I Have The Worst Luck!

[2.2turboscotty]

as some of you know i have several TMs, my circle track Daytonas, Scamp for drag racing, my wifes 600 convertable which is her DD, my SC that is my DD and about 6 or 7 more sitting out back not including my 2 Jeeps and B250 van i use for towing my trailer. i have been driving the SC for a few months since i put a new motor in it, resealed trans and new axles to get it ready for a lot of driving. well i drove it a couple of weeks ago in a three day rain and i put the keys under the floor mat the other day and found the bottom of the mat was wet. i blew it off and thought that maybe the rubber mat was letting water onto the carpet. well i left the mat out to help it dry out. well it's been a week and it was still wet. so i come into the shop today and we are slow so i figuire lets just see why it's still wet. i pull up the carpet and i can't believe my eyes, the floor has two big holes in it and now i know how the water is getting in, one of the holes is right at the bottom of the wheel well and the other is in the center of the floor pan and this is the pass. side because it was easier due to the fact i had the kick panel off when i replaced the logic. none of my other cars or trucks are were ever this bad, my scamp had some small holes that were easy to patch and then i put spray in bedliner throughout the floor because i don't use carpet in it anyway and undercoated the bottom of the pans and have not seen any more rusting happening. i just can't frickin' believe the way the floors look in this car because the rest of the car is almost perfect. i am so upset, the one car i need to depend on and is one of my favorites is rusting before my eyes! i guess this weekend is going to be floorpan replacement weekend and i am SO not looking forward to doing it. i just can't get a break, i still have not put the goodies on the scamp and i still have to get one of the circle track cars ready for next season and help my bro with his too. when will it ever end? just got the car running great and NOW THIS!
sorry for the long post, just venting

[overlordsshadow]

I think you have too many cars. Sorry, I know you have too many cars. I bet some of them are parts but when I think of the work it takes me to keep my one running, I would have lied down on the tracks years ago with your numbers.

[Clay]

Welcome to the wonderful world of L-bodies.

Thats probably the most common spot for rust on these cars. Ive only seen one or two car with out rust and one of them is mine that has been garaged since day one. Of course Ive seen cars that look rust free until you pull the carpet as well.

[2.2turboscotty]

that's the same thing my wife says all the time! it is like an addiction, when i see one of these cars i just have to have it. yes some are parts cars but most are waiting for their time to be brought back to life even if it's on the circle track. the bad thing is the car i raced last season sits in the rain and it doesn't look as bad as this one, no rust. it had the little hole at the park brake cable like most Daytonas do but that was it. i love the SC and i couldn't count how many times people have seen it and asked to buy it but i just can't sell it, like i said it is not the fastest but it is still my favorite. i do have a Lebaron out back that is a parts car, i may look at the floors and see if i can use part of those to repair the car. now that the weather is getting colder it would be the time to do the stinkin' repair. to answer the question above your picture, YES, it would make me feel better.

[2.2turboscotty]

yea, Clay i know this is the same same spot i have seen on most L bodies but man this is really bad. and when i posted the answer yes to the question it was to overlordsshadow. i may have to work on saturday to make some flag hr. time so i will have to reair the car on sunday, all day i'm sure.

[overlordsshadow]

Baked goods are the best. Just got a new video with many recipes. Once I have my own place that will be my method of choice. Eating is much less harmful than smoking no matter how fun it can be. Can't wait to sit in my own garage and sit around looking at my Shadow.... Ya right, it will need something done to it, but like my dad said last night after we put the new hood on: "Well, she just needs a new mill now". He was 'refering' ;) to the new engine that is covered up in the garage right now so it didn't get filler dust on it. Maybe show the GF how to put in a crank tonight, maybe get her to 'turn' it for me hehehe.

[2.2turboscotty]

Amen i also love baked goods, but i myself would burn water so i leave that to the wife. my best work is done working on cars because that is all i really know other than building houses. i have been building houses and working on cars since i was 15 years old when i dropped out of school and now i'm 37. my first car was a '72 Duster with 318 and i learned very young that going fast and being able to work on my car go hand and hand. about 15+ years ago i started to work on cars for a living and take great pride in my work so i leave the "baked goods" alone untill i get home. i swear i just can't believe that i didn't see how bad the floors were when i had this car on the rack a couple of months ago. from the bottom it doesn't look that bad but once i peeled the carpet back i just stood there going what in the f***? i am not looking forward to doing it but you gotta do what you gotta do. this puts off some other things i really needed to do this weekend.

