|
|
|
|
|
|
Anything is salvageable in agreement with other folk. It's a roller-coaster of frustration, it will take far more time and money than you estimate.
If it's not your profession, and you have a life outside the garage, then 2 years soon becomes 4(I go months not working on my project) . So, get a welder, learn to weld both the skill and the equipment are great assets. Once you've got both, see if the passion is still there for the Caddy then crack on!
Best of luck!
|
| |
2014 - Audi A6 Avant 3.0Tdi Quattro
1958 - Chevrolet Apache Panel Truck
1959 - Plymouth Custom Suburban
1952 - Chevrolet 2dr Hardtop
1985 - Ford Econoline E350 Quadravan
2009 - Ovlov V70 2.5T
1970 - Cortina Mk2 Estate
2007 - Fiat Ducato LWB 120Multijet
2014 - Honda Civic 2.2 CTDi ES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As someone who has done it my advice is don't even start on that money pit .If you really want to do a restoration buy something with cheap parts and available locally.It's nice to dream but that will turn into a nightmare.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Appreciate all the comments so far. It's a 75 eldorado convertible with the big 8.2 engine, only 40k on the clock. Been told the car was pretty mint when parked up, all of the rust corresponds with where the building was leaking, and the roof was down for 20 years meaning the interior got soaked and the floorpans rusted out. It has some pretty cool options like the heated rear glass window, 6 way electric seats, ac ect so it would have been pretty nice at one point. The only repair panels I can find are the floor pans. I believe it does indeed have a separate chassis and the big chassis rails down the middle of the car are absolutely solid, even around the areas the floorpans have rotted through. Suspension and steering seem ok too, but the power steering pump and all electrics have been cut by someone looking for copper, luckily theres no shortage of parts on ebay and rockautos, it will start adding up tho. I think I might look in to buying a mig and just having a go myself. I was given an old sip arc welder years ago and am yet to try it, but I guess arc welding isn't up to the same standard as mig? From what I have read the car is based on a General Motors E chassis platform which comprised of a unitary body construction - i.e. the chassis is integral to the bodyshell and not a separate chassis / body construction - apparently your car is a 7th generation model and front wheel drive - there were built in volume and hence second hand parts should not be too difficult to source in the states - however this would be a very brave restoration for a first timer with has yet with no welding skills but don't let me put you off either - I have spent over 40 years restoring no end of classic / vintage cars and it's great to see someone of the younger generation to carry such enthusiasm - coming from experience and given that you are just getting into restoring cars I would personally move the car on & purchase something half it's size requiring half the work - learn from it, enjoy it and then set your sights on a more ambitious project. |
| |
Last Edit: Jun 10, 2017 7:57:43 GMT by Deleted
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 10, 2017 12:49:45 GMT
|
|
What about letting someone like Dez have a look at it and see what he thinks, maybe you could get a price on rebuilding the trickyist bits?
You should be able to get hold of body cuts fairly easy in the uk if the panels you need are shared with the sedan.
|
| |
|
|
paulw
Part of things
Posts: 216
|
|
Jun 10, 2017 15:52:48 GMT
|
|
since the rot is due to being leaked on and hence a bit unusual, I bet you'd find a scrapyard in the States who could cut a good scuttle and frame off another car - if so it's really not that hard to repair. Floors will be easy enough, then just do the bare minimum to make it legal and roll round in it like it is and look immensely cool.
or if there's no rust at all near any structural points, just buy some goggles and hit the road :-D
|
| |
Lotus Seven
'58 Ford Special
64 Barracuda
|
|
dazaaa
Part of things
Posts: 123
|
|
|
|
|
Quick update on this. Ive had a few welders look at it and they reckon its all standard work that should take no more than 2 weeks. One guy quoted me £3000 to get it to mot standard but would need to be transported to his place far out of london. Overall good news in that it's certainly saveable. Not sure how i'll continue from here, no issues with storage so may sit on it till i've got the time to learn how to weld and just crack on with it myself I'm the future.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I would say go for it.
You have already said you don't mind doing the work and are prepared to learn to weld.
