today i decided to do clean up the TSTE a little since i was bored. i was in the trunk cutting out all of the ridiculous wiring for the rear speakers the previous owner did. i pulled away the carpet that surrounds the rear tail light studs and found rust....ALOT of it :icon_cry: i looked under the car and found a whole lot more all over the rear bumper support. this isn't just surface rust - it's all bubbled up and rusted through. i found more rust up front on the body between the headlight and battery (rusted through as well), along with a little rust starting between the front & rear doors in the lower door jamb area. with the excecption of the small amount of rust in the door jambs, all of the rust seems to be limited to the nose and tail of the car. the rest of the underside isn't rusty at all and there is no rust anywhere else on the body including the wheel wells.
when i got it i was under the impression it was pretty much rust free but that certainly is not the case. i wish i would have done a closer inspection now. what should i do with this car? it seems like the only thing left to do is part it out :icon_sad: i guess i could use some the W-body specific parts on my 100% bone-dry-rust-free Cutlass (like the suspension/brake parts i just spend a ton of money on) and then buy an older J or L-body and drop the LG5 into that. should i even think about trying to fix the STE? i think it would need to have completely new tail and nose sections welded in, not too mention the car needs new paint which obviously is going to cost alot. it also has about 170,000 miles. i guess it just doesn't seem worth it ecspecially since i could probably find another cheap rust free TSTE or TGP later on. any suggestions/ideas?
As for the rear bumper support, you can get a brand new aftermarket one for well under $100. I guess it depends what you want out of the car. If you want a show car then part it out. If you want a daily driver, just fix/patch the rust and drive it.
Rust is hell, I wouldn't fix it, not worth it, body work is hella expensive...
I'm still volunteering to buy the trans oh course....
A '92-'93 GT 5spd Beretta should be able to have the crossover bolted right in, since it doesn't have the trans mount in the way, then just need a downpipe and lines made....it would be hella fun if you can hook it up, plus its was 300+ pounds lighter than a TGP. With traction it would move pretty good and throw down a better ET than the Cutty I'm sure
I'd just leave it alone. If the rust is hidden, and your body panels aren't falling off I'd just keep driving the car. Seems foolish to part out a car because of some rust at the front and rear.
I agree. Hose it down with some penetrating fluid to stop it from progressing and drive her into the ground. Just put money into the motor and tranny to keep her fast...then if the body falls apart you have a strong drive-train for the next car... ;)
I would try a TGP coupe if I was you. of course you would have to change your user name :laugh:. for the time and effort going into fixing that one, you could get a lower mile TGP and start with something worth putting your time into. TSTEs are rare, but they are more race ready than other GM cars. never downgrade if you can upgrade just as easy, or easier.
I've yet to see a W-body without a rusted rear bumper support.
battery tray area isn't uncommon either.
tail light area - got me on that one.
catch the shit on the door jambs quick , replace the bumper support. in the light areas, if you know anybody with a welder it shouldn't be too bad cutting sections out of j/y cars and welded them in. they're all interior areas so it's not like it has to look great. just make sure you don't end up with tweaked tail lights.
I'd be really worried if there was more underbody rust/exterior body rust, but since most of what you have to fix doesn't really even need to look pretty and are relatively confined, I'd just move ahead and fix them best ya can. come on Josh, you've already but a buttload of work into this car. you already had most of this worked planned, just hit a small set back.
trust me, I've learned.. sometimes it's better just to keep one car and fix all the problems it has instead of getting another one and starting from scratch again. well, not always :icon_lol: but since you're this far already and planned on doing it anyway... just do it.
I can show you a TGP and a TSTE with ZERO body or undercarriage rust! Gotta love the western states! ;) :icon_cool:
well i've pretty much decided to yank the drivetrain out and get rid of it. i would try to sell it but unfortunately i'm way too far away from anyone and besides i'd be lucky to get $500 for it. and i'd rather keep the LG5 for myself and sell off a few parts then get $500 out of it.
the main thing is that i'm soooo sick of working on POS cars. i was going to drop about $400 on coilovers and KYBs this week but instead i'm going to the bank and putting it on my loan. i'm going to try to have it paid off by the end of May and then get financing for something nice in June.
i would still like to replace my Cutlass later on but i'll decide it's fate later. i've had that car just over six years now and it's time for something different. ideally i would like to end up with something like a 2000 Malibu LS as a daily driver and lighter Beretta as a LG5/282 project. if i were to stay with a W-body it would have to be a much much nicer TGP or TSTE.
Quote from: TGPilot on April 06, 2006, 07:14:44 AM
I can show you a TGP and a TSTE with ZERO body or undercarriage rust! Gotta love the western states! ;) :icon_cool:
Didn't that TGP come from the rustbelt...somebody must have taken good care of her. :icon_cry:
:laugh:
You did take care of her...now she is getting ready to go FAST! ;)