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Need to do some fabrication...


cdn_olds_94

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I took my car to my sons shop this morning and when we got it up on the lift this is what i saw. The plate has rotted on the left front, and only the leftside. The rightside and the rest of the car are fine. We washed the underside and made a list of things to touchup, like  doing some undercoating and replacing the corroded brake lines. This dry rot is saddening as this is the only major problem found. Looks like I need to find some plate steel and start fabing a replacement.

IMG_20180907_0926482.jpg

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Can you find a rust free section for that, either here, or online from a yard, and then have it welded in? Seems like the parts under the conv reinforcement place would be standard coupe parts

 

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On 9/9/2018 at 11:04 AM, jimmyfloyd said:

Can you find a rust free section for that, either here, or online from a yard, and then have it welded in? Seems like the parts under the conv reinforcement place would be standard coupe parts

 

Easier said than done. Any yard up here just crushed these cars as soon as they striped the useable parts from them. I'm going to try Don in MI to see if he can help.

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That seems just about right on for an Ontario car, ☹️

 

hindsight is 20/20, why don't people get their vehicles rustproofed when the vehicle is still a youngster?

 

up here it is near mandatory..

 

You're going to be looking for a southern car to cut that entire structural section out, has the rocker box also been destroyed?

 

I can see that the ragtop reinforcement is still there in some sort of useable condition.......

 

 

If you're going to be replacing the rear brake lines the rear right cannot be replaced without dropping the entire rear suspension member. The brake line is bent up to  go over top of it & sits on top of the member (you cannot see it as the transverse spring hides it) & is fastened to it.

Edited by 55trucker
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It would be amazing to replace that with a clean Southern piece but at some point reality has to point toward the original plan.

A piece of 1/8" plate steel, an angle grinder, and a mig welder will save the car.

Alternatively a whole southern car that's being mistreated and disrespected down south where rust free cars die a horrific death every day could be brought up and used as a rust free shell to rebuild that car on but that may not be an option depending on the level of emotional attachment.

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The reinforced stampings under the car are only 18 gauge. In a few locations where the stampings are doubled or tripled up for structural support they are 16 gauge. 1/8" is approx 10 gauge.

Trying to cut out all the needed shapes from a sheet this thin and mig them all together & then flap wheel everything to *cherry* the welds is a pain-in-the-ass. I've done it more times than I care to recall.

Getting a clean donor section is less cumbersome to work with. If push came to shove one could drill out all of the spot welds of the donor to separate the portions & re plug them when all put into their proper place in sequence.

 

 

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