rust

[glickbo]

i have been looking to purchase a pagoda for a long time and am getting closer to that dream-first of all thanks to everyone who has commented on my posts, all the help is greatly appreciated-now for the issue about rust-I haven't been able to find a car that is completely rust free on the underside unless the price is ridiculous-how bad a problem is it if there are areas of rust on the undercarriage, especially in areas by the wheel wells-does that automatically mean I should not buy this car?  id really appreciate your help-thanks in advance!

[JamesL]

It'll be a 50-odd year old car made in a time when rust-proofing was practically unheard of

Rust is a given. If you can't see it, you've not been looking hard enough.

That said, there are some very very well known rust spots (trunk floor, rockers, rear footwell area for example) that are likeliest to go and be visible. Work on the principle that you WILL end up fixing rust somewhere eventually. Question is, do you want to "price" in that body work and buy cheaper or "assume" it's OK as you can't see the obvious spots. Yet you may have the bill later

I went down the latter route, but still had to have rear floor, rockers and inner wheel arches all done later.

[glickbo]

thanks for the input, james-can you tell me how much it cost to repair?

[JamesL]

You won't get a quote as until someone starts to look, they don't know what they'll find at which point you either suck it up, prioritise, or learn to weld.

I had all four arches done (inners), rocker/sills on both sides, left side rear footwell as it merges with the arch, suspension mounts, headlight bowls and passenger footwell done, new fuel tank and a few other bits, inc a complete re spray as the previous resto had been done in not quite the right colour (not 906) about 5/6 years back, maybe more, and think it was high teens

Yet before I started, the car looked in really good shape... Other than around the headlamps!

[Benz Dr.]

A rust free car; you buy the car and the rust is free.

 Seriously though, these cars can be very rusty yet I've seen completely rust free examples. Some rust problems can be worse than others. If it's front floor pans and a bit of rust on top of the trunk floor, consider yourself lucky. If the scuttle box is like corn flakes, I'd run. A lot depends on price. I tell people to buy the best car they can't afford. Over the long haul it will cost less than doing all of the repairs.

Thing is, even great cars will have something wrong with them. If it's just basic service items that's not a big deal. If the trans is toast or you have to suddenly do an engine rebuild ( in other words, things you can't see ) then that is a big deal for some. Being able to do some of your own repairs will help you out quite a bit. If you want a turn key car, buy it that way. If you don't have the means to start a restoration, by all means, DON'T start.  Your car and its parts may never see the light of day again. I've seen far too many running driving cars that were taken apart never to run or drive again.

[J. Huber]

Then there is me. I have a wonderful car that I have enjoyed for over 30 years. It is a truly a driver -- and runs like a champ. And it is a looker to many a viewer... It has been through a lot with me -- two colleges, a wedding, three kids, etc...The engine is a factory MBZ replacement that my dad put in -- and has about 75K miles on it. The transmission, and the car generally speaking, has about 235,000 Kilometers (or maybe 335,000 -- its first 15 years are a mystery.) Delivered to Holland, it came to Southern California on the grey market in mid-70s. It had some rust issues when we bought -- as I believe it was subject to lots of weather as a child. There was some serious rot in the floors, some in the rocker areas, and spots here and there... But guess what? It still does!!

Oh its had plenty of work done -- some DIY patching and treatment to the visible areas -- and when I had it painted, they did some minor stuff. But fact is, its still got plenty of rust if you start looking below the surface. So what? I understand that its going to keep me from getting top dollar if I sell it -- and I won't win any fancy trophies... But I have enjoyed the heck out of my car and will again (drove it to work today!)...

Point is: if you are thinking monetary investment and have the funds, get that fairly elusive rust-free specimen. If on the other hand, you want to have a great, really cool car to tinker with, drive around the back roads, and turn heads, find one that is affordable, runs decent, and clean it up as you go. ** If you tackle the rust professionally, great. If not, its still a groovy automobile to have.

**Obviously not one that is structurally unsound...

JH

[Shvegel]

A good place to check is the stiffeners up high just inboard of the front wheels.  Turn the wheels to one side and reach up and see if you can reach the top of the stiffener.  If there is rust there there probably is rust in other places that was repaired or glossed over.  It seems to be a place that gets missed when people gloss over cars for resale.

This is the right front with the fender removed:

[silver surfer]

What do you call a rediculas price?

If I lived in NY I would try and look for an original "Dry State" car and that will help. That does not guarantee  no rust and there may be minor repairs to carry out at some stage.  I have been involved with classics for many years and  found cars that had spent their lives in  California and New Mexico etc are usually in far better condition than the rust buckets we see in the UK.

Look at many cars to familiarise yourself with what is correct as there are many poor cars around with nice shiny paint jobs.

My SL however is a UK car but was in storage for many years and the only rust was the inner fender strengtheners and the headlamp bowls. These were replaced with factory availible panels which was fairly straight forward.

A very wise expert, the late Roger Edwards advised me to buy the best car I could afford .

Check the chrome and aluminium trim is all good because these parts can be  heart-stoppingly expensive to replace.

Dont worry about a car with higher miles as the most reliable cars tend to be the ones that are in daily usage .

I am no expert regarding these cars and looking for lots of advice myself but hope this helps 

Regards
Ashley   

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

If you are lucky you may find a rust free car like I did. I was lucky to find mine in a millionaire's collector garage amount 18 other beauties from the 50s and 60s all American cars. Mine was tucked away in the corner in this climate controlled garage for quite some time (20 some years before she came from Florida). In the 20 some odd years she only saw just over 4,000 miles. In 1992 she was restored at RM here in Canada. I guess I can say I do have a rust free car, now what the future holds I don't know. I try not to take her out when it rains, however, on trips like in 2013 to Williamsburg VA. Or my trip last weekend to PUB 2015 rain here and then is unavoidable. Then I consider my car a driver to have fun in and not a garage queen.

Good luck in your search!

Dieter

PS. Photos below show the car in the Climate Controlled Garage, were I found her.

[Benz Dr.]

Here in Ontario Canada, your car has to pass a safety check before you can get plates for it. Things like rust killed a lot of old cars and for a Province of 11 million people, we wreck 750,000 cars every year. Once you pass the safety check you're OK as long as you own the car.

In some places, you have to pass a yearly inspection, other places have no inspection at all, and other places have rules that make you safety your car if it's been off the road for an extended period. My point is that you should know or find out what your laws are concerning vintage cars and what you need to do before hand so you can be well informed before you buy.

 Look at your options and consider what you have in mind before you purchase. Always start with the end in mind and you will save yourself some grief.