uni body damage questions

geezfoolsgeezfools Wagonist
in Bodywork & Cosmetic Modifications
I picked up a '91 60K mile beauty today off craigslist. Got a decent price on it. Problem is, there is some pretty decent damage to the uni body on the rear passenger side. Basically imagine the car tapping into a telephone pole on the rear door. He also has basically the whole half of a uni body from a donor wagon ready to go. Just wondering if I've got myself in too deep here, or are uni body repairs doable with enough patience. I've got a friend who is pretty good with body work(does it for a living) so the cost thing is not a big issue. Just not sure about welding the new piece back in there. Here are a few pics, let me know what you think. I don't know what the donor piece looks like, though the guy said I would need a truck as it's basically a piece from the rear of the car to the front(poor car).
PS I drove the car twenty miles home and it drives pretty nice and the alignment was close to spot on, though one of the front tires was pretty low. I also have a 4wd wagon that could be used as a donor if need be. Lay it on me! Sorry for the pic quality, taken with my phone...

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Comments

  • KahunaKahuna familEE
    holy hell....

    Looks likeit would have been better to take it to a frame rack and have it pulled back to spec.
  • Eagle BeagleEagle Beagle familEE
    i think most of us would like to see that happen ...

    : )
  • GoeletteGoelette Wagonist
    everything is possible, but it would be crazy to try to repair this imo. Just ask your friend who's job it is what he thinks of it..... although it would be better if you asked that before you bought the car. i think this is a total wreck, and you would have to be crazy to try to repair it. you would have to be nuts to drive it llike it is now...!
    BTW, I hope by "decent price" you mean no more than $100,-...
  • Eagle BeagleEagle Beagle familEE
    it would be crazy
    just as crazy to pay over $6000
    for a 1:1 engine replacement
    like i did

    : )
  • quartersquarters Council Member
    i've had cars in much better shape GIVEN to me and i wouldn't dare try to restore them. to even contemplate restoring that car makes me think you might be just a little bit out of your mind.
  • geezfoolsgeezfools Wagonist
    thank you all for the kinds words and pure motivation. I know to most here, it's a wreck, but to me, it's a project and something I've wanted for a long time. I wish I had friends who would give me cars, until that starts happening, gotta love what you got, even if it ain't much. Even if I can't make it like new again, I know this car will get me where I need to go until i find that 91 4wd 5spd with low miles from an original grandma owner with a cabinet full of receipts from the day she bought it.
    So yeah, I figured I was getting in a little over my head, but it could be worse and considering I have a complete wagon sitting next to it and the uni body cut out of another, I think I should be able to get it close to normal looking, even if that means I end up buying stock in bondo.
    I'll start a thread in the other part of the forum once I start this little project and we'll see where this takes me. For now, point A to point B is fine with me :)

    If anyone has any threads bookmarked or can remember anyone doing any serious uni body repair work(pics would be nice) please send them my way. I'll obviously need all the help I can get.

    thanks!
  • Eagle BeagleEagle Beagle familEE
    i'm here to help

    you remember

    to take

    p i c t u r e s

    :mrgreen:

    : )
  • GoeletteGoelette Wagonist
    sorry, didn't mean to be so negative, but you really better wait for better opportunities to come by.... this will probably cost you a lot of money and you still don't have anything...
    I'm really wondering what's wrong with the other wagon that you say you have wit the good body..? why not exchange all the good parts form your new wagon on the good body? that will be much better, easier and cheaper!
  • geezfoolsgeezfools Wagonist
    no need to apologize, I kind of knew I was going into muddy waters with the purchase. The cool thing is, the guy has the entire half of a wagon he cut out of a wrecking yard, so really, I don't think it will end up costing me much, especially since my friend should be down to help. Amazing what a bag of weed and a six pack will accomplish.
    As far as the 89 4wd. No title, missing the drive line, missing most of the tranny(was in pieces in the back) and has a couple broken windows. Couple cats lived inside as well, so it smells like cat piss pretty bad and I think that would be a pretty big battle to get that smell gone. So, I thought it would be a good deal for a project, then just figured, for a $100, it would be a good parts car.
  • Eagle BeagleEagle Beagle familEE
    yo'all gonna work the car
    all high and mighty ?

