Frame Restoration

[Forever Olds]

Hi All,

 

I have a near mint 1990 Cutlass Supreme International with about 185k miles. The car means a lot to us as it was the first Cutlass I ever drove 12 years ago when I was 16. Funny side note, it actually belonged to my then girlfriends mother, we stayed in touch and I always said if the car is sold I want it. Well years and years went by and I heard that her mom had blown the motor so I came in, and got the car for $750 (if I didn't buy it, it was going to the junk yard). A lot of miles have been put on since then and the old Cutty has proven to be a reliable and an absolute attention grabber everywhere it goes, people always ask about it. Anyway, long story short the underside is starting to rust out, along the rocker panels as well as the inside lower part of the wheel wells. Come hell or high water I want to save this car but I don't want to get hosed on price either. One local shop who I have used a lot and does fantastic work quoted a price of $5,000.00+ to completely restore the underside. This would involve removing everything from the suspension to the fuel tank to all of the lines and then sandblasting the complete underside, repairing any rust, and refinishing the complete underside. Although steep I know I could not buy a replacement car for $5k that I would enjoy anywhere near as much.

 

My question is this. Does anybody know of any good shops in the midwest that specialize in this kind of work? Word of mouth is the only way to go with body shops and I trust all of your opinions.

 

I have include a picture of the car so you can see the overall condition.

 

[RobertISaar]

it is a LOT of work to do everything necessary to bring it to "new" condition, but 5K seems a little too high... if i was doing it(and had proper equipment), i would say 3500-4000 to do it right, including LOTS of new sheetmetal...

[slick]

For the labor involved, and making all of the pieces, since most can not be purchased anymore, $5k seems pretty reasonable. Does this include them doing the disassembly and reassembly or no? If it does, then strip down the car, toss it on a trailer, and take it to the shop yourself.

[J]

it is a LOT of work to do everything necessary to bring it to "new" condition, but 5K seems a little too high... if i was doing it(and had proper equipment), i would say 3500-4000 to do it right, including LOTS of new sheetmetal...

honestly how in the fuck do you just come up with a number out of your ass?

[ManicMechanic]

Only other suggestion is finding a super cheap body in the south and cutting out and using everything you need from it.

[RobertISaar]

it is a LOT of work to do everything necessary to bring it to "new" condition, but 5K seems a little too high... if i was doing it(and had proper equipment), i would say 3500-4000 to do it right, including LOTS of new sheetmetal...

honestly how in the fuck do you just come up with a number out of your ass?

 

having done a bit of body/fab work and assuming a lot things from the description, that's what i would say, just as an educated guess as to how bad it really is underneath.

[Hairdo12]

Blown motor and rusted out under side? What's left to save except a few peices of sheet metal on the body. Get a southern car and salvage any sheet metal from the old one thats not rusted. Should cost $1200 and you have a working motor and no rust.

[GutlessSupreme]

For the labor involved, and making all of the pieces, since most can not be purchased anymore, $5k seems pretty reasonable. Does this include them doing the disassembly and reassembly or no? If it does, then strip down the car, toss it on a trailer, and take it to the shop yourself.

 

x2 After actually attempting all of this myself, I would say $5k is more than reasonable, provided they can somehow guarantee how many years it will last.

 

That said, I'm pretty sure you can find another car that you will enjoy far more than a w-body for $5k.

[tunerlover3]

The price is good.

 

But......is it worth it?

 

You could probably find one in amazing condition for that price with low miles.

[ManicMechanic]

I know of a couple of International coupes for sale in Texas.

[GOT2B GM]

Buy a rust free car from down south / west and get attached to it instead.

 

 

Bodywork NEVER stands up as good as an original rust free car.

 

/end thread

[3pt1lumina]

How bad is it, really? By this I mean, if it has some surface rust then that's not that big of a deal...or are we talking more structural issues??

[Crazy K]

Buy a rust free car from down south / west and get attached to it instead.

 

 

Bodywork NEVER stands up as good as an original rust free car.

 

/end thread

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Is the motor still bad in it, though? or is that fixed? How bad are the needed repairs currently? what is really rotted and bad?

[5speedz34]

I pretty much agree with every else on here 5k is very reasonable......BUT spending that much on the car when you can get a clean rust-free southern car......

[mfewtrail]

Buy a rust free car from down south / west and get attached to it instead.

 

 

Bodywork NEVER stands up as good as an original rust free car.

 

/end thread

 

That would be my suggestion as well. All my old w-bodies are SPOTLESS underneath from being here in the south since they were produced. Two of them are 19(actually 20yrs old by the build date), and the other is 16. For $5K, you can pick up an exceptionally nice 1st Gen w-body with really low miles on it.

[LuckoftheGTP]

Thats a realy nice cutty. It's a shame. My GTP is rusting away. Thats the bad thing about living in the NOrth East.

[4door Intl]

 

 

 

How in sweet hell did this car continue to look so showroom topside with so many miles and corrosion underneath?? Look at those pie plate wheels, they're factory new-looking.

 

Anyway i can understand the attachment to this specific car but 5 large is, well just too large an investment. How about getting that rubberized undercoating to at least arrest the rusting for now so it isn't a pressing issue. I had mine done fifteen years ago and still have the orginal brake and fuel lines after close to 500 000 kilometres now as a result. They're still coated in protective goodness...

[RobertISaar]

coating over rust doesn't stop it in certain situations... you need to get it done when it's fresh, or after it's been blasted/etc.

[Twenty]

Anyway i can understand the attachment to this specific car but 5 large is, well just too large an investment.

I'm planning on spending half of that next spring to partially re-do the GP. I figure if you want to keep the car, and can afford it, do it.

[mrl390]

No shop is going to give any kind of waranty on rust repair. If by some chance you found someone who will, then go for it. Spending $5000 dollars on something that may not even last is definately something I wouldnt do. You may have it done and have it last 5 years, or you may have it done and it rot out again in a year. There is no way to restore the corrosion protection to factory standards. Its all up to you, if you can afford to throw the money into the car and that is what you want to do, then by all means, go for it.

[GOT2B GM]

DO NOT apply rubberized undercoat over rust.

 

Use an oil based rust inhibitor instead.

[Crazy K]

DO NOT apply rubberized undercoat over rust.

 

Use an oil based rust inhibitor instead.

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[Regal_GS_1989]

 

 

 

How in sweet hell did this car continue to look so showroom topside with so many miles and corrosion underneath?? Look at those pie plate wheels, they're factory new-looking.

 

Anyway i can understand the attachment to this specific car but 5 large is, well just too large an investment. How about getting that rubberized undercoating to at least arrest the rusting for now so it isn't a pressing issue. I had mine done fifteen years ago and still have the orginal brake and fuel lines after close to 500 000 kilometres now as a result. They're still coated in protective goodness...

It's pretty easy...If it is rusting on the bottoms of the rockers, Or any place where dirt and moisture can collect, then it is likely because there is some dirt and crap that got caught inside, and never got cleaned out. Then, any time that the car gets wet, either from driving through the rain, or even washing, the dirt remains moist and allows for rust to take place. It happens pretty slowly, and usually fairly silently as well, but it can still happen, all while the actual body of the car remains perfectly mint.