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Never having restored a car before, I’m very open to perspectives on what to tackle first:
72 Cutlass S, 350
Engine will start
Vinyl top rot on the roof (skin is shot through with holes, but the headliner inside is primo…is that weird?) Sail panels all rusted out and I’m guessing from what I’ve read that the channel beneath the rear window will be equally rotted. Some small, but significant rust at the bottom of a couple wheel wells, too.
My goal is a fun and reliable weekend car. My overall budget is $30k.
My natural inclination is to get brakes, powertrain, steering, and suspension rock solid before doing any bodywork or interior BUT: rust. Is it most important to repair and control the rust to prevent the cancer spreading?
You may want to get a handle on what will be required in the way of metal and body work, and costs, before sinking money elsewhere in the car. These projects have a way of going sideways and blowing way through any budgeting. If the rust perforations are allowing water ingress you may find critical areas deeper in the body are in a bad way.
Before doing anything, get some bodywork estimates. You might find it better just to use the money you have budgeted on a better car. Bodywork is EXPENSIVE.
Never having restored a car before, I’m very open to perspectives on what to tackle first:
72 Cutlass S, 350
Engine will start
Vinyl top rot on the roof (skin is shot through with holes, but the headliner inside is primo…is that weird?) Sail panels all rusted out and I’m guessing from what I’ve read that the channel beneath the rear window will be equally rotted. Some small, but significant rust at the bottom of a couple wheel wells, too.
My goal is a fun and reliable weekend car. My overall budget is $30k.
My natural inclination is to get brakes, powertrain, steering, and suspension rock solid before doing any bodywork or interior BUT: rust. Is it most important to repair and control the rust to prevent the cancer spreading?
Thanks in advance for your opinions!
"Restoration" and "Upgrade" are terms that are used very loosely used to describe any amount of work involved. You need to determine what level of "restoration" you can afford. Engine/Driveline refresh, Interior and paint are very general "restorations".
Are you trying for a Con Cours restoration from the ground up ? $$$$$$$$$ Are you trying for a general appearance of the car to resemble what came from the factory ? Still pricey.
Have someone who is compeitent to help you assess the rust. This is where most people get in over their head in a hurry.
Just going for a cool car to drive around on weekends
I’m in San Diego and I plan to have the bodywork done by my friend’s family who has a shop in Mexico. I know, I know lol. It will still be expensive, and I won’t be taking trophies home and I’m okay with that.
That ‘70 Craigslist roof is geographically challenging for me, but what a helpful post…wow, good lookin’ out!!
The car has always been garaged, and so I’m hopeful that the ingress, trickle down issue isn’t too bad. It may be no indicator whatsoever, but the headliner is still primo…maybe it was put on right before the car was parked for the last 28 years?
It sounds like assessment of the body work and rough estimates to “upgrade” it (with the likelihood being that estimates will be blown past once work really begins 😂 are priority…thank you for sharing your experience with me.
I will post pictures tomorrow, thanks for reminding me!
Bodywork estimates first. As mentioned. Everything else is piddly in comparison.
But once you have that out of the way to determine if the car is worth sinking more money into, then MAKE A PLAN, including a loose budget. I say budget, so I mean roughly determine some ballpark figures for everything you plan on doing. Add all those numbers up, and then multiply that number by 5. Because whatever you THINK you're going to spend, it's going to be more, for sure.
Yes, I realize this is going to be expensive and my wife is on board, too. As mentioned earlier, my initial wad is $30k total…not yet allocated toward various component parts of the project. Once that is spent, then we will shift to “bit-by-bit” status.
As per an earlier request, here are some “rust shots”. This is everything I can see when I open the hood, doors and trunk. The frame seems to be solid from an initial peek underneath when it got loaded up for its tow home.
Car is currently covered with a good cover whilst I await the takeover of the garage (which my wife finally relented to!!) This Swiss cheese is toast Tiny bubbles (and not the good kind) like this along the bottom of the trunk deck lid Driver front Passenger rear
My natural inclination is to get brakes, powertrain, steering, and suspension rock solid before doing any bodywork or interior BUT: rust. Is it most important to repair and control the rust to prevent the cancer spreading?
