Can this car be saved?!

[StreetSleeper34]

I have the opportunity to purchase a 92 Talon TSI AWD with the 6 bolt/4 bolt diff. combo very cheaply. It is primarily stock with some new components like ECU, gas tank, brakes and a few other items. Body is in great shape, runs very well....however the frame is nearly rusted through! Is there anything that can be done to save it, or is this perfect project car nothing more than an engine swap story?

 

[TheTSiGuy]

I have the opportunity to purchase a 92 Talon TSI AWD with the 6 bolt/4 bolt diff. combo very cheaply. It is primarily stock with some new components like ECU, gas tank, brakes and a few other items. Body is in great shape, runs very well....however the frame is nearly rusted through! Is there anything that can be done to save it, or is this perfect project car nothing more than an engine swap story?

Hoe badly is the fram rusted? you can get new fenders and bumpers no problem, i'd be worried about the rear quarter panels. Maybe weld in some new pieces with some fabrication, or lots, and lots of bondo.

 

[seth98es]

He said frame not the body. I dont know what you can do with it besides keep it as a parts car and use the engine/tranny. You can find nice shells for cheap nowadays. Rusted frames are no fun.

 

[pinknuggit]

Dealing with a rusted frame isn't bad if you aren't afraid of doing work.

It's time consuming, but it's really not that hard to fix it up. You have to weld, though.

Just get a big beefy wirebrush wheel and an electric drill (don't use a battery powered one) and go to town under the bottom. Get every ounce of rust off that you can see.

If there are any holes, use an acetaline torch to cut the cancerous part of the hole out cause it's weak.

Go to lowe's and find you some sheetmetal that is a bit thicker than the floorboard is. Cut to fit and weld the sheetmetal on your hole from the top (from inside the car).

The good thing about doing this is that if you buy extra metal, you can even reinforce your frame to make the car stronger.

Auto part stores sell a rust-proof primer. Get alot of this and completely soak the underneath of your car with it. I'm talking like one of the thickest coats of paint you've ever done in your life.
Or if you want to go expensive, go to your auto parts store and buy enough POR-15 to coat your underbody with.

I did all of this to a 79 camaro a few years ago and I reinforced the hell out of the chassis. The car was so stiff that you could put a jack up under the center of the passenger side and jack it all the way up without the door gap getting any bigger! I could have it up on 4 jackstands and the door gap wouldn't change at all.

 

[aleccolin]

I have yet to see a parts store that carries POR-15, tell me where you got it and maybe I won't have to order the stuff anymore.

 

[pinknuggit]

Carquest can order it, Hammons auto parts should have it. I got mine at hammons.


I've also heard through the grapevine that you can get it at sherwin williams and dupont stores, but i'm not too sure on that one and i doubt it.

 

[StreetSleeper34]

Thanks for the info guys, a lot of good stuff to consider. The only problem I am seeing is that the frame is so bad, that sticking a jack underneath it, crushes the metal that is left. I am not sure if there is anything to weld to. I will be weighing my pros and cons with this project to see if it is worth it. It's a shame too, like I said the body is still really good, how the frame only got bad, I have no idea...damn salt they use in this town during the winter months probably. I will dig into it a little more this weekend to test the strength of what's left and try to find a possible way to fix it. Otherwise, I am parting it out! Keeping what I could use on my current project car of course

 

[unior]

if you decide to part it out - pm me! i am a dispatcher and get trucks through your town hehe