Expert: William Forster - 11/25/2006

Question
Hello I'm looking to buy a project car 69 charger, the question I have is the roof where the rear glass goes is rusted through about 8 inches long, roof has rust on the whole roof but don't know if its just surface rust or rusted throughout, pictures I've seen appear it has rusted throughout the rear portion where glass goes and also on the drivers side sail panel, theres wholes in it. Also underneath car it appears that the drivers side and passenger side rear frame rails are rusted where leaf springs attach looks like cottage cheese. On a tight budget and wanting to know if this is a costly repair, suggestions if I could do work myself with little body work experience

Answer
Any restoration project is a MASSIVE undertaking, in cost and man hours. It requires special equipment, and plenty of talent. Sheet metal is thin, and hard do weld without massive distortion. Yearone.com, the restoration parts company, has a book called "How to restore your collector car" in the literature section. This will give you a much better idea what you are in for. I can't possibly teach you how to restore an entire car in an e-mail. I know, collector cars are cool, but to bring one back from the dead is about a 2 year project for the average DIY guy, minimum, and that is if he has a large air compressor, at least 5 HP 60 gallon, a mig welder, sanders, cutting tools, spray guns, etc. etc. Try repairing an old fender and painting it, and see if you really enjoy doing it, or how it turned out. It will tell you a lot about your own capabilities, the capabilities of your current equipment, and if you really want to spend every spare moment of your free time doing it until a rusted out muscle car would be finished well enough for a professional painter to agree to paint it for you.  Bill