For those who are also part of SON, they may have noticed my thread discussing all these problems I had with my S13 HB.
Well, its running great now and I’m now starting to look at it aesthetically.
I’ve got some major rust on my rockers and my rear 1/4 panels. For the rear driver’s side, I’m leaning on having it cut off and just weld on another one from a donor car.
I’ve also got some rust going on with my shock towers, but it doesn’t look too severe. May be have it cleaned up and weld plates there to make the whole thing rigid again.
I wanted to get your opinions on this (and no “sell it and buy one in good condition” responses), as well as your recommendation to some affordable, yet high-quality-work shops in the area, and may be even a rough quote on what it would cost to fix my pig.
Anyways, on with the pics:
Driver’s side rear 1/4
Driver’s side rocker
Passenger’s side rocker
Some shiz going on with the front passenger’s 1/4 panel and rocker
Passenger’s side rear 1/4 - not as severe as the driver’s, but still want it cleaned!
I also wouldn’t mind my frame rails re-finished, may be cut and replace the problem areas, or cleanup and box the thing up!
As for the shock towers (sorry for bad pics, I took 'em a few minutes ago)
looks pretty nasty but the frame rails and towers actuallylook not too bad.
rails would be basic work
towers may be bad underneath so pulling the liners to get a better look would be a good idea. otherwise not too bad either
rear 1/4’s need replacing considdering the rust and dent etc
inners mayt be worse gotta get a better look.
pls check the trunk under the carpet and the bottoms of the front A pillars as these are common problem spots for these cars.
i suspect a really good SHOP to charge an arm leg 1st child and 1Litre of gas
most other shops will probably charge about $1000 and up
better think more like 1500+…now…asking them to only do the repair and no paint etc will save you a fortune but still not enough to get you under the $1G mark…
so its kinda sketchy i know but the more paranoid about the “chassis” work the higher the price
the better the welder the higher the price
the busy-er the shop the higher the price
the bigger the “A-hole scammer” the higher the price.
all things fluctuate so be ready for some rediculous #'s from shops you dont know
Thanks Kazzxtrismus, good post. $1500+ mark should be what I’m aiming for.
My dad used to be a pretty pro welder. He could weld as clean as those machine welds on those high-end ($2000+) mountain bikes. The problem with him is that he likes to take his time… I need it done pretty quickly.
Would it be safe to say that if I bought him a welder, the right gauge sheet metal and rear 1/4 panels from a donor, it would be slightly less than the price of most shops (of course, I would toss in the pack of Coronas after he’s done doing the work).
As for paint, I’m likely going to do it myself. I’ve always been dying to try. I’ve got a 26 gallon air compressor in my garage (small, I know), but I’ve been running an airbrush off that thing for almost a year and wouldn’t mind stepping it up into the big leagues.
As for the area underneath the carpet in the trunk, I didn’t find any sign of rust in the area, though I know for sure there will be in the future. I was there this afternoon looking to see why the hatch+gas door release cable wasn’t working and noticed that there was some water in the trunk. I dried it up with paper towels (took about a 1/2 a roll to get it all. I guess that’s from the leaking hatch thing that 240s have? What’s causing it? I’m getting a new hatch this Sunday (black one, no holes. Mine has holes due to previous owner having the bastard foam spoiler).
for welding jobs and rust, its better to let da mechanic/technician take his/her time… trust me, ive seen some quick jobs, but the weld doesnt hold on too well. a few minutes here can save you alot more down da road.
try holdin out a few days and save some money. let ur pops do it. dats my advice bro.
if youre paying for the job. might as well get it done right and in da first time.
the body work will cost min of 1G. like earlier in the thread someone had mentioned about 1500. this is just about spot on. give or take about 200
if you still want to take ur ride to a shop den bring your car down to scarbrough. my friend who does body has his garage just a few doors down from mine. he can give u a proper quote.
wow man this is the first time ive really seen your car, ouch, i think im better off other then my frame hole. If you need labor or someone to chill and talk 240sx with pm me im in the area. i also have the complete service and shop manuals for 240sx on disk.
the man next door to me owns a body shop in whitby. he can do all the body work/rust work for cheap. i doubt that he will touch the frame tho. hes awsome. i take all my work to him.
I know… I know… I thought it was a good deal for $500 at the time… Who knew that my Hercules tires in the rear would have awful tire leakage and that my KA would blow up after about 3 weeks…
Replacement KA w/ 90k + rear side markers coming in tomorrow though
fastback240 - Would it be possible for you to show that guy next door those pics of my car and ask for a quote for each problem individually (ie. price for repairing rockers, price for repairing/replacing rear 1/4 panels, and price for repairing the shock towers) Thanks.
jacktherabbit - Sounds good. I’ll give you a ring when my car is streetable… I might actually be doing the KA swap next week (likely Wednesday after school). But that kinda conflicts with exams… Got an engine crane/cherry picker I can borrow? I’ve already got an engine stand, but I need a crane/cherry picker. Thanks. Oh, and feel free to contact me via cell @ 647-680-9443
yea i have a 2 ton cherry picker and a new mig welder never used yet. maybe you should think about putting wide body fenders on the rear so the work will not cost you as much. i know my fender lips are rusted away so ive cut them back and welded them up to past safety. then covered them with the fenders. it looks good plus you can change the rims/tires size. oh and wed would be good if yea need help or for me to drop the cherry picker off cuz my last exam in over at 12:30.
jacktherabbit - what time will you be able to drop off the cherry picker on Wednesday? My exams finish at about the same time, but there’s no school bus, so I’m taking the public bus (Puckerin Elm to GO station, then Beach).
PM me your cell #. I’ll give you a call on Tuesday.
I thought it was a good deal for $500 at the time… Who knew that my Hercules tires in the rear would have awful tire leakage and that my KA would blow up after about 3 weeks…