restoring a rusty 95 CSC

[briandors]

A while back... we had a 1995 CSC.  My wife and I had it while dating, drove it on our wedding day, drove it to Florida (from Ohio) on vacation.

 

Our first child was born and I didn't have a place to properly store it indoors, and it needed a few things.  And honestly I was getting a little 'tired' of it.  So we sold it to some friends with the stipulation that when they were ready to move on, they'd give us a call.

 

Well, they are ready to move on and bought a new car.  The 95 CSC now has 200,000 miles.  The engine is in excellent shape (I did the LIM gaskets myself some 70,000 miles ago) as proven by used oil analysis.  Trans shifts nice.  No serious leaks.

 

I do hear a popping sound sometimes when I first accelerate from a stop.  There is also a lot of vibration coming into the cabin.  I assume either an engine or trans mount is causing this??

 

Biggest problem by far is rust.  After we sold it, it was driven year round in Ohio winters and saw lots of salt.  I took it to a respected body shop and the owner (older gentleman, been in the business for decades) gave me what I think is a very fair estimate to cut out rust, put in new metal, complete repaint.

 

The doors close hard now, seem to rub on bottom.  Do you think it's just door sag (which he can adjust) or is there a chance the entire car has begun sagging?  The rockers are "toasty" but the floor pan looks very good still.

 

Has anyone taken a restoration far enough to have additional structural bars welded in underneath?

 

Heavy rust on rear quarters, hood and trunk lips, rockers, kick panels, and the area where the windshield frame meets the "body".  Are collapsing windshield frames a worry with these cars?

 

I know I could probably find a car in better shape for less money than it would take to fix this one, but it's a sentimental thing.  My wife and I are pretty sure we want to go through with a complete restoration.

 

If I go through with it, should I remove the interior before he begins body work?

 

ALL general thoughts/recommendations are appreciated.  If there's a CSC specialist in the Cleveland OH area I'd love to know about that too.

 

Thanks everyone!

Brian

[55trucker]

Trying to separate ones emotional attachment to an item from the practical side can be difficult, it's not always easy to just turn off the feelings you garner for something,

 

having been in a similar situation concerning a past car that I owned knowing all well the problems with it at first sight and what it would need (but because I literally got it for next to nothing) I took it.

 

A '91 Shadow ES turbo,........ I've always had an attraction to Mopar turbo coupes and have owned four of them, but this one was black and I let myself get attached to it.

 

After ten years and replacing both rockers, the rear quarters behind the wheels, a section of the passenger side floorpan including the main rocker box, the rear trunkpan above the muffler tailpipe exit, replace the rear suspension crossmember, doing the door hinge pins, along with pulling the windshield to repair salt damage and installing a fresh one, doing a headliner, replacing the rear bumper rebar, rebuilding an engine, a complete suspension rebuild and lowering the car.......the list goes on......

 

only last year I had to let the chassis go.......I stripped everything out of it and scrapped the chassis as the rot was deep into the car and I got tired of chasing it. I was sad, but a sense of practicality set in and I adjusted my thinking to finding a car that is in better condition.

 

So what I'm trying to say is....where do you want to spend your time?..........driving the car or repairing the car and spending the money to do so......once there is rot in the chassis it is difficult to get out, Ohio is no better than Ontario is for salt rot.

If the car was never rustproofed at the get-go then rot will set in (assuming one lives a salt-belt)

If you really like that model car look for a near pristine one.....in the end I'm sure you'll be just as happy, you'll spend less, you'll be behind the steering wheel instead of lying under it doing major repairs to it, and me I'm at the age where major repairs such as bodywork really are less than desirable.

[Psych0matt]

Find one similar and use anything you want on the new car. Either way once it gets all this work it'll be a different car either way, might as well start in a better place

[Heartbeat1991]

I guess it depends on the quote you got and what you're willing to spend.  I'm sure you know you'll have more into it than you'll ever get back,  But if you're ok with that, get it done.  Do as much of the work yourself as you can.  That will save you some money in the end.  

[RobertISaar]

damned if you do, damned if you don't... I'm going through this exact process now with the 95 Monte Carlo... probably twice as much as what the car is worth has been spent repairing a lot of rotted frame/body work. the entire frame starting from in front of the trailing arm mounts has been recreated(and is much thicker than the factory metal), sections in front of that as well, along with the entire floor to frame area, rockers, tops of the rear strut towers.... all kinds of work.

[oldmangrimes]

I've got a 95 CSC with about 200k also that I have an emotional attachment to.   Luckily I don't have too much rust, and I live in Oregon where they don't use salt.   But I spend more time and money keeping this car on the road than I would just buying a 100k version, or something else.   But I don't want a different car.   I spent almost two years trying to find mine with the colors and options I wanted, and I'd rather spend double or triple the replacement cost of my car to keep it rather than replace it with a different one. 

 

I don't know the exact dollar figures you (Brian) are considering spending to restore his car, but it's not totally a question of economics.   What price can you put on a top-down cruise in the summer with your wife by your side, in the same car you drove on your wedding day?   If you restore it, drive it a few thousand miles a year in the summers, garage it in the winters, then I don't see why you can't keep it forever.  You could drive it on your 50th wedding anniversary, and someday pass it on to your kids.  

 

The other day I was at a gas station with my 'vert, and an old guy in his 80's got out of his car (in Oregon we don't pump our own gas) came up to me and told me he used to have a car like mine and regretted selling it.   He told me to never sell mine, and now I'm saying the same to you.  

 

I'd love to see pictures of the restoration process, and please post pictures of the car as it is now.   Don't be embarrassed by the condition, we all have old rusty cars here.

[bender01]

Lets see some pics!