Same question you posed in your other thread nets the same answer: don't spend another dime until you have bodywork requirements evaluated and estimated by a competent professional. If it's as bad as it sounds, you can blow through thirty grand on rust repair alone in no time flat.
Same question you posed in your other thread nets the same answer: don't spend another dime until you have bodywork requirements evaluated and estimated by a competent professional. If it's as bad as it sounds, you can blow through thirty grand on rust repair alone in no time flat.
yeah, I ended my “intro” thread with this question and then added an edit that said “MOVED to General Discussion.” Apologies for the poor forum etiquette and I do appreciate you keeping me in line so I can earn the privilege of becoming a regular poster here.
You’re definitely right that there are scenarios where I spend my entire nut on the bodywork, but with my end goal of an imperfect but cool car plus my intention to have the bodywork done in Mexico….I have faith I can get the car a) in rust remission and b) on the road with that money. Guess we’ll find out.
once that turdy grand is used up, I’ll start “chipping away” over time.
Thank you!
Last edited by Zack Abides; Sep 2, 2024 at 02:14 PM.
I see these from a few manufacturers….would be amazing if that and some filler on the driver side sail panel would do it, but what I’ve read on other threads seems like I’m very much likely in for more than just the skin 🫡
I also may have found a couple “roof assembly” donor cars within driving distance if the shop says a transplant would be better.
I got my assignment from those of you in the know, next stop: rust control/bodywork estimates!
Take an ice pick and probe around in those quarter panel areas and pull the carpet out in front and rear floor boards also check trunk pan. Get under car and and probe up, undercoating hides a lot.
with the looks of the top I would wonder about the cars time in a garage.
Take an ice pick and probe around in those quarter panel areas and pull the carpet out in front and rear floor boards also check trunk pan. Get under car and and probe up, undercoating hides a lot.
with the looks of the top I would wonder about the cars time in a garage.
I’m in the “get another car” crowd. If that thing was a semi or fully valuable “W” car, maybe worth the deep dive. If you have $30k to throw in the pot, you can buy a really presentable, nice car that you can drive RIGHT NOW and enjoy. You are looking at some serious hurt, financially and emotionally marrying that poor car. I see MINIMUM $60k into it IF the engine & drivetrain are good and that is not any sort of higher end resto, just driver quality, with some interior and basic mechanicals, ie brakes, suspension, steering.
Do yourself a favor, get out of that car and look at classifieds on this sight & elsewhere.
I’m in the “get another car” crowd. If that thing was a semi or fully valuable “W” car, maybe worth the deep dive. If you have $30k to throw in the pot, you can buy a really presentable, nice car that you can drive RIGHT NOW and enjoy. You are looking at some serious hurt, financially and emotionally marrying that poor car. I see MINIMUM $60k into it IF the engine & drivetrain are good and that is not any sort of higher end resto, just driver quality, with some interior and basic mechanicals, ie brakes, suspension, steering.
Do yourself a favor, get out of that car and look at classifieds on this sight & elsewhere.
…..
For PRACTICALITY reasons, buying a finished car makes the most sense. I’m not gonna buy someone else’s car though. I want a project. I want to buy tools and cuss a lot. I want to have scars, physical and emotional. I’m probably woefully insecure and want to use a car project to assure myself of my masculinity, though I tell myself it’s just been something I always wanted to do 😄. I’m like that; I love learning and I love taking on new things (learned to surf in my 40’s for example) and seeing them through to a level of competence, if not mastery.
With that in mind, I assume you would suggest investing in a 100% rust free project car?
Last edited by Zack Abides; Sep 2, 2024 at 03:07 PM.
With that in mind, I assume you would suggest investing in a 100% rust free project car?
You're in SoCal so this, or something close to it, might actually exist. Go inland, though -- there should be plenty of candidates throughout Riverside County. Hemet, Beaumont, Banning are all good places to find dry desert cars Temecula has a lot of nice cars. The more arid the climate, the better the body and refitting a dry-rotted interior is a breeze compared to extensive rust repair.
Taking @dennis_30281 advice, I pulled out the carpet and liners and went to town with an ice pick this afternoon.
The floorpan in the cab is solid. Surface rust is present in the front interior (spills over the years?) and a tad bit in the back, but nothing a wire brush and some grit won’t clear right up inside.
