in what spots were first gen j bodys most known to rust? or was it pretty much everywhere?
also have any of you found a great way to stop rust from spreading?
lastly, at what point do you think a chassis is to far gone?
curious to hear some of your answers and opinions. thanks.
Floor boards can rust out if it has a Sun roof. Also the rear wheel wells by the shock mounts are problematic also. The best way to prevent rust is to not use undercoating. I like to take mine to a car wash that sprays the underneath during the winter. I have a post on here from last year that shows the rust repair I had to do on mine. My car was undercoated from the dealer and it has caused my car to rust from the inside out. Use a good metal etching primer and some good ole' black enamel. That's the best advice I can give. Good luck!
Another place to look for rust is the front cowl drains.
They clog and the water backs up and just sits there. So it rusts and then you have water coming into the front of the car rusting the floor boards. It would be a idea just to check and clean/repair/paint them if you use this car for a daily driver or it sits under trees. Another place that rust can kill the jbody cars is the front sub-frame. Even though the car looks good up top, if the sub-frame/mounts rot it is pretty much a lost cause.
our wagon seems to be rusting on the bottom and top arch of the drivers side fender the bottom of the drivers side door. the passenger side rocker panel. also, the passenger side rear wheel well. i kinda didnt notice how bad it is getting until i looked today. the door and rocker panel seem to be the biggest conern of mine.
everything underneath the car however looks solid, along with the floor pans. so i suppose i lucked out there. i haved used mostly rubberized undercoating in the past when i had my 84 corolla hatchback it seemed to work pretty well. i have seen a 3m product that comes in a can that is supposed to turn rust into a flat black paintable surface. i thought about giving that a try. not really sure though. i just want to sand it some and blast it with something so it doesnt get any worse. it sucks to have such a rare car be ruined by the elements.
My 2 cents worth is to be vigilant and sacrifice appearance over protection. I know that is sometimes a heartbreaker to sand and grind in places one might see and point at, but hey, it isn't going to do you any good if it rusts out.
Every spring get your J up on Jack Stands and do a complete underneath inspection, take some time with a trouble light. Stand on that brake pedal for about 1 minute and check all along the brake lines for wetness. If you see some troubles - get some photos and do what you can. Later you can compare the damage with earlier photos to see how things are progressing. If you can't get to the affected area well, you can grab some brushes and smother it with as much of that rust converter as you can get to it, then a couple coats of primer and a couple color coats. I prefer a simi-gloss black underneath. This works well for that battery tray too.
The rattle cans at the Auto stores are expensive and the coating is mighty thin! The Hardware Stores sell cans of X-O Rust - much like Rustoleum, but the hardware store can mix the color for you. You can even carry your can to Napa and have them add some metal flake if you are so inclined. I have started buying this stuff by the gallon, getting is mixed as I prefer, and then buying 4 quart cans at Napa and simply pouring that in the cans, so I don't have to work with a big can and worry about the used portion skinning over.
I guess it is just being brutally honest saying rust is going to be a companion with your J as long as you have them - they are old. Some will have more money to spend on a pristine example and the more money to spend on the quality of repairs. Others (like myself) will have to do what they are able to with what they got.
Also it seems to me that the 1st gens appear to be a bit more rust resistant then the 2nd or 3rd gens, or at least maybe there is more metal in them to start with....
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I'm from atlantic canada, so I'm pretty sure I get worst rust then most people here. Places of rust to check for sure are:
Above the inner fenders under the hood, rad support(bottom and far sides), firewall around steering rack, firewalls top corners, where the K frames connect, The K frames themselves, floors,
ROCKERS(Inside and out), Check around the windshield, around seat mounts, rear frame, where spring perchs are, rear shock towers, rear trunk, where the rear bumper connects is a HUGE issue, rear bumper, quarter panels internally(moisture builds up in factory seam seals).
This isn't all the rust prone areas, but it's the most important ones.
As long as the rust isn't where major components connect, it shouldn't be a problem. This being said, do a thorough inspection of your car, because a lot of these rust problems are well hidden, as I recently found out with my wagon....
As long as your car doesn't look like this, you should be good.
Pics of my old hatch.
Rear hump on the floor
front floor,
quarter thanks to sideskirts.
Reason I'm showing those is to show you the point of no return.
Honestly, do anything you can to get rid of rust. Disregard looks because you can always pretty up anything later on.
i am all for disreguarding looks. to me as long as i can keep the car from being eaten alive i dont really care about the looks of the car. as you stated looks are something that can always be corrected. the cancer of rust is something that cannot. that is definately the point of no return though. that is eaten alive! im so fortunate that my wagon isnt rusting in any structural part of the car. its all just cosmetic.
thank you all for your suggestions and advice for dealing with rust and pointing out the spots to look for. also providing examples of when a first gen is to far gone.
i am thinking of por 15 to treat the rust on my wagon.
When I was putting on my new doors and had the door panels off, I sprayed the lower portion of the door from the inside with rustoleum. I don't know if this will do me any good in the long run, but I figured it wouldn't hurt.
I had some side skirts on the Hawk, and the lower q-panels are bad--such water catchers! I plan to remove the wheel well trim as well because all it does it trap water.
Going to the body shop in either May or June, so all should be fine.
I am on my second trunk lid. The ones with the spoiler seem to fare better than without. Two-door lower leading door seams on the bottom. A-Pillar, Door tops where trim goes on (it scratches as it goes on, driver side floor pan were the places on mine...
Rockers, lower doors, quarter panels around rear wheel well, and floor boards if you allow water to sit on the carpet for extended periods of time. The rockers don't last long unless you rustproof them (inside and underside).
If you live in a northern climate, it is imperative to wash the salt and deicing agents from the undercarriage and door jambs regularly during the winter months. We have a drive-thru car wash that sprays the undercarriage. I use it a least once a week.
~ Mike ~
Well here is a picture of my passenger rocker panel
When I seen that it kind of ruined my day. Which this is a picture of after I coated it.
Don't let this ruin your relationship with your J, Jonathan.
I too have had my experiences....well, I'm sure most have had - the 1st gens are getting pretty old nowadays. Do the best you can with what you are able to , and can afford to do. One way to look at things , is since it isn't a museum piece anymore you can take it out and enjoy your J as they were meant to be - good ole GM transprtation. A spot like this on your car doesn't affect the safety or drivability.
I knocked out all the rust I could with a screwdriver. Applied as much rust inhibitor as I dared....and applied some more. Brushed on plenty of rusty metal primer and then brushed on some more too. Fabbed up the patch plate you see here and SLATHERED lots of Gorilla Glue before drilling and riveting it together!! I know it ain't perfect - but neither am I.
Just so you know how badly I suck at this here is a shot of my handywork on my old Ranger - b u t - this repair has lasted many years on the old truck and I've had it 8 years now and can't begin to tell you all the stuff this machine and I have hauled over the years!!
So my advice is take a weekend and fix that rust as best as you can - let it hurt your eyes real bad for a day or so - loose one nights sleep and after that it'll grow on ya. Eventually it will just be a part of the character!! Never underestimate a 1st Gen!! :-)
Hope this helps my friend!!
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At least rust ate yours, a dog ate mine
hope it gave that @!#$ mutt indigestion.
If you guys need new rocker panels
Andy's Autosport these should fit as most parts from 1st - 2nd gen J's are interchangeable.
