Need Opinions on fixing rust.

[nogard]

I have a 1988 camry wagon with a five speed. I love that car and then fact that it is old. It only has 160,000 and I just put on a new timing belt. I have a list of other parts on the car: trailer hitch, front and rear whiteline bars, new ball joints, new control arms/bushings, KYB struts, intrax springs, just redid all the fuel lines, and rear brake lines, underdrive crank pulley.

Well it is getting really rusty and looking like crap. I might be able to drive it for a few years. I also tow a small trailer on occation. I don't have pictures at the moment. But there is the usually rust around the front and rear wheel wells, into the dog legs, front and back of both sides of the rockers. Bottom of the hatch, around the bumper supports, supports under floor boards.

I have a welder, do I get a bunch of sheet metal buy a small brake and go to town, or just junk it. Take all the parts off it and the 5 speed out of it and all the wiring, ecu, etc. Find a better rust free wagon with 4 cyl. and most likely auto. and put all my parts on and convert to manual trans?

[malayan]

If it were me and I wanted to keep this kind of car for years to come I would replacethe body and keep it for parts if you have a place for it.
especially if the floor is coming out.

Or you could destuction derby for some fun memories then part it.

he he

[toyomoho]

Rust is very difficult to deal with. You can cut and replace body panels, etc. but this is a LOT of labor.

Your easier "fix" is to get something like LPS 3 rust inhibitor and spray every place there is rust.

The next easiest is to find another car with a blown engine, trans, etc but good body and transfer the parts over.

[TBayToyotaBoy]

I see that you're from Wisconsin, so it's no surprise that you're debating the same issue that I recently did--I'm just a couple of hours north of Duluth, MN and my roads are just as salty as yours in the winter.

The answer to your question honestly lies in just how much you love the car. My 90 V6 has been my favorite car for six years now, beating-out my turbo Talon, my GT-S Corolla, and my current Celica GT-S for top spot in my books. The rear quarter panels on my Camry are completely rotted now, and the body under the rear bumper is also a disaster. Despite the extent of the damage, I've decided to slowly do the work.

If you end up being sentimental like me, this is what I suggest: Buy replacement panels (approx $100USD for both), pay a friend or relative to weld them on (approx $400 for me, but more like $2000 if you go to a body shop), and go to Maaco for a dirt-cheap paint job to last another three or four years. Sand blasting or grinding all the other little rust spots on the car isn't a big deal, it's the rear wheel arches that are so difficult to repair. Oh, and if your front fenders are rusted, either get used ones from a wrecker (look on www.car-part.com) or buy new for around $65 each.

If you decide to scrap the car, I'll buy your Whiteline/Intrax gear!

[JMSports]

Paint for $50.00
http://www.rickwrench.com/index79mas...llarpaint.html

[ASG14]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyot...Q5fAccessories