The trunk pan, however, has a bad spot on the passenger side and a patch would absolutely need to be welded in. This was the only unexpected thing my novice approach could find.
As predicted there is also cancer beneath the rear window (driver side.)
The outer visible rust on the rocker proved local by the ice pick test.
I spent about an hour poking and prodding, most of it from underneath because the undercoating preventing visually “zeroing in” anywhere. And also because I didn’t pull the seats out so I spent a lot of time aiming for those areas from underneath.
In my unprofessional and inexperienced mind a new roof assembly could be procured and welded on, along with a few small patch panels….not an overwhelming job? I still think it’s worth having a pro do a more thorough work up of what it would take. Looks bad, but feels strong. I’m certain this would grind right off. This spot in the trunk would need a patch
I mean, is the risk that something significant gets missed and spreads? It probably sounds weird to you all - but the way this car came to me and the family who gave it to me…combined with this being a lifelong dream of mine…it “feels” like this cars a good candidate! I understand the danger of wanting something so bad and plowing into a disastrous situation, but it’s worth the price of having it looked at by a shop before I make the call. Worst case, I sell the car or part it out and recoup transpo & lany abor costs for the inspection & quote.
The public opinion is unanimous! Whether I go rogue against general wisdom or let go and move along, I sure do appreciate everyone taking the thought and time to chime in!
My opinion, get that car running. See if the 350 and transmission are strong. Then, pull the interior that is saveable.
If so, then, go shopping. Remember, you have a powertrain. Look for stripper grade v6 cars, and cars with blown engines, but that have solid body. Buy that car. Put your powertrain and what you need from this car into the new car, then scrap the rest.
30k will go a long way with some effort of putting two cars with different issues into one that is good and one that is junk.
If you want a zero ***** given car, get a brown 4 door with a 6, stuff that 350 with some bolt on cheese horsepower on it, and go terrorize the neighborhood.
Wheres the money shots?
Inspect the inside/outside of the frame, its body mounts, the floor inner support structures etc.
Inspect the inside of the rockers, that pinch weld under the doors, door seams, back half above the rear wheel wells under the dutchman panel, inner wheel house structure, firewall... dash and cowl structures, window channels, trunk drop offs etc.
Pull the chrome from under the wipers and the trim around the rear window. Rotted?
If all that is solid and you have the ability to MIG/TIG weld and work with metal and car bodies go for it. Skin metal is one thing. Inner structure rot is another.
If the condition is ROTTED run Forest run.
I'm from the rot belt. You southern/western guys don't know what that means. Unless its a super special super rare car and you have metal skills run. They do make solid derby cars or winter cars if too far gone.
My opinion, get that car running. See if the 350 and transmission are strong. Then, pull the interior that is saveable.
If so, then, go shopping. Remember, you have a powertrain. Look for stripper grade v6 cars, and cars with blown engines, but that have solid body. Buy that car. Put your powertrain and what you need from this car into the new car, then scrap the rest.
30k will go a long way with some effort of putting two cars with different issues into one that is good and one that is junk.
If you want a zero ***** given car, get a brown 4 door with a 6, stuff that 350 with some bolt on cheese horsepower on it, and go terrorize the neighborhood.
Hahahahaha I love this! 😂 Makes a lot of sense, too
Wheres the money shots?
Inspect the inside/outside of the frame, its body mounts, the floor inner support structures etc.
Inspect the inside of the rockers, that pinch weld under the doors, door seams, back half above the rear wheel wells under the dutchman panel, inner wheel house structure, firewall... dash and cowl structures, window channels, trunk drop offs etc.
Pull the chrome from under the wipers and the trim around the rear window. Rotted?
If all that is solid and you have the ability to MIG/TIG weld and work with metal and car bodies go for it. Skin metal is one thing. Inner structure rot is another.
If the condition is ROTTED run Forest run.
I'm from the rot belt. You southern/western guys don't know what that means. Unless its a super special super rare car and you have metal skills run. They do make solid derby cars or winter cars if too far gone.
Actually not a bad as I thought it would be, although you really need to get it on a lift for a good look-see. Regardless, you can do a lot better. Why start with the distinct handicap of knowing you'll need to do significant rust repair just to bring it up to the same level another car might already be at? Think of what else you can spend that money on!
are priority…thank you for sharing your experience with me. 
