Heavy rust -- Is this car worth saving? (See pics)

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Samuraidog

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I finally decided to probe the rocker panel rust on my 1999 Nissan Altima. Debris just kept falling as I was clearing the area out.

Besides this rust, the car runs great.

My question:

In your opinion, is this car worth saving? If so, how would you go about the repairs?

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I wouldn't bother. I would keep it running as long as you can, with the mindset that you'll start planning to get a newer vehicle in the next 6-12 months.

That's in pretty rough shape, and who knows what else is rusted very badly such as brake lines, fuel lines etc.
 
Originally Posted By: JC1
I wouldn't bother. I would keep it running as long as you can, with the mindset that you'll start planning to get a newer vehicle in the next 6-12 months.

That's in pretty rough shape, and who knows what else is rusted very badly such as brake lines, fuel lines etc.


I agree with this.
 
Originally Posted By: JC1
I wouldn't bother. I would keep it running as long as you can, with the mindset that you'll start planning to get a newer vehicle in the next 6-12 months.

That's in pretty rough shape, and who knows what else is rusted very badly such as brake lines, fuel lines etc.


A real shame. It's been a great car for me.

The hard part about it is that I just paid $400 for new tires on this car.

I also recently purchased 4 spray cans of Eastwood Rust Encapsulator with the idea of trying to slow the rust down some.
 
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If you can cut out the rotted metal and weld new pieces in place by yourself, or know a good welder that would do it for cheap, then I would say yes. I see lots of good metal still in place that new pieces can be welded to.
However if you need to pay someone to fix it, I would not bother. It would be expensive and the quality of the repair would be in question.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
If you can cut out the rotted metal and weld new pieces in place by yourself, or know a good welder that would do it for cheap, then I would say yes. I see lots of good metal still in place that new pieces can be welded to.
However if you need to pay someone to fix it, I would not bother. It would be expensive and the quality of the repair would be in question.


I don't own a welder (or know how to weld). So, paying someone to do it doesn't seem feasible.

Perhaps the best course of action is to clean the area out a little better, spray it down with Eastwood Rust Encapsulator, and then drive it until I can't drive it any longer.

I was hoping to get another 5 years out of it, but it isn't looking good.
 
Originally Posted By: Samuraidog
I also recently purchased 4 spray cans of Eastwood Rust Encapsulator


Obviously to late for that. I just sprayed the inside of my rockers with Fluid Film. I hope I'm not to late. They rust from the inside out because there bare metal.... so they need to be protected.
 
Originally Posted By: Samuraidog
A real shame. It's been a great car for me.

The hard part about it is that I just paid $400 for new tires on this car.

I also recently purchased 4 spray cans of Eastwood Rust Encapsulator with the idea of trying to slow the rust down some.


If you are able to do this, you could keep the car for another 6-12 months, buy something newer and then part out the car to people. You should be able to make money money by doing this.
 
How are the floors? Nissan has been taking a lot of flack for rusty floorboards on 2001-up Altimas....
 
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
How are the floors? Nissan has been taking a lot of flack for rusty floorboards on 2001-up Altimas....


Floors seem fine. It is an older car, so I can't complain. It's been a great car.
 
Get some tin and pop_rivit it over the affected area or use self tapping screws to cover the rockers. This will keep salt water out from further abrading and annoying the "guts" up above the rocker area, which start getting structural. You may also find pre-stamped patch panels for about $40 a side.

The pinch weld is still there, but this will be murder to drill through. Rust drills bits worse than good steel. Self-tapping screws are great for this as they wear themselves down and you get a fresh one every hole. You don't need to weld, just run a fastener every 4 inches or so.
 
I've owned many a car rusted like yours. Just keep it in good running condition.

On one car I had, the rust was so bad the frame started bending when I jacked up the car. Not safe to get under. The car was junked soon after.
 
Originally Posted By: Samuraidog
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
If you can cut out the rotted metal and weld new pieces in place by yourself, or know a good welder that would do it for cheap, then I would say yes. I see lots of good metal still in place that new pieces can be welded to.
However if you need to pay someone to fix it, I would not bother. It would be expensive and the quality of the repair would be in question.


I don't own a welder (or know how to weld). So, paying someone to do it doesn't seem feasible.

Perhaps the best course of action is to clean the area out a little better, spray it down with Eastwood Rust Encapsulator, and then drive it until I can't drive it any longer.

I was hoping to get another 5 years out of it, but it isn't looking good.


If that's the case then cut out as much as you can, without compromising the structural members, and encapsulate it in some rust preventative.
 
Not worth bothering with. You could pick up a rust free Altima here in Florida for a song.

The problem with such corrosion is that it's also in critical locations you don't see.
 
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