Mustang

[enjenjo]

I have a 65 Mustang here I am supposed to repair the body on. New fenders, quarters, minor rust repair, ect. I took the word of a freind that had done some mechanical work on it that it was in good shape underneath.

So today I started on it.I found that both inner and outer rockers are rusted through, and will need replaced for safeties sake. The supposedly good floor pans have been replaced with sheet metal, riveted and screwed in place, not fastened to the longerons at all. the torque boxes front and rear are beyond repair.

I'm not saying it can't be repaired, but not at the price I estimated, or at three times that price. I'm waiting on a call from the owner to see what they want to do. In the meantime I have found several cars for sale at less that it would cost to fix this one.

[kb426]

I think you may have an interesting discussion.

[wayne petty]

write them a revised estimate.  

make sure its Noted at the top REVISED ESTIMATE

they will take it from there..

[idrivejunk]

Those cars wouldn't rust near as bad if the factory primer job was more thorough.

I'm smack in the middle of a 70 Mach1 rust job. The customer paid way too much for the starting point but has stuck with it. Some people at this point are willing to pay for the peace of mind of having a properly repaired car rather than taking a seller's word for it. Wise ones factor in the suprise rust at the start of the project. Sometimes its sentimentality that costs them. In defense of the friend, I do rust for a living and can't always see it until I start digging. Sometimes even the ice pick doesn't find it.  I've seen examples where folks go to great lengths to hide the rust rather than fix it and some of them can fool even the trained eye.

You'll come out smelling like a rose if you begin by being perfectly honest. All the parts for the car are available and none of them fit but its always feasible. You know how and can fix it but if its not the right thing to do and you don't say so, you're jumping into the grease. These conversations are always smoother when you have a price range of clear-cut options and emhasize collision safety. Best of luck guiding them towards a suitable 'nother Mustang. I bet they will look the next one over more closely.