One of my old Rovers was in a bad way when I got it and I have probably spent twice what the car is worth on repairs and its no where near finished.
Cost isn't always a big factor some nutters like me see it as a hobby, a pure labour of love.
Sure I could have bought one that was already roadworthy but where is the fun in that?
|
| |
1984 Rover SD1 Vanden Plas 2600 Auto
1985 Rover SD1 2300s Auto
2005 MG ZT 1.8 Manual
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quick update on this. Ive had a few welders look at it and they reckon its all standard work that should take no more than 2 weeks. One guy quoted me £3000 to get it to mot standard but would need to be transported to his place far out of london. Overall good news in that it's certainly saveable. Not sure how i'll continue from here, no issues with storage so may sit on it till i've got the time to learn how to weld and just crack on with it myself I'm the future. I spend my time restoring rusty classics and IMO looking at your pics there's a lot more than 2 weeks welding there which would lead me to think that the guy who says 2 weeks will end up cutting corners. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quick update on this. Ive had a few welders look at it and they reckon its all standard work that should take no more than 2 weeks. One guy quoted me £3000 to get it to mot standard but would need to be transported to his place far out of london. Overall good news in that it's certainly saveable. Not sure how i'll continue from here, no issues with storage so may sit on it till i've got the time to learn how to weld and just crack on with it myself I'm the future. I spend my time restoring rusty classics and IMO looking at your pics there's a lot more than 2 weeks welding there which would lead me to think that the guy who says 2 weeks will end up cutting corners. I help a lot of people with their rustorations and neither the price nor the timeline quoted make sense to me. That is a BIG project. In my world, this scuttle/dash repair and the windshield surround damage would exceed your quoted budget.   I see this as an opportunity to get stuck in the deep-end and find out what your swimming talents might be. The £300 would be better spend on a good welder, tools and panels to get started on your own. No shame in discovering this kind of work is not for you, but at least you wont be any further from a finished product than you would have been after you got it back from the shop, and you will own the tools. |
| |
Last Edit: Aug 9, 2017 18:02:27 GMT by bjornagn
|
|
fad
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,781
|
|
|
|
|
Do NOT send it off to be welded at that price. I've seen a few tears before bedtime with welding done by people on the cheap. 2 weeks work?? Perhaps, if you had a complete set of panels to pop in rather than making local repairs, and you hit it full time, with the right experience, right kit, and there were no hidden issues and the car was already stripped down and rot already cut out... But one thing is for sure, you won't get the car back all finished and welded to a good standard in two weeks.
To put it another way, if that came to us for a resto we would say "don't call us, we'll call you..." and it would be there for months.
|
| |
Last Edit: Aug 10, 2017 8:57:54 GMT by fad
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
agree - get your own tools and learn how to do it right
theres ££££££ in fixing that properly if paying to have it done , money that would buy a cleaner car you can enjoy now
|
| |
91 golf g60, 89 golf 16v , 88 polo breadvan
|
|
|
|
|
Aug 11, 2017 15:33:57 GMT
|
|
My first restoration was a Bugeye sprite and it was as rotten as this project. Without knowing how to weld or owning any tools, I ended up with a nice result. I also ended up with a new shop full of tools and new skills that I acquired along the way!
|
| |
|
|
fad
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,781
|
|
Aug 11, 2017 16:07:16 GMT
|
|
Lidl has small mig welders in at the moment. No idea how good they are but I have never missed with lidl and aldi for occasional use toolage. Might be a good starter?
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Aug 12, 2017 12:34:51 GMT
|
|
There is an irony to cheap welding equipment: Bargain Store MIG machines actually work best in the hands of an experienced welder than they do for the new-guy. I did the same thing in that my first MIG was an SIP unit and I did persevere and got a lot done. When I finally bought a decent Lincoln welder I kicked myself for not having done so in the first place. Name brand welders will sell on for a large part of what you paid for them, so if you can afford the buy in, there is little to lose.
I can now go back and work with the SIP, but only because I know how to compensate. If you can afford it, the Miller "Millermatic" is probably the best you can buy for a home shop.
|
| |
|
|
