Re: 56 clipper super hardtop on Ebay forever

Posted by portlandon On 2010/6/6 12:04:03

One man's rusted out panel is another man's Gold.

The business I work for part out '58-'66 Thunderbirds. We cut the parts cars up, store the usable panels and parts and scrap the rest. We regularly have a HUGE pile of rusted scrap, 1/4 panels, roofs, fenders, frame rails, trunks, floor pans, cowls,doors of about 5-7 cars worth ready for the scrapers to pick up.

We regularly have customers that stop in and visit our location from the east/central regions of the US. While taking them on the tour of the warehouses, we walk by the scrap pile. They are shocked at what we consider "rusted out". I've literally had to tell people to "get out of the scrap pile" because they are almost offended at what we on the West Coast consider unusable. One customer from Ohio actually asked if he could drag out a pair of doors that we tossed out because the bottom of the outer area was full of rust pinholes and bondo. He said "thats not rust. Rust is when the the hinges have nothing to bolt onto."

So from then on out, whenever I get a call for "good sheetmetal" I have to ask them where they are calling from. It really makes a difference as to what the customer wants/expects.

And BigKev, you are right about southwest cars usually having rusty floors. The seals dry up, water gets in and they rust from the inside out. Actually we see passenger side floor boards rusted out alot because heater cores leak and the carpet holds the moisture.