Well yesterday I had a bit more of a poke about on my car and have rust where the under tray legs join the wheel arch.
The paint looks fine till you scratch it off and its just rust under there. I was able to bring it back to metal but too many places are getting like this.

So what to do? Probably time for a poll. JKD hasn't had one for a while.

• Option 1. Strip car and investigate repair or re-shell next year, if anything is left.
• Option 2. Strip and re-shell now finish for spring just chuck what I have on a shell.
• Option 3. Get a shell, Strip it protect it, rebuild an engine to a high standard (new shells/bearings/go forged?/Head?) clutch belts all pipes renew electrical components where applicable.
• Option 4. "New" coupé ebay gamble knowing that I have every spare part except a shell.
• Option 5. Mint coupé?
• Start saving for some thing new TVR/jag v12?
• 306d? Oh god no no no had I been drinking?
  

I am leaning to 3 with a suspension rebuild thrown in. My engine has done some odd things with oil but I tend to have good pressure when its hot. I seam to get my oil to 90°-100+° frequently and have between 1.5 and 2 bar depending on oil age. But my compression is about 140 to 145 psi.

If I get a shell with a block that has had the bottom end go I should be able to rebuild using my crank and then avoid a Q plate.

That's what I am thinking anyway Take a year do it right and get a mint coupé at the end. Cost? not go a clue but say £1000+shell+tools?. Don't think I can sort my one out for that. Does a cost guestimate sound good for that? Only tool I might need is a crane and an engine stand and some nice vernier callipers, I have more tools than a friends garage down here.

I'm thinking strip existing car, repair and protect and then at least you don't do any gambles and can still go for 3/4 if it's beyond repair. But somehow I don't think so.

Number 3, with a slight twist.

Put your existing engine in the new shell so you can start using it straight away, but rebuild a 2nd engine in your own time, this way you wouldnt be under any pressure to finish it and be tempted to rush just so you can get the car back on the road.

Where does one obtain a new shell? Recall also that you'd need a *new* shell with no VIN to re-register with the same plates; anything else is ringing and will cause official eyebrows to be raised.

Is the rust you are talking about structural ?
If not I would just repair it, repaint and stick with your current shell.

Ah yes your right Mr Barnacle.
That was why I did not suggest Matts option.
It can be done legit and you get a Q plate when you tell the DVLA.
If I get a shell with a duff engine and fit my parts(crank) then then the donor us scraped and the "new" to me shell is repaired from used parts but the engine and chassis numbers on that car are valid.

The rust is all over.
Rear arches meet the boot.
Floor pan some seams.
Some places under the car too, may be structural.
Front suspension turrets.
Front chassis legs
Front arches.
Front Wings.
Rear wing arches.
Paint all over is thin some rust spots (pin prick size) on every panel roof and doors.
Rust on rear chassis legs.
Rusty rear subframe (probably not that bad really.)
It is the condition of the turrets that is worrying me rust on the top out side dealt with what's inside??.
Rust where the tops of the arches are.
Rust on jacking points rear passenger side collapse
rust on the floor/wheel arch behind rear jacking points.
rust on the floor (outside bottom) where the floor meets the front wheel in front of jacking point.

To do anything with the current car it must be fully striped. and assessed and repaired. then I would be gutted if it is too bad and I have a room full of coupé parts.

I would love to restore the shell and keep a spare if I could but cant really keep it and drag it around the country after me.

You haven't seen rust until you have seen the panda i'm rebuilding.....

Im not going to give advice but will just say all the best with any choice you make

I know anything can be fixed but then it is the cost of a full respray after....
How much would a full interior and exterior spray be with a dip, new metal and spray of a naked shell be? With repairs to the above + bonnet which is a state.

It would certainly not be economic in terms of the value of the car, pre or post treatment. Though I'm thinking of that for mine at some future time... four or five k minimum, perhaps more with the strip and rebuild.

