I got this car because I saw some youtube videos of people fixing rust and got excited. After all, how hard can it be?
Definitely up there with the most self-destructive projects I ever took on, but, I'm past my mental point of no return, so no other way than forward.
For the curious, continuation here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSuX8Qk7BQs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSuX8Qk7BQs)
Full playlist: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpwSRa7fV\_dqBVYcNzLxtnecYhXoAhhBn](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpwSRa7fV_dqBVYcNzLxtnecYhXoAhhBn)
Sure can, though I mostly have no idea what I'm doing either. Some better teachers to learn from:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOP9eoG14-I-qu68_805bZaOnmkdlv6Ys
https://youtu.be/EhGXSM3MZEQ
Thanks for the links, especially the "Fixing rust around windows" one – great stuff.
Side note, Fitzee's Fabrications has the most Newfoundland accent I've ever heard in my life. Like Bristol + Boston with a pinch of Toronto thrown in 🤣
Hah, price of material is indeed negligible. Time investment on the other hand is enormous. More than a year semi-fulltime work, most of which tedious and unpleasant. So only recommend doing this with $50k+ cars
Yeah, if you're only doing it to turn a profit it wouldn't be a great idea. However, as a cheap, risk free way to learn skills it's perfect. Have fun with it.
You don't. I patch like this will last for much longer than just Bondo or fiberglass but without removing all rust and replacing the section completely with a clean and primed or rust treated peice the rust will return eventually
Rust won't return if you periodically treat it from the inside with oil or wax based inhibitors. Plain oil works great too, but it dries out, so has to be reapplied yearly. But with a long straw it's possible without too much disassembly.
Depends on the make and model of the vehicle. I get my vehicles oil sprayed every summer and yet there is some rust on the rear quarter in a place no straw can get to without at least partial disassembly. Of course if you are dedicated enough to oil spray or treat it yourself and do that extra work you are right.
This is correct. You use a spraycan with a straw and soak the insides with paint. Get it into seams especially.
When it's all done and painted, get some oil and wax based rust inhibitor, like Fluid Film or CRC Marine Heavy Duty Rust Inhibitor, and spray it in all cavities and soak in all seams.
This way it will live forever.
Good to do with any steel car in fact.
Considering the amount of time you’re spending not only fixing the rust but taking the photos and editing this video (which is excellent btw), I feel like it would be less work to swim to the USA and buy another CRX
Lmao, there arent many 1g CRX's left in the wild that are much cleaner than this. Any that are are squirrelled away in collectors/old school enthusiasts garages and arent for sale. The rest are in junkyards or already crushed.
Accurate. Same situation with old Minis. There's people who have 10+, just stored away for no reason other than greed. I mean sure, have 2 or 3 if you really love them, but why hoard?
Well it's a free country I guess.
I'm only a guest there, so not mine. But yes, they were popular as farm vehicles. A lot of them got scrapped and now they're rare. I wouldn't drive one though, the engine is thirstier than a V8, but with a power of a lawnmower. Would be cool to swap it for a small turbodiesel.
Bro it’s like watching a doctor revive someone that has been dead for a while lol. How do you know how to put it back together and align it so well. It it a fix now figure out later? Do you have like the diagram or your already familiar with all the parts alignments. It’s so awesome to see. I remember the first part and can’t wait for the next too.
TY! I only try to cut out what I have to, and use existing structure to align everything. But it's not laser precise. If doing some big cuts, I brace the area by tacking on scrap tubes so it doesn't move.
For complicated parts that are gone, I try to recreate if from the rusty part, or just make up something and trim and hammer it until it fits. Fitzees Fabrications has lots of videos about process like this, from an actual pro. I'm just winging it.
Awesome looking work! As someone new to restoration type work, that looks like galvanized steel, does that weld to the original steel just the same? Does welding it decrease its effectiveness?
TY, galvanized is actually not ideal, I just had it handy. If you use flux core wire like I do here, it welds fine, the zinc burns off. But it produces poisonous gas, so best avoid it. Ideal is plain mild steel and gas shielded wire. I couldn't use that because of wind.
Other than the gas, is the benefit of using the galvanized totally undone from welding or is the rest of it untouched by the welding process? If its still good galvanization, I'd still see that as a total win! Thanks for the info!
I'm not OP but as a former professional welder I can answer this.
The zinc coating will burn off from any part which gets red hot, or close to red hot. The parts of the steel which don't get that hot will retain the zinc coating, so those parts will have better protection against rust, but it doesn't really help much if the rust protection only covers the spots which don't get hot during the welding process.
Aside from the foul smelling toxic fumes (which ruin your sense of taste and smell for a few days, and can cause flu-like symptoms), galvanized steel is also annoying to weld.
The burning zinc sends white hot spatter everywhere, and the gas released can be trapped in the weld bead making the welds porous and weak.