    :mrgreen:

    definitive a mustsee
    wagon meets salvador dhali ...

    ps. cats should stick to eating rodents...
    assuming you're gonna take the seats out
    soak them, make sure soap/powder gets
    everywhere, squash, repeat several times, dry...
    drying should be accomplished within
    two day, or start rinse proces/repeat
    add an odorkiller to the water, soak again
    dry, should be solved
    wear rubber boots


    : )
  • HaydzHaydz Moderator
    Vanilla Essence works wonders with cat piss odours. Same with smelly fridges.
  • wagodizzlewagodizzle Council Member and EDM expert
    i would rather swap all the parts over from that wagon to the non-wrecked one. including VIN :mrgreen:

    a wrecked car will never be the same again, no matter what. either way, good luck with what you do :D
  • oilspotoilspot Wagonist
    even if your able to cut the exact donor piece... remember that metal still does have a certain "flex" to it. Welds don't flex, they're solid. I would think that a unibody would flex like crazy. Which would mean that everythings flexing, except where the donor pieces are welded in. I think that you would experience metal tearing and fatigue around your patch job.
    I've never gone to school for welding. I've worked a good amount as a machinist. What I'm saying is based on things I've been told by welders and people that have been in the fab business for a long time.
    There may be a lot more to think about in this project than you think!
  • geezfoolsgeezfools Wagonist
    I'm still not sure what I'm really gonna do.

    The main reason for me even getting this car is I have been kind of short on cash since the early part of the summer. I've also been driving around a chevy S10 with expired tabs since May. It won't pass emissions, but the thing starts and runs and has never left me stranded. So I've just had my eye out for a decent wagon and I've looked at several, but all are 200K mile pieces of crap. So when this came along, it was a chance for me to get into a car with low miles, I know it's reliable and can get my by until i can find the 4wd beauty I want, plus will give me some time to save up the cash I will need to buy said car.
    I know most of you guys are laughing, but I can't afford something super nice and if this will get me by for six months, it's better than what i was in and I'll learn a thing or two about the wagons. It's ugly as hell, probably not the safest and may not ever be fixable, but I'm psyched and can't wait to get this thing dirty. I'm still weighing my options at a swap with the 4wd car sitting next to it or trying to patch this one up a bit. We'll see what happens and I'll post pics for everyones enjoyment :)
  • HaydzHaydz Moderator
    Can you post up pics of both cars in their current state?
  • geezfoolsgeezfools Wagonist
    I'll post some tomorrow, was gonna grab some pics for the tow hitch thread going on anyways :)
  • stephenstephen Senior Wagonist
    i dont know if this will help or not but i thought i would share.

    i bought my wagon on a tight budget. i got it with a blown head gasket for $500 with a decent body that needed work and a filthy interior.

    i put a d16y7 in it for about $500. i would honestly recommend looking around a bit before you get started.

    bam-bam got his wagon cheaper than i did. there may be more options than you realize.......
  • HaydzHaydz Moderator
    From what i can tell from the pictures above you will need a new roof, new side lower sill, new right rear quarter cut and new right rear door.

    That is alot of work.
  • AK_CRXAK_CRX New Wagonist
    Guys, it's not THAT bad... Whoever cut those chunks out actually did an alright job removing the damaged spots, I can see where the original spot welds were drilled out, and the backing for the panels removed is still intact. If you got parts with it, than A OK. There's only a couple spots where you will have to "seam weld" but most of the panels going back on will have a majority of their factory spot welds to go back on.
  • fettcolsfettcols Wagonist
    I think I would slap a replacement door on it and open it and close it a few times. If it opens and closes and lines up fine... I would start talking to your buddy about moving forward.

    If it doesn't, it would be a really nice parts car.
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