How much damage is too much damage?

[Guest Anonymous]

I have been spending lots of time with my '76 getting it ready for the V8. I knew I had some frame damage but now I am finding rust. After that when I started on the wiring the previous owner did quite a hack job on the connectors under the passenger side dash. The wiring really needs to be replaced. Should I be looking to start over with a z in better shape? How much damage would you take before you started over?

Thanks

[Guest Anonymous]

We probably need a little more info, where is the rust exactly? Common area's are the floorboards, battery area and frame rail under it to name just a few. Is it surface rust, or deep rotted out rust?

 

Regards,

 

Lone

[MYRON]

I have the the factory wiring harness

with the fuse box and all the relays

for a 78 if you are interested. I was not the one who removed it from the car so I would have to double check to makesure that no wires were cut. Email me off line if you are interested..

 

Myron

[RPMS]

I know how you feel. On Monday night I was stripping off old body filler in preparation for repainting my 260, and I made the unhappy discovery that about half of the rear passenger wheel arch is reconstructed from Bondo.

 

I think the question of "how much damage is too much" is entirely relative. If you're looking to do a concours quality restoration and you won't be satisfied with less than 100%, then ditch your "rustbucket" and find a rust-free example (if such an animal even exists...).

 

If you just want a daily driver and you're the kind of guy who isn't going to let a few door dings get in the way of a good time, then stick with what you've got, unless the frame rails are falling out and you can do a passable Fred Flintstone impersonation through what's left of the floorboards. (You DID checked under the tar of the floorboards for rust, didn't you?)

 

A lot of your decision should be based on practicality. There are just too many solid cars out there to spend the money/effort/time welding new metal into a car that has bad frame rails, no floor, and lots of body rust. It will NEVER be worth the effort you put into it. If, however, your car is structurally sound but has a moderate amount of rust in areas that are cosmetic, it's well worth your while to fix it.

 

In spite of the body-rot problems, I've become a bit attached to my car, so I'm keeping it in spite of the fact that it's not 100% steel any more. Maybe someday I'll find a parts car with a perfectly straight body and I'll transfer my running gear over to it. Until that time, I'll make it as nice as I can and I'll enjoy it for years, in spite of the fact that it's not "perfect".

 

Where wiring is concerned, my goal is to eventually strip out most of the factory wiring and re-do it for simplicity's sake. Some of my harness looks like yours, and I'd gain quite a bit of comfort knowing that the wires to my headlights weren't held together by spit and baling wire. I'm not scared of doing something like that, but most people shy away from it, especially if they have a computer-controlled engine!

 

Anyway, good luck with your car! I hope you get it back in solid shape before too long so you can enjoy driving it again. I had a '76 once, and had a blast with it!