[justa4]

Check the frame rails also, they tend to rust from the inside out. I had an L-Body that looked almost perfect besides the driver/passenger floor, and the left frame rail. Good Luck

[GLHNSLHT2]

another case helping me appreciate the fact I don't live on the east coast and they don't use salt when it snows!

[Clay]

l-body rust doesn't care where you live, or where salt is. It will just happen.

Its like of like the old saying for motorcycles riders: there are two kinds of L-bodies....... those that have rust, and those that will. ;)

[2.2turboscotty]

I just cut the floors out of Robert's(rare ram) Rampage and i saw no other way to get rid of ALL the rust other than cutting the whole floor out. he had an '86 SC so we are using that as a donor floor. luckly for him his frame rails were ok and he was able to drill out the spot welds and we will able to weld in the same spots, it will come out really nice and look very professional. as far as mine go it appears that the rails will be ok and i have a few cars out back that will provide me with some good floor parts to patch mine with. i do not feel that a complete replacement will be nessary even though they are really bad. i may at a later date decide to if it shows that it will need it. what i am thinking is cut the floors out of a donor and replace what is bad, weld in, seamseal them, treat with rust capsal from eastwood and apply spray in beadliner on the inside and undercoat the bottom and let the carpet dry out and reinstall. hopefully all in one night and a full day, i'll be a busy boy!
i am very thankfull that my scamp sat in a field for 10+ years and was not driven or it would be probably just as bad, it was VERY minor repair and now it stays in a carport so it doesn't get wet.

[GLHNSLHT2]

l-body rust doesn't care where you live, or where salt is. It will just happen.

Its like of like the old saying for motorcycles riders: there are two kinds of L-bodies....... those that have rust, and those that will. ;)

Said like someone living in the rust belt. My Lbody looks like it rolled off the factory floor as far as rust is concerned. It just doesn't happen here.

[Turbodave]

Said like someone living in the rust belt. My Lbody looks like it rolled off the factory floor as far as rust is concerned. It just doesn't happen here.


:ban: One more "my car isn't rusty because I live in the west" comment out of you and I'm going to ban you Jay :evil: .



:o Ok, maybe I'm just a little jealous:lol:

[Clay]

hehe, one day your going to put your foot on the floor and touch asphalt! ;)

[rare_ram]

My Rampage lived in PA for awhile and the SC Scotty has used to be mine. I bought it in WV a year or so ago. Looked good when I bought it.

[2.2turboscotty]

Yea it looked good untill i looked at it under the carpet. it is a beautiful car in every place other than the foors, thats is why i was so surprized to see all that rust on such a clean car. it just goes to show you can't judge a book by it's cover? but it will keep going for many years after i'm done with the floors and coat it with the bedliner stuff, it by no means is worth bailing on it just because it's a little rusty, i have plans of driving it for a VERY long time.
Robert i guess your Rampage flooors will have to wait till next weekend, i'll be on these after work on Saturday and thru Sunday i'm sure. look at it a positive way i'll be brushed up on floor replacement for yours,ha,ha.

[rare_ram]

Just call Mr Davis. I want my engine.:partywoot:

[overlordsshadow]

We both have bad luck, my oil pump gear ended up with a dead spot before 50 miles this weekend....

[2.2turboscotty]

Sorry to hear, man. what kind of pump? i got the pans replaced on both sides and it turned out really sweet! seam sealed in and out and treated the new metal and finished with undercoating. the very next day it seems to be running rich at idle and some smoking out the new side exit exhaust that i put on friday at the shop, WTF! i guess it will be another late night at home looking into that NOW. at this rate i'll never get time for the scamp.
hope you get the oil pump fixed!

[overlordsshadow]

She is fixed now, was a stock oil pump. Priming the system tonight, then for a short drive, change oil, then some break in time, undo the exhuast for a couple week of straight pipe action:)

Always something that breaks when you are fixing something else thought right?

[2.2turboscotty]

well it looks like the turbo may be on it's way out, it appears to be a little blue smoke not blackish/gray. i pulled plugs last night and they looked fine not oil fouled or even black, changed map sensor just to see and still no change. seems to be smoking at idle after i get off the interstate and come to a stop, can't tell when driving down the road, to hard to look at it. after i put the side exit on i did run it a bit harder messing with a fellow TMer going down the interstate and i'm betting thats when it started i believe. darn it seems like i'll be spending some more money again, looks like cindy has a T1 s60 for about $500.00. hope thats what it is since i just put a good used motor i had in the car.