Think I'm screwed

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Mason Moran said:
Hey, uh what is everyone's opinion on doing rivoted floorboards. I saw a video on it and honestly, I'm making ends meet and trying to have a fun car right now so I'm building thinking short term. When/if I get a good job out of college I'll fix it later more permanently, but could robot floorboards last me a few years?
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Don't. Riveted joints flex unless properly engineered and executed. That flex allows crud to enter and you'll have the same or worse rust in a couple years.

That car is not going to be a cheap, fun, budget friendly cruiser anytime soon. Sadly, you wound up with a car that needs some fairly extensive work. The fact you need to ask how hard it is to repair suggests you don't have the tools and knowledge right now to execute a repair. Trying to do it cheap means you're going to do it twice. The first time will cost you more than you realize and doing it right the second time will cost more because of the "cheap" first try. I've been there too many times..

A second car that's more solid would make better sense for a fun budget oriented car.
 
And by the time you get a powertrain in there, suspension, steering, brakes, and exhaust; they're still not gonna let you license it, if you show up sitting on a milk-crate, lol.
In other words, you're looking at a big chunk of money in the overall.

OOps, tree'd by Phreakish

I would suggest to remove the front wheels and check the frame integrity where the caster/ camber adjusters are. That is a common area where our As fail.... long before the T-bar crossmember goes. And also the rear shackle mounts.
 
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Thought I'd add: I've installed thousands of rivets. It's not fast, it's not easy, it's not cheap. Pop rivets are garbage. Don't even bother. Cherry max are a little better, but far more expensive. Solid rivets are OK, but it's a two man job to install them and it's loud, difficult, and easy to screw up.

I did about 4500 pop rivets in a day using a pneumatic installer. I couldn't even imagine trying to use a hand installer for more than a couple dozen, and you're going to have a few hundred for a floorboard.

If you buy the sheet metal, do some prep and take some measurements you should be able to find a decent body shop to do the install extremely well. A good collision shop will also be able to help you determine exactly how bad all the rust is. Your pictures don't paint an optimistic picture... Expert advise I think will go a long way toward helping you make a decision. For a good inspection, expect to drop $50-100 at the body shop. Maybe more if they spend a few hours..
 
Phreakish said:
Don't. Riveted joints flex unless properly engineered and executed. That flex allows crud to enter and you'll have the same or worse rust in a couple years.

That car is not going to be a cheap, fun, budget friendly cruiser anytime soon. Sadly, you wound up with a car that needs some fairly extensive work. The fact you need to ask how hard it is to repair suggests you don't have the tools and knowledge right now to execute a repair. Trying to do it cheap means you're going to do it twice. The first time will cost you more than you realize and doing it right the second time will cost more because of the "cheap" first try. I've been there too many times..

A second car that's more solid would make better sense for a fun budget oriented car.
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Cold hard truth, right there.
 
moparmandan said:
I'm just cranking you, but you know that. Hundreds if not thousands of dollars more stuff. That's why I said my easy answer is no to his $1,000 budget.
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Yea I know lol I missed the part about the 1000 dollar budget before I posted haha no that car cant be repaired for 1k. But it is repairable. Tbh it you have to be very special and hold some special meaning to me before I would tackle it.
 
Mason Moran said:
I got a 73 duster recently that was going to be my project. I guess I fucked up and failed to see the cracks in the frame. Is this cheaply fixable, like within $1000 or should I start looking for ways to lose this car?
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@moparmandan beat me to it. When I read a post like this, I always ask if the person can fix it themselves. If you have to pay someone to do that repair, You will most likely be into it for SEVERAL thousand dollars. If you can do major repairs like this yourself, then I'd think at or below $1000 is possible. I also agree with a few others in that this is not going to be easy. Of course the definition of "easy" likely varies wildly on this forum. I'd tackle that repair in a heartbeat, but I would not call it easy. Also, I would be against riveted floorboards. You can do it that way, but the floor is a major part of the car's unibody strength. I believe that there is a right way to do a job like this, and that is the right way, and the right way does not include rivets.
 
OP, you got popped. You know it and realize it..... Unless you have some wanting desire to repair this move on and find another shell. You are getting replies from some people who may have a different opinion on the depth of work which is what makes life so spicy however pick and choose your battles wisely.....

One way I look at things is cost. Sometimes you can go grab a 6 month PT job and turn this completely around with a different car so you can move forward or you can try and do the job. Finding someone to do the work with your budget won't happen and even then with money finding someone to do the work probably won't happen....

JW
 
gdrill said:
The torsion bar crossmember commonly rusts out. It is not a terribly difficult repair, but it is easier with the floor section out that normally need to be done with it. Look at the rest of the frame rails. If they are OK, this is no biggie, depending on your tools and skill. Also look at the inner rockers where this attaches.
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They don't make them anymore so I'd try to fix it if it all possible. I certainly couldn't sell it to somebody like that unless they were fully informed. buyer beware your mileage may vary

EDIT: sorry should have replied to the o p
 
They don't make them anymore so I'd try to fix it if it all possible. I certainly couldn't sell it to somebody like that unless they were fully informed. buyer beware your mileage may vary.
No doubt not a small job. One thing leads to another and then you got a can of worms that maybe you didn't want.
 
I agree with all the above. This is not a good candidate for any but an extremely experienced car person. Mr. Rust is never found without all his buddies, Rust, Rust, Rust and Rust. (Sounds like a law firm, eh?) There is no way the crossmember and floor look like that and not have it basically everywhere else. Rust can be a quick deal killer.

I'm a reasonably competent soul for the most part with a full shop, a lift, and access to LOTS of tools. I wouldn't touch this car with a ten foot pole. It has every appearance of being a soul-sucking money pit. I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I think this is sound advice from everyone. If someone wants to restore this I'd sell it to them in a heartbeat even if I did so at a loss.

A crusty old guy once explained to me that good decisions are often based on experience. Unfortunately, experience is generally gained from having made poor decisions. You bought a turd that will cost you some dough one way or another. However the good news is I suspect you will not buy another one.
 
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