Rust

[fez911]

The front wings are starting to bubble around the headlamps and the door slams are starting to show some deterioration on my 81 targa. So I went to a local body to get an idea of cost - told I was looking at around 3k +vat and that was before all the other stuff like potential for new wings 1k each, possible breakage of real window!, etc, etc.

Theres no point in getting the work done at this price as it has the potential to exceed the value of the car and I don't mind driving round in a rusty SC but has anyone got any experience of these tell tale signs and likely hidden rust issues? How long do you think it will take for deterioration to render the car unable to pass its MOT? Mechanically its fine and still gives me a buzz every time it drive it.

 

[dugsud]

I'd say try some different body shops!

I had a similar problem & as my car is not a minter but a usable 911 in good general condition I was unwilling to spend a fortune on the bodywork.

The quotes I got varied from £400 to £2500!! I had the work done for around £700 in the end & the job was a good one with any rust cut out with new metal welded in, front and rear wings then painted.

Ok I might need the odd bit done every couple of years to keep on top of any bubbles but it's a small price to pay to keep the car looking tidy.

My advice is shop around, find a body shop with the old fashioned skills of dealing with rust properly (not just filler) that charges sensibly.

It took me six months of looking but I found one in the end!

I think she looks pretty reasonable for it too!! []

 

[bones]

Car's looking fab Dug , that's a great shot. Fez as Doug says do some research, shop around but only choose someone who can show you work they have done. Points that are likely to fail the MOT are B-pillars where the rot is in close proximity to the suspension mountings. There is a certain distance up to the (rear torsion bars and spring plates in this case) where you cannot have corrosion. If someone is removing the rear glass it is their responsibility to look after it, there is NO NEED whatsoever to break the rear screen if it has to be removed. The rear screen is known to be an SOB to refit but it can be done quickly and reliably by people with the right level of experience, again do some research and get back here if all you are getting is bullshit about breakages, walk away from places like that.

 

[tripe]

£1k each for a front wing sounds a bit stiff, here's a cheaper pair:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4524381988&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT


And you should be able to pick up some half decent second hand ones for less than £250 each.

 

[fez911]

Thanks - will certainly shop around and let you know how I get on.

 

[jamescharnley]

ORIGINAL: dugsud

I'd say try some different body shops!

I had a similar problem & as my car is not a minter but a usable 911 in good general condition I was unwilling to spend a fortune on the bodywork.

The quotes I got varied from £400 to £2500!! I had the work done for around £700 in the end & the job was a good one with any rust cut out with new metal welded in, front and rear wings then painted.

Ok I might need the odd bit done every couple of years to keep on top of any bubbles but it's a small price to pay to keep the car looking tidy.

My advice is shop around, find a body shop with the old fashioned skills of dealing with rust properly (not just filler) that charges sensibly.

It took me six months of looking but I found one in the end!

I think she looks pretty reasonable for it too!! []

I can deffo say this car looks good from my rear view mirror [][][]

How are things?

 

[dugsud]

Hi James,
Nice to hear from you again!
Perhaps I'll see a bit more of you in my rear mirror on the next run out!![]

We need to organise another one early in the spring!

Perhaps up to the lakes this time.

Cheers

Doug

 

[Bazgillie]

Fez
The back window should not need to come out to repair the B-posts. Did all of the preperation work myself on mine and subbed out the welding and spraying. Panels cost about £100 each side from Bert Berlyn. Buy a tool to drill out the spot welds as this makes life a lot easier. The front wings are completely screwed on so these are not hard to do but if you are trying to save money you will need to chase around to find decent second hand ones.
Good luck Baz

 

[bones]

Baz I'm going to call you at some point to pick your brains about the B-pillar repair I have to attend to my pass' side soon and body shops so far are predicting the worst as regards having to respray the rear wing. I would only respray there with the rear screen out as I can't stand spraying up to rubber trim. No doubt this topic will come up time and time again here, perhaps you could write an article for 'PP' as a seperate item for the SC section.

 

[Bazgillie]

Bones
To remove the complete B-post you have to drill out the spot welds that run all the way up the join between B-post and rear wing by time the new panel is welded in and made good you will have marked the rear wing to some extent. On mine the bottom of the wing where it joins the outer sill was rusty, this was hidden by the outer sill/trim. I cut a solid piece out of the old sill which is the same profile and had that welded in to the bottom of the wing. After all of this work mine was in need of having the whole rear wing and into the door shut sprayed plus the new sill. You can not see the extent of the job until you start removing bits of metal by which time the meter is running if someone else is doing the job for you.
Baz