Started on my gs. Problem is, it's rusted In places I've never seen before on a-bodies. Under the filler panel behind the rear window and the underside of the dash are bad, as is anything else that wasn't painted from the factory. All this from sitting on a damp barn floor for 30 years. The only good thing the car has going for it is that its mostly complete, unmolested, numbers matching car with a bunch of options and no a/c. I bought it with the full intention of restoring it, and I'm not afraid of replacing sheet metal. I've already started on cutting out the trunk and the inner wheelhouses. I just don't know where to go from here. I don't want to cut it so far apart that nothing will line up when I try to put it back together. Over the last few years, I've parted out enough cars to put this car back together. The quarters are probably salvageable, but I have a pair of nos ones. I have lots of questions. I guess my first one would be, can I cut the quarters completely off with the trunk floor out? Now that I'm at this point, I've been spending a lot of time staring at it, trying to figure out how I'm gonna proceed. Any insight would be appreciated. I'll post pics as soon as I can. Thanks Tim
i would take it one step at a time. start off with the trunk floor. then do one quarter and while you have one off weld in the drop off and fix the outer wells. then put the quarter back on. move over to the other side and work your way forward. I wouldnt cut it up to much because you will have a hard time trying to get everything lined back up plus you will look at it and get miserable and might not finish it. Also I have the rust under the rear filler deck so your not the only one.
Those are exactly the places where A bodies almost always rust. Mine has rust there as well. Good body guy is best bet in my book.
Tim, Before you start sheet metal work....better assess the entire rear clip...from firewall to bumper area.....if you need wheels wells, qtrs, trunk floor and cowl pieces....you may be much better off finding a clean rear clip and using it....you will be much more $$$ ahead as well as all the labor involved.
Thanks for all your input, guys. George, that was my original plan, but I didn't want the car to be a rebody ( in case I ever need to sell it). I haven't been able to post pics. My laptop's charger blew up. I'll get some pics soon. Tim
I used a rear clip to fix my Suncoupe. That is not a rebody a rebody is when you find a rust free Skylark and switch numbers around which is usually illegal If you replace the trunk floor, inner and outer wheel housings and quarter panels whats the difference anyway. A good back half saved me thousands in panel replacement costs. SO now I don't have any foreign sheet metal its all Buick!
Have to agree with Kemper....rear clip is the way to go.....much smarter and not a body swap.....just like swapping out a damaged fender, door, trunk, lid, hood, bumpers etc.
so if i found a 70 skylark shell, i could use it to replace mine? i'm not sure how far to go before its considered a rebody. is the rear clip considered from thee firewall back? i really would rather go that route. just trying to understand how far i can take it using another shell. i have to remove the cowl tag to fix rust on the top of the cowl anyway.
Yes from firewall to rear trunk lip.....since your cowl is rusted....more rust is hidden that you can't see....what you are doing is basically chasing rust throughout the rear clip and that will be a BIG waste of time and money.
there is a 70 skylark here locally that i'm planning on looking at this weekend. its supposedly a desert car from out west. he wants alot of money for it, but it may be my best option. i'll keep you guys posted. thanks for all your help. Tim
Take some pics and whats a lot of money compared to replacing all that metal one piece at a time. If you disturb the vin tags then you've gone too far. If I wanted to save the GS I would also consider what it would take to find another car and start with it. Use the rusty one as a parts car. I think theres a 455 GS just sold here for 2600 that did not need much rust repair. There are many ways to go since you have a complete car. Check around and see if someone is selling a project car that they have given up on. You might be money way ahead.
"How much can you cut off?" Well it all depends on how many steps you are willing to take. For my 70 Chevelle the first step was replacing the entire floor and trunk pan assemblies, plus 1 outer rocker panel. Now that its back on a frame the next step is to replace the rear quarters and inner/outer wheelhouses, as you can see from the pics.:laugh: :laugh: Enjoy. Duane
Duane, I have a feeling that if I dug into my car enough, it would look like yours. Staged70, by going too far, you mean fixing my car? I saw the gs455 you were talking about, but mine has the numbers drivetrain. Not to mention, I hate a/c.
Better yet, anybody have a fairly rust free 70 stage car roller without a/c for around $2,000.00? :laugh:
Be patient and you will find a nice rear clip.....while you wait you can start doing the rest of the car...that will take several months.
That's what happens when Duane gets a plasma cutter for Christmas.....I bet every abandoned car in a 6 block radius has been cut to ribbons! :bla: ou:
George, Just the a-bodies.:laugh: DL, It has true astro-ventilation. You guys will like it when its done. Duane