Its just mad money. Even if I learnt to weld and did all the welding my self its still mad money on car that you could pick up and have a hoot with for a grand. No doubt the rust is worse than it looks. I found rust under seemingly perfect paint on Monday.
Say I rattle caned the inside and sorted the bottom my self and stone guarded everything that's hidden from view my self. How much would the out side cost 1000+?

Nothing to see here, move along now.

Shhh matt not so loud I will let you know tomorrow if I am coming for a look.

i just done all my rust tonight. cut away all the pieces the are affected heavily by rust, cut out sheet metal to near enough desired shape, tack weld it and hammer into shape of existing part.

it sounds to me you are looking at surface rust as you mentioned you got it back to good metal? if it was rusted badly there would be no clean metal around the affected area.

Some holes are about the place floor + boot. My problem with "Surface" rust is that what ever I clean up is weaker than whet FIAT designed.

use fibreglass once all the rust is cleaned away, this will strenghten the whole area. if you really are set on re-shelling than go ahead but you are not gauranteed this will not be rusted in some areas aswell.

jono

Jack - it sounds like your rust is worse than my Sprinty had, and I scrapped it

You're looking at several thousand to do the shell properly, if you don't want to be doing it all again in three or four years

My suggestion would be to find a clean, solid Coupe and transfer over whatever bits you want to retain from your existing car

After a lot of thinking, that's exactly what I did and I now have a clean, low mileage, non-rusty 400bhp Moonie

to be honest though jef, rust is present on ANY car, any age, any mileage, despite any 'rustproofing' or spotless looking paitwork.

metal will rust even from just the moisture from a finger print, wont be super fast but you get the idea.

a car will enevitably fall victim to rust, some sooner than others obviously but given our wet climate you can never keep a car 'dry'

in my view - i think the new shell idea is pretty flawed to be honest, for the amount of time and money you would have to invest in the project you might as well just buy another decent coupe and be done with it.

shame though, feel for you mate.

I think the key is to get one as clean as you can (and that's realistic possible) and then spend some time rust proofing the underside and any area that is likely to experience pooling moisture.
Yes rust will eat any ferrous metal but with good maintenance and keeping on top of it I see no reason why a well looked after car wont out live you.

One question I do have to the people with knowledge that is above my own, why isn't a sacrificial metal more common with cars? in boats and bridges/barriers zink is often bolted to the structure/boat.

Is it because the objects are submerged and that's the reason this is successfully?

How often do you get to acid dip a car and restore it to as new? You've got the perfect excuse now

It will cost lots but if you intend to keep the car for life, I'd jump at the chance. You'll then have one of the best kept coupes in the UK.

The problem with *Acid dips" is what ever comes out is a gamble. you could get lucky or you could get a shell that needs months of welding and beating to put the metal back in to it!
For the non DIY this involves huge cost and probably would be viable....

if you want scary pictures of rust....

Mmmmm, acid dips, I wonder what would happen if you somehow accidently knocked (pushed) someone in one

If you want to get rid of that body that's been in you boot for a while, then a bio washing powder bath is the way to go

Acid leaves too many parts, bio only leaves some grisle.

So if we added some 'Vanish' then.......


Sorry for taking this topic - off topic

Sam - that looks disastrous mate

acid dip and rust treatment dont allways work

problem with using acid mainly phosphoric acid is yes it stripps the rust off
but at same time helps to accelerate the corrosion process
on any bare metal left , so need to recoat as soon as

stuff like bridges and underwater applications

are normally repainted ever year or so, and stearing pods on boats etc refurbed every so often

also any special coatings used are maybe to costly to use for cars

on modern bridges they dont paint insides but use a dehumidfier to keep moisture levels below what rust can set in easily
probly not a option to use on a car?

Apropos of nothing - my father went to the same school as Acid Bath Haigh...

Put an industrial de-humidifier in your garage, that should do the trick.

Or...

acid dip
welding where needed
metalisation with zinc
another layer of rustproofing
stonechip underprotection