Well they put the lil red go cart up on the hoist today and for the first time I got a good look at the underside. It was not pretty. Rot all over and already holes all the way through. Has anyone done a restoration for the underside or is it a case of run her till she can't go no more. I just got her this weekend and I will turn her into a project car if it is salvageable. Any input or suggestions?
Bad news for my Rex
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Based on that, i would gather that it is, as you put it, "a case of run her till she can't go no more", that is pending the car can still pass inspection.iggster said:
Underbody rot is not good, they are unibody cars (no frame) rust as bad as you described it is NOT good. Sounds like structurally it could be a safety concern.
I am lucky as we don't have inspections here. What I am thinking about is running her for a while and then gutting out the interior and pulling all carpet and panels and see what I can find. Cut away and rebuild up the metal and see if I can't try and find a way to patch her together. Man what a bummer. This just ruined my day. Oh well $200 for the car and $450 for new shocks and tires so for under $700 I'll see what kind of life I can get out of her. Maybe I will be taking a lot of sheet metal on the floor to help prolong the inevitable. I wish I could find a shell. That would be a boost.
You can buy floor pans from certain company (no clue which ones) to replace your. If the actual supportive frame (unibodies have small frames welded to the panels) is in good shape I say replace the floor. Don't forget to paint it and undercoat it afterwards, and repaint the interior of the car. Not an easy task but if you love the car you will do it.
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You have a first gen right (the one in your avatar)? Well.....first gens have torsion bar front suspensions. Torsion bars + rust = very bad news. Make sure you have the area where the torsion bars mount very well inspected. The bar twists to absorb bumps and is under tremendous pressure. If it's mounts are rusted it can literally tear right out of the car dumping your car onto the ground. causing you to lose control. Because of it's suspension rust on the underbody of a first gen is much more critical than on a second gen. The guys over on www.redpepperracing.com can advise you on whether your car can be fixed.....
We don't have one either. My car hasn't been inspected in 3 or 4 years. You inspect it once you buy it to get plates. Once you get plates it never requires you to go. But I can't beleive that some states don't even have that!baker423 said:
Don't be bummed out, replace the floor!
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