How to attack this rust? 71 Satellite

[1STMP]

I'm afraid around every turn theres more rust. So far thats been mostly untrue, except a few of the "typical" spots. At least I gather they're typical from lurking around here. So far I've found some quarter rust, need to rebuild a corner including the trunk gutter. But some things like the rockers appear to be rick solid as are the floors. Meanwhile I need to do some cowl surgery! Going to pull the ending and start teardown real soon - build thread to follow. Gotta finish my up my shop build first so I can almost be organized.

Most of what I need I've ordered patches for or found someone to help me get, but now I have a question about a new spot. After walking around with a screw driver and jamming it in spots that looked fun, I've found a new spot right in front of the passenger door. Looking for a little help on how to attack this. Disclaimer, Never done body work or rust repair before, learning to weld real soon. Looking for some thoughts and advice. Pictures included!

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Been stabbing away!
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Did this use to fill this with lead?
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Cowl needs a little help, but parts are coming, thanks barnfind
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Many here have offered viable processes
an/or solutions as to how to tackle the
rust problem you're faced with.
I've been through this twice. On a Jeep that
frequented Texas beaches and an 80 year
old pickup that sat in the dirt for 30 years.
To truly get the "in your face" picture of
what you're dealing with, every single part
attached to the body must be removed.
The sheet metal has to be blasted. You
can do this yourself using a $50.00
blasting tank from Harbor Freight, some
blasting media, and a compressor.
We started with this;

and finished with this:

Blasting gives you a clean canvas where all
problems become apparent, it cleans the
surfaces of any contamination, and roughs
it up enough to accept lighter coats of filler
where needed. Any seams created using
repair patches or panels have cleaner welds.
This Jeep was in pretty bad shape. Sorry I
don't have any before pics. But with the
blasting and panel replacement, she turned
out pretty good. This is a recent pic, and I did
the body work 25 years ago.

Just my .02, but you're going to put all this
time and effort into your build, do it right
the first time, or you'll be doing it again in
short order.

 

[JDmac72chrgr]

Take the camera and get GOOD view of c-pillar (sail panel area) too: Forgotten area that is often missed; FORTUNATELY, mine was only surface rust, but can be bad if window channels leaked. Hope this helps, KEEP LOOKING/PRODDING & GOOD LUCK!!

 

[YY1]

Actually those are not unusual places for a 71/72 B body to rust.

The 71 parts car I have is rusted in exactly those same places.

The OP has puffy/super crusty rust.
That is almost always indicative of LOTS of rust elsewhere that simply hasn't puffed up and gone through yet.

If the OP hasn't checked the cowl, yet. I'd advise to stop everything else and do so.
Put your arm in through where the vent screens go and feel around as much as you can.
Pay particular attention to the large, circular vent "stacks".
If those areas are gone, it's LOTS of labor to repair. LOTS.

 

[JDmac72chrgr]

TRUE, cowl 1st, if bad, huge time to repair that: 2nd cousin bought my parts 72 Charger due to his cowl on his is swiss cheese.

 

[poconos_power]

So, finally got to spend some real time near the car since I first posted the initial pictures. Did a bit of digging. Knocked around the frame rails to the degree I could reach with the car on wheel dollies (which was quite a bit despite laying on the freezing concrete floor). Also after watching that video that was posted (and a lot more in the series) it was very instructive I felt more confident to check things out. Things are as I thought when I first bought it, the frame rails are super solid, no thin areas or pinholes. The torsion bar crossmember is great too. Surface rust inside, a little, but it's entirely been preserved with paint and undercoat. Floors are solid, no holes (thought I need to get to the firewall seam and look closer there), some surface rust I can knock off. Ran the scope down the frame rails and torsion crossmember, mostly spiders and dirt inside, but everything looked consistent and present. Corners are the natural enemy of the scope cam. Going to blow the spiders out with compressed air, run some eastwood frame rail stuff down the insides to potentially help.

Even ran the scope into those rust holes a bit better in the pillar, and the could see cleanly down the entire rocker. The rocker was the cleanest inside piece I've seen, no nests, spiders, etc. Tapping on the metal around those rust holes with a hammer, it seems solid actually, getting the right sounds coming back at me. Looked at the backside of the pillar from inside the car, all present and solid. I'm feeling a lot more positive about it, and the potential of being able to fix it. Haven't taken off the cowl vents and looked in yet, but did peek under the fenders and saw the seams on the cowl are looking rough but not totally swiss cheese. Hopefully I can really make the most of the new section I'm getting and rebuild all of it. with little issue. Not sure how those pillar holes are so pin pointed, will likely remove that section of pillar and use it as a guide to fabricate a new section, if I can't get a new section or repair the section I remove.

