jclifford442

Hi All,


What if I just want to freshen the look of my '70 Cutlass? What are my options?

About 2 years ago, I got a ‘70 Cutlass with low miles. This car lived in Utah and had been sitting for the majority of the last 50 years.
since then, I’ve replaced suspension, engine parts, exhaust, tires fluids etc and an happy with how it’s running currently. I really, really dislike the look of the deteriorating/rusted lower rear quarter panels.. The car is stored indoors and is rarely exposed to the elements.

It has the original paint. The car's body is in OK shape except for the lower front quarter panels behind the tires where the salt has caused significant rusting. I really, really dislike the look of the deteriorating/rusted lower rear quarter panels.. Otherwise, there are some rust spots on the side panels and a large dent on the top rear quarter panel. My guess is a heavy garage door slammed on it. Anyway, It looks like it's 50 years old.

What I would be willing to do:

• Patch panels. I have a friend who is a good welder and has done plenty of patch panels. He's offered to help with those and teach me about welding along the way. I've wanted to learn welding and this seems like a great opportunity.
• Sand/treat the smaller rust spots in the sides (or pay Maaco to do this if its <$500), hammer out bumper dents and other basic beginner-level body repairs.
• Spend 1-2k on a bc/cc paint job

Options (missing any)?

• Option 1 (Free)- I leave the car as it is and ignore the deteriorating qp's. The rust will slowly continue to get worse and it’ll just continue looking like a beater.
• Option 2 (Spend ~$2,000) DIY patch panels, rust treatment and dents, remove most/all the bolt-ons and take it to Maaco (or similar) for a BC/CC job in a color that matches the original somewhat closely. I don't care about the door jams and underside of the trunk etc. There will be imperfections and the remaining rust will spread. But, It'd look a little cleaner in the meantime.
• Option 3 (Spend 20k+) Pro Job. Not going to do this.
• Option 4 (?) DIY the entire thing and paint it in my garage. Don't want to do this.

I think option 2 makes the most sense for me, unless I'm underestimating how bad Maaco paint jobs could be. It couldn't possibly come out looking worse than it does right now,.. right? I know that I won't remove 100% of the rust on the vehicle in my garage and I realize that this rust will resurface and grow... But, if it's going to grow either way, why not make it look a little nicer in the meantime?

Olds64

If you get your friend's help to weld in new metal that will cure the worst of the rust. Have you considered taking an evening auto body course at a local votech? That's how I painted my 71 Oldsmobile. If you DIY you'll get better results than Macco too.

Andy

How bad is the current paint? Pictures would help..you can weld in lower fender patches as well as lower rear quarter patch, then blend in the paint onto the current panels IF the current paint is still decent shape

BangScreech4-4-2

I would either go big or go home. Spend all the money to do it right (if your friend is a competent welder then this could be considered a permissible shortcut but you still have lots of sanding, finishing, prep and paint) or just leave it be and drive it until you're done with it and sell it to somebody who's willing to make the investment.

Half measures on these kinds of projects never work out well.

Andy

Its not a big or go home thing. Most hobby guys don’t have the funds for frame off resto especially on a Cutlass. No ROI on that. As well many enjoy doing it themselves and learning as they go

jclifford442

The paint is decent on the hood, roof, trunk etc but the paint on the sides (salt spray from Utah roads) is not good at all.

Attached are some of the side pics. I’ll post more.

jclifford442

Like you mentioned, I do t have the funds nor interest in sinking 20k+ into this. I’m simply wondering if there are any options in the $2k range that would remove the appearance of rust and will last a few years. I told my exhaust guy that I wanted it to sound like it’s fast, even though it’s not really that fast. I’m ok with that. Similarly, I’d like this car to ‘look’ restored and cared for from a passing glance to the average Joe. I won’t be entering any car shows or anything like that. It’s just my ol reliable I take to work and back a few days per week.


I should add that I bought a VW Thing last year from an older lady that had it Maaco painted for $600 in 2021. The paint is cracking near the hinges in some places and will probably steadily deteriorate.. But that’s ok! It still looks a lot nicer than before and not one person other than me has even noticed the cracking.

bccan

That’s an honest, decent car, personally I would drive it instead of spending time and money to torture myself. Just to be a smart ***, how much of that rust can you see while you’re driving?!?

Seriously, if it doesn’t have cowl or window channel rust causing water leaks, why worry. Not to say a few patch panels and maybe some paint blends are a bad idea, especially a bit at a time so car isn’t laid up. I always like “patina” on a decent survivor. You gotta do what suits your wants and needs, I’m just throwin .02 in here from a retired auto body guy. Too often, “a little” body work isn’t that far from getting a little pregnant.

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BangScreech4-4-2

Yeah, I should have been clearer. I'm not saying he shouldn't do it himself, just that he should be prepared to put in a lot of time, effort, and money and do the thing right.

jclifford442

I chuckled when reading this because this is probably what I needed to hear.

And getting a ‘little pregnant’ is exactly what I don’t want to do lmao