Crying over a Cuda

[hi-roller]

Well, money has started to roll in for me again and I figured I'd get a head start on my 69 fastbacks's body work. I knew it had rust issues from its early life, and I know it was hit at one time on the right side, and I even know, on a personal level, the original owner's grandson. So I started to tear into it at first at the top of the right quarter panel around where a previous patch had peeled off at some point during its 15 year doormant stage in a garage. It was easy, and I could see most of the dents... OKay I thought, weld in a single piece of sheet metal bent into the countor of the panel and a lil bit of Bondo to address two areas of cheese holing. Then I thought, "well lets see whats behind the cheese holes." I think I threw up in my mouth. What had started as seaming like a weekend warrior's project now has me looking at getting rockers. So being curious and furios, I opened it up some more. I found out just how hard it was hit. I tore into it some more... back in the day, I guess Earl Shibe thought it would be a good idea to NOT clean out the rust area. I found ACTUAL MUD inside the area between the outer panel and the the inner bracing. This is also just the right side of the car. I'm so disgusted that I almost want to sell the car. Minimum wage and being 16 doesnt allow you to buy quarters, rockers, and paint plus the countless man hours it takes to do that kind of restoration. No pics as of right now but I'll try to get some stuff up soon.


Lets see what the future brings
Preston

 

[46 Dodge PU]

I gotta tell you, when we were 16, they didn't even make patch panels for those cars. Work with what you have and learn while you are doing it. We used to cut and bend our own sheet metal patches. Clean it up, repair what you can, and make the car better than when you started.

 

[chopper tom]

i agree with 46 ,just do what you can and latter on you can redo it the way you really want and not get too over your head and not be able to injoy it right now.
Besides any thing you do better than it was, is an improvement .so at least your movein forward!

 

[eugene vik]

parts

looks like a good time to learn how to make some stuff like rockers, a piece of metal a brake or a big bench and visegrips and some angle iron to bend the bottoms
I used to cut up old car hoods and made a lot of patch panels and brazed them to fertilizer trucks and metal finished them and paid for most of my college rebuilding junk trucks
it can be done and you will learn a new trade, you may need some guiding hand to help you brainstorm some of the work involved
now get er dun!!!

 

[satanherself]

They are great cars when finished ,,had about 15 of them,,wish i had one now

 

[Willowbilly3]

I love the sheetmetal repair work. But if you have your mind made up you don't like that work then you should pass this one on and consider it a good education in what you find behind a couple pin holes. Those old cars rust through from the inside out and any pinholes at all means a huge chunk of metal needs to be replaced. 16 is a tough age to be looking at long term projects, most of us wanted instant gratification at that age and you are probably not much different.