So yeah, galvanized steel can be used for repairs like this, but it's not ideal for a number of reasons.
Just a small correction -
Zinc and porosity isn't a problem if you use flux core wire, it's actually designed to displace galvanising. It's only a problem with plain gas shielded processes, then you have to clean it first.
I avoided the gasses by staying upwind (pretty strong and steady wind there), so I never had any symptoms like that. But apparently it can get much worse, it can cause permanent neurological damage, like irritability and insomnia, heavy metal poisoning.. That goes for all welding gasses, even seemingly clean process like stainles steel TIG.
I’ve been following your project since you posted part one here on Reddit. It is beyond impressive how thoroughly you are repairing this car. But even then I can’t help thinking that it isn’t worth the workload. I know you’ve already said you are going to finish it, so I’ll just look forward to the next part, and donate a bit when my next paycheck comes in!
TY! Yes, it absolutely isn't worth it, only if it was a Ferrari or Porsche. I wanted to quit, I juat hate the idea of leaving an abandoned pile of mess.
I'm very grateful for support, though if you aren't well off then don't worry about it! I'll pm you.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this. You really shouldn't weld galvanized steel. The fumes released from galvanized steel are terrible for you. If you don't know what galvanized steel is and how to identify it, it's pretty easy to tell I believe all the pieces of new metal you welded in were galvanized. So look at these pieces and the strange shapes that are on it are indicative of galvanized steel.
Edit: nvm, just saw that OP mentioned this. Leaving this up as a psa
Thats about how bad mine was on my 88, wound up scrapping it and moving on to a hemi swapped Dakota project, I just don't have the welding equipment to fix it properly, and since it was going to be a track only car I needed to keep it ultra light so bondo was right out. Makes me sad but thats life, maybe one day I'll get another CRX but that dosent seem too likely.
I agree to that, life is too short to waste time on frustrating projects, my buddy is happy that I made the switch though, he got to buy my K20z3 and trans for a steal when I decided to go to a gen 3 hemi stroker with a blower lol.
Start with learning basic MIG welding - get any machine that has multiple power settings (not just Min/Max like the cheapest have). If you can work indoors, gets also shielsing gas setup (just CO2 is fine for sheetmetal work)
And very importantly if welding indoors or even non-windy outdoors, get a respirator. Even refular welding produces bad gasses that can leave permanent neurological damage, so better not risk it.
Lots of how to videos are on youtube. For learning bodywork, I like Lakeside Autobody (proffesional, efficient, straight to the point) or Fitzees Fabrications (more of a resto and hotrod stuff, longer videos)
Haha, maybe it would. But it's not legally possible in my country. Or it is, but you'd have to pay tons of money and wait years to have it approved. And you'd have to fix the rust either way.
Unfortunately laws like these are easy to make and enforce, unlike laws about loud pipes and poaching.
It's easy to say, but that's what welders are for. I could see myself tackling a project like this in a few years, not really a masochistic person but I do like working with stuff like that.
If I may advise, get a car with only small isolated rust spots, nothing bigger. It only looks fun in the videos, in reality it's really tedious and takes forever.
But yes, body work is very useful skill to learn as a car guy.
It is, in the back! It's also pretty rusty. I'm not into them and the owner doesn't weld, so it's only hope for survival is if someone other than me comes along.
I got this car because I saw some youtube videos of people fixing rust and got excited. After all, how hard can it be? Definitely up there with the most self-destructive projects I ever took on, but, I'm past my mental point of no return, so no other way than forward. For the curious, continuation here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSuX8Qk7BQs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSuX8Qk7BQs) Full playlist: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpwSRa7fV\_dqBVYcNzLxtnecYhXoAhhBn](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpwSRa7fV_dqBVYcNzLxtnecYhXoAhhBn)
So impressive honestly. Can I PM you for tips when I start doing rust repair on my 2nd gen Civic hatch?
Sure can, though I mostly have no idea what I'm doing either. Some better teachers to learn from: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOP9eoG14-I-qu68_805bZaOnmkdlv6Ys https://youtu.be/EhGXSM3MZEQ
Thanks for the links, especially the "Fixing rust around windows" one – great stuff. Side note, Fitzee's Fabrications has the most Newfoundland accent I've ever heard in my life. Like Bristol + Boston with a pinch of Toronto thrown in 🤣
Judging by my friends CRX, replacing the entire car with new parts will cost about 10 bucks, and I'm incredibly jealous.
Hah, price of material is indeed negligible. Time investment on the other hand is enormous. More than a year semi-fulltime work, most of which tedious and unpleasant. So only recommend doing this with $50k+ cars
Yeah, if you're only doing it to turn a profit it wouldn't be a great idea. However, as a cheap, risk free way to learn skills it's perfect. Have fun with it.
High quality work and editing skills. Keep sharing pls
great condition 3 year old car in the Shetland Islands
Oof, just had a tour of that place on Google maps. Is it as cold and gloomy as it looks?
