Rant about forsale cars and rust

-
res1vw21

res1vw21

It's only metal
Joined
Oct 29, 2007
Messages
4,318
Reaction score
34
Location
Renton Wa
I'm sorry but when I am looking through forsale ads (not just here but everywhere) it seams like people love to use the term "Rust Free". Guess what? IT'S NOT!!!!! Unless the car has been rotisserie restored with every thing off and blasted/dipped when the 1/4s are off I guarantee I can find rust.

These are old cars and they weren’t dipped at the factory like new cars are. Get in a trunk and look up what have I seen in every car I have done that too?? Rust!!!!!!

Just because a car doesn't have visible rust doesn't mean it's not there. I spend a lot of time removing rust from the tops of inside the doors, 1/4s and trunk area, guess what? There is still some there eating away like the cancer it is.

I have bought parts cars that have had mirrors falling though the door and door handles pulling off because of inner rust. (exterior looked decent)

I was looking at a CL earlier and it said "no rust in the trunk" there was a pic to prove the point and guess what I saw??? Surface rust..... Um there’s rust right there. It can be taken care of easily but guess what it's there!!!!!


Ok ok I'm sorry I have been fixing rust all day today so I kinda am a little fed up right now.



On a positive not I got the dart blocked out and I should be ready to prime her on Monday.
 
There is a HUGE difference in Cancerous Rust and surface rust.

I described my 1970 Dodge Dart as Rust Free because it does not have cancerous, floor pans rotted, see through trunk floor, flaky leaf springs kind of rust....It sold for a fair price without the title...and I feel like SixPakMopar got a great deal....but it did have some surface rust on the undercarriage, and a few small spots in the trunk floor.

Cars in North-West Texas and west of there do not typically have the kind of Cancer Rust that North Eastern and Coastal States cars have.

Rust is a issue that comes with Metal....sometimes cars have to be driven in wet conditions.

When I look for a older car, I know rust is a concern, but its not the MAIN concern....finding a overall Good Condition Mopar is getting harder everyday.

Good Luck in your quest...hope I made some sense to you.
 
Being a body man I can tell you that that "surface rust" can be a lot deeper then it looks.

I like my cars solid and I don't like it when a fresh paint job starts bubbling because there is still a little rust in there.

I wasn't directing my rant at anyone on this form.
 
res1vw21 said:
Being a body man I can tell you that that "surface rust" can be a lot deeper then it looks.

I like my cars solid and I don't like it when a fresh paint job starts bubbling because there is still a little rust in there.

I wasn't directing my rant at anyone on this form.
Click to expand...

I understand, I bought a rust free 67 Dart last year. It was from the west coast. I am still replacing rusted metal all over the Damn car.:angry5:
 
From my understanding and what I've seen adds mean when saying "Rust Free" is not that it doesn't have ANY rust but that is has no Cancerous problematic rust, just easily repairable Surface Rust.
 
72_Durstya said:
From my understanding and what I've seen adds mean when saying "Rust Free" is not that it doesn't have ANY rust but that is has no Cancerous problematic rust, just easily repairable Surface Rust.
Click to expand...

So why do people use that term?

The dart Tara and I bought was "rust free" and I ended up putting 5 patch panels in. I knew it wasn't rust free so I wasn't disappointing but surface rust is still rust.
 
I dunno why they use that term lol, it is kinda missleading by definition. I don't make the rules just play by em! lol
 
I am going to agree with everything that you have said so far. I hate it when "they" use the term "rust free" as well. It is totally Bull sh&T. I think that people need to start just being honest about these cars. With the kind of money that we are spending on an A- body, these cars should at least be accurately described. I agree with you. But to tell you the truth, I have NEVER seen a "rust free" A-body. That hasn't been totally correctly restored.
 
This is what I usually refer to as rust free, out here in central CA we get about 12" of rain a year so the cars are about the cleanest you can find. I grew up in WI, they looked worse than this after 3 months of winter driving back there so I saw enough rust to last me a lifetime.

This is the underside of my 74 Duster with 46K original miles, I know there are no rust holes on the body as I've crawled over and under just about ever place on the car. My 69 Dart GT hard top has a 50 cent size hole on the pass quarter a 3 dime size at the back window after blasting and it was a vinyl top car but another car from this area.

I will only say that I have sold a lot of cars from here and I usually refer to them as rust free if they look close to my Duster and if they have anything worse I call the real clean, it beats the heck out of the east coast alternatives regardless.

JB

IMG_3890a.jpg


IMG_3892a.JPG


IMG_3895a.JPG
 
I have been a garage door repairman in Los Angeles for 21 years. I come across MANY cars that have barely any surface rust at all and if not banged up..are straight and sound structurally. We get maybe 10-20 rainy days a year and everything dries out in a day or 2 if not in mere hours. Rag-tops do suffer some more than hardtops. Mmost owners park outside all the time, garages are for storing junk. But, most any large apartment garage holds a potential project car or 2 and occasionally a potential "barn car". In the last week I saw: a 67 Dart GT /6 convertible. It is a "some day I'll fix'er up" that the wife said he'd sell for $3K. A late 60's Charger with some rust under the vinyl top, small block & auto. sitting on the street with a $4,500 obo sign. A Formula 400 Firebird with missing hood abandoned in a No. Hollywood apartment garage. Currently I'm trying to buy a 1966 British car that was partially restored & left in a shed 20+ years ago. I have the best (or worst) job for a 'car-nut'! Evidenced by: 3 Barracudas, 2 MG's, a Triumph, Cougar, 2 V'dubs, 1 Porsche, Chevy p/u, a few motor cycles and a car transport trailer. This weekend is the gigantic Chrysler Performance West meet at Woodley Park (2 miles from home). Wonder what.......
 
