BUILD-OFF CHALLENGE: Eisberg rustoration, Need some input... Options

[mbseto]

Funny, I am as nervous starting this thread as I was to start cutting into my car.

I resolved to start a rustoration thread when I made my first cuts, so here it is. I'm hoping the community will pipe in periodically with any, "Don't do that!", "Do it this other way!", "Do this first!", or "Don't forget this!" comments that are appropriate. Any and all guidance will be appreciated.

So here's the car as I got it, not quite a year ago:


Started out doing a little engine work to get it running, then drove it around a little bit before starting to take it apart. Took the engine out, put it up on a dolly, took out much of the interior and suspension, and this is how it sits now:






After cleaning out the inside and seeing the rust, it was hard to believe we were driving it at all. These are the first cuts, just straightening out the edges of the rust holes really.


More pics coming soon, I'll be documenting the extent of the damage and forming a battle plan.

[mbseto]

Nice work you're doing there.

Thank you, I am having a ball doing it. But my desire to be able to drive it is getting stronger and stronger...

Still doing a little retro posting... The wheelhouse had a rusty section above the long. Cut it out and fabricated a patch. Lots of tippy-taps with the hammer to get the edges matched up.


Here it is tacked in:


I should have detailed this part a little better, fitting the wheelhouse long at the back end. I cut out a layer of the "third" fire wall to get the long all the way up against the rear-most layer.


Made some tabs to connect the aft end of the long, then put the original piece back in place. There was a lot of head scratching here, a little bit of grinding off the welds and re-adjusting. Wasn't thinking much about taking pictures, but looking back on it, the thoughts in my head were a lot more complicated than what actually ended up happening.