saltwater grand national

[we2man]

Would a car thats been in saltwater be worth rebuilding? If so what kind of work are we looking at! thanks!

 

[278cikiller]

Would a car thats been in saltwater be worth rebuilding? If so what kind of work are we looking at! thanks!

every thing! and then some.

 

[blackgn1]

From what I'm reading every bolt, nut, screw, sensor, wiring harness, ect is already toast. Frame is most likely rusting away right now.

 

[highboostgn]

a friend of mine, his went 8ft under water during katrina...had to take every nut, bolt, screw, frame, everything off

 

[Grumpy]

Would a car thats been in saltwater be worth rebuilding? If so what kind of work are we looking at! thanks!

Not as far as I am concerned.. IF ya do good luck selling it .

 

[granatl]

I've read somewhere that the sheathing on the wiring becomes brittle on flood damaged cars. Once it starts breaking, there are electrical shorts all over the place. You'd need to rewire the whole car.

 

[Turbo6inKY]

I've read somewhere that the sheathing on the wiring becomes brittle on flood damaged cars. Once it starts breaking, there are electrical shorts all over the place. You'd need to rewire the whole car.

It depends on the conditions. 90's+ vintage European cars use a biodegradable wire insulation that breaks down quickly when wet. It's the source of many of the electrical gremlins that plague German cars. I don't think that would be a problem with the older pvc insulation in our cars. The problem comes from water that gets inside the insulation between the strands of the braided copper wire by wicking in from the ends. It causes corrosion, the wires swell, and then the insulation cracks.

As has been stated, you would need to completely disassemble the car and clean each part to get rid of the salt, and replace ALL of the wiring.

 

[turbo nasty]

I would run away from any car that went under saltwater. No way to real get down in the nooks and crannies. Im sure there is a bath of chemical that could stop the rust but that would entail complete frame off and dipping the car completely. And be very costly

 

[toofastforyou]

Would a car thats been in saltwater be worth rebuilding? If so what kind of work are we looking at! thanks!

Yes, definitely worth rebuilding. I live in Canada where we have road salt for 6 months a year and I can tell you that it takes way more than a "once-in-a-lifetime" bath in saltwater to make the car rust away. During the winter time, cars here are daily driven in a corrosive mix of snow, water and salt and they eventually do develop some rust problems, but after several years of abuse, but no damage happens from only one winter of driving. If a car had been soaked numerous times over and over again, then I'd be worried, but not if the car had it only once.

good luck,

Claude.

 

[Steve]

Getting salt in the wheelwells is a lot different that being submergered in salt water. A friend of mine bought a saltwater flood C5 Vette from Katrina and it was a nightmare. He spent thousands trying to get it lined out but none of the electronics worked correctly and everything was corroded. The terminals in the fuse box, wiring connectors and wiring were all corroded and everything worked when it felt like it. He worked on the car for 2 years and gave up and now the car is a gutted and rewired outlaw 10.5 racecar!

 

[asto-t]

I am working in a chemical storage facility in New Jersey thats been flooded. Every electrical terminal that`s been under water has corrosion.....Cant imagine what the under dashboard terminations look like in that car? I`m sure the car will need a new wiring harness front to back!

 

[trixdout]

It would be worth it depending on how much of a fanatic you are about these Buicks. I would rather have a car that has internal engine issues than a car that was submerged in saltwater. You are better off trying to find a rusty car that need restoration than the salt water car you found. Now if this is the GNX that was found before by some other member, that's a different story. That car is worth restoring and keeping. But that's just MHO. That car is worth the saving because of its rarity and what is signifies.

 

[we2man]

It would be worth it depending on how much of a fanatic you are about these Buicks. I would rather have a car that has internal engine issues than a car that was submerged in saltwater. You are better off trying to find a rusty car that need restoration than the salt water car you found. Now if this is the GNX that was found before by some other member, that's a different story. That car is worth restoring and keeping. But that's just MHO. That car is worth the saving because of its rarity and what is signifies.

Yea, The gn im talking about its on ebay in new jersey. It's got GNX wheels and looks good what a waste!!!!!!!

 

[trixdout]

Yea, The gn im talking about its on ebay in new jersey. It's got GNX wheels and looks good what a waste!!!!!!!

Its a flood car and only parts, even if you got it for free, you'd have to put alot into it. Only thing you could do is part it out. So get it as cheap as possible and sell to make a profit or break even.

Sent from my iPhone using Turbo Buick

 

[GNRick]

I would have to say "no" if it looks like this car.

 

[usetaboost]

Got any pics of this? Replacing wiring harnesses wouldn't be bad. It's the amount of time you would take on it to make it right again.

 

[trixdout]

Got any pics of this? Replacing wiring harnesses wouldn't be bad. It's the amount of time you would take on it to make it right again.

I found it on egay. Type in buick grand national. Look for them and go for the lowest prices and you will see it. The bid is somewhere around 2-3k.

 

[usetaboost]

You'll probably have to put around 5k into it, and thats if you get by easy and do the work yourself.

 

[EVIL]

Any car that is submerged in salt water is junk. Don't bother. It's cheaper buying a 30k mile GN.

D

 

[novaderrik]

it would be a good start for a gutted race car- megasquirt it, run aftermarket gauges, and rewire it with a Painless wiring kit.
i vote for a roadracing build, with a NASCAR style roll cage.