73 Targa Restoration project ... Rust Question!!

tocobill · 07-28-2010, 05:54 PM

So Ive had this car for a number of years now and finally decided to tear it all the way down and rebuild it as a RSR version of my Targa. The only rust that Ive found on it is on the interior of the tub by the passenger foot well. Ive enclosed some pics of it ... I'm worried that this might be a deal breaker. I sat there with a chipping hammer seeing how deep the rust is. Its about 4x4 inch soft patch. Its doesn't seem to be the floor pan but more the rocker? Other then that the cars undercoat is all intact. My other question I have as strip the car is should I remove the undercoat and re-coat it or leave it as it is? Anyone got any ideas or experience with this?

E Sully · E Sully's Garage

There is usualy qutie a bit of rust hiding under the undercoating. A lot of parts are available for repair. The choice lies in your budget and long term goal.

ossiblue · 07-29-2010, 08:08 AM

+1 to Ed's post.

Rust is like a glacier--90 percent of a glacier is under water, unseen, and 90 percent of rust is under paint or undercoat, unseen. What you show may not be a deal breaker, that's your decision, but if that's all you've found, it's common and fixable. Just be sure you clear things away to find the limits of the damage. Do more digging.

Jagshund · 07-29-2010, 10:27 AM

Dig deeper and remove every bit of undercoating inside and out. Try to post some better pics of the surrounding area, too, but I'd still say to salvage the car regardless of what other rust you find- but then, I'm a sucker for lost causes.

tocobill · 07-29-2010, 03:32 PM

Yea ... I need to post some better pics. I'm starting to strip the car down to the tub and prepping it for an acid dip and soda blast. I'm sure that will provide a much better idea for where this project heads ... Lol.

tocobill · 08-12-2010, 12:06 PM

So here is the progress ...

Passenger Side Floor pan or inner door sill?

Rockers on both sides need replacement ... Outer on the Passenger Side and Both on the Drivers Side from what I can see .. so far.

The sheet metal in the wheel well that attaches the vertical bolts to the tub .... Not sure what you would call it?

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I don't have a picture of it but the right rear Longitudinal just below and forward of the torsion bar has some rust. Scraped it with a putty knife and its flakey ... not sure how deep it goes. Maybe a patch or replacement? Pelican does not have any as of now ... Are these hard to find? Other venues ... Restoration Design?

Just have the suspension left to drop of and its headed off to the Acid dipper. I figure Ill have to spend some money to better assess how the rust looks and the hidden rust under the coating ... knock on wood!

Everything is out of the tunnel which is a feat in its self ... not looking forward to putting everything back in. Has anyone ever cut the top off and put in a removable access panel? I figure its structural due to no roof? I can deal with it but would be nice for re-routing later down the line.

Anyone have much experience with rocker panel replacement? From what Ive seen online its a measure and cut operation ... Is this a FAIR assumption?

Headed back out to ship in a month ... Hopefully Ill make some more progress.

Thanks All