Dug into the roof a bit, looks like the lead had started to fail in the past and this was a poor repair by the whoever had this previously. Most of the lead work is good, got to clean section easily, the sections that came up had a lot of body filler in it, but the roof seam is strong and present where the rust was, only surface rust. No build tag on the fender so I don't know if this was a vinyl roof that was converted to painted or something else. After reading more here, and putting on a much more critical investigation hat, looking at the rear rust, it's all appears to be stemming from the rear windshield and is really only related to areas water would have run. I know this car sat outside on and off for a decade almost all the damage is related to places water would have ran.

Still need to check out the sail panels, and some other spots, but everything I've scoped seems really encouraging. I'm probably still a few months from truly tearing down the front end. Waiting on a lift install first before I explode the car and have parts everywhere. This ins't a special car, but I think I have a real chance to do this. Luckily for me, I'm not smart enough to quit when I should. I'm hoping to just end up with a nice-ish, drivable satellite that I can enjoy and not worry about where I got with it. This will be my first muscle car, first mopar, so I just want something to tinker with and have fun. Thanks for all the perspectives and advice everyone, greatly appreciate it. Once I start the teardown I'll make a build thread.

Since pictures are nice, I'll share that back in the fall, just to practice stripping/cleaning and painting parts, I had started on the vapor separator stuff in the rear when I removed the old gas tank. All that stuff came out rust free, no pinholes in the vapor separator tank, even the shields were clean. I had made some progress on them before it got too cold to paint. Waiting for warm weather now... (currently 0deg F in the Poconos)

 

[Dennis H]

Prayers sent.

 

[70chall440]

Its just metal, it can be cut out and replaced. If you are looking to do it yourself, well then you need the equipment of course but it is not rocket science. If you are thinking about paying someone to do it, then yes it might not be worth the cost because repairing that rust is a time intensive deal and at $100/hr shop rate (or whatever it is) it will get expensive fast.

 

[poconos_power]

Prayers sent.

Haha, can I use them in place of seam filler?

 

[JoePole]

Good detective work so far. If this is just going to be a driver quality learning experience and the structure is solid, I say go for it. Just don't plan on getting your man hours back if you sell. Keep digging.

 

[Carcinogen]

I’m amazed at the at the talent and patience needed to tackle serious rust damage.

If you have not seen JunkerUp do his magic on sheet metal, you need to. Just watching you can pick up tips only learned from experience and skill. He makes it look easy, and inspires me to give it try. https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCYGXns0Ezqd-qKyxMjH-7Pg

 

[JDmac72chrgr]

I'm hoping to just end up with a nice-ish, drivable satellite that I can enjoy and not worry about where I got with it.

You sound like me, DRIVE IT & ENJOY is the key, just watch them damn deer up there, and looney drivers too!! SOUNDS GREAT, undercoating DOES work. Keep us posted.

 

[YY1]

Just curious as to what the specs are on this car and the sentimental attachment level.

I bought a 72 Charger, for basically the value of the 8 3/4 3.23 sure grip axle.
It's got a super solid uni-body structure except for the cowl.
It also needs most every body panel replaced due to rust.

Turns out it's one of 500 built with a 400-4 barrel, auto and that SG rear.
It's also a kind of cool factory metallic bronze color.

I am having trouble coming to grips mentally with parting it out, but I know it's more than I can handle to repair/restore.

 

[GMP440]

This is an old listing. Might nit have been sold. Looks like a much better body than what you are working with.
https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopa...ymouth-satellite-sebring-plus-project.138040/

 

[chargervert]

I still have the Satellite for sale, it's very solid, and I have an even more solid 72 Charger topper roller that I hope to have ready to sell in the spring. The Charger is nothing short of amazing for a car from New England. Floors,trunk floor,framerails,rocker,roof,cowl etc are mint. Other than a couple of very minor bubbles on the bottom of the rear quarters, there is no other rust. Car has a new windshield, and front brakes rotors and calipers are new,and the front end is rebuilt with polyurethane kit. Hidden headlight grille and rallye dash. Was 318 automatic car with AC.

 

[poconos_power]

I still have the Satellite for sale, it's very solid, and I have an even more solid 72 Charger topper roller that I hope to have ready to sell in the spring. The Charger is nothing short of amazing for a car from New England. Floors,trunk floor,framerails,rocker,roof,cowl etc are mint. Other than a couple of very minor bubbles on the bottom of the rear quarters, there is no other rust. Car has a new windshield, and front brakes rotors and calipers are new,and the front end is rebuilt with polyurethane kit. Hidden headlight grille and rallye dash. Was 318 automatic car with AC.

I'm surely interested. Your inbox is full so I can't message you private. I would like to know more definitely.

 

[hunt2elk]

I'm surely interested. Your inbox is full so I can't message you private. I would like to know more definitely.

Very good idea imo. Pete has some very nice solid cars. You would be waaaaay farther ahead starting with one of those....