Really bad rust stories - let's hear 'em!

[addyguy]

Severe, car-stopping rust isn't really an issue for cars these days. But years ago, it was expected, in northern climates usually, that at some point you car would probably be rendered undrivable from rust.

My dad had a 1967 Ford Mustang he bought used in 1970. It was mint when he bought it. In 1978 he had to stop driving it from rust. My mom telss the tale of one day, him going to accellerate from a stop, and his foot going right through the floor. He wanted to patch the floor, but when he lifted the carpet up, there was nothing left TO patch.

Had a neighbor, years later, that had a 1977 Plymouth Fury he restored. Had the body sanded down and re-painted. Looked really nice. One day, I saw the car sitting in his drive way, with the back bumper almost on the ground. The trunck had rusted out, and the back springs had gone right through it when he hit a bump.

Step mother had a 1977 Honda Civic. Near the end, in arond 1988, the floor had rusted through so badly that my dad had to jam a block of wood between the seat track and what remained of the floor/frame to keep the drivers seat from falling out - I'm not kidding!

When I was really young (and already car crazy) had a neighbor with a Datsun 510 Sedan. It was going to the junk yard because it was, suprise, suprise. rusted out. He was going to drive it, and wanted me to go with him. I remember just how much ground you could see through the floor....

Today, my BIL has a 1985 Nissan pickup. Its been handed down throught the family from his granpa. Its got nearly no box left, and holes throught the floor, but he drives it everyday. Runs fine, just badly rusted.....

I could go on forever. So lets hear YOUR stories of battles with rust, and how bad some of your vehicles got in years gone past!

I love this stuff!

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
The trunck had rusted out, and the back springs had gone right through it when he hit a bump.



My 1971 Nova was like that; the rear of the car was so full of holes that at some point there was nothing left for the spring perches to attach to. The passenger's side floor pad was prett bad too... One day after a storm I ran over a branch lying in the street, and the tires kicked it up and it popped up right through the floor!

 

[Chris142]

Fortunatly I live where rust is not a problem.

Out here we have cars with worn out suspension, bad engine, bad trans, sun bleached interier but a perfect body.

 

[LAGA]

The floor on my 79 mustang rusted so bad that one day when I hit a bump, the floor under the drivers seat gave out and fell through. There was not enough metal left to fix it. It was a POS work car so we just junked it.

 

[kingrob]

As I just posted in another thread, my friend had a Yugo that was rusted so badly that the sub-frame bottomed out on the road one day. Horrible sight, and a wonder he wasn't seriously injured.

My 71 Maverick rusted so badly in the floor pan that there was nothing between your feet and the street. I sanded the edges down and sprayed them with rust inhibiting primer, then bolted some sheet metal over it. It held until I junked it a few years later.

My 87 Sentra, that never saw a day up north, rusted out really badly in about five years. Horrible metal, whatever it was.

My friends late 70's era Chevy pick up had the whole bed in the back give way. He kept driving it that way for another ten years or so before the rust spread to the quarter panels.

Most cars I've had that came from up north end up losing their exhaust systems from the road salt. I was driving my 93 Ranger down the street one day and boom- everything from the cat to the muffler ended up in a ditch.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: css9450
Originally Posted By: addyguy
The trunck had rusted out, and the back springs had gone right through it when he hit a bump.



My 1971 Nova was like that; the rear of the car was so full of holes that at some point there was nothing left for the spring perches to attach to. The passenger's side floor pad was prett bad too... One day after a storm I ran over a branch lying in the street, and the tires kicked it up and it popped up right through the floor!

That was the end of my parent's Nova as well, I think $20 took it at a garage sale in the early 80's.
We had an 85 Corolla that was getting lighter quite quickly. My sister wrote it off in a minor accident. I remember having to bend the door skin in to press the switch to turn off the interior light...
I had an 81 Omega that lost its muffler while showing a friend from Poland the country side. He was initially impressed with how plush and smooth the car was especially for an 81(he grew up with FIAT micro cars), then there was a terrible grinding noise from the back... I stopped and tossed the muffler in the trunk and kept going, which he thought was hilarious, the car actually sounded quite nice with out it.
Ian

 

[rg200amp]

My Jeeps underbody was completely rusted. The fenders were rusting from the inner side and causeing the paint to bubble in a vew spots.

That jeep would scare the heck out of me when I was changing my oil. As the oil was draining I would just look around under there. I was just like "Yep, that could snap, that could break, thats gonna be rusted away in a month".

