Rust repairs estimate/location request
 

Hello,

Does anyone knows a good place to have rust repaired in WNY area or maybe in Buffalo NY?

I have a 70 911 T.
Bit more rust than I expected when I bought it. Smugglers box has hole due to rust, few rust spots on front and back floor pan.
Rust on undercarriage rear seat molding.

I never had rust repaired and I assume this will be a full body rust repairs. Mainly there might be many hidden spots where it's been rusting.

Did anyone had a full rust repairs and if so, how much will it cost?

Thanks.

It’s almost impossible to quote until the car is apart, paint & undercoating removed. Then you can at least see the scope of what’s needed. Labor price varies from $50-250/hour depending on location and who is doing the work. Is the repair just to replace metal or go from teardown to fresh paint? Finding the right person or shop is more important than the location.

http://restoration-design.com/ Your not too far from Ontario maybe they know someone or can point you in the right direction.

I have contacted Automobile Associates in CT.
5 hours from here.. not too far. Waiting for their call back. Since they are a mechanic shop who has tons of experience...
I want them to also look/adjust MFI pump and new clutch etc.

If these people quote me a lot, I will try to contact
https://www.restoration-design.com/

My friend just had a targa repaired. All primed no paint

both rockers with jack supports and kidney
front pan with tank support.
bottom of doors
bottom of fenders

15k

Wow, thats a lot of money for not much rust repairs.
Most of the parts are readily available to replace, only matter of cutting it and doing a nice weld job.
Maybe I am out of touch... 15K because it is a hyped 911?

If mine is going to cost more than $8K I would have them do bare minimum.
After spending 15K on a 50K car the owner would sell at least for 70K. Now, will people buy a car which had previous rust for 70K?

I am not sure..
I bought mine for decent money, I can put in another 15K max both for rust and some basic engine repairs.

Or I will sell it as is with some rust. My engine feels good, I just dont like rust.

rust repair is expensive, like peeling an onion, once you attack what is visible, you find there's more rust, and more after that.

Auto Associates is a great choice, they are a top-notch, full service shop that can handle anything and everything you need done, but I suspect you will need a fairly large budget. Not to say that AA is high priced, but I suspect you've got a lot of work ahead of you.

Interestingly when you see US15000 divided by an average of US150 hourly shop rate it comes to 100hrs of labor. full 4 days or 12 full 8 hr. sessions.

When I see it like that 100hrs to do all that work seems not unreasonable.

It takes at least a day to mount a car on a celette by the suspension points after you remove the suspension..

Why don't you PM the user 962porsche. He owns a shop in CT and posts a lot in the paint forum. He seems extremely helpful

If you find a place that will quote you over the phone you have found someone you don't want to use. Most places will just operate on a time/ materials basis with a draw on the work done that week. Paint and body is eye wateringly expensive for any car these days doesn't matter if it's a hyundai or a porsche. Decades of kids being told by lazy boomers to get a college education and stay out of the trades combined with environmental and zoning restrictions have made it hard to get any auto body business off the ground let alone consistent and profitable. Now the boomers that told the kids that only losers get jobs in the trades whine because the trade work is so expensive. Go figure. Outside of DIY the cost of fixing a rusted Porsche will easily reach the cost of buying a nice one.

Yes, you are out of touch. But that’s normal if you haven’t done it before. I would never quote you over the phone because even with pics, you are going to point out a fraction of what it needs. Then you have $10k in your head when it’s really a $20k job. Lots of people pull back the carpet and want what they see repaired but these cars tend to rust from the inside out so often you have to dig deep to get to the structure of the car.
The selling price will have nothing to do with the amount spent on repairs. It’s based on similar cars with similar condition. If you are going to only fix some of it, don’t. It’s like fixing half the roof on a house. Until it’s all fixed, it’s still a rusty car.

Restoration design have a lot of information and parts.. normally you wouldn't find somewhere else.

Especially the body parts. Good to see the prices on their websites for DIY or comparison.

I did book an appointment with Automobile Associates for mid September, hoping they wont have to redo whole body.

While it is there I plan to have clutch replaced and MFI pump fine tuned.

I am definitely out of touch. I am weighing in my options.. based on current 911 market and my budget I have to decide. I plan to keep this car for couple of years and sell it.

