Thank's for the supportive replies. Most of the car's rust problem seems to
be related to that back wheel well and suspension. The other items can
wait, as they are not safety issues. I was rather taken aback that the
mechanic suggested disposing of the vehicle. He's known to be very good
with English sportscars, but he also seems to be a perfectionist. There are
a few holes in the body, such as the front of the bonnet, and near the rear
wheel well, but these can be small, individual projects to be completed on
my own time.
There are bad spots in the trunk floor as well, whch would lead me to
believe that the car was sitting for some time where water was allowed to
collect or sit, because most of the problems are in that back corner.
I was quite irked of course about the prospect of having wasted considerable
time and money for a car that was not easily repairable, as I have already
been working on repairs for the interior. (Switches, lights, seatbelts,
rollbar, etc.)
SNIP---
If you are just talking about repairing the area where the rear springs
attach, that shouldn' cost much more than a couple hundred dollars to fix;
but if you are talking about repairing rust problems in the floors, wheel
wells, rockers, fenders, trunk, etc., then $5,000 is probably pretty
accurate, in my experience.
Bob
---SNIP
I suspect that Bob is right on the money, but I had not expected to divert
all of my budget and efforts to fixing just this one issue, right away. The
fenders are okay (some pitting), as are the rockers. One test I did while
purchasing the car was to jack it up on on each side, and measure the gap
between the door seam, by the handle. The gap remained unchanged when the
car was lowered, which indicated to me that the frame was still relatively
strong. (I understand that the car can sag in the middle when rust problems
become severe.)
Regards,
Charles
'74 Midget
cdsorkin@ix.netcom.com
Bloomfield, NJ
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