1964 and Rust

[Larry]

   I am in the process of selecting and buying a 1964 convertible. One of the cars I am looking at (Eldorado) has recently replaced the two front floor pans. The inside of the trunk has some surface rust, but it appears solid underneath. The owner said the floor rust that caused the floor pans to be replaced appears to be from a leak in the trunk. When the car was up on a lift, he pointed out that the original undercoating is still present in all the other areas.
   My questions are: Does his explanation seem reasonable? How do I check (or pay to have someone check) for rust?
   The current exterior is red, and the original was silver. How does one check to make sure there was no rust under the new paint?
   Interior needs work (carpet, seats recovered, door panels redone).
   Do I just walk away?
   Thanks!

[Lucas F. CLC 15674]

Hi again Larry

There is definitely rust in the car. Without disassembling it entirely you will have a hard time determining exactly how much rust there is. The main thing to be concerned about is the frame which is relatively easy to examine. As long as the frame is solid I would not be overly concerned. If the frame is rotted I would not buy the car under any circumstances. As far as the body goes unless there is rust coming through the paint you should be OK. It was quite common to have trunk and floor pan rust in these cars especially if it came from a northern climate with lots of moisture, road salt, etc. Cars from coastal areas with exposure to salt air from the ocean can also have a lot of rust problems. Generally speaking the most rust-free cars come from the desert southwest states like Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, California.

Good luck!

Lucas F. CLC 15674

PS An easy way to check for plastic body filler under paint is to use a magnet. A magnet will stick to the original steel but not to plastic body fillers like Bondo which are commonly used to repair rusted out body parts.