My cali car's beggining to rust

yank the top. it will only get worse. don't cut a car up for a patch. i always go to a body shop and ask for permission to cut a patch out of a wrinkled panel in their scrap pile. when i tell them it for an old muscle car they are usually glad to let you "recycle". i know if you can find a totaled cargo van, you can get alot of flat panels. just my 2 cents. just don't use any of that crappy GM steel. it makes your car smell funny.