W-Body rust repair

Admin Posts : 1525 Join date : 2009-01-17 Age : 55

So the wifes car failed big time at inspection day. I knew it would. Rolling Eyes

There was no drivers rocker, and the passengers side needs floor work by the rocker, and all four tie rods. I had all the parts, just have not had time. Until today. Found more rot than I thought I would going all the way back into the quarter. But since most is covered by the ground affects, I ain't makin it purdy.

Once the ground affect came off, this is what I had to remove.
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New hard to find drivers two door rocker panel.
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All the rusty removed
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Test fit

ready to weld
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Installed and some left over sheet metal tacked in to cover the uglys on the quarter.
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A shot from the front showing another angle and all the crap that needs to come off.
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Subject: Re: W-Body rust repair Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:32 pm

inspections look at rust??? My god, there wouldn't be a single car left on the road in Wisconsin if we had that!!!

Good looking work, Bill.

Posts : 2182 Join date : 2009-01-21 Age : 36 Location : NH

I can bring the Lumina on Sunday?

I see I'm not the only one that uses pipe wrenches on his car.

Subject: Re: W-Body rust repair Sat Jul 07, 2012 12:50 am

Bill if you're going on Sunday I would like to get some welding advice/tips because I am what I'd like to call an "extreme novice" Laughing

I'd appreciate it greatly!

Admin Posts : 1525 Join date : 2009-01-17 Age : 55

LiveFreeorDieTryin wrote:: inspections look at rust??? My god, there wouldn't be a single car left on the road in Wisconsin if we had that!!!

Good looking work, Bill.

Anything structural, or rot holes has to be fixed. Holes can allow exhaust in the car, and structural rot can just plain make the car unsafe. This
stuff was going to get fixed anyway, but I was hoping to have it done before inspection.

boojum wrote:: I can bring the Lumina on Sunday?

I see I'm not the only one that uses pipe wrenches on his car.

You can bring the lumina Sunday. Not sure why. Razz

Pipe wrenches are great to have on a 16-18 year old car. That 8" wrench is awesome for removing brake lines, tranny lines, and rusted bolts and buts. I have a 18" pipe wrench I use to hold the harmonic balancer when I remove and install the three bolts that hold it to the hub.

1984twodoor wrote:: Bill if you're going on Sunday I would like to get some welding advice/tips because I am what I'd like to call an "extreme novice" I'd appreciate it greatly!

Wire feed flux core welders suck for doing body work. But they are great for deep penetrating welds on thicker steel if on the highest temp setting.
I can answer questions. Hopefully they will be correct answers. Razz

Subject: Re: W-Body rust repair Sat Jul 07, 2012 9:23 am

Does this mean I can borrow your air compressor now bounce

Admin Posts : 1525 Join date : 2009-01-17 Age : 55

cloud 9 wrote:: Does this mean I can borrow your air compressor now

No!

Posts : 1700 Join date : 2009-03-24

Looking good. It's nice to have those ground effects to cover up everything afterwards. It's the finish bodywork that I hate.

Subject: Re: W-Body rust repair Sat Jul 07, 2012 10:14 am

IMPALADAKID wrote:

LiveFreeorDieTryin wrote:: inspections look at rust??? My god, there wouldn't be a single car left on the road in Wisconsin if we had that!!!

Good looking work, Bill.

Anything structural, or rot holes has to be fixed. Holes can allow exhaust in the car, and structural rot can just plain make the car unsafe. This
stuff was going to get fixed anyway, but I was hoping to have it done before inspection.

boojum wrote:: I can bring the Lumina on Sunday?

I see I'm not the only one that uses pipe wrenches on his car.

You can bring the lumina Sunday. Not sure why. Razz

Pipe wrenches are great to have on a 16-18 year old car. That 8" wrench is awesome for removing brake lines, tranny lines, and rusted bolts and buts. I have a 18" pipe wrench I use to hold the harmonic balancer when I remove and install the three bolts that hold it to the hub.

1984twodoor wrote:: Bill if you're going on Sunday I would like to get some welding advice/tips because I am what I'd like to call an "extreme novice" I'd appreciate it greatly!

Wire feed flux core welders suck for doing body work. But they are great for deep penetrating welds on thicker steel if on the highest temp setting.
I can answer questions. Hopefully they will be correct answers. Razz

Correct or not they'll still help! Hopefully you'll still be around when I get there after work around 2:00-ish

Pooge wrote:: Looking good. It's nice to have those ground effects to cover up everything afterwards. It's the finish bodywork that I hate.

Ditto! That's why I'm excited the only body work I need to do is underneath the car and behind the front fenders. Then again I hate messing up a lot so...yeah! Practice practice.

