Undercarriage
- Thread starter BuickBuc
- Start date
- Joined
- May 28, 2001
It looks like it's already had something sprayed on it.
No. the rust should be gone before any coatings are put on.
Is there a procedure or treatment that could remove the rust first or is it a problem that has gone too far and will ultimately take its toll? The car is over $50k and I'm not sure it's worth it in this condition. The rest of the car is in really good shape.
- Joined
- May 28, 2001
" The car is over $50k and I'm not sure it's worth it in this condition".
Just my observations:
Heavy rust on some components, especially the rear axle, leads me to believe this is a "rust belt" car.
I wonder what's under the coated areas??
Have you pulled the carpet up?
What do the body mounts look like?
Carfax say anything?
24,000 or 124,000?????
$50K+? probably not.
Just my observations:
Heavy rust on some components, especially the rear axle, leads me to believe this is a "rust belt" car.
I wonder what's under the coated areas??
Have you pulled the carpet up?
What do the body mounts look like?
Carfax say anything?
24,000 or 124,000?????
$50K+? probably not.
granitestategn
Gettin' there
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2002
What corrosion? My car spent most of it's life in the northeast so I would consider that "clean". $50K....... I don't think so.
Looking at the 3rd pic in the original post, notice how most of the harmonic balancer is rusty except for an area that looks to be over spray from a puff can treatment?
I would not bite at 50k, but that's my personal opinion.
My WE4 has almost 90k on it but the under carriage is prestine with zero rust other than some mild surface rust on the diff, but it spent most of its life in the south.
I would not bite at 50k, but that's my personal opinion.
My WE4 has almost 90k on it but the under carriage is prestine with zero rust other than some mild surface rust on the diff, but it spent most of its life in the south.
John Larkin
Sublime Master of Turbology
- Joined
- May 25, 2001
That is just surface rust on bare components. Alot of parts were never coated on vehicles. After 36 years, they can look like that easily.
For $50,000 it should be a time capsule and mint, not like that. You can do alot better. Someone asking that much money for that has no shame.
For $50,000 it should be a time capsule and mint, not like that. You can do alot better. Someone asking that much money for that has no shame.
- Joined
- May 28, 2001
Note.... No pics other than underside.
1987 Buick Grand National, Pro Touring! Now it's worth $100k. 
It's not the rust you see but what are they trying to hide that's under that coat of asphalt tar.
Anyone that would do that to a car before selling it is someone I'd not walk away from but run like mad.
Keep looking and don't be in a hurry, you'll be so thankful you did.
It's not the rust you see but what are they trying to hide that's under that coat of asphalt tar.
Anyone that would do that to a car before selling it is someone I'd not walk away from but run like mad.
Keep looking and don't be in a hurry, you'll be so thankful you did.
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2010
In 2010, I bought a beautiful 76K 87 Turbo Regal from Lou Czarnota, at what would be today , an incredibly cheap 11K. That was only the start of a never ending quest for street fast that hasn't ended.
There are so many cars out there for sale that good guys are selling for "not so greedy" prices.
Take your time, continue to ask about cars for sale. Be patient.
You'll find you're Huckleberry......
There are so many cars out there for sale that good guys are selling for "not so greedy" prices.
Take your time, continue to ask about cars for sale. Be patient.
You'll find you're Huckleberry......
Anthony P
sharing knowledge with those who care to listen
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2007
from the angle that stuff was sprayed, seems the focus was the floor pans. As such, wondering if that was the dealer applied Rusty Jones treatment from the time....sprayed via a wand from below with car on a lift or tech in a pit below car.
paint marks on drive shaft still show colors. part # tag still on LF coil spring. pitman arm shows where label once was at centerlink end. wonder if rear still shows red letter "P" or traces of outline, if it is a posi rear. to me, that's some of what I'd expect to see on a 24K mi example. we don't see the rest of the car though.
to me, looks like light surface rust on balancer ( what wasn't sprayed), front brake caliper, dust shield, etc. in pic #2, see how floor pan and top part of frame was blasted with heavy application of undercoating while lower part of frame rail was not done. similar undercoating technique in pic showing y-pipe clamps at pipes to crossover muffler. notice how undercoating not applied to outer areas around clamps. only driveshaft tunnel area and wide open forward section of floor pans. angle of spray hitting brake prop valve and plate show sprayed from rear and below car.
the car very well may check out to be a 24K mi example. it will be time consuming to heat and remove the undercoating treatment. Frame, rear axle housing, suspension links, sway bars, etc had such a light spray of black paint that didn't last long. dry ice cleaning of the underside is a great thing but it doesn't do undercoating. thinking mild heat from a heat gun - just enough to soften the coating to permit it to be peeled off. not to overheat it to where it smokes and smears with a scraper.
at 24K miles, seller should have a paper trail to go with the car. original window sticker and dealer invoice would tell more. I'll conclude the sloppy undercoating was just Rusty Jones done at time of sale by dealer rather than current seller unleashing a spray bomb under car to hide something. spray bomb would have gone everywhere. angle of application, areas sprayed, over-sprayed and areas areas not covered to me support wand spraying from a distance. tried to find a 1980s pic of Rusty Jones application, quick search found this pic below...
paint marks on drive shaft still show colors. part # tag still on LF coil spring. pitman arm shows where label once was at centerlink end. wonder if rear still shows red letter "P" or traces of outline, if it is a posi rear. to me, that's some of what I'd expect to see on a 24K mi example. we don't see the rest of the car though.
to me, looks like light surface rust on balancer ( what wasn't sprayed), front brake caliper, dust shield, etc. in pic #2, see how floor pan and top part of frame was blasted with heavy application of undercoating while lower part of frame rail was not done. similar undercoating technique in pic showing y-pipe clamps at pipes to crossover muffler. notice how undercoating not applied to outer areas around clamps. only driveshaft tunnel area and wide open forward section of floor pans. angle of spray hitting brake prop valve and plate show sprayed from rear and below car.
the car very well may check out to be a 24K mi example. it will be time consuming to heat and remove the undercoating treatment. Frame, rear axle housing, suspension links, sway bars, etc had such a light spray of black paint that didn't last long. dry ice cleaning of the underside is a great thing but it doesn't do undercoating. thinking mild heat from a heat gun - just enough to soften the coating to permit it to be peeled off. not to overheat it to where it smokes and smears with a scraper.
at 24K miles, seller should have a paper trail to go with the car. original window sticker and dealer invoice would tell more. I'll conclude the sloppy undercoating was just Rusty Jones done at time of sale by dealer rather than current seller unleashing a spray bomb under car to hide something. spray bomb would have gone everywhere. angle of application, areas sprayed, over-sprayed and areas areas not covered to me support wand spraying from a distance. tried to find a 1980s pic of Rusty Jones application, quick search found this pic below...
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