Hence is it smart to put in 20K and sell it for 55 to 60K or just address the main issues and sell it for almost same. I am sure my car has some hidden rust too..I will wait and see until they check and quote me or it.

Appointment is booked with Automobile Associates for Sep, hopefully I can save some more..
I honestly want to address any body frame issues first which can be bad for handling (none right now) but if any other than floor pans. And mainly spend more on engine and transmission or suspensions.
Though engine runs good, transmission can need some help with fresh clutch and other moving parts.

But I do agree with you. Can't tell until they actually look at it.

Will do. Thanks for the contact!

I was told different, maybe because I wasn't born in this country. I remember when my 83 380SL was in an accident, replacing left fender, they quoted me around $4000 or more.
I did it on my own after finding a used fender from salvage store. Seems like a great business but no technicians who have enough experience.

Post pictures of your car's rust. No one ever saves money, or makes money, by properly repairing a rusty 911.

Sorry to be negative, but sounds like a potential upside down situation. This even with air cooled 911 market fairly stable. Exercise caution.

sorry I closed up the restoration shop years ago I still have the shop and all the equipment but just for my own use. my wife and I a few years ago started a track day rental car business. rentrushr.com
we rent the Rush SR race cars in the northeast we are also a full service dealer for the cars now in the CT area.

so you want to top out at 8K ?
just the sprayable materials alone would cost more than that.
1st it's going to be hard as hell to give you a price on a restoration. they are done by time and materials.
next problem is your going to have a hard time finding a restoration shop. most collision shops will not touch a restoration.
you stated you think the price is high or something to that effect because it's a Porsche. well no it's still 4 rubber tires and sheetmetal.
it's very common for lower value cars not to be restored by restoration shops. you see them getting restored by the DIY people.
you made a comment that it's just cut out some rust and welding in new panels. if its that simple and easy then you do it!
if you can't then think as to why you can't . is it because you don't have the years of experience ? is it because you don't have the many thousands in tools? is it because you doing have a shop that will cost you again may thousands a month just to have.

You have become a member of an expensive club. You can't compare this to the simple replacement of the fender on your Mercedes.
I got in when the cars were cheap back around 1987. I've done most of my own rust repair. Battery boxes, suspension pan, inner fender sections, etc. Parts are not cheap and it takes quite a bit of time to do it right. I'm friendly with a local body shop owner, not the type to take on any restorations, just standard collision work on newer cars. He told me the Glasurit paint alone is over $1000 a gallon.
I'm afraid you are going to find it is going to be rather extensive and expensive. This thread is one of my favorites on the subject, and will give you a little insight as to what lies beneath.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/paint-bodywork-detailing-forum/545166-restoration-my-69-911-a.html
Beyond the rust repair and repaint, you will most likely need some suspension work and a corner balance, which is not cheap. The MFI system is expensive to work on. If the transmission needs attention that gets expensive fast.

60 hours for a decent engine rebuild X $200hr is $12K. That's about a week and a half of 8 hour days. Figure at least 3X that and then some perhaps for inner/outer rockers, pans, front suspension pan, and who knows what else is uncovered in the process. Plus the parts. Some jobs are just not worth it unless you can DIY. You gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.

And everything mentioned so far is when everything goes right and

... a lot can go wrong.

If you do hire someone, make sure they are local and accessible.

Good luck to you.

Yep! What John said.

While I do understand it won't be cheap but I guess asking on a forum if someone knows who can do it for a decent price so I don't have to sell both my kidneys.

I did fix an appointment with Automobile Associates in CT. I wanted some clutch work and MFI tune up.
They also work on rust repairs, so it will be easier for them to look at it when the engine is out.
I bet it will cost more but my plan is to have only frame and any visible spots. I guess everyone has their own way and own budget.
Many people here say it will cost a lot and should be addressed thoroughly. I would love to do that but I wont be taking out a bank loan to do that stuff. So I need to be cognizant of what should be done.
I do get that I have a 911 air cooled which is costly to repair and seems like people are way too obsessed about it. I bought it cus it looked cool and wanted myself to stop riding my motorcycle so I didnt kill myself speeding.
I will either sell this in few years on keep driving it. It is an asset for anyone who owns it and what it costs and taking suggestions regardless helps.

I might sell it to someone who is not a freak about all original, no rust, blah blah..someone who can enjoy it for a decent price. Air cooled community needs to relax their tits and stop being a weirdo community.

