Rust repair quote

[Frank_Jaeger]

I went looking for a body shop today to quote me, and the only place open said they "didn't want to get into that".

:bs:

What the hell is so bad about this that this place wouldn't even touch it? It wasn't even an issue of money, he made it clear he simply didn't want to do it.

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd389/delysid_/2012-11-23_14-27-04_25.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd389/delysid_/2012-11-23_14-27-17_368.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd389/delysid_/2012-11-23_14-27-22_711.jpg

I guess the other body shops are closed for the holiday? Anyway I've seen people repair MUCH worst rust themselves. How much can I expect this to cost me?

[jr_ss]

Your costs could vary quite a bit depending on how they fix it. Personally, I'd take a wire wheel to the affected areas and see how bad the rust truly is. Pull interior panels so you can get a better idea as well. If it's not too bad, I'd use some weld through primer and coat a small piece that will allow you to cover the hole from the inside. Then body fill the hole or spot weld until you've filled the hole and grind smooth.

Chances are there is more rust in/around that area than just those holes.

[Frank_Jaeger]

Thanks man, I appreciate it. I've had the sunroof out before and aside from the holes, it didn't look like it had gone through too much. I'm going to investigate though.

Can I just buy a roof skin from a donor vehicle and have a place weld it on? I don't want the leaky sunroof either.

[racepar1]

Thanks man, I appreciate it. I've had the sunroof out before and aside from the holes, it didn't look like it had gone through too much. I'm going to investigate though.

Can I just buy a roof skin from a donor vehicle and have a place weld it on? I don't want the leaky sunroof either.

The best way to repair that is to cut the roof skin off and replace the whole thing, as you mentioned above. I am personally worried about where ELSE there is rust. It's pretty unlikely that's the only spot that's rusted out. That's probably the reason that the body shop didn't want to touch it.

[memphis180sx]

honestly dont waste your time with the shell its not worth it. If it there its in more places if water has gotten through the roof that means its in every piece i can be. The reason the body shop wont touch it is beacuse if they quote a price for just that area and they start diggin and end up finding out the whole roof needs replacement then there fucked for quoteing you a price that isnt worth it to them then you get mad cuse it costs more dont listen to the guy who said put a plate behind it and put filler on top it the filler will crack either do it right or dont do it at all.

[jr_ss]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the "drip tray" wasn't on it's way out as well...

[inopsey]

to fix that you need to basically remove all the interior to be able to try and weld it up and even then you risk lighting up the car when the sparks start to fly. a job like that would cost about 1k to do here at a shop.

[Def]

$1k with paint? No way.

Fix it yourself if you think it's so easy. The shop knew you were a young kid with an old car and wouldn't entertain a quote that would make it worth their time.

[Jtuned_andy]

I work at a collision shop and we wouldn't touch that and guarantee it wouldn't rust out again from underneath. you need to replace the whole roof skin to be certain it never comes back.

[Frank_Jaeger]

The best way to repair that is to cut the roof skin off and replace the whole thing, as you mentioned above. I am personally worried about where ELSE there is rust. It's pretty unlikely that's the only spot that's rusted out. That's probably the reason that the body shop didn't want to touch it.
It is the only spot there's rust. On the entire vehicle. I've removed the sunroof and pan and checked all over. That's it.

honestly dont waste your time with the shell its not worth it. If it there its in more places if water has gotten through the roof that means its in every piece i can be. The reason the body shop wont touch it is beacuse if they quote a price for just that area and they start diggin and end up finding out the whole roof needs replacement then there fucked for quoteing you a price that isnt worth it to them then you get mad cuse it costs more dont listen to the guy who said put a plate behind it and put filler on top it the filler will crack either do it right or dont do it at all.
There isn't rust anywhere else on the car.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the "drip tray" wasn't on it's way out as well...
The "drip tray" is in 100% perfect condition. Not even surface rust.

to fix that you need to basically remove all the interior to be able to try and weld it up and even then you risk lighting up the car when the sparks start to fly. a job like that would cost about 1k to do here at a shop.
Thanks for the info.

$1k with paint? No way.

Fix it yourself if you think it's so easy. The shop knew you were a young kid with an old car and wouldn't entertain a quote that would make it worth their time.
I have no experience welding and don't want to drop the money required to get a decent welder. I don't need it painted by the shop, I don't even need them to remove the old skin. I only need them to weld a new one on.

I work at a collision shop and we wouldn't touch that and guarantee it wouldn't rust out again from underneath. you need to replace the whole roof skin to be certain it never comes back.
Then that's what I'll do. I'll be on the lookout for coupe partouts. I can get a skin for about $600 new otherwise.

[racepar1]

It is the only spot there's rust. On the entire vehicle. I've removed the sunroof and pan and checked all over. That's it.

