How bad is this to repair?

[Guest The Warlock]

Is this a body off type repair or can it be done in place?

[alini]

You may get away with lifting the body but you will have to undo all the other body mount bolts.  Unless you are a skilled welder I don't think you can get the welding tip up in between the body and frame to .  If you can get your hands on a replacement mount and cut that one out you would have more room to weld around the top

[RivNut]

Do a search of previous posts.  Someone found a repo mount 'cup' that was from a Chevelle or ?????? that he was able to graft into place.  This put new steel in everyplace, not just the spots that the rust hadn't gotten to yet.

[Guest The Warlock]

So how much in repair are we talking for something like this? I could not find any other rust on it, but if it's in one spot it is bound to be elsewhere

[Seafoam65]

                   I think you should leave it alone.......if you don't drive the car in the rain, which you would be foolish to do, that

mounting cup will last for many years to come. There is still a lot of good metal there to hold things together. If that's all the rust

you can find, you should be good to go.   I believe that area rusts out due to a leaking rear window getting water in the trunk area. Have you looked under the trunk mat at the trunk floor? Make sure the trunk floor isn't   rusted. If it isn't, it probably was repaired previously. The cover on the rear package tray tells you that water got

on the tray and messed up the cardboard tray. If I were you, I'd verify that the rear window has been repaired properly so that it doesn't leak water into the trunk and rear seat area if you accidentally get caught in a sudden rainstorm while you have the car out.  The main thing you need to remember is to keep the car dry in the future. On all my old cars, I don't ever drive them if there's rain in the forecast and every time I get home from using the car I wipe it down with a damp micro towel. DO NOT ever run a water hose on an old car unless you want to create a rustbucket. Putting a water hose on a 60's GM car is like pouring gasoline on a fire......the rust can explode on you in a damp environment. In my opinion if you don't get water in that mounting cup, it will look exactly the same twenty years from now. Getting back to the rear window, you'll need to remove the stainless trim at the bottom of the rear window to inspect the condition of the metal in the recess that the rear window sits in. You simply cannot let the rear window channel get wet on these cars. My Dad's 65 riviera he bought new had water getting on the package tray and in the trunk when it was four years old because it was used in the rain sometimes.....the car was always in the garage when not driven. One thing I do on my Riviera is I carry a roll of wide masking tape in the trunk so that if I get caught in the rain

by a sudden  unexpected storm, I can run the tape around the rear window to keep the water out of the channel when I see the storm approaching.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Seafoam65 (see edit history)

[JZRIV]

1 hour ago, The Warlock said:

So how much in repair are we talking for something like this?

 

To pay a legitimate shop that has normal overhead. Anywhere from $1200 to 1600. If you find a guy who does work on the side with no overhead it will probably be much less. The cost is pretty much all labor. Typical shop rates are $60-$90/hr depending on area. That's a good 12-14 hour job to do it right by someone who is experienced. Lesser experienced = more hours. It requires custom fabricating. As always there will be exceptions.

Some shops won't want to deal with it for any cost and others may not want to quote a firm cost up front because they won't know the extent of the job until its done. All you can do it take it around to shops in your area and have them look at it.

[Rivman]

I found the post Ed was referring to in his reply.

 

63 Riviera trunk/body mounts

 

Kaber did an excellent repair on the '63 he and his son were working on!

 

And here is a post with more details about it.

 

63 Riviera trunk/body mounts part 2

Edited August 26, 2016 by Rivman
added second link (see edit history)

[lrlforfun]

OK Riviera People: Yes, doing it "right" gets extremely expensive.  Unless you have lots 'a dough and don't mind stepping waaay up, it is also EXTREMELY  DISCOURAGING.  I'm happy to let those who want to give their dough to high priced fabricators. Always another way to skin a cat.  Mitch

[Matt Harwood]

On 8/26/2016 at 3:32 PM, Seafoam65 said:

                   I think you should leave it alone.......if you don't drive the car in the rain, which you would be foolish to do, that

mounting cup will last for many years to come. There is still a lot of good metal there to hold things together. If that's all the rust

you can find, you should be good to go.

 

 

I'm inclined to agree with this. So many guys come into my shop and lose their minds over a few bits of rust, but the truth is, none of it affects how the car will operate. It's not unsafe, it doesn't affect how the doors fit, and since we're no longer using them as daily drivers in inclement weather, they won't get any worse. If you stop and objectively think about the situation instead of going to the knee-jerk rust = car is totally ruined mindset, you'll see that the things that everyone gets all worked up over aren't really a big deal at all. Had you not stuck your head under there, you'd never know it was like that. There would be no operational or cosmetic evidence of it. Nobody at the car shows will see it, not even the judges. You know it's there, you might not be able to live with it, but that's not because it makes the car worse.

