<VV> Multiple Rust problems on My 66 Convertible- YIKES! Help!

[Norman C. Witte]

Neil,

It would be nice to start with a rustfree body and go from there, but as the
fleet ages those are getting harder to find.  My '65 Corsa turbovert had
very similar rust to that you are describing; take a look at

http://www.wittelaw.com/personal/turbo/11.htm

if you want to see what kind of condition the car was in.  I had one rocker
that needed a reskin and one that was fine because of a clogged drain hole.
The drain holes at the rear of the rocker just ahead of the wheel can become
clogged, resulting in water being trapped in the rocker.  That's what
happened on the right side of my car, but the left was absolutely fine.  I
know the hole was clogged because my daughter knocked the dirt plug out of
it with a screw driver.  The rocker was cut off and the sheetmetal below was
very solid.  When the work was done, I was confident that my car was
extremely solid.

The point is that while the car did require rust repair, it was limited in
nature.  I could see that it was caused by drainage problems in some
specific areas.  By contrast, I've had two other Corvairs that were Michigan
based cars and rust was endemic.  I'm sure they could have been repaired but
it would have required Herculean efforts akin to what Kent did, and neither
car justified the effort.  The smartest thing I did was to sell one of those
cars early before I put a lot of work into it in favor of finding a better
starting point.

It's as important to determine what caused the rust damage as to determine
its scope.  If the car spent time in the salt bath like most Michigan-based
cars did, you're probably better advised to give it up and find a different
car.  If it's something like what my car had, decide whether it might be
cheaper -- and easier -- to spend maybe $2-3k on rust repair than to start
from scratch with another set of unknowns.  An added factor is that '66
Corsa convertibles are fairly rare, so your car is probably a better
candidate for more extensive repairs.  In any event, the rocker repair WILL
require cutting and welding, and it's structural, but it's not as bad as you
may think.  A competent body shop can do this repair without that much
trouble.  Even if you're not looking to make a show car, it makes sense to
cut out the rust and weld metal in.


Norm Witte

> -----Original Message-----
> From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
> [mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org]On Behalf Of Neil Bristol
> Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 9:59 AM
> To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
> Subject: <VV> Multiple Rust problems on My 66 Convertible-
> YIKES! Help!
>
>
> I had an earlier post about the rusted Rocker panel on my 66
> Corsa Ragtop, Kent ( AKA Corvairkid) replied and I spent
> sometime looking at his great website, and the extensive
> repairs around the Windshield of his Yellow 66 Corsa
> Convertible, and the Rocker panels, etc, etc on the Blue
> Turbo. ( Beautiful cars and great information, Thanks again Kent!)
>
>  Anyway, It got me thinking.  So I went back and spent Sunday
> taking out the dash and windshield and looking at the rockers
> again.I have found a few not so great surprises: My A pillars
> are fine but the right side rocker is pretty bad, strangely
> the left looks like it is OK (I think).  I have rust just
> like Kent's yellow Corsa in the windshield frame and into the
> dash (also a little in the seam at the fire wall).
>
>  I have been pretty focused on the mechanical stuff since I
> acquired the car in 2002. It had been given an "OK" Earl
> Schieb special paint job a few years before and although it
> had some bondo it looked ( to me) to be pretty straight. I
> just wanted to be able to drive to the beach (1 mile away) in
> the summer or take my kids for an ice cream. Well it hasn't
> gone any further than around the block and not even that far
> in the last 18 months.
>
>   Given my lack of body work expertise and not having welded
> anything since 1976 I wonder if maybe I should:
>
>  a) Use this as a parts car and go find another with a solid body
>
>  b) Buy a nice little late model coupe that doesn't need
> anything and drive that while I take 6 years to do the
> Convertible on the cheap.
>
>  c) Sell it all and find another hobby
>
>  It sure would be great to fix this one instead of parting it
> out but I don't want to throw good money after bad. If anyone
> out there has more information on these repairs I would
> really appreciate it. I'm not looking to make this a show
> car, just a safe and solid car I can enjoy. If there are any
> methods of making the repairs without getting into complex
> welding and fabrication I need to hear about them.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Neil
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
>  Yahoo! Mail
>  Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments.
>  _______________________________________________
> This message was sent by the VirtualVairs mailing list, all
> copyrights are the property
> of the writer, please attribute properly. For help,
mailto:vv-help at corvair.org
This list sponsored by the Corvair Society of America,
http://www.corvair.org/
Post messages to: VirtualVairs at corvair.org
Change your options: http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/options/virtualvairs
 _______________________________________________