Still amazed at the bad repairs that I've seen. Even though I've retired from paint and body work, I still occasionally get the privilege to see repairs done very badly.

Friend of mine, that is still in the paint and body business, had a customer bring in a 69 chevelle to replace a rusted out wheel well opening in the LR qtr.

This is what he found to the rear of the area that was to be welded in.











The rusted out area had a wad of plastic wrap off some pink panther insulation to give a back up for a big old batch of plastic filler. What metal there was above the rust out was nowhere near straight.

He also found a rusted out area in the lower front fender that had a piece of a license plate wedged into the fender brace and plastic filler stuffed in until they could carve it into something that resembled correct shape.

I'm thankful that I'm out of the business every time I see stuff like this. Having to deal with these junk repairs is why a lot of the shops quote such huge bills for body and paint work on older cars and trucks.

 

Have to remember not everyone has the skills or the $ thousands $ that a body shop would want to fix it right. I wouldnt doubt a kid made those repairs to his chevelle just to make it better than it was. Also have to remember the cars we are restoring now were once just lowly transportation and didnt deserve major money for repairs.

 

When I lived in Salt Country, I can assure you that's exactly how everyone I knew repaired rust-outs. Remember, back in the 70's an SS396 Chevelle was a cheap used car, they had not attained cult status. And everyone knew that a new fender or a steel repair would soon be eaten up by the salt anyway.

 

I must agree with Dave and Ross. Not worth expensive body work at the time. Gave the vehicle a new lease on life. Many US cars built in the 70 had galloping rust, fix one area and another rusted out. My company had a couple Vega company cars that rusted through from the top down within one year.
EdiT: Poor grade material and no rust prevention.

 

I had always understood the Vegas to be made of compressed rust. Ray's experience would seem to bear that out.

 

The body shop I worked next to many years ago had a customer, one owner '67 Galaxy convertible. He had the car worked in the mid '70s by the Ford dealer he originally bought the car from. He kept all the documentation on the car for every repair. He brought the car into the little body shop to have the rear quarters rust repaired. First, the Ford dealer welded/brazed new quarter panels over the original ones that had rusted out. Second, in other rust outs they shoved grinding discs in to fill the holes and bondoed over the entire mess. Remember, this was one of the big Ford dealers in the city who advertised non stop in the media about what a great, caring dealer they were. What a mess.

 

Reminds me of my 74 ranchero when i was 16. I think i got a couple gallons easy in each rear quarters. front half of car was great. But it still was just a ranchero! Oh the good ol days.

 

Since I just bought a project 68 Chevelle for my wife, I am hoping mine will turn out a bit better, even given my lack of bodywork experience.

 

Gee that should be framed and hung in the shops office. We have to remember that B4 the internet, unless you were lucky enough to know someone who had the skills and experience, and was willing to share said skills. You just did the best you could. In a lot of trades not passing on the secrets meant job security. I know I always say how cool FTE is, (some of you may think to a fault) but I really do mean it from the bottom of my heart, maybe because I appreciate having folks that so freely pass on information, tricks of the trade, advice and help. I'm sure in many cases it took them a lifetime and a lot of money to learn. Its only because of you folks that today, I know that plastic filler is only meant to be used as a very thin skim coat, and not to fill in big dents. LOL Thanks for posting those pics Drew. It really made me stop think, remember, and appreciate what we have today. "Keep on rockin FTE"

 

My father had a 57 ford ranch wagon that he slid on ice into the rear of a delivery truck. There wasn't enough solid metal left around the headlights (the 57 and 58's are famous for rusting out there) to attach anything to so he mixed about a pint of filler, put it into a shop rag and packed it in behind the headlight to hold the bucket it in place. He drove it for 2 more years.
I bought a 72 vega kamback wagon brand new. It started to rust thru below the windshield after 2 winters. After 4, my brother drove it over a set of RR tracks and the thing folded in 1/2! Don't even get me started about the revolutionary (revolting was a better description) deckless and unsleeved cylinders aluminum engine block...

 

Any chevelle questions let me know, they were my main focus for years until I got into the older stuff. I have 3 now, this was my 68 when i was doing the body work, probably had the same amount of rust or less than the OP's example.



New full quarter and outer wheel house.

 

worse yet is paying a supposedly reputable shop to replace rusted metal sections and finding out years later that they just covered it up with filler but charged for the proper repairs. Ask me how I know.

 

57 DeSota in 64 if it wasn't for bondo, duck tape, a four inch brush, a gallon of porch and deck enamel the beast would have lost its headlights and look bad from 20 feet away. Total cost of repairs probably less than $15 and a little time. All within a high school kids budget!!
Besides the back seat was big!

 

All of this brings to mind various comments posted about "farmer fixes" and the resulting insults. One has to keep in mind our old pickups/trucks were bought for work. Very few in days gone by bought a pickup to pull their boat, camper, to use as driveway dressing, or to fill the empty garage stall. Buying a new or used pickup/truck was a much bigger thing in those days then now. You bought one for work; if a modification or repair needed to be done, you did it yourself. The lack of proper tools, skills, or money resulted in some of the snafus that posters whine about on this site. Our cradle to grave mentality hadn't been fully established, yet. Seems people had a bit more initiative to solve their own problems as opposed to petitioning the gov't to make other people pay for their personal expenses. I guess we should be a little more forgiving to those previous owners who weren't so considerate to us current owners with the extra time and cash to resurrect these treasures.

Having grown up in SW ND, I had the privilege of scouring many tree rows, pastures, barnyards, and sheds and got to see many modifications/repairs done to old pickups, trucks, and cars. Hearing what my grandfathers had to do, and watching my father, uncles, and neighbors (all farmers), I guess I'm not so quick to insult the work of others.

Now, if one paid a "profession" to fix something and the results were as pictured, that would be entirely different.

 

Looks like the filler was applied over paint, so kind of disputes the filler over bare metal. It is over the recommended 1/8 inch max. I would say that was some pretty darn tuff filler. I feel better now using it. Of course in the proper methods tho.