembly should be replaced (or at least the upper part from under the pad to the edge of the windshield. No use in seaming it on the exposed part of the dash metal and then having to do a ton of bodywork to make it look right. Also...there are a lot of layers that come together at the front edge of the dash..the dash, the well (below where the wiper mechanism/arm is) and the top of the cowl. Additionally, your A-pillar could be weak. He also probably shot you that price knowing there is a lot of unseen rust areas that would also have to be repaired. Bodymen don't have XRay vision (contrary to popular belief) so a lot of them just shoot a high number to cover any unseen damage. He is selling his time and you also can't expect him to take it apart for free to see all the damage. You need to remove more parts (the firewall heater box for example)...otherwise you are just asking people to speculate as to how extensive the damage is. GOOD body repair isn't cheap....it shouldn't be. It's hard work and it's also hard to find people that will really remove all the damage and repair it right. Sorry about the lecture:Smarty:
You are correct I need to remove the heater box to see if I can see any more damage. I'm just ranting because $2500 is nothing to laugh at especially since I need some floorpans and quarters.
This is one of those projects where you attempt to learn to do it yourself....if you are paying for all these repairs you need to think ahead. Don't go spending the $$ on the cowl/dash, get the car back, then take it to get ANOTHER ESTIMATE for more rust repair (after you have already spent the cowl/dash $$)...repeat this again and again depending on how many areas of separate rust repair you have....only to find at some point the $$$ are too much. Try to get it all assessed AT ONCE...then you can make a decision before spending any $$$. Maybe this is a deal where you were going to spend a little on one area, wait, then get another area estimated and repaired, etc.....think ahead before committing your hard-earned $$$. Rust repair, as I mentioned above, is just plain hard, dirty, TIME CONSUMING ($$$ consuming) work. There are many steps most people don't contemplate that a good shop will go through....most, if not all, of those steps take plenty of time. Where in TX are you?