69Dartconvt69 said:
This is what I usually refer to as rust free, out here in central CA we get about 12" of rain a year so the cars are about the cleanest you can find. I grew up in WI, they looked worse than this after 3 months of winter driving back there so I saw enough rust to last me a lifetime.

This is the underside of my 74 Duster with 46K original miles, I know there are no rust holes on the body as I've crawled over and under just about ever place on the car. My 69 Dart GT hard top has a 50 cent size hole on the pass quarter a 3 dime size at the back window after blasting and it was a vinyl top car but another car from this area.

I will only say that I have sold a lot of cars from here and I usually refer to them as rust free if they look close to my Duster and if they have anything worse I call the real clean, it beats the heck out of the east coast alternatives regardless.

JB
Click to expand...


First of all nice car.

I would say that's a very nice unrestored original but it does have a little rust. It's truly nothing major but it's there. You are right though compared to something from either coast or in the middle it looks amazing.

I doubt it would need anything more then a coat of por 15 to keep the rust at bay. Also look up at the top sides of the inner 1/4s. Again nice car.


I picked up a '73 charger from a guy for free and he told me it's rust free. I learned that it had been damaged early in it's life and garage kept ever since and used for parts. The car looked completely solid until we blasted it then we found a few holes in the window channel area. Not a big deal since the car was striped and on a rotisserie but it is still rust none the less.
 
res1vw21 said:
Then you should start playing with cars built after at least 1993 because pretty much anything else will have some rust in it somewhere. Either that or get really good really fast at being a bodyman so you can afford to have all your cars acid dipped and sealed. Besides where would the fun of being a bodyman be if all you had to do was cut off the smushed up quarter and glue a new one on or unbolt the cracked fascia and bolt the new one on. The fun is in the cutting and patching of the rust. To quote someone...not sure who....."It's only metal" :D

And I have seen the rust in that charger and that isn't even worth complaining about. For the make and year of that car it is rust free.
Click to expand...
 
CudaNut said:
I have been a garage door repairman in Los Angeles for 21 years. I come across MANY cars that have barely any surface rust at all and if not banged up..are straight and sound structurally. We get maybe 10-20 rainy days a year and everything dries out in a day or 2 if not in mere hours. Rag-tops do suffer some more than hardtops. Mmost owners park outside all the time, garages are for storing junk. But, most any large apartment garage holds a potential project car or 2 and occasionally a potential "barn car". In the last week I saw: a 67 Dart GT /6 convertible. It is a "some day I'll fix'er up" that the wife said he'd sell for $3K. A late 60's Charger with some rust under the vinyl top, small block & auto. sitting on the street with a $4,500 obo sign. A Formula 400 Firebird with missing hood abandoned in a No. Hollywood apartment garage. Currently I'm trying to buy a 1966 British car that was partially restored & left in a shed 20+ years ago. I have the best (or worst) job for a 'car-nut'! Evidenced by: 3 Barracudas, 2 MG's, a Triumph, Cougar, 2 V'dubs, 1 Porsche, Chevy p/u, a few motor cycles and a car transport trailer. This weekend is the gigantic Chrysler Performance West meet at Woodley Park (2 miles from home). Wonder what.......
Click to expand...
I bet it's fun finding the garage finds! interesting line of work. I bet you see some wacky stuff.
 
360scamp said:
Then you should start playing with cars built after at least 1993 because pretty much anything else will have some rust in it somewhere. Either that or get really good really fast at being a bodyman so you can afford to have all your cars acid dipped and sealed. Besides where would the fun of being a bodyman be if all you had to do was cut off the smushed up quarter and glue a new one on or unbolt the cracked fascia and bolt the new one on. The fun is in the cutting and patching of the rust. To quote someone...not sure who....."It's only metal" :D
Click to expand...


I never said I didn't like what I do, I just don't like the misrepresentation of these cars. I just finished shaving the door handles on the aspen and wow they came out great, I do love seeing my work and finding ways to get better at doing it, as well as becoming faster. anyway I gotta block the dart again tomorrow and it's time for bed. :sleepy5:
 
I agree that rust is rust whether it's surface rust (which can be much deeper than it looks) or major cancerous type rust. After all what's that 2nd word in "surface rust"?? It's rust. Am I not right?

Also just because some guys describe it as rust free when it has "surface rust" don't mean it's right to describe it that way. Alot of people find a way to stretch the truth to it's limits, and beyond sometimes.

If I had a car for sale with minor rust that looked like it was just on the surface I couldn't describe it as "rust free" and I don't think people would think much less of it if I described it with having minor surface rust and showed pics. Honesty goes a long way.
 
