What to do (rust/body repair)

[asdfasd]

Hey everyone, I've been a lurker on this forum only for a while and ran into a bit of a dilemna with my car...

I got a 1997 240sx and got into a small crash last fall. I slid into a railing and damaged the car. There was damage only to the passenger fender and it needs to be replaced/painted. Since I was poor (and still am), I just bought a car cover and stored it for winter hoping to fix everything in the summer.

Earlier this week I took off my driver's side skirt today and low and behold there's a bunch of patches of rust that were in hiding, the biggest one being about 2.5 inches long.

I haven't taken off the passenger side skirt but I felt underneath it and there are some bumpy patches that are probably rust as well..

The underbody of my car kind also has rust and looks like this guy's car: "http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/8885/img0038ch1.jpg" and "http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/96/img0040rx3.jpg" with surface rust on the frame rails as well...

My car is bone stock and has around 150 000 KMs. It also needs new tires but other than that, everything else on the car is working and in good condition ie. engine/interior.

I live in central Canada and I have to park it outside. I'm currently in the process of looking for a place with covered/underground parking. I use this car as a semi daily driver, mostly for errands or going out.

Now, should I go forward with expensive body/rust repairs and then the eventual mods or just cut my losses and sell the car for something better to work on?

Sorry for the long story but thanks for your time. I would have pictures but my camera AND my laptop are broken as well. Everything seems to be breaking all at the same time.. -_-

[Ninjabread]

That's simply surface rust. The only problem I see with the first picture you posted is that there is clearly a hole on the right side in front of the jack support. Don't worry about surface rust.

What you should really be worried about are your frame rails and strut towers, but being a 97, it should be fine.

Take this from a guy on the east coast when I say that if it looks like that, it's definitely FINE.

[randyjordan]

97 rucas dont really look like that?..do they?

[KA-T_240]

if its surface rust. sand it and then undercoat it. I know all about rust. It sucks, do what you can to prevent it. especailly if you live in an area that salts the roads. I wouldn't be to worried about it. the surface rust underneither you can do your self.

[frsh2fourty]

You should worry about rust when you can pick off chunks of it from the frame rail or strut tower like ^^^^ they said. But according to a jerkstore in Texas even if you can do that to a large portion of the frame rail, the car is still worth $3500.
/sarcasm-rant

[Ninjabread]

97 rucas dont really look like that?..do they?

Uhh no, thats because it's an s13 in the pics.

[asdfasd]

Yeah that's another guy's car. My car looks like pretty much the same as his car underneath in terms of rust. I'll try and get pictures of my car when I borrow a friend's camera.

I'm pretty much at the point of whether I want to spend the time and money on this car or just buy something new.

[aznpoopy]

the rust in the pictures is nothing.

as for other problems, as long there isnt a gaping hole you can just do this:
http://www.por15.com/
buy a can, sand a little, apply to car, spray it over.

[ApexRK]

The fender that was in the accident is going to rust where its smashed up, thats normal, but when you have the cash you will have to replace the whole fender anways so don't worry about that. My Kouki was in an accident not long ago and a fender from the body shop was around $250 so its not that bad, paint will be another $100.

For the underbody the cheapest thing you can do is get it undercoated at Krown to stop it from rusting further. The more expensive and time consuming alternative is to 'restore' the underside of the car, that means taking subframe, suspension bits, everything with surface rust, getting it blasted and repainted. For the rails getting them blasted, primered and coated with that rubberized coating will fix it, but thats a butt load of work. As others have said surface rust is not bad, it just looks like ass.

[Ninjabread]

Hey, I see you're from Kingston.

You should join 613Driftwerks.com!

[exitspeed]

Didn't we just have this thread last month. The conclusion was: Surface rust is normal.

[ApexRK]

Hey, I see you're from Kingston.

You should join 613Driftwerks.com!

Thanks for the invite, but I'm not into the drift scene like you guys are, I prefer grip.