So I am stripping my 92s interior. Not looking good so far. I shall have pictures up tomorrow.


So far the problems areas are the side rails. Where sfcs would tuck up under the body. Passenger side near fender is about a 7in long gap from rust. Second is right under the A/C box. Where the body is merged to the firewall. About a 0.50 gap to trans tunnel. Around the tunnel is some seperation from the body. A good poke with a screwdriver would poke right through. Another I recall is where there is another seperation near the passenger seat area. Pretty much like a V but not as severe. Ofcourse the car was jacked up from the fender lower bolt bends which caused rust and probably rusted through. Strut towers are decent. Rear wheel wells around where the LCA's bolt up has rusted through and has a hole there the size of a average fist. Rear crash bar is rusted to poop. Typical rust on the t-top stripping area. Pretty much from just reading this I figured the car is too far gone.



Really sucks since the car was my first car and my learning car too. Was gifted by my father. Would be good to fix it but it would just require more than just replacing the floors. That alone I can probably find a decent roller.


Which brings me to my next question. My 92 is going through a lot as you can see from the sig. I figured the best route would be finishing and completing the swap. Make sure verythings running right and find another 91-92 RS/Z28 and swap everything over and selling the stock replaced parts for a profit. I know I can find a decent running Rs for $1200-$1750. I really don't care if its an Iroc z28 or 1LE. I would never have a stock car so figured following my neighbors advice of a Iroc body would not be good.


What do you guys think? Follow the smart time saving route or see what I'm dealing with and attempt to fix? I know I can find decent used pans for cheap and the other areas are fixable but then again my welding skills are low...

 

Pros vs Cons here man. Weigh your options. But from what I've read I would say its too far gone. Post pictures up so we can actively evaluate the car. BUT you do say that your welding skills are pretty much nill so now would be a good time to buy a cheap wire welder or stick welder and learn!

 

Yeah, let's see some pics so we can really tell you what you should do. I have rust on my car that needs to be fixed, but not as much as yours. I can't weld either!

What about riveting a piece of sheet metal in some of the spots? That could be more of a temporary fix? I say that to see what people say about it because I thought about doing that.

 

If you're gonna fix it, do it right. Theres no reason to pull your entire interior out just to pop rivet a piece of sheet metal if you're just gonna pull all that back out to do it right. Know what I mean?

 

Yeah I know exactly what you mean. I just don't want the car sitting too long without fixing it before I bring it to my school to have it looked at.

SO yeah to the OP, let's see some pics, and forget what i said! haha

 

Had a get together with the family so didn't do much.

I got the seats up to my room for safe keeping and just need to take off some plastics and pad before carpet comes off.

I'm thinking of poring the whole underbody/interior and then working from there. I kinda want to keep it.

 

You are basically in the same place I am. The car I have now is my first, and it has a lot of value to me since most of my family had camaros in their days. My rust isn't as bad as yours from what I read. If you have the money and time to fix it...go for it! Just make sure you CAN before you start. I plan on fixing the rust and holes then putting POR 15 on the interior floor and under the car for good protection as I need to drive the car int eh winter too.

 

i have a bad rust problem i have several holes in my floorpans which need to be replaced, and my drivers side torque arm rusted through the frame and floor so it just swings around in the hole in the floor can reach through and touch ground from backseat, yall think its salvagible?

 

Think seriously about it; can you afford to fix it?

If the answer is anything but a resounding "yes", they you may as well move on because it will probably never look as good as you picture it in your head.

If you are on a very limited budget, it makes zero sense to sink every dime you have into something that is in such massive disrepair when there are so many other cleaner starting points to be had.

That said, I understand sentimental value, and how it affects our better judgment. My point really is just--if you're going to fix it, take the time that it requires to piece it together one good bit by one good bit. Don't just start using home depot sheet metal and pop rivets to get by...first learn to weld, and weld WELL, and then save money for sheet metal one piece at a time. Get one piece, weld it in. Save for the next piece. Repeat. Next thing you know, over time you'll have a pretty solid car again. Not today, not tomorrow, not next year, but you'll have a nice car in the future and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing each repair was a permanent, quality repair, not a temporary fix.

 

I think you might of convinced me on me keeping it puma.

I am into this hobby for fixing thngs up from nothing. I'm going to work this week and besides helping out the family its all would be freeded up money. The car needs nothing now. Maybe just a recovered driver seat. So doing this would just continue to add to things to be done. All that's left is wiring and hooking up the 700r4 to the LT1.


My welding skills are none to almost not worth mentioning but I figure its not a bad time to start learning. Patch panels I can find anywhere. In the end here its really about me learning to weld properly.

I will get the interior ripped out today hopefully. Ill then see what I'm working with.

But my question is if panels do need to be done. What would be the first thing to do? Sfc's? I figure they would help keep stuff in place and not bend/warp from it not being solid.


I recall seeing some solid cars at junkyards. How would I acquire panels? Meaning tools wise? Do they make cordless cutters?

 

If you want quarters from the junkyard, you'll need a sawzall I would imagine (anyone serious should have one of those anyway), and take more than you need just to make sure you don't duff it. Other panels I guess would really just be the basic sockets/hand tools, and some WD-40/3-in-1 oil.

Don't bother with SFCs until the car is back on the road--the cars don't "need" them if your metalwork repairs are solid.

 

I figured a sawzall would do the trick. We have a few but no electric ones. Might invest in one in the next few days.


I'm keeping my options open I'm thinking of everything I can do. Sell the car how it is now and atleast get most of the money I put into it and start over with a clean stock car. Fix it or maybe somewhere near someone comes up with a clean bare body.

All are still open but won't know 100% until today.

 

Just saw a 89 sell for 3oo bucks. Floors, rockers, everything was solid. Even had a new cowl hood on it. I know there's probably not that many nice third gens in your area but rust is a PITA and you only slow it down. It will be back.

 

like he said, you only slow it down. But if you cut it all out and prep it back it could take 25 years before it rears its head again