Rust problem 74 Duster

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red_duster74

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Hey, so I've known about some rust on my Duster for a while but haven't had the opportunity to dig into it. It is mainly located in the floor plans, kick panel, and random spots around the body. I was wondering if this rust is too much to fix when weighed against the value of the vehicle. Open to all suggestions. I am not familiar at all with body work.
Thanks, Mike

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I bought my rust free '74 duster for $2k. 91k original miles, 3rd owner. /6 but on a '74 it doesn't really matter, numbers matching on anything other than a 360 4 speed is pretty much pointless.

So, you need floors for sure. Tail panel, trunk, parts of the cowl and rockers, plus patches. That's what you know about. That's a probably a good $1k just in sheet metal. If you're paying someone else to fix it, you're well past the $2k mark just in rust repair, no bodywork or paint. And that's if you don't find more rust, which you will, because there is always more rust than you see.

If you're looking at it from strictly a financial standpoint, it's not worth it. You'd be better off finding a cleaner car and parting the one you've got.

Which is not to say your car isn't fixable, it is. Or that you should part your current car, because I hate parting cars. I've seen much worse cars than yours fixed. And it could be a great learning experience if you want to work on a project, and a great opportunity to make your car what you want it to be without worrying about cutting up a "rare" car. But you won't come out money ahead, no matter how you do it.
 
Yes I agree, I would not want to part out this vehicle. It was my first car so it has a bunch of sentimental value to it. I would like to learn how to repair the rust but I have no idea what to look for and how to fix it. So would suggest that it is fixable and not as bad as I am thinking?
Thank you so much for your response.
 
Well, I'm not sure how bad you think it is, so I don't know about that. Just based on the couple of pictures you posted though there is a lot of work that has to be done. The car is fixable, but, pretty much ANYTHING is fixable with enough time, skill, and money.

What you have there is a big project that will require more than basic skills to repair. I totally understand sentimental value. As long as you understand it's not financially worth it to fix that car, that's ok. But from what I can see, more people would part that car than fix it.
 
It will be tough to see her go. But the previous owner neglected the leak in the windshield, leading to the rust throughout the driver's side. At least I can take what I need from the body and use it towards another a body. What do you think is a good price to find a decent shell that needs minor rust repair for a Duster?
 
Not sure how pricing works in florida. Here in California you can get a rust free, running /6 Duster for $2 to 3k depending on the condition of the paint and the model year. Like I said, I paid $2k for mine and it looked like this after a swap to cop rims and a quick wash and polish. That's why the threshold for repair vs parting out is so low. You can still get 73+ Dusters in good condition for less than what it would cost to pay a reputable shop to replace the floor pans.

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Floors. That's dirt, not rust.
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That Duster is awesome. Good find. Uhm I am not too sure what sort of price finding one with no rust would cost. Maybe a shell would be 1500-2k.
 
I honestly hope so. I will be looking at California cars in the upcoming months. Since it is less humid over there, I can only assume the rust will be less prevalent
 
Heck when my son and I took route 66 on vacation we were shocked to see clean old cars being used as daily drivers.
 
The cool part of most of the pre 75 cars we saw on the freeway was unrestored faded paint and still used where here we only see them restored and on cruise nights.
 
Best way to deal with body work is dive in!

Have some inspiration:

Making panels....... | Retro Rides

That's awesome, but that dude is WAY beyond basic skills. That's expert level work there. Awesome fabrication and panel making skills, spectacular welding too. When I say anything can be fixed, that's a guy that can fix anything.

And it's true, anything can be fixed. But not everyone can fix anything, that guy has serious skills.
 
Wow I wish I had the cash right now. That is a good find for the price. Unfortunately I just bought a new truck so money is a little tight for now. I will be looking in the next few months once I graduate. Indiana is a lot closer than California.
 
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