How much rust is too much rust?

I got my hands on a 1951 cadillac convertible this weekend...only problem is she's got alot of rust. I'm not much of a bodywork person, so I am not familar with rust repair, etc.

I do know that the Floor Boards, trunk, rockers (inner and outer) will need to be replaced...also, I noticed it rusted out where the rear fenders attach to the body (where the welt is) from inside the wheel well.

Is this repairable? Or should i start looking for a donor car (coupe) for good pathc metal?

Any advice?

Charles

 

That sounds like something that might get expensive in the sheetmetal department... Start pricing what you know needs work out, and see if you still wanna do it.

 

at least you didn't chop up that beautiful hardtop....

 

It does sound like a tad bit of rust there. It would be a good idea to get a price for all the repair to the metal and compare to a good donor car, as for your question you have to answer that yourself.

 

how much is to much?...when you start it and the motor falls out

 

find a solid coupe and put in the convertible parts

 

Haha...
<----I already have a super solid (Virtually rust-free) 1953 Coupe. It would be nice to have 2 Caddy's though

I wonder how much rust repair I could get done for $10,000.

 

first off everything is repairable. it just depends on haw much time,effort and money you want to put into it....
one thing to consider is that caddy repop/nos parts arent easily available(at least in my experience) and more than likely youll either need to make some,modify something close or cut good panels out of a donor car......if youre not comfortable doing that ditch that car and search for another thats in better shape.....it may take time but theyre out there(probably for well under 10,000)

 

Cadillac Convertible's for under $10,000? Seriously? point them out to me please!

 

I've fixed four doors with more rust than that. Rockers (inners and outers) are fairly easy to make if they're not availible, as are floor/trunk pans if the bead rolling and shapes are fairly simple. The rear quarter attatching points are important to fix solid but they won't have to be as pretty as the exterior metal work.

That's not a lot of rust at all, especially for such a desirable car. $10K should be able to get that car welded up, stripped/blasted and sealed, ready for bodywork, and that done by a pro body shop, not a fly-by-night cobbler. That's 200 hours of work at $50 an hour, someone who knows what they're doing could probably knock out the metal work in half that time.

 

Here is all that I found available for repop...
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=10 cellPadding=0 width=460><TBODY><TR><TD>Front Toeboards</TD><TD>$48.00</TD></TR><TR><TD>Front Floor Pans</TD><TD>$65.00</TD></TR><TR><TD>Left or Right under Front Seat 13 in.</TD><TD>$38.00</TD></TR><TR><TD>Rear Floor Pans</TD><TD>$65.00</TD></TR><TR><TD>Left or Right under Rear Seat Pan</TD><TD>$78.00</TD></TR><TR><TD>Outer Rocker Panels (2 door)</TD><TD>$75.00</TD></TR><TR><TD>Inner Rockers Panels</TD><TD>$50.00</TD></TR><TR><TD>Angles for Sill Plates</TD><TD>$12.00</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Woohoo...I may have a convertible after all...

 

You know at this rate you're going to have a re deck u lous amount of money in this caddy before its done, right?

You'd be miles and years ahead to buy the convert that you want instead of paying someone to fix this one.

If all the pans are rotted, you can be sure there's other rust that you don't know about.

If you don't mind learning some new skills, then hell yes make your own floor pans and trunk, weld them in, etc. You can buy some really fantastic tools for metal/fab/welding work with that 10 grand and have money left over, and get it done exactly how you want it, *AND* you won't be held hostage by a shop, get c aught up in a bad deal, ripped off, etc.

my 2 cents, congrats on the score, let's see some pics please!!

 

pics would help answer truthfully how much rust is too much,or if you need a donor hardtop to put the convertible parts on.

 

Becareful what you buy for panels.. they might look good in pictures , but do they fit? Im going through that on my Henry J.. bought everything to find out.. nothing fits.. Wasted a pile of money on useless bent metal.. not even worth reshaping.. . ask lots of questions ..

