Once I got the metal cleaned-off, I could not believe how good it looked. The large area above the trans had only the scrap shown in the previous post left so it was basically exposed to the elements for *who knows how long*. I thought that it must be an aluminum panel and actually took a magnet to it-- nope, sheet metal.
Being from Minnesota, I still can't believe how clean cars stay out here if they are inland. This is 48 y.o. bare sheet mental on the underside of the car:
