Hi, New member here. I am selling my crown vic and I will be getting a P5 asap. I have found a 2002 with 150k miles 5spd. it looks to be very well taken care of and it is only $2500.... BUT it has rust issues. The car is originally from Pennsylvania so it has the usual under hood and rear quarter panel corrosion. I live in southern California so the rust wont spread as fast but it is something I want fixed asap. I have read through the whole thread on P5 rust and no one has really mentioned fixing it. NOW finally for my question, Is it worth fixing the rust? Can new quarter panels be found easily? Is $2500 reasonable for a rusty P5? Any opinions and info would be awesome, Thanks
Is the rust problem fixable?
- Thread starter GraySurf
- Start date
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- 03.5 YLW MSP
depends on how bad the rust is.. and you can't just buy panels that im aware of (rear quater panels). You would have to goto the local junk yards to get that and cut it out.
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- 03.5 YLW MSP
Any body show should be able to cut that out and patch it but if the rust will come back is another story... really depends on how tell its repaired and how bad it is currently.
HatchKitten
Member
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- 02 Mazda Protege5
I recommend that you talk with a member on the forum who's name is CheeseHelmet he is doing MAJOR restoration on his car due to rust, he'll probably be able to point you in the right direction or give you a few tips/tricks on that rust, or any more you may end up finding.
I just performed a rust repair of this type and used a different approach. I would not replace the fenders if at all possible since they tend to rust out along the weld lines and the cause of the rust is not eliminated. In my opinion, the rust is caused by water and contaminants wicking between the joint between the fender and the inner liner. There is a sealer between these 2 panels that appears to absorb water as well.
Basically, I attacked the rust from the back, removing the liner behind the rust. I had made the assumption, which proved correct, that the rust bubbles were caused by pinholes from the inside of the fender. Once the liner was removed, the rust on the inside of the fender was removed and the area treated with POR 15. The panel gaps, including the edges of the wheel openings, where the liner and fender meet, were sealed with panel sealer. The largeish gap left between the liner and the fender where the liner was removed was sealed with panel sealer as well.
After completing the work in the liner area, the work on the fender was started. The rust bubbles were ground out, the bare metal with the pinholes treated with a Permatex product to neutralize the remaining rust, primed, glaze filled, primed, painted and cleared. The only issue at this point was an imperfect match of the paint color even tho the paint was professionally mixed. However, just getting rid of the rust bubbles was a tremendous relief.
I don't know how this will hold up but believe the approach is valid. The POR 15 has a good reputation and I believe I have dealt with the source of the rust, not just the cosmetics.
Good luck!
Basically, I attacked the rust from the back, removing the liner behind the rust. I had made the assumption, which proved correct, that the rust bubbles were caused by pinholes from the inside of the fender. Once the liner was removed, the rust on the inside of the fender was removed and the area treated with POR 15. The panel gaps, including the edges of the wheel openings, where the liner and fender meet, were sealed with panel sealer. The largeish gap left between the liner and the fender where the liner was removed was sealed with panel sealer as well.
After completing the work in the liner area, the work on the fender was started. The rust bubbles were ground out, the bare metal with the pinholes treated with a Permatex product to neutralize the remaining rust, primed, glaze filled, primed, painted and cleared. The only issue at this point was an imperfect match of the paint color even tho the paint was professionally mixed. However, just getting rid of the rust bubbles was a tremendous relief.
I don't know how this will hold up but believe the approach is valid. The POR 15 has a good reputation and I believe I have dealt with the source of the rust, not just the cosmetics.
Good luck!
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- 2016 GT ST 47A
^^^^This sounds like a good way to approach the issue and easy on the wallet too. You can buy the panels from the dealer if you want, onlinemazdaparts.com sells them for $501.xx a piece but then you need to have the old panels cut out, new ones welded in and then painted.
hey i just sent the same craigslist ad to my boss!
at that price i would go for it (depending on the rest of the car)
if the rust is the only main issue then i would go for it... heck, worst comes to worst you can always part it out!
if you can, ask the owner if you can take the car to a local body shop. or if you know someone in the field, have them take a look at it with you.
im pretty sure that car is gonna sell quick too.
i'm was actually thinking of going over to take a look at it next week if i had time
also, note that there was also more rust on the other side
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/2598625780.html
at that price i would go for it (depending on the rest of the car)
if the rust is the only main issue then i would go for it... heck, worst comes to worst you can always part it out!
if you can, ask the owner if you can take the car to a local body shop. or if you know someone in the field, have them take a look at it with you.
im pretty sure that car is gonna sell quick too.
i'm was actually thinking of going over to take a look at it next week if i had time
also, note that there was also more rust on the other side
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/2598625780.html
CheeseHelmet
Member
Heh, I'm not doing restoration, I'm just patching holes
OP, if you haven't purchased the car yet please put it on a lift before doing so. If the undercarriage is very rusty you might want to stay away; poke around, look for holes. If you have to spend another $1-2k for a rust-free P5 it would be totally worth it.
If you actually buy the rust bucket you linked to, take larson701's advice and fix it right away. The plastic skirts will need to be removed to do the job properly and you'll probably need a bit of fiberglass to fix the spots where the metal just flakes away.
Heh, I'm not doing restoration, I'm just patching holes
OP, if you haven't purchased the car yet please put it on a lift before doing so. If the undercarriage is very rusty you might want to stay away; poke around, look for holes. If you have to spend another $1-2k for a rust-free P5 it would be totally worth it.
If you actually buy the rust bucket you linked to, take larson701's advice and fix it right away. The plastic skirts will need to be removed to do the job properly and you'll probably need a bit of fiberglass to fix the spots where the metal just flakes away.
+1 Surface rust usually doesn't begin to show (unless the paint is scratched/chipped) until other exposed areas underneath have started to rust, and then it gets to the point it rusts through to the painted side
