body and interior Rust And It's Travels, And Some Noted Hideouts

[Gordon]

I still remember my former 74 2002 at Leif Andenberg's shop in Walnut CA in the early 90's. I had brought the 02 back with me from Germany where I was stationed in the early 80's. Needless to say, German road salt took its toll on my 02. Leif put my 02 on the lift but the car stayed on the ground and the lift kept on going up. That's how rusty the car was. Leif told me to find a good donor 02 (back when rust free shells in So Cal used to be plentiful and cheap) to transfer all the good parts into. Lucky for me, a few weeks later, a lady ran a stop light in front of me and the 02 was totaled (no one was injured) and the insurance company paid me for more than the 02 was worth considering the amount of rust in the car. I ended up buying the totaled 02 back from the insurance company and parting it out. I did find another So Cal complete 74 2002 for cheap and it was rust free. After that episode, I learned to hate rust. Bottom line, for your next 02, find one with the least amount of rust and body work that's possible (unless you are good welder). If that means going to CA or AZ to find a good car, do it. Mechanical work is childs play compared to rust and body work restoration.

[jgerock]

... Leif put my 02 on the lift but the car stayed on the ground and the lift kept on going up. That's how rusty the car was. 

 

LOL.  I can recall seeing some older Mercedes (220 - 280) put on lifts (gingerly) and the 4-points of the lift kept going up as the car stayed down.   I was always afraid of working below them so sometimes we ended up putting them on the drive-on alignment lift.

[mikebontoft]

Wow yeah I've always been afraid of that happening. It probably would happen on my 02 if I didn't lift it from the frame rails and rear subframe.

[mikebontoft]

Those seem to be my worst spots... then the two spots on the bottom of the nose for some reason.

I know I overpaid for the car... hopefully it will be good.

[BeMyWay]

After seeing this discussion...i'm feeling pretty spunky about taking mine apart to make friends with the unknown.

 

Edited March 17, 2014 by BeMyWay

[Ravensix]

After seeing this discussion...i'm feeling pretty spunky about taking mine apart to make friends with the unknown.

clearcoat candidate right there!

[M3M3]

After seeing this discussion...i'm feeling pretty spunky about taking mine apart to make friends with the unknown.

 

yikes...the rust on the bottom of that car is probably terminal.  all the moisture from the grass/ground has been breeding rust for a very long time...

[GreenSwede]

HAD,

  this was the final resting place of the

body shell which i stripped.photo-14.JPG

i think this was paul wegweiser's first car.

so maybe he will see this post.

stone

I wouldn't have left the roof=)

 

[jgerock]

I wouldn't have left the roof=)

 

Funny you mention the roof sections.  Seems like each time one is cut off and advertised, nobody wants it until after it is scrapped.

 

[Ravensix]

[LarsAlpina]

Bottom line, for your next 02, find one with the least amount of rust and body work that's possible (unless you are good welder). If that means going to CA or AZ to find a good car, do it. Mechanical work is childs play compared to rust and body work restoration.

 

+1.000.000 minimum

 

Regards from Germany (the land of the real salty winter roads in 70s and 80s),

Lars.

[Cupid]

My wheels!  Good to know where they came from!

 

 

 

yes, picked clean.   i have sent parts from that car all over the country.  several of them are in my M2. 

 

the "before picking"

 

 

 

 

[mac]

....... and you guys wonder why the really nice, rust free cars are valued "out of your price range".  (seriously shrinking supply--no pun intended.)

 

Just be thankfull you have what you have and take good care of it.

 

mac.