Body work

[scanty]

I live near Sacramento and need to do a bit of rust repair. Ideally, I'd like to try and do it myself. Although I'd have to learn how, as I've never done anything like this before.

Is it worth it? Or should I just find a body shop to do it for me?

I'm a bit hesitant to do it myself without much guidance.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[jmackro]

We don't know:

- What area of your e9 needs repairing - flat section of the floor, or the upper front suspension structure ?

- Is the rust damage aesthetic or structural ?

- What sort of facilities you plan to work in - apartment carport, or fully-equipped automotive metal repair shop ?

- What background you have in metal working and automotive repair ?

- What outcome are you looking for - 100 point show car, daily driver, rat rod, ...?

Fill us in on that, and we can offer some intelligent advice.

 

[scanty]

I took the car into a sandblasting shop. They indicated to me that it was unnecessary as the rust wasn't that deep. Rust is bubbling up through the paint in small areas, mostly around the front and back windscreens. I would assume the rocker panel could use some work. Although you can't see it from the outside.

I currently have the vehicle In my garage but don't have any metal working tools. I could probably get a hold of some though. I personally don't have any metal working experience. I was looking to replace these few area, most no bigger than 4 square inches. Hoping to turn the vehicle into a daily driver!

The more I talk about it the more daunting the task seems... Can you recommend any good body shops in the Sacramento area?

 

[Nicad]

The rocker cover is just an aesthetic cover. You should take it off and examine the rocker for structural integrity. Peel back the carpet from the inside as well. Pull the rear seats, aim a point and shoot camera under the dash by the trunk release to see how the structure is holding out. ALso, remove the trunk floor panels and liners and have a look. Don't forget up under the front fenders.

 

[tmason]

Are the rocker cover still on the car?If so that's the 1st thing you need to pull off and poke around.If possible post some pictures.

 

[vraned]

Sacramento is close enough to San Jose for the type of money & time you are looking at. You should visit Boyd Fechner. PM me for contact info. Also look at my website (vranedom.com). This car showed no signs of rust in the areas you mention. You can tell I did the work myself. If an e9 pro (like Boyd, Coupeking, etc.) does it, it will look OEM. Think about where you want to end up. Just want to be straight up.

 

[Honolulu]

By now some should have told you that the rocker cover, which is what you see from outside the car, is held on by a couple screws which you can easily remove. Surely you can handle a screwdriver (don't lose the screws). It takes only minutes.

Some photos posted to the list would also help.

If anyone knowledgeable is near the OP they could offer to have a look. I'm in Honolulu, but if you want to drop by, we can crawl over and around the car and see what there is to see. However as for coupe-competent body shops here, we may be a little shy of a quorum.

 

[scanty]

Here are some pics!

I removed the drivers side rocker panel. Though at the ends it appears to be riveted. Luckily for me the rivets were broken on the drivers side. But not so on the passengers side.

Here's what I've got.

 

[scanty]

Here's another.

Another picture of the rocker panel itself.

 

[tmason]

Is that the rocker under the cover.Is it not welded in?

 

[scanty]

There was the rocker panel cover. Which was held on by small screws and rivets at the end. That's the large black piece. The other picture is just one area that was underneath the cover. The area underneath the cover is indeed welded into position.

Here's a whole picture of the area.

 

[scanty]

Rocker panel

The metal underneath the cover appears to be welded. Here's a better picture of the area after the cover has been removed.