There isn't rust anywhere else on the car.

I honestly do not believe you. Have you checked the framerails right where they start to turn-up? How about the bottom of the 1/4 panels? Rocker panels? Trunk pan? Floor pan? Have you actually had the car up in the air on a lift to check it? Or did you just poke around the obvious places a little? ALL those spots are known to rust-out. I've been working on these cars for a long time and that's where I've seen rust. I've never even seen rust on the roof like that on cars that are rusty in some of those other places. Make sure that you check VERY carefully before you spend ANY money on that shell. You can get an entire shell for the price of that roof sheetmetal.

[KiLLeR2001]

Get a hardtop shell. I wouldn't waste my time with that.

[Frank_Jaeger]

Get a hardtop shell. I wouldn't waste my time with that.
I think it's astounding people are recommending I switch to another car just because the roof skin is rusted around the sunroof. Think you can find me a 1) straight 2) rust-free donor that's 3) local and 4) cheaper than what it'll cost to weld in a roof skin? I've been looking at shells. I'll be waiting, send me a PM.

Racepar1, I can take a video if you like. There is not a bit of rust anywhere else on the body. I checked it when I bought it.

[Memberofthe600hpkaclub]

Yep time for a new shell or complete roof skin..roof skin is supppeeerrr easy if you can weld and use body filler...looks like u need a full repaint anyways...do the work close prime it and go in for paint

[Frank_Jaeger]

Yep time for a new shell or complete roof skin..roof skin is supppeeerrr easy if you can weld and use body filler...looks like u need a full repaint anyways...do the work close prime it and go in for paint
Deciding to finally paint the car is what prompted this. The paint is awful.

I can't paint until I do body work. The only body work that I can't do involves welding. I don't need anyone to paint, primer, treat the metal after welding, cut off the old skin, etc. I just need someone to weld on the skin. That's it. I'll pay to have it done right.

[Memberofthe600hpkaclub]

Well no better time to learn...research research research and I promise you can do the entire job and learn new skills that are always handy at the same time..

[Frank_Jaeger]

Thanks man!

[xoxide]

Finding a new shell would be cheaper than paying a shop to repair it. You can find good shells anywhere from $2-500 dollars... Thats more than a $1k job to repair. I wouldnt touch it eithere if you had brought it to our shop.. If you want to do it right, get a complete new roof skin as mentioned above and have a shop fix it.. But again a new shell is cheaper assuming that is an S13 you have.

I dont believe for a second the rest of that car is rust free.

[ghoti]

You can choose to do what you want with your money, you got enough advice already. You asked if it is so bad, I'd say no I saw this on CR a while ago
http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q640/Reaperofmiatas/Miata/100_2686.jpg

BTW you should post that pic of the top on the LSD thread (http://zilvia.net/f/chat/466208-lsd-loyal-sunroof-displayers.html):ddog:

[holemilk00]

After the new year I'll have a completely rust free SE hardtop shell I'll sell for $1000. That will be less then the repair cost.

[jr_ss]

I'd take ^that^ offer any day of the week. Getting harder and harder to find rust free shells.

[racepar1]

You can choose to do what you want with your money, you got enough advice already. You asked if it is so bad, I'd say no I saw this on CR a while ago

That's not rust damage, that's drifting into a curb damage. LOL! Seriously though that framerail is easier to fix then the roof.

I guess I'm spoiled since I'm from So-cal. We don't have rust around these parts!

[collegekid]

I had my sunroof busted up during an accident. It wouldnt stay shut. I went to a local fabrication shop who does a lot of work on 240's so it was a win win. They pretty much uninstalled the sunroof, welded in sheet metal, and welded in a support (because after welding in the sheet metal, it started bending in all sorts of weird ways because the roof metal is so thin). It cost me like $700 ish for that, unpainted and all I need for it is
-a body shop to use a slide hammer and fix the last few indents from the welding
-paint underneath and on top of the sunroof
-pretty much reinstall the roof carpet thing and my dome light.

Honestly, it'll come down to the labor rates you find at a shop if you want to stick with this car.

It's pretty much a thing of cost vs time

Cost
-of paying for them to do the work, depending on how much you can paint after, what you want done etc, which costs more than a shell

Time
-finding a new shell
-switching over parts
-selling your old one
-who knows the bugs on the new car
-same goes for the rust there

What you should do is find all of the rust everywhere else in the car

Start scraping the undercoat off in the wheel wells, uninstall the fresh air duct behind the hood, and get the car up on stands. Grab a flashlight and start looking for rust.

Make a decision based off of that.