I do appreciate all the advice, some helpful & some opinions.

Agree. I will def see "when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em"

Thanks.

Not being obsessive about it is a good approach.

The catch with rust in these cars is that they are unibodies, so they don't have a "frame" that can be fixed separate from body panels. And when you can see it on the outside, there's almost always more on the inside, and then you have to confront the question of how far to go.

But, I usually advise to keep the car as a "driving project" rather than a non-running "garage project" in order to keep your motivation going.

Post pictures of the rusty areas and other parts of your car so we can see what you're dealing with.

Yes I will. Just need to find a decent time when its not sweltering hot in the garage. Some spots are easily visible like smugglers box, one on front floor and some on back. But major one which I think should be easy to fix is rear seat molding.

I am in Buffalo and am available to have a look, I have done rust repairs for many years, but not so young these days. Probably not interested in the work, but will offer opinions at minimum. PM for details

Very nice of 930Cabman offering to have a look. Just trying to prepare you. I have found out the hard way. The car is 54 years old and galvanized steel was not used. You can certainly skip some areas and have a fun car to drive. As mentioned there is no frame, just layers of spot welded sheet metal. The front area is important as it holds the front suspension, and the dual lead acid batteries usually mean bad rust.
Have you looked at the thread from Fishcop I posted earlier? http://forums.pelicanparts.com/paint-bodywork-detailing-forum/545166-restoration-my-69-911-a.html

Crusty
 

Galvanized sheet metal at Home Depot and a can of pop rivets ! How expensive can it be?

Just did, appreciate your help!

I think the same. I sometimes feel like taking it to a guy who is very well experienced in rust repair and ask him to do the work.
All the body panels cost around $3 to $4K. The welder has to do is cut it and do a very fine welding and finishing.

Can't believe people spend more than 15K. Welding is welding, nothing unusual. Only difference is one guy works on all cars and other only works on Porsche, hence so much money.

Interesting restoration Fishcop had. He def had all the tools and skills to do it. I lack both.
The battery are or frunk seems to be rust free. The only rust I see there is in smugglers box.

And at the other end, there are many here who are just itching to tear into, personalize, "backdate" their cars.

Welding lessons ?

Interesting that you have a '70 and a '71. Usually the cost of keeping one Classic car on the road is expensive enough.
If you could post pictures of the car it could help. There is a chance your rust is not horrible, but my mothers side of the family is in upstate NY. I always joke with my cousins that for every inch of snow I get, they have a foot. Unless the car was garaged during winters it could have deep issues. My brother went to college in Buffalo, and I made that drive many times. One winter they shut the Thruway due to snow and my friends and I had quite a time on other roads getting up there.
The cost is not just slapping in new sheet metal. To repair the seat area I would think the fuel, emissions hoses, fuel and brake lines would probably need to be removed. The seats must be removed, rusted section cut out, patch panel cut to fit and welded. Welded area then has to be hit with grinder, primer, painted and undercoated. Interior will need to be re-installed. Many sections are spot welded together. To repair them requires drilling out all the individual welds before tacking in the new sections.
The smugglers box could be simpler if the gas lines, suspension mounts and steering do not have to be touched.
If the suspension is OK and exterior doesn't need painting then the cost will not be horrible. I knew my car had a bit of rust, but once I started stripping off the paint and found what was (or should I say wasn't) under it the project grew. Fortunately not as bad as Fishcops.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720913151.JPG

It is nice having good solid metal again, but it took me a bit of time. One day I would like to have the cars exterior completely painted, but that is a couple years off yet.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720913696.JPG

I'm in this process of frunk rust removal. On the stamping, there's this stubborn last bit of chunky stuff. Should I just leave well enough alone since the number is pretty evident now? (Definitely wasn't before) Or is there something that will completely take all of it down to the metal . I've used stripper so far followed with lacquer thinner. I've read that acidic stuff is not good and I wonder about using oily products because of paint not sticking later on. Any helpful hints?http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1724692222.jpg

A complete restoration, which it can easily get to even if you think its just a little rust, can run up to 80-100k, no problem.
Doing things the right way, not cheating and taking shortcuts that will show up i 5 years, that takes time and is expensive.

I need to fix the rockers ans some bits in front and behind (running driving car that looks ok). I have 4k in just replacement panels, not even the good stuff.