Re: First ever restore/repair 51 touring sedan help

Posted by Fred Puhn On 2009/11/3 15:59:26

I was asked to define what I (an old car collector in San Diego) call "rust". There are several stages in my description of rust:
1. Surface rust - This is rusty metal that can be restored by surface finishing such as blasting, sanding, coating, filling, etc. It is only cosmetic and the metal is near full thickness.
2. Rusty metal that is thin - This is material that is structurally weakened by corrosion to the point where it may break under applied loads. Making it look good may be possible but it could be functionally dangerous. Fixing it requires cutting and welding in new metal if cracking is an issue.
3. Holes in the metal - This is what people from the East call "rust". People also call it "cancer" or the "tin worm". This can only be fixed by cutting the surrounding thin material away and welding in new metal. Fiberglass patching or other Mickey Mouse cosmetic fixs don't work. Cars in Southern California generally are scrapped if they have cancer.
4. Structurally falling apart - This we call scrap. The part needs replacing. All the other ones near it will have serious problems too.
5. Hidden rust - Any or all of the above is very likely to have hidden rust along with the visible. Hidden rust can include holes in the metal covered by putty, paint, fiberglass, or even riveted-on aluminum sheet. The worst part of rust is the hidden part because it is typically between adjacent parts or underneath something else that first has to be removed. Also you would have never paid that much for the car if you saw the hidden rust!

To answer the question about what I call rust, I would define it as anything except "surface rust" because fixing it costs mucho money (or valuable time in the case of a home craftsman). From what I can tell from ads, many people in the East selling a car use the word "rust" when the car has cancer, but not before.