Unfortunately, the person who bought this car didn't have a copy of my book first. While the car looked okay-ish on the topside and interior, the extensive frame rust has put the new owner upside down before they could even get it on the road.Hopefully they will be able to unwind themselves from this transaction and get a better quality car.
Remember the factory frames appear grey in color (save for a few hundred very late VIN cars (undercoated cars - done by the company that bought all the unsold cars when DMC folded in 1982 - to hide surface rust that had formed on the cars that sat outside in storage from 1983 to early 1985 when the last cars were finally sold) as their mild steel construction was coated with an epoxy to help preent corrosion. Obviously, this car has seen a lot of bad-weather road use, haphazard repairs, coverups and out and out neglect.
Remember the factory frames appear grey in color (save for a few hundred very late VIN cars (undercoated cars - done by the company that bought all the unsold cars when DMC folded in 1982 - to hide surface rust that had formed on the cars that sat outside in storage from 1983 to early 1985 when the last cars were finally sold) as their mild steel construction was coated with an epoxy to help preent corrosion. Obviously, this car has seen a lot of bad-weather road use, haphazard repairs, coverups and out and out neglect.
The "layers" of rusted, separating metal here are cause for alarm - if it's that rusted in areas you can see, expect to see rust in the areas that you can't, as well. While some very late cars (as mentioned above) had some undercoating applied prior to sale, it was never applied on any that I have seen in such a ham-handed manner as this.
While some cars can get by with just a front frame extension replacement and be good cars, the levels of rust seen on the shock towers on this particular car gives me the most concern here. Notice the brake servo (booster) coated with rust, as well. Aftermarket front shocks, torn steering rack boot, rusted body mount bracket are also reasons to steer clear of this car.
A good shot of the front frame extension and the fuel tank closing plate - again, lots of rust evident alsong with tell-tale signs of previous repairs and cover-up attempts. The strange aftermarket (homebrew?) cooling fan shroud and non-stock wiring are also cause for concern.
The epoxy generally holds up well, but when exposed to salty roads and leaky brake/cluth hydraulics (which can soften and loosen the hard epoxy, exposing bare metal) it can end up like this.
As the car ages, we'll see more of this, and it is truly is a "buyer beware" world out there. Be an educated buyer and don't let this happen to you.
The epoxy generally holds up well, but when exposed to salty roads and leaky brake/cluth hydraulics (which can soften and loosen the hard epoxy, exposing bare metal) it can end up like this.
As the car ages, we'll see more of this, and it is truly is a "buyer beware" world out there. Be an educated buyer and don't let this happen to you.
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