I picked up a 2dr 1954 chevy belair for a kustom project and drove it home for $2500 complete. I knew the rockers where bad and some floor issues. I also knew the lower quarters where a little bad. I completly took car apart for repairs and media blasting. Went to pick it up from media and HOLY SHIT was it bad (media $1000). Almost every panel was bad and the whole rear driver side quarter panel was leaded in at some point. Parts that need to be replaced are complete floors,inner and outer rockers, both front and rear quarters,trunk floor and rear panel,C piller has a soft ball sized hole in it,under all trim was bad and door bottoms are gone.Ive got $3500 in it at this point so what do I do???
hardtop or sedan? That makes a huge difference in value. If it is a hardtop, you should consider building it. If it is a sedan, maybe not
If it's the car in your avatar, hold on to it. Take a look at some of the threads about rust repair here and get inspired! If you tackle one thing at a time, it won't seem so daunting a task... AND there are LOTS of GA HAMBers here that can help you!!!
Try to find it a home or use the parts. I'm trying to find a home for my 57 Olds parts car. We just don't make them anymore.
well u did say u bought it as a "kustom project" and seeing how every panel is bad or needs to be replaced why not just section and channel it? plus u allready have $3500 in it and you might be able to get 250 scrap price. so id just stick with it honestly, sounds like every other project I have ever tackled. For inspiration see FlamedAbones Merc anything is possible after seeing it
Doesn't sound any worse than mine, the only difference is I have no intention of media blasting this one.
I didn't think the C-pillar was even big enough to have a softball sized hole in it. And that wasn't visible when you bought the car? Post some pics. Worst case scenario, you need to buy a rust free 4 door shell and swap all of your 2 door stuff onto it (assuming you have a 2 door post), sounds like your doors and door pillars are good and those are important. Much easier than replacing every panel on a shit body.
if it was a 4 door id say remove all the stuff that would work on a 2 door and scrap the shell BUT since its a 2 door id either stick with it or find it a new home as was said they aint makin em anymore too many have been crushed allready
Media blasting reveals all the sins, I found that out with my 47. I kept going found a couple nos panels bought stuff from EMS and eventually my tin guy got all the bad stuff done. I know the feeling of seeing Swiss cheese but also knowing that with new metal in its place the car is going to last. Your are somewhat lucky as there is stuff out there for your car. I replaced the entire left side of my car door to rear quarter & wheelhouse its was total FUBAR. Come up with a plan, get the car primed and go for it.
Here is my trying to be decent reply...post up some pics, and you can get some much better replies. From what you said, it sounds bad, and sure would be a lot of work...but with 3500 in it already I'd be hard pressed to scrap it or part it. Build the damn thing and go as wild as you want!!! Here is my smart ass reply...Learn how to inspect a car before you go and spend $2500 bucks on a project. It has been one of those days, so I just had to give ya a smartassed remark. Seriously tho...with $3500 in it, I would just consider it a learning purchase and now I'd set out to build a wild as hell kustom out of it. Good luck.
WOW. A car that far gone is called either "a roof ", or "an engine stand". Unless you absolutely LOVE to weld, stop NOW. This is a project only the bravest and most experienced of men should consider. Buy a better body for your parts car.
Rule # 12: Once money has been spent, there is no turning back....no matter what. You are committed to the end. My advise is to look at the situation like its a war. Sit down, formulate a battle plan, and prepare for combat. Take no prisoners and never surrender. If defeat is inevitable, remember the captain always goes down with his ship.
Right here's the reason you don't want to try to go and try to make everything right on a rolling bondo sculpture. Cars like that, just fix what needs to be fixed to make it safe and reliable, enjoy it for what it is, and drive the heck out of it while you look for a better one.
id fix it. U bought it as a kustom project and well your already 3500 into it. Find used parts which will reduce the cost somewhat
EMS has the parts to fix the body $2500 (no labor). Just came across another car near by for $2000 OBO ($1500) and owner said body has only surface rust but soild other wise. I already have all the parts to build my chassie MII,airbags,4link,notch,and all that.
dont scrap it. some one can use the B-pillars and doors for a 2 door conversion. someone might wanna buy the dash and even the roof for a chop or skirts...
man build it. im buddy ian fixed a car that was in worse shape than yours, if you are already worried about what you have in it, then maybe this isn't for you. i never keep track of what i have in my car. i do it cause i love my car!
You have too much in it to just scrap it, just take it a section at a time so its not too much at once, and you dont get burned out good luck dude!!
building a car isn't easy. sometimes it takes longer than expected.. i have mine for almost 6 years and it's still not 100% finished, like one of the guys said, do it in sections at a time and drive it while you work on it
If you're trying to build a show winning car, maybe you should move on, but if it's gonna be a fun custom for you, I'd say keep building, after all, the moneys spent. Your car doesn't sound much worse than the car in my avatar that I'm building. Only difference is I didn't have it blasted, and no big hole in the c pillar (chop would have fixed it anyway). I actually enjoy the challenge of making patches. I built floor panels, cowl corners, inner/outer rockers, door bottoms, lower rear guarters, rear pan, trunk bottom, etc. Rear quarters were wrecked and filled with putty 2"s thick in places. I borrowed my buddy's porta power and got them pretty damned good with a little pushing and hammering. You don't need a lot of tools,just a lot of imagination and ingenuity. I'd like to see some pictures of the car as it sits now. Are you sure you need to replace everything with replacement panels, or can you make many of them yourself? We'd all love to have a perfect car, but why really? Many areas will never be seen by anyone but you, especially floors and inner rockers, make those yourself and save some money. Outer rockers are cheap ($50 I think) on ebay, that's where I got mine (the only panel I bought). I don't know how much experience you have with metal, but most panels can be formed from sheet metal with a little thought. Just start fixing it, make it solid, get it as close as you can, then it's no sin to use duraglass and putty over a SOLID repair, just don't build the car out of it. You'll develop skills that will serve you well the rest of your life. And remember, you're building a custom, so you can change things not just restore them.
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