Good luck

[Mikester]

^^Pretty good, Apu^^

Before my current build, I picked up a shell in what seemed to be good condish with "a little bit of rust" on it. The further I dug into the stripdown, the more & more rust I found. Once I realized that the repairs would exceed the value of the car, I kept the parts that were worth something or good for spares & donated the rest to charity. I did some online shopping, found a rust-free car in nice, arid Dallas; flew down, paid the guy & drove it back to St Louis thru the night. The rest they say is history...

If you don't know how to weld/do body work and/or know anyone who can, shit gets really expensive really quick. Not saying that it CAN'T be done because it can... Just saying that paying a lot of money for major body repairs on a 20yr old car when for just a hair more you can have a good condish, rust-free one does not make good sense.

FYI Some of these ^^ guys have been building & fixing cars since you were in grade school or before; and they are trying to help you by explaining the ins/outs of what you are trying to accomplish... That being said- don't get offended when people put out opinions that are not aligned with what you want to hear.

There is no reason to bind yourself to sourcing out a shell 'local.' If money is the problem, then you may reconsider shelling out hundreds to fix that roof. Ultimately your decision dude. Good luck to ya~

[Frank_Jaeger]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm looking for shells and donor cars. Sneaky jr_ss is trying to buy a shell out from under me in Tampa. S13 240sx Coupe Shell Forsale NEW LOWERED PRICE !!!!! (http://www.tamparacing.com/forums/nissan-sale/800861-s13-240sx-coupe-shell-forsale-new-lowered-price.html)

I would rather pay a few hundred dollars more to fix my current shell than to try and source another decent one that isn't in decrepit condition. I can't bring myself to junk a perfectly good shell just because of some minor rust up top, and I don't have time to be swapping parts over. I went around the car today and could not find rust anywhere else. I'll mostly be on the lookout for a skin to use; I know people who can weld it in for me pretty cheap. I'm still on the lookout for good deals on shells though.

[jr_ss]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm looking for shells and donor cars. Sneaky jr_ss is trying to buy a shell out from under me in Tampa. S13 240sx Coupe Shell Forsale NEW LOWERED PRICE !!!!! (http://www.tamparacing.com/forums/nissan-sale/800861-s13-240sx-coupe-shell-forsale-new-lowered-price.html)

I only made that comment to try and help the sale. The only coupe I'm interested in purchasing is a clean two-toner at this point in my life.

There are occasionally S13's at Al's pick n' pull in Osprey. You may want to cruise up there tomorrow and see if there is something of use. Take a sawzall with you and chop the top off if you find something.

[Croustibat]

[...] I can't bring myself to junk a perfectly good shell just because of some minor rust up top[...]

Then again, you dont know that. You think it is rust free because you made a quick visual inspection. Now remove the sound deadening material near the driver and passenger feet, and check there.

Do the same near the rear wheelwells. If there is no rust there, then you can be sure the car is rust free; but i have seen enough rusted S13 to know that if what happened to the roof was natural and not accelerated in any way (like a dent and no protective coating of any sort on it), then the car is rotten to death.

Again, your choice. Fix your roof without carefully checking, and risk driving a rust bucket with a repaired roof, or check and then only decide.

TBH if you dont have the time nor the money nor the knowledge to work on the car, i fear you bought the wrong kind of car.

[Frank_Jaeger]

I only made that comment to try and help the sale. The only coupe I'm interested in purchasing is a clean two-toner at this point in my life.

There are occasionally S13's at Al's pick n' pull in Osprey. You may want to cruise up there tomorrow and see if there is something of use. Take a sawzall with you and chop the top off if you find something.

I went Friday and they didn't have anything. I asked if they could call me if they got one in and they said no. I think there're some salvage yards in Fort Myers. I'll check Thursday.



Then again, you dont know that. You think it is rust free because you made a quick visual inspection. Now remove the sound deadening material near the driver and passenger feet, and check there.

Do the same near the rear wheelwells. If there is no rust there, then you can be sure the car is rust free; but i have seen enough rusted S13 to know that if what happened to the roof was natural and not accelerated in any way (like a dent and no protective coating of any sort on it), then the car is rotten to death.

Again, your choice. Fix your roof without carefully checking, and risk driving a rust bucket with a repaired roof, or check and then only decide.

I'll check like you said. If there's anywhere else to check let me know.


TBH if you dont have the time nor the money nor the knowledge to work on the car, i fear you bought the wrong kind of car.
Right, because this isn't an excellent platform to learn on with a wide array of resources and part availability. Everything I know about cars I've learned through my car. Get that garbage out of here, I'm not giving up my S chassis because I don't meet your driver criteria. I've more money than the people ricing their cars to death, and I make time as I need it. If I need to pick up another DD so that I can work on my car for extended periods, I will.

[7jpat]

After the new year I'll have a completely rust free SE hardtop shell I'll sell for $1000. That will be less then the repair cost.

coupe or hatch , let me know when ur ready to sell