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Cutting rust out of a 1971 Eldorado Convertible

Started by The Tassie Devil(le), March 01, 2017, 06:42:42 AM

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boseephuss

Quote from: Caddy41 on May 31, 2017, 07:57:18 PM
Hi  Bruce..The average Joe wouldn't have a clue whats involved doing this type of fabrication..I've done it for a considerable part of my life and trying to get paid sometimes make think is it worth the effort...sometimes I've started to do a minor floor rust repair and finished replacing the whole floor pan..firewall to trunk......

I really wish there was an opportunity for me to learn a bit about this and apply it to my own vehicle.  Alas, I am too scared to mess things up worse than they already are by just jumping in head first and find it harder these days to find reliable and trustworthy shops to do it for me.
J. Sims
CLC Member #48960216

The Tassie Devil(le)

G'day Justin,

I thought the same way you do, but eventually I taught myself to do all the tasks I tackle now.

Building Hot Rods way back in the '70's, really taught me how to do simple tasks, that I always thought were hard.   Having very limited funds makes one have to do stuff yourself, and buying tools to do stuff with, you soon learn that having tools allows one to keep on doing stuff.

Initially, I was scared of working on brakes, but reading up on books, and watching people working gave me the confidence to tackle my first brake job.   Once the first job was done, and nothing went wrong, I moved onto the next assignment.

Yes, knowledge takes time to attain, which is why apprenticeships take time.   Learning to Become a Doctor of Medicine takes years before being allowed to actually touch a living person.

The biggest thing is to initially look at what is involved, then think about what it might take to do, and consider your own ability.   If you want to do it yourself, then gather up books, to read on the subject, and practice on disposable stuff, before deciding to tackle the main task.

Every Tradesman, Professor, Engineer, Mother, Father, etc, etc, was a baby once, and managed to learn how to become what they turned out to be.

Bruce. >:D

PS.   Sometimes people want things sooner than they can learn, or don't want to get their hands dirty, and simply pay for someone else to complete the required task.
 
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

bmyrheim

Thanks for posting pictures through your rust repair job. I have searched a bit on the internet on floor repairs on the Eldorado 71-78 FWD, and nothing has come up until now. I'm about to start on the same job as you have done. Mine is an Eldorado 1973 convertible and the floor is basically the same. The rust seems to be in the same spots, mine seems a little more rusted in the front section than yours, but not much. There also were a lot of sloppy pop-riveted patchwork in the front with dual layers that have contributed to even more rust accumulation. This was probably done long time before the car was shipped to Norway. I can post a few pictures if anyone is interested.

B. Myrheim

The Tassie Devil(le)

If I can be of any assistance, please contact me.

I was lucky in this case as the substructure was rust-free, as can be seen in the stripping out pictures.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

bmyrheim

Thanks. I'll contact you if a problem surfaces.
I haven't stripped it all out yet, but looking through the rust holes I can see the substructure seems pretty solid also in my case. I'll probably just clean them out and give them a good coat of owatrol and primer. As of now I've ordered a set of new replacement panels for the front section. Classic2Current have repro panels, but it takes a while to get them from California. I don't think these replacement panels will cover it all up, so I'll probably end up with some manual panel fabrication. I admire your job on knocking out these panels by yourself and even replicate the reinforcement folds in the floor.

B.Myrheim

The Tassie Devil(le)

I made up my own simply because the initial cost of the replacements, and the freight to Australia would have been prohibitive.

Plus, making my own allowed me to cover what I wanted, and as I couldn't actually see the replacements, I didn't risk purchasing something that might not have worked.

Plus, using the 1.2mm steel gave me something strong to work with.   The 1.2mm steel made life good when it came to welding with the MIG welder.   Plus, using gassless wire, I could remove the shielding tube, and really get in close before arcing up.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

1976Deville

Hi Bruce
I have a 76 Eldorado sitting in my Garage. The back is rusted like yours. Trunk ,Quarter Panel.
Maybe one day I will fix the car