2G 98 GSX Rusting

[GSX_Mike]

I got a really good deal on this 98 GSX. Unfortunately there is alot of rust underneath. How screwed am I? Is this repairable?

I'm thinking everything underneath will need to be replaced. The rusty bolts are going to be really fun. The car looks so good from up top.

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[Dusty Landrum]

It’s absolutely salvageable. Anything is really, just depends on time and money. Where you really need to be concerned are the front strut towers and the rear lower rockers. That’s usually the first area to get really really bad and spreads from there. Are you familiar with those two areas?

 

[GSX_Mike]

Those 2 areas are surprisingly good.

 

[Dusty Landrum]

Those 2 areas are surprisingly good.

Uh, well I can def see a large spot already showing through on the driver's side strut tower under the A/C line and that means it worse than you may think. You would have to take the rear side skirt caps off as well to see the area in the rear I mentioned.

 

[GSX_Mike]

Ok you are right about the strut tower. It really is that one spot. Now you have me scared to remove the side skirts.

 

[Dusty Landrum]

Ok you are right about the strut tower. It really is that one spot. Now you have me scared to remove the side skirts.

nah don't be scared man. Better to know NOW than later if you really do want to know and not just wonder what it's like. Head in the sand is never a good thing with rust haha.

 

[CKOPOCT]

No worries man. As Dusty said, everything is repairable. Plenty of folks have bought '50's era and earlier cars that were rotting in fields and barns, replaced and fabricated skin and frames, and resurrected the ride back to eye popping street worthiness. This car is in much better shape than those field buckets; it isn't a future tuna can.

'Twer it me, I would decide first on how much I was willing to spend to get the car right. Determine what are you willing to spend to fix the bodywork, then do a deeper investigation of the car and go from there.

Much of what I see can probably be taken care of with sanding and repainting. No need to replace sheet metal or parts. Just get them back to clean metal and rattle can them. Some bits (like the strut tower and some of the floor pan) will have to be patched with new steel.

Very rough guess, not including paint work, but I'd say you're looking at somewhere between $1000 and $4000 in body work - assuming you do the basic stuff yourself and take it to a shop for the precision steel and weld work. Could be much more if the car is in worse shape, especially if the frame needs work. If you can weld and have the time and patience, and are willing to learn how to shape the sheet steel, you can probably fix it for under a grand.

As to the cost of paint, that really depends on what you want. You can rattle can the repair areas and undercoat it for a couple hundred bucks. You can take it to a paint shop on the east coast (where the expensive water based paints are mandatory) and have the whole car prepped and shot back to factory for around $10,000.

 

[chrysler kid]

Still save able, if you ignore it through the rust will get worse to a point it doesn't make sense.

Put it on jack stands and take your time. Its still a very nice car and worth your time