I just picked up a base Firebird for $700, driveable, but scary.

This is my first car, and I realized it would need work, but after taking out one of the headlights and seeing that the battery tray was gone, I'm begining to panic. So far I fixed the headlight, and I built a new plexiglass battery tray (i had a bunch sitting around)

My dad keeps asking if I want to keep the engine and sell off the body. I don't really think it's that bad, considering it is driveable. Plus I love the thing already and I'd hate to see the guts ripped out while I wait for another 89-92 body to fall out of the sky into my driveway.

Heres some specs in case it's important:
'90 base firebird
305 V8
dark red/marroon - painted by previous owner
Van Nuys paint job (ick)
291,000 ish miles
engine leaks a bit of oil, but runs great
front strut mounts are rusted badly, but this seems fixable
t-tops
5 speed manual transmission

The exterior doesn't really look that bad, and most of the obvious rust is on the door, I have started to take care of that already.

Would it be worthwhile to have a body shop take care of the underbody rust and apply an undercoating? I'm thinking it was never undercoated.

Thanks

 

I would just take a wire brush to the under side to get loose rust off, and then coat it in some POR-15 rust converter. Then under coat the car. I'm glad I live in the south, no snow = no salt = no rust on my car. Good luck with the car :-)

 

Ok, I've been using some Permatech stuff and it seems to do something, the rust goes from light orange to a dark brown or black. Hopefully this will keep things from getting worse until I can get a pro fix it up.

Right now I'm taking the struts out so I can have a guy weld plates over the strut towers. Beleive it or not, there was nothing holding the struts in. The original struts were so bad that they hsd no pressure left and the car was riding on the coils. Hopefully we get it close enough that a shop can still align the wheels. The underbody seems worse than the exterior.... Who in their right mind would buy a fancy car and not have it undercoated?

 

I took ownership of a "project" 91 RS,the floorpan on drivers side was GONE!,I'm in process of welding new one in,and fixing other small holes in the under belly,funny thing is...theres not a rust spot/pit to be found on the OUTSIDE(paint)just the floorpanand a couple littlte ones in the wheelwells

 

There are many third gens out there, so my opinion is to part out the one you have, end up with more $$$ than you paid for it, and buy one with a solid body. Just my opinion, but good luck no matter what you decide to do.

 

Right now I think I should part it out, but I need something to drive by August and I really doubt I'm going to be able to get another Firebird by then without going broke for 3 years.

It started leaking various liquids after I jacked it up to get the struts out... Why can't things ever be easy or go as planned?

 

Sure, you'll get more than what you paid for parting out, but then what do you do with all the junk that didn't sell, like the entire bare body? Many junkyards, at least around here, won't take it if there isn't profit potential. That means that it must be less than 10 years old, and have parts still hanging on it that can be sold, which you would have already removed. I think you'll have a tough time getting that bare body off your front yard. I'd keep it and fix the rusty spots.

Surface rust can be cleaned and treated with POR-15 like mentioned above. Rusted through panels will need to be replaced.

 

Hmmm... sounds a bit like my car. Mine was previously owned by some stupid Kentuckians (no offense to anyone who lives in Kentucky). They did a wonderful job of ripping crap up then covering their tracks. I knew nothing about cars before I got my Trans Am last October. But seeing as how I have not driven my car for more than a few hours, due to said Kentuckians, I have plenty of experience now working on it. And listening to it run. I have completely redone my suspension and driveline, and I am now working on the engine. I have the same leak problems that you are having and my only advice to you is to keep at it. Eventually you will have it fixed and you will have more knowledge than you had before. But yeah, POR-15 works great.
And do not spray undercoating over rust... the rust is still there, so the problem is still there. Scrape the rust off and put POR-15 under your whole car, and it would not be a bad idea to put some on the interior...

Good luck with the car pains.