The jeep held together though. I offroaded(hard) every weekend, I had the big mug tires on it. Me and friends went to the NJ Pine Barrons atleast once a month. All theis while being my daily driver.

The jeep never gave me a problem!
The 4.0 strait six was BULLETPROOF.

 

[wirelessF]

One of my uncles 1980 Chevy pickup's bed was rusted where one time it was fully loaded and we forgot to tie down the load as well as the bed because the mounting points were rusted that it might give way soon. At a busy intersection, he floored the gas and the bed just slid off the chassis and landed on the road.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

One of the stupidest things I ever did...

My friend's dad's mid-70's orange Chevelle was a complete rust bucket. I was a young kid when we all took a ride to the store or something. I was in the rear seat behind the driver. "Oh, and by the way, watch out for the hole in the floor". The hole was most of the foot area...say about 15"x15".

So of course, I stuck my foot thru there for a brief few moments while we were all happily driving down the road.

Just when I pulled my foot back into the car hit a bump in the street and the car flexed downward as a result of the bump. I felt the fear of God in me at that moment...I could have easily smashed the bottom half of my leg to bits.

I never did take a ride in that car again.

 

[kaboom10]

Wife's Vega had the front fenders replaced by the dealer for rust along with what we fixed before selling it. I had an old chevelle that when they went to tow it off the body came up and the frame stayed on the ground.

 

[01rangerxl]

My Explorer after 12-13 years in PA...

The frame and floors were still very solid. The rockers, radiator support, and brake lines were trashed though. Amazingly, it still had the original exhaust on it.

 

[StevieC]

Doesn't anyone have a rust proofing place you can go to and get the car panels, doors and under-carriage sprayed with a coating? We have a company up here called KROWN rust control and I get my SUV treated every year and the underneath looks great. My old Chrysler Mini-van was 20 years old and went to the scrap yard with no rust on it. After 20 Canadian Winters with salted roads, no rust!!!!! I love KROWN!

 

[John K]

Had a 77 Plymouth Volare that began rusting on the fenders at less than 6 months old! Began blistering the paint. I am glad to forget that car......

 

[addyguy]

There are lots of rustproofing places around. Cheapest is Wal-Mart - for $40, they spray the floor, fender wells, and gas tank. I used to have that done every year on every car I owned. Even with that, the rear spring perch on my 1991 Toyota Corolla SR-5 rusted out when my friend owned it after like 11 years.

Funny thing is, my dad when he was alive used to tell me about how he DID get the floor of his mustang under-coated every year. They used a heavy, thick, roofing-tar like stuff. Still, he parked the car indoors in a heated parking garage, and all the slush from inside the floor would have still collected in the floor.

 

[StevieC]

I go to Krown and they guarantee that nothing on the car will rust for the life of the vehicle if it's sprayed each year from the first year you own it, and the vehicle is 4 years or less old. They use a DRIP type spray thats non-toxic to the environment, won't harm your driveway and they don't wear masks at any of their shops because it's an organic oil.

I can say I have used them for over 20 years and none of my cars had any rust... The engine fell apart or the vehicle was stolen/accident if it was gone to the scrap yard.

 

[demarpaint]

I tried the Amsoil HD Metal protector in the engine compartment and the under carriage of my Jeep. It takes a while for the smell to gas out, time will tell if it rusts or not.

The floor board is just starting to rust on my 93 Aerostar, that was never treated.

No rot/rust horror stories for me..

Frank D

 

[StevieC]

In Ontario Canada if you don't rust-proof your vehicle, then you lease it, because rust will eat it in 5-7 years without a doubt. That's why I like the Krown stuff... No smell and can be put on on a rainy day!

I should sell the stuff... It's really good [censored]!

 

[KrisZ]

+1 on Krown

But I noticed this year the stuff did not drip as much and as long as last year.
Perhaps they changed the formula, I know a lot of people I talked to did not use Krown because they did not like the dripping, I hope it doesn't hinder its effectiveness.

 

[StevieC]

They think that is has a solvent and will cause damage to their driveways. While it does stain for a week or so it eventually washes away. My car made a mess of our drive-way so I don't think they changed anything... But maybe that was before yours was done. I'm trying to find pictures of my mini-van so I can show everyone

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
My Explorer after 12-13 years in PA...

The frame and floors were still very solid. The rockers, radiator support, and brake lines were trashed though. Amazingly, it still had the original exhaust on it.


Dude, you needed Rust Check or Krown! That makes me sad!