Admin Posts : 1525 Join date : 2009-01-17 Age : 55

Base coat on. Got the paint from Paintscratch.com
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Cleared and ready to assemble as soon as it dries. Rolling Eyes

Subject: Re: W-Body rust repair Sat Jul 07, 2012 2:09 pm

Looks good Billy. So the cladding covers all of that anyway? Did the inspection station guy actually get down and look up behind there? Down here if they can't see it, it seems like they don't care...

Guy I work for has a Century that had the little water-filled bubbles forming there when the car only had 50K miles, every one I see in the junkyard is rotted for the entire length of the rocker, even some of the Wimpalas I've seen are like that. (They all seem to snap the front sway bar at the end links too. Evil or Very Mad

)
He was thinking about getting the plastic pieces from a Regal and putting them on the car, but it seems like a lot of work...

Admin Posts : 1525 Join date : 2009-01-17 Age : 55

Once on a lift, you can see behind the cladding. Not to mention there was a big hole where the door jam should have been.

Admin Posts : 1525 Join date : 2009-01-17 Age : 55

Finished with the drivers side
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Subject: Re: W-Body rust repair Sat Jul 07, 2012 10:51 pm

A layman would never know you touched it. Cool

Subject: Re: W-Body rust repair Sun Jul 08, 2012 1:23 am

Hey it looks good enough for me! I'd drive it!

Admin Posts : 1525 Join date : 2009-01-17 Age : 55

Passengers side really sucks. No fancy patch panel here. Just plain old redneck engineering. Rolling Eyes

So the first thing I found after taking the cladding off
is there is no pinch weld left in the rear. Well none with any usable metal. I looked in my pile of scrap and found a piece of 1" angle iron. So I cut the pinch weld out, and plan to weld the angle iron to the floor. Then I will have something to weld some home made patch panels too. I am also using alot of rust converter on this side since I need as much metal as I can get just to weld to.

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Even the cladding mount is rotted. But I will weld some braces, and a place to bolt it to the body.
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Subject: Re: W-Body rust repair Fri Jul 13, 2012 3:47 pm

Eeek!

IMPALADAKID wrote:: Base coat on. Got the paint from Paintscratch.com

And I see you have the same fire extinguisher as me... Wink

Is that stool rated to hold up the car??? Razz

Nice work on the driver's side, man. Seriously!

Admin Posts : 1525 Join date : 2009-01-17 Age : 55

toomanytoyz wrote:

Eeek!

IMPALADAKID wrote:: Base coat on. Got the paint from Paintscratch.com

And I see you have the same fire extinguisher as me... Wink

Nice work on the driver's side, man. Seriously!

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!! Laughing

Yes. I may or may not have had a tiny fire.. Maybe. Rolling Eyes

Extinguishers are in the boat which is not here.

And thanks. Wink

I can not tell you what it is like to be out in 98 degree humid weather welding and grinding. W-Body rust repair 729710685

Here is my home made pinch weld. Welded in. Suspect

It is welded completely on the back side. I was just trying to weld to rust on the outside. Mad

Admin Posts : 1525 Join date : 2009-01-17 Age : 55

Almost done. Nothing pretty, just about creating what was missing.
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Subject: Re: W-Body rust repair Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:35 pm

Looks good! Not bad for not having a replacement rocker handy!

Admin Posts : 1525 Join date : 2009-01-17 Age : 55

toomanytoyz wrote:: Looks good! Not bad for not having a replacement rocker handy!

Thanks
Not bad considering I knew I did not have to make it pretty, and I decided it was a good day to have a drink, or two, or three. drunken

And welding in shorts and sandals is a fun adventure. Especially when you are drunk. Good thing I had a lot of windex. Rolling Eyes

Posts : 4292 Join date : 2009-03-20 Location : Revere, MA

Are you kidding me????
That looks fantastic.
I was impressed with the drivers side,
but to look at the pass where there was nothing...now that....wow!
Either your a FANTASTIC cameraman...or your SKILLZ are showing.

Admin Posts : 1525 Join date : 2009-01-17 Age : 55

UPDATE:
Phyllis brought the car in yesterday to Dover Chevrolet for a re-inspect, and alignment. It had been failed for rot on both rockers and quarter panels, rotted passengers side rear control arm mount, both outer tie rods. After near 45 hours of repair over two weekends, I am happy to say it passed with flying colors. The Service manager said usually when he tells someone they need 3-4k worth of work to pass inspection on a 12 year old car, he never sees it again. He was surprised that all the work had been done, and done correctly. Had it been any other car, that would have been the case. But she loves herself some Pontiac. I love you

Now I have to figure out the CEL, and replace the fuel filler tube, which might be playing a roll in that. Rolling Eyes

Subject: Re: W-Body rust repair Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:43 am

fu*(ng road salt, i hate that shit, if these douchbags would learn how to drive, new england wouldn't need to salt and sand our roads. ugh.

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