Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:28:04 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: prospective '82 diesel -good mechanicals, so-so body
In-Reply-To: <m1ve4lzbjy.fsf@cs.indiana.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
If there's serious rust.........
You can spend hundreds of hours fixing or replacing it, and never get to
something really good actually. If you just want something 'that runs'
.........fine, but it more fun to drive something pretty decent, and safer
for sure.
You're right ..........anything on a car is easier to deal with than
rust. Even headliners and upholstery aren't as bad as real rust, as in body
cancer. Surface rust is fun and easy to stop forever, btw. But
holes...........and like the man says, you are just seeing the tip of the
iceberg usually.
On the only rusty car I ever got I think..........a European model BMW 3.0CS
Coupe ............a fairly exotic and beautiful car, but badly
rusted.........
I should have either paid only 1/3 of what I did for it, or never have
gotten it.
It did get it perfectly awswomely looking after a intense blue metallic
paint job and countless metal replacement hours.............but all I ever
really got out of it genuinely was the right to say I've owned a 1972
European model BMW 3.0CS Coupe. And a couple of trips. When I sold it still
needed the suspension gotten back to stock or decent at least. So stay away
from serious rust. It's like you can never really fully overcome it, you can
make up for it some, but it's never the same as a not-rusted car.
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Allan Streib
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 10:49 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: prospective '82 diesel -good mechanicals, so-so body
Edward Duntz <eduntz@HOTMAIL.COM> writes:
> How about opinions on rebuilt engine with rusty body vs. older
> engine and good body?
Well, I always feel that I'd rather deal with almost ANY other issue
besides rust. With rust, there's always about 10 times more than you
can actually see, and once it starts it's very difficult to actually
stop it, the only way is to cut it out, and weld in new metal.
If you have the tools and experience to do good body work (I don't),
you may feel differently. Also depends on your objectives -- if you
just need something for utility for a few years or as long as it
lasts, as long as the rust is not seriously compromising the vehicle's
structural integrity you may be happy enough to just let it go. If
you are thinking about repairing significant rust, unless you've done
this kind of restoration before you might want to talk to some people
who have about the amount of work you'll be getting into.
Allan
--
1991 Vanagon GL
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