Let's Talk About Rust!

[adam_knox]

So I'm on the hunt for a Delorean (if anyone has an gray automatic for sale, let me know!). I'm relatively handy and have always owned cars that are at least 10 years old. I've dealt with my fair share of rust damaged parts and have witnessed first hand the effects of salt on frames versus sunshine state cars. My question however with Deloreans is how much rust is going to be a cancerous issue for longtime ownership (I figure I got at least 30 years left in me)? Older cars from the 40's have lots of room to hunt out, remove and patch rust. With a Delorean, mostly driving it in sunny or slightly rainy weather with wet roads with some surface rust, is it likely to progress noticeably in that time frame? Obviously it wouldn't be exposed to salted roads. If slight rusting exists, is it feasible to jack up the car and just POR-15 the vulnerable areas? Is the frame built solid enough that as long as there isn't salt involved it should stand the tests of time?

[David T]

The progression is not so much of a problem because the cars are not driven as much in the rain or the snow and if you don't park it on dirt you won't see all that much additional rust. Surface rust is not a concern but if you see holes you have a problem. If you are handy with a grinder and a welder it is all repairable. Depends on how much time you want to put into it and 16 gauge sheet metal. At some point, if the frame is that bad, it makes more sense to try to find another frame and reframe the car. If the front crumple zone AND the engine cradle are rusted through and the front shock towers are pointing at each other you may want to look for another frame. If you see a car with a badly rusted frame you can expect to find all sorts of other problems too. It is never "just" a little rust. On cars with severe rust you wind up breaking off every bolt you touch when you go to take things apart. The problem is the epoxy that was used to protect the mild steel frame ages and cracks and once moisture gets to the metal it is held there by the epoxy. if the damage is limited you remove the epoxy and cut out the rusted section. If it is just surface rust, again you remove what epoxy you can, clean back to bare metal and paint it. On a really bad car you often have to remove the body to get to all areas. If you have to do that, reframing isn't all that much more work.

[mr_maxime]

I've seen my frame rust compared to other cars at DMCMW and I had the least compared to the others on the lifts, however I have ton of rusted bolts. I definitely see this as a more common problem than patching the frame. It's not as much of an issue when it is a plain bolt, but more frustrating when it is a stud that cannot be easily replaced.

You could also always splurge and buy a stainless frame and suspension and never worry.

[adam_knox]

Thanks guys for the input! Too bad they just didn't cover the frame with grease instead of epoxy. I had an older car that must've been leaking oil from day one. All the areas covered with the dirt, grime and grease looked pristine after 50 years, all the exposed stuff was like lorraine swiss! :facepalm: