Ah, Houston, we got rust and it's not pretty....

[Katie Thomas]

My SHO has rust on the rear wheel wells and some developing along the trunk. It is not very obvious though because it is the kind that is bubbling underneath the surface, so you gotta look close to notice.

What are my best options for fixing this problem?

Also, I am planning on getting a complete paint job on the SHO baby before the close of the year (maybe around the warm months so I don't have to worry about the weather). I want to have the rust gone, or as close to gone, by the time I get around to doing that.

Comments, suggestions, concerns? ....kat

 

[RI-SHO]

Only way to really get rid of it is cutting out all of the "infected" area and welding in new metal .

 

[luigisho]

Agreed. I had some rust work done with a repaint and it all came back under the paint the next year. I moved out of the salted northern roads too. The only cure is to cut out the infected area or replace the panel with another from a used car. Doesn't have to color match if you're going to do a repaint anyway.

 

[Katie Thomas]

How much would it cost to get that done?
Hundreds or thousands? wink

 

[luigisho]

Wow. That really depends. Prices vary widely for both paint jobs (how many coats, where you take it ect.) and used parts if you replace. All I can say is I guarantee the rust will return without removing the infected spot and a little surrounding metal. Ask any snowbelt/rustbelt car owner.
I thought since I was getting away from the salted roads I could get away with a little patch and repaint, but no such luck. It all came back and I'll now have to do it twice.

<small>[ January 04, 2003, 04:12 PM: Message edited by: luigisho ]</small>

 

[jthomas68]

Rust will always come back.It`s actually much worse than it looks with the little bubbles.I had the same thing on mine,the infected area was almost the whole lip of the fenderwell.The rust is much more than you can see.To give you an idea of what to expect,my uncle owns a body shop,it cost me $850 to get it repaired.All the metal was cut out,new metal was welded back in.I don`t drive it more that 6k miles per year,and it`s parked all winter,yet i have some areas looking not so good already after only 2 years.Rust can be repaired,but it always comes back.

 

[Darkside]

The scary part is that if you are finding the rust in those spots, where else is it? What about when you pull up the ground effects. If you can, I would try to have it fixed in the spring. That way it won't have the whole summer to get worse.

 

[rendyx]

This was a little bubbling on my SHO, after some sanding:

That's to give you an idea. My plan now is to repaint the car, fix all the rust, then as it comes back every spring, I'll sand, fix and repaint, now that the colors will hopefully match after repainting. Check my web site if you want more pictures of my rust project I did.

 

[sshewchuk]

The body work done is usually directly related to the price paid. Take an ice pick and try to tap it through the rust lightly with a hammer if it goes through easily expect a large area to be cut out to be done right. We know all about rust here in Canada wink

 

[91 SHO PLUS]

This is why I searched for both my Gen I's from down south! '90 from Macon, Georgia, and the '91 from Houston, Texas!! Both of them have NEVER SEEN SALT, NO RUST EVER!! thumbs_u Getting a 60K or a clutch done is nothing compared to repairing a bunch of rust and painting your SHO. By the way, both of these SHO's are listed for sale on the Shoclub.com classifieds if anybody's interested. I'm thinking about getting a REAL NICE, LOW MILE, '95 SHO from the South or Southwest.
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
AND HOW 'BOUT THOSE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES WINNING THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP??!! thumbs_u thumbs_u
Jeff
Columbus, Ohio

 

[Mike Kopstain]

rendyx:
This was a little bubbling on my SHO, after some sanding:

That's to give you an idea. My plan now is to repaint the car, fix all the rust, then as it comes back every spring, I'll sand, fix and repaint, now that the colors will hopefully match after repainting. Check my web site if you want more pictures of my rust project I did.

Don't waste your money with a repaint. Your whole quarter panel is rotted and in need of replacment. Remember, there is also metal on the other side of the skin and a whole underbody. Your car is going to look like a mess if you do it as you plan to.

 

[Katie Thomas]

My poor poor SHO...
Well, all the regular places like SHOclub, SHOtimes, SHOforum ( wink ), ebay, ect. will be a good place to start a search for panels.
Or would the adventure of checking out junk yards be a better bet? (Perhaps in sunny, dry TX? thumbs_u )

This is definitely my summer project. Financed entirely on my small paycheck, so it is time to set up a SHO savings account at the base bank!

Donate to the "Save the Rare, Rusting EastCoast SHOs" Foundation! My SHO baby has become an official member in need of aid! Any others out there?

I am already shoveling out almost $700 for the paint job on the cowl hood I got her for New Years, so mods besides the necessary maintenence will be minimal until I can make the outside structure like new again. I can survive w/out a tint job, but not w/ a SHO that won't even start for me.

(Mainentence is an everyday affair, wink ) (Some days more than others... eek! )

...kat

note: OHIO KICKS A**!!!! well, except for Steelers' a**, but, we all know what they are up to... shady monkey-lickers...

<small>[ January 07, 2003, 12:13 PM: Message edited by: Katie Thomas ]</small>

 

[FordLover]

Err, well, I know it didn't get the rust from Houston. All three of mine don't have a spot of rust on em.
-Martin

 

[projectSHO89]

Katie,

You might consider doing the mechanical repairs and maintenance before working on the cosmetic issues.

Otherwise, your pretty-to-look-at SHO will be the nicest looking car on the back of the tow truck.

My own '89 still looks like crap, but the mechanicals are gradually being fixed and eventually will be ready to support the rusting hulk of a Taurus for the rest of its useful life.

Replacement panels can be obtained from a regular Taurus in a junkyard or from any distributor of crash panels. Look in the Yellow Pages under Auto Parts for them.

Steve

<small>[ January 08, 2003, 09:00 AM: Message edited by: projectSHO89 ]</small>

 

[JaySHOguy]

If you are paying $700 to have a HOOD painted, you are getting boink severely... especially black. That is one of the cheapest color paints to have done...

~~ex-body man~~

<small>[ January 08, 2003, 11:54 AM: Message edited by: Jay97SHO ]</small>

 

[SLOSHO89]

I would say going to a junk yard and looking for nice rust free cars would be a good idea. Then you can cut off the panels that you need.

Or else find people that are parting out SHO's they could cut some fender patches out for you to the size you need. If you can't find any good ones I might be able to get some from CA.

Make sure you take off the ground effects because that is a place where the water can hide. Surface rust isn't a big deal. But when the paint is bubbling that usualy means the rust is a hole that goes through.

Rust is a hard problem to deal with if you want it done right. I'm working on a '63 fairlane that is going to need rear floors and a rear quarter panel repair, major PITA.

Efren