You are taking the term too literally - everybody in the auto hobby accepts this term to mean: no cancerous rust, or anything more than light surface rust. Hell, by you definition, 99% of ALL cars on the road now would not qualify as "rust free." If the car is driven regularly, there will always be rust SOMEWHERE. A bolt here, a scratch there - but if you're going to take the term literally, that would qualify as rusted car, right?

the car 69dartconvert69 posted is EXACTLY what is considered "rust free" to 99% of the auto industry - to you, this is a rusty car.
 
65barracudadude said:
I am going to agree with everything that you have said so far. I hate it when "they" use the term "rust free" as well. It is totally Bull sh&T. I think that people need to start just being honest about these cars. With the kind of money that we are spending on an A- body, these cars should at least be accurately described. I agree with you. But to tell you the truth, I have NEVER seen a "rust free" A-body. That hasn't been totally correctly restored.
Click to expand...
you think a little surface rust on the ceiling of the trunk is "dishonest" if the car is listed as rust free?
 
On all of the cars that i have bought over the years, the rust was free and i had to pay for the rest of what's left!
There's no such thing as rust free, even on new vehicles, anything that is steel and uncoated will have rust on it in 24 hrs or less. (flash rust)
I think it's a term used for no rust through anywhere on the body, that's what i call rust free.
I've seen cars that were VERY rotten and that ain't a pretty sight! I even still have a few that i use for parts and it's amazing how easily some parts come off even with the heads of the bolts half gone!...... Go figure.
Tom.
 
Even in a what appears to be a restored piece cannot be done to your desire. When I bought my Duster it was described as being in great shape. In honest when I received it there was no surface rust to really speak of until it was hit with a DA and then the discovery was in my eyes disheartning of patch repair work.

The biggest issue was the lack there of of tying in the structures when the car was mini tubed. NONE of the roof supports were tied in. The tubs were merely caulked or seam sealed in place! This was pretty apparent by the cracks in the paint on the roof.


The rockers and b pillars were loaded with cheese. The inner quarters were shot and the bottom of the doors were ready to poke through.

You never know until you strip it down.

If someone were to claim that it's rust free and a restored piece I'd want proof by way of picture documentation. This is one thing I did from start to where it is today in primer. Any and every issue was addressed cut repaired or replaced and sealed.

A visual eye of the undercarriage or surface never tells the whole story till you dig deeper below the shiny paint.
 
I just went through this last weekend with the Demon. The guy described the car has not having any rust. Truth is, there is rust bubbling through one quarter panel repair, rust through in the trunk pan, and the left front wheel well looks like swiss cheese. That is why I walked away from the car the first time. I was pissed that the guy lied to me about "not having any rust". I guess what he meant was that it didn't have any significant rust visible from 20 feet!!!
 
rust is rust, in any form, surface or otherwise. you still have to deal with it the same.
 
When people ask me if my cars are rust free, I usually say that there isn´t such a thing as a rust free car. You can bet that even if it is a brand new car there is some rust hidden somewhere.
 
69Dartconvt69 said:
I'll shut up and be happy with my "rust free" Duster. JB
Click to expand...

You do have a very nice car and I was in no way trying to say it isn't.


a68postcar said:
rust is rust, in any form, surface or otherwise. you still have to deal with it the same.
Click to expand...


And

MACKIN said:
Even in a what appears to be a restored piece cannot be done to your desire. When I bought my Duster it was described as being in great shape. In honest when I received it there was no surface rust to really speak of until it was hit with a DA and then the discovery was in my eyes disheartning of patch repair work.

The biggest issue was the lack there of of tying in the structures when the car was mini tubed. NONE of the roof supports were tied in. The tubs were merely caulked or seam sealed in place! This was pretty apparent by the cracks in the paint on the roof.


The rockers and b pillars were loaded with cheese. The inner quarters were shot and the bottom of the doors were ready to poke through.

You never know until you strip it down.

If someone were to claim that it's rust free and a restored piece I'd want proof by way of picture documentation. This is one thing I did from start to where it is today in primer. Any and every issue was addressed cut repaired or replaced and sealed.

A visual eye of the undercarriage or surface never tells the whole story till you dig deeper below the shiny paint.
Click to expand...



Essentially this is exactly what I am trying to say, if there is a little chances are there is more in spots that will ruin a car.

I know people are just trying to sell a car but I feel bad for the guys who don't know any better and buy it. Yes they should have done a little more research but it gets kinda discouraging when you find out how much it is to fix it.


Rust from the inside in my opinion is worse then from the outside because it's eating away at uncoated material.

My dad has a friend who's '70 challenger was dipped and fully coated. The car won best paint at the Seattle roadster show. I bet if you looked hard enough you could find a speck of rust (maybe the underside looks as good as the top side and the car wasn't driven until recently.). But I would most likely have to say this car is truly rust free. It's also a 100k show car.


I love this kind of honesty!!!!
swedefish said:
When people ask me if my cars are rust free, I usually say that there isn´t such a thing as a rust free car. You can bet that even if it is a brand new car there is some rust hidden somewhere.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top