 

Repairs are certainly possible, but is it worth chasing? If it were my personal car, I'd live with it, and yes, I'll put my money where my mouth is--the spare tire well in my '41 Buick is perforated and so are the rockers. I'm living with it and plan to enjoy the car for many years to come as-is.

 

Good luck!

[DavidMc]

In the 1970's I bought a used everyday car on a tight budget, it had a little rust in the doors and rockers.  I sprayed fish oil in the cavity and kept it for years, mostly exposed to the elements, and the rust never progressed.  

[EmTee]

Sometimes the 'cure' can be worse than the affliction.  The amount of effort and disassembly necessary to fix this particular issue 'correctly' risks collateral damage to a host of other 50 year-old components.  I'm with Matt & Seafoam on this subject...

 

-Tim

[smithbrother]

Is anyone suggesting coating the area with something like UNDERCOAT, RUST PREVENTIVE COATINGS, or the likes?

When you shut off or control the moisture, and air flow around a rusty piece, won't you gain a little more life?

 

One thing my garage concrete floor has taught me, NEVER WASH YOUR CAR on such, then close up the garage with a wet floor.  I have found that moisture moves up and causes more issues, IMO.

 

Dale in Indy

[RivNut]

Eastwood company's rust converter and/or rust encapsulator.  Just what they say.  One converts, one encapsulates.

[smithbrother]

I agree, Eastwood has such, I have used it.

 

My post was a HINT that if it were my piece, I would treat the area, such may give you more time, and certainly won't hurt, IMHO.

 

Dale in Indy

[EmTee]

I would avoid anything that would trap and hold any moisture that gets in.  Sealing the outer surface does not mean that moisture can't still get in from behind.  I would periodically hit the afflicted area with something like WD-40, or if there is a Rust Check dealer near you, buy a can of their rustproofing spray (a clingy oil-like product).  Both of those will creep into the nooks & crannies and displace any trapped moisture present.

[60FlatTop]

There is no safety issue with it and the rubber is not crushed anywhere near what the next mount forward is. Take a look at the mount at the top of the kick up, That is the one that carries the weight.

 

I would leave it like that on my car. I just like the idea of having the self appointed knit picker doing gyrations over some obvious surface imperfection and me knowing there is a big hole the clown doesn't even see. "Hey, you think that's bad, look way up under here."

 

Mine didn't have a rusted cup but the caged nut started turning and I had to go in from the top with a 1" hole saw. That was around 1995. One of these days I am going to pick up a conduit plug to pop in there.

 

If I was going to sell it I would mix up a handful of fiberglass, smack it in the hole and spray some undercoating on it. I'm sure there is other stuff of higher priority.

Bernie

Edited August 28, 2016 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[RivNut]

Leave the hole.  Treat it as mentioned.  Any further accumulation of crud will then have an escape route.

[Guest The Warlock]

Appreciate the feedback. After I found this  issue I was under pressure to make a yes/no decision right then, and I decided I did not want to take the risk. If I had more time to make the decision after having the  benefit of this feedback, it may have been different. 

[RockinRiviDad]

[Guest Kaber]

Late to this discussion, I was at a Firebird show the last 4 days! I agree, I wouldn't worry about this particular mount. I repaired ours because they were completely not there, just the frame mounting ear was left! On a related subject of unexpected thunder storms. Friday evening of the Firebird event a local town held a cruise in that included a screening of "Smokey and the Bandit" at a restored old theater in their town. We bought tickets and went inside at dusk, just as it was clouding up a little. about 45 minutes in the thunder from outside was shaking the theater! Peoples phones were going off with emergency weather alerts but we were all having fun watching the movie. after the show we returned to our water logged cars. Mine had about an inch of water in the trunk from a back window issue (All contained in my rubber trunk mat!) I soaked it up and headed back to the Host Hotel. I followed a 69 Trans Am thru giant puddles in the dark, never thought I'd do that! The truth is these cars aren't near as much fun to stare at in the garage compared to driving them. Patch them up, run the wheels off them, and don't be afraid of a little rust or water along the way. I avoid water if i can, but lately that has been impossible!

 

Kaber

[slosteve]

On ‎8‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 9:46 PM, The Warlock said:

After I found this  issue I was under pressure to make a yes/no decision right then, and I decided I did not want to take the risk.

 

So to clarify, does that mean you had the repair done?