 

Time to buy a welder and learn...

 

who had those? only parts ive ever seen were engine parts(m.t.s. for hop up parts)
well the was a 54 drop top 3 blocks away from me that went for $5000(yuba city ca.) about a month ago

heres an easy way to quickly tell if its too rotten.......take a punch,push down into the rusted areas...if it dimples it or goes through cut it out and replace it........and dont forget labor rates will be about $65-$100+ an hr. depending on where you go(most of the shops ive worked at were $75 an hr.)

 

Yeah, post some photos.

But I've sold cars to guys who restored them and they were just about broken in two. Anything is fixable if you want to put the effort into it.

A solid nonrunning donor is usually the most economical way to get replacement sheetmetal.

 

Those parts aren't really expensive (way cheaper than I figured) and none of them are real hard to do... I had a Mach 1 and a Cougar they were both unibodies, and it wasn't difficult at all to replace the trunk and floor pans.

 

I just got back from the trip to pick her up, so not too many pictures yet... but here you go. BTW...I love my new trailer too...20' Tiltbed...yummy.

 

The body looks very solid. Very nice car though.

 

looks can be deceiving. I think the outer shell is fine (thanks to paint) and the frame looks fine and sturdy. It's just everything else underneath. I emailed another local HAMB member for recommendations of a shop around here. Maybe I'll have a "pro" look at it.

Charles

 

the 54 drop was deleted since it was sold..........
heres a 55(coupe)just to show that theyre out there cheap still....
http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/1231649257.html
looks like a good project(again whered you find sheet metal listed?!?!? if its jc whitney id save your cash!)
good luck with her

 

http://c2cfabrication.com/index.html
http://www.classicfabrication.com/

I know coupes are somewhat easy to come by, but I have been searching for a convertible for under $10k for 3-4 years. I got this one for about half that. Good starting point...let's hope

 

WOW good start,those rear qpanels are bolted on so they come off..most everything else is bolted on too GOOD LUCK looks pretty solid

 

Hey,

I'd say, if a drop top will still cast a shadow it's still buildable!

Given what Caddie converts bring at auction if done correctly, nothing but a top drawer rebuild should be considered! This means that you don't hire "Guber" ta sling "Kitty Hair" and bullshit patches that have been squirtgun welded in. A doner coupe or sedan would take some of the sting outa your parts cost outlay. I've seen guys who buy these at auction crawl around under drop tops with flashlights whyle wareing business suits! "If" they're done well, you can recover your investment, butcher one, and you'll have an expensive parts car on your hands.

Swankey Devils C.C.
"Spending A Nation Into Generational Debt Is Not An Act Of Compassion!"

 

While she may "look" stock when I am done (exterior only ), I was planning something like a complete Art Morrison chassis, etc. Of course, I'm building her for me...

 

That is one beautiful car. In my opinion, i think you should shop around for repair panels, cause donor cars don't always come cheap and might have the same rust you have. Convertible Caddy's don't come cheap, so she's definitely worth repairing. If it makes you feel better, my old project truck is so rusty that we've named it Rusty McTetanus!

 

Thats a nice project.

This is what I did for my wagon.

A pressurized sand blaster,a good welder and a few other tools like a shrinker/stretcher, air-snips,throatless shear, bead roller, and bending brake should get you started on all the stuff like floor boards and braces under that car.

I know it sounds expensive for the tools mentioned but they are cheap and would cost less for all the pre made panels youll need to buy.

 

that looks like a great start to me! what engine is going into that tank?
i did notice your pull vehicle and hope you have a trans cooler on that (Ford Escape...naaa, you wouldn't do that.) that is one hell-of-a load for that SUV. i hope that the money you save on the car (parts etc.) doesn't go to a new trans.

 

Any rust is to much. Glad to see you saving one and fixing it. I haven't been thrilled with thw Classic Fabrications floorboards.