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A rusty project, bad idea?

yamaha4life

hi all, i recently went to view a cheap project car with some rust issues, it not exactly desirable car but i thought it would be nice saving it from the scrapper, 1995 rover 216 sli with honda engine.

it lived its life on the coast and was suffering at the rear arches but looked easy enough to weld in some fresh metal as they were pretty flat, but what was very off putting was the rust on the roof skin it had split above the driver and passenger side right along the channel where the trim goes on the roof. how awkward of a repair would that be for a novice? the car has a sunroof if that makes a difference. otherwise the car is fairly straight and would need paint and mechanicals checking which id be more than capable.

at the moment i dont have a mig welder at my house but i know how to use one!

also i dont have a garage all work on the car would be made at the mercy of the weather at the back of my house.

also a side note i wouldnt be doing the car to sell on or to make money just a bit of hobby and to improve my general body work skills.

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steinbock123

Don’t even think about it.
It’ll be rotten in places you can’t even imagine.

Mjolnir

Yes.

kev1.3s

Its absolute madness but my fulvia was completed under similar if not worse conditions and its become a very important part of my life. Go for it if you think you've got the staying power.

Isambard

it seems to me it's always cheaper to buy a better car.

steinbock123

kev1.3s wrote: »

Its absolute madness but my fulvia was completed under similar if not worse conditions and its become a very important part of my life. Go for it if you think you've got the staying power.

Big difference between a Fulvia (a proper classic non-Fiat Lancia, well worth saving) and a pretty mundane mid nineties Roveronda!

chillyspoon

steinbock123 wrote: »

Big difference between a Fulvia (a proper classic non-Fiat Lancia, well worth saving) and a pretty mundane mid nineties Roveronda!

But re-read the OPs original post. He's looking for an education piece that'll have to live outside.

Let's say 6 months down the line you've learned a load about bodywork and welding in that context, and you decide that the project isn't worth pursuing further - it's no big deal to just walk away from it because it's worth about the same as where you've started and you've gained a load of practice and knowledge without the fearing of messing up a potentially valuable car so it's a perfectly sensible car to practice body work skills on.

yamaha4life

i think chilly spoon is right if i bought something with value and made a bags of it sleeping at night might become difficult but anyway does anybody have any experience with rusty roof panels? how difficult are they to repair?

drunkmonkey

New roof...

I wouldn't dream of it. You literally need to strip the car back to nothing and rebuild it. It's a massive costly job. Anything with rust i'd avoid unless it's a proper classic, I'm 2yrs into a rusty project and a lot of $$$, it's a huge undertaking. When it comes to rust you need to try and find every last piece especially if it needs a paint job which this rover sounds like it does.

Mjolnir

If you want to practice body work why not buy two really cheap mk4 golfs, strip panels and weld on, cut out sections and fab new ones. Much easier in the long run and you're not in a fight with rust you can learn and practice on the panels at your own pace as you choose.

Testacalda

With experience behind me I think this is a bad idea. I'm all for trying things, but this job is unlikely to work out for you.

Rust issues are ALWAYS 2 or 3 times worse than the initially appear. If that car was on a ramp and inspected from the bottem, there will be a lot more rust than you expected. I have never inspected a rusty car and said to myself 'it's not as bad as I thought' There will be lots of work, much more than you think

Unless you go gasless, MIG welders are very difficult to use outside, as the wind disturbs the gas leading to contaminated welds. Gasless MIGs aren't generally marvellous

unfit2006

To answer your question about roof skins..... I find roof skins, drip rails, front and rear screen surrounds to be particularly nasty areas to repair. Throw in sunroof rust issues and you're really jumping in at the deep end.
Floor pans, sills, inner and outer wheel arch repairs are usually straghtforward and a good introduction to bodywork repair/welding.
Not so sure about carrying out much (if any) bodywork/mig welding outdoors. You would need to sort out some kind of shelter from the elements for yourself.

chillyspoon

chillyspoon wrote: »

But re-read the OPs original post. He's looking for an education piece that'll have to live outside.

Let's say 6 months down the line you've learned a load about bodywork and welding in that context, and you decide that the project isn't worth pursuing further - it's no big deal to just walk away from it because it's worth about the same as where you've started and you've gained a load of practice and knowledge without the fearing of messing up a potentially valuable car so it's a perfectly sensible car to practice body work skills on.

I have to revise my own answer w.r.t to your roof update and agree with the folks who have posted since that update. Roof work is a whole additional level of skill!

Don't put your money into steel/breakers panels unless you're confident of those welding and post-welding skills you previously mentioned.

If it wasn't for the lockdown I'd ask you to come and weld the hell out of our old tractor - you'd be welcome to get that patched up for me as practice!

swarlb

steinbock123 wrote: »

Big difference between a Fulvia (a proper classic non-Fiat Lancia, well worth saving) and a pretty mundane mid nineties Roveronda!

Wonder do people ever say 'Pre Fiat Ferrari'... seeing as while Fiat may not have owned Lancia when the Fulvia was built.... neither did Lancia !!

Peter T

Maybe consider a more desirable car ? honestly without a garage to work in you're facing an uphill battle. Id be considering a car that has repair panels available. That way you get the experience of cutting the new panel to fit, removing the old and using the factory spot welds to help line things up. From my experience on project cars its easy to go down the rabbit hole, much more enjoyable to buy something that is nearly roadworthy/complete and just needs a little light mechanical or cosmetic work to get it going

yamaha4life

i understand what you mean but ive never had my own garage to work in, i once had a block shed to bring stuff into to work on with worktops etc, ive worked in the motor trade for a number of years so not many mechanical jobs scare me the last job i did out the back of my house was clutch and flywheel on an audi a6 not that id be in a hurry to do that again as i could have really done with a gearbox jack,

i know i can rent the garage i used to work at but it would be in the neighbourhood of €100 a day so id really want to budget my time well, i know the rover isnt that desireable but it is rare sight even if it isnt valuable, it starts and drives. if i do go ahead with it i want to repair it correctly not just lash some fiberglass and filler at it, ive bought a mig welder for myself.

has anyone used one of those dancover portable garages maybe i could get a large one of those just to keep whatever car i buy dry?

outfox

Whatever you get, make sure you really really really like the car. Because there will be bad days, when you're trying to repair some hard to reach component, and you working outdoors, on a miserable winter's day, in poor light, with your clothes damp, and you haven't eaten because you'll surely have it done in only 10 more minutes.
It's hard to see how a Rover 216 could provide that sort of motivation.