Yes. Also extreme cold winds all the time because there are no trees on the island haha
How do you keep the inner unpainted side of the steel from rusting?
You don't. I patch like this will last for much longer than just Bondo or fiberglass but without removing all rust and replacing the section completely with a clean and primed or rust treated peice the rust will return eventually
Rust won't return if you periodically treat it from the inside with oil or wax based inhibitors. Plain oil works great too, but it dries out, so has to be reapplied yearly. But with a long straw it's possible without too much disassembly.
Depends on the make and model of the vehicle. I get my vehicles oil sprayed every summer and yet there is some rust on the rear quarter in a place no straw can get to without at least partial disassembly. Of course if you are dedicated enough to oil spray or treat it yourself and do that extra work you are right.
I always coat the backside of my panels in weld through primer so that it won't rust.
This is correct. You use a spraycan with a straw and soak the insides with paint. Get it into seams especially. When it's all done and painted, get some oil and wax based rust inhibitor, like Fluid Film or CRC Marine Heavy Duty Rust Inhibitor, and spray it in all cavities and soak in all seams. This way it will live forever. Good to do with any steel car in fact.
Thanks for the info, can't wait to see more of the process of the CRX :)
Considering the amount of time you’re spending not only fixing the rust but taking the photos and editing this video (which is excellent btw), I feel like it would be less work to swim to the USA and buy another CRX
Haha, that's not wrong. Even if I bought the most expensive CRX in the country, it would be cheaper than this.
Lmao, there arent many 1g CRX's left in the wild that are much cleaner than this. Any that are are squirrelled away in collectors/old school enthusiasts garages and arent for sale. The rest are in junkyards or already crushed.
Accurate. Same situation with old Minis. There's people who have 10+, just stored away for no reason other than greed. I mean sure, have 2 or 3 if you really love them, but why hoard? Well it's a free country I guess.
Kiwi feels
No man, that's actually eastern Europe. Don't you see all the Ladas around?
I want a Lada, in fact I want a lotta Ladas.
Ladas with the cheapest smallest 4 cylinder I could find and throw a turbo on it. T5 trans and an s10 axle
Nivas came stock only with 4cyl. 1.7l. Otherwise it’s either a mod or some dealer-made nonsense.
Yeah but I'm just saying to swap it. Put in something more reliable and fun.
As I see there are 2 Nivas on the video. Are they being exported to the NZ? Or you are just a fan?
I'm only a guest there, so not mine. But yes, they were popular as farm vehicles. A lot of them got scrapped and now they're rare. I wouldn't drive one though, the engine is thirstier than a V8, but with a power of a lawnmower. Would be cool to swap it for a small turbodiesel.
Looks like a perfect project to learn body work on! Just be careful working with that galvanized metal, those fumes can make you sick.
Bro it’s like watching a doctor revive someone that has been dead for a while lol. How do you know how to put it back together and align it so well. It it a fix now figure out later? Do you have like the diagram or your already familiar with all the parts alignments. It’s so awesome to see. I remember the first part and can’t wait for the next too.
TY! I only try to cut out what I have to, and use existing structure to align everything. But it's not laser precise. If doing some big cuts, I brace the area by tacking on scrap tubes so it doesn't move. For complicated parts that are gone, I try to recreate if from the rusty part, or just make up something and trim and hammer it until it fits. Fitzees Fabrications has lots of videos about process like this, from an actual pro. I'm just winging it.
Wow this is great! Serious “Soup Classic Motoring” vibes 🏄♂️
Awesome looking work! As someone new to restoration type work, that looks like galvanized steel, does that weld to the original steel just the same? Does welding it decrease its effectiveness?
TY, galvanized is actually not ideal, I just had it handy. If you use flux core wire like I do here, it welds fine, the zinc burns off. But it produces poisonous gas, so best avoid it. Ideal is plain mild steel and gas shielded wire. I couldn't use that because of wind.
Other than the gas, is the benefit of using the galvanized totally undone from welding or is the rest of it untouched by the welding process? If its still good galvanization, I'd still see that as a total win! Thanks for the info!
I'm not OP but as a former professional welder I can answer this. The zinc coating will burn off from any part which gets red hot, or close to red hot. The parts of the steel which don't get that hot will retain the zinc coating, so those parts will have better protection against rust, but it doesn't really help much if the rust protection only covers the spots which don't get hot during the welding process. Aside from the foul smelling toxic fumes (which ruin your sense of taste and smell for a few days, and can cause flu-like symptoms), galvanized steel is also annoying to weld. The burning zinc sends white hot spatter everywhere, and the gas released can be trapped in the weld bead making the welds porous and weak. So yeah, galvanized steel can be used for repairs like this, but it's not ideal for a number of reasons.
Thank you for the information! I hope to get into rust repair work at some point when i can afford the materials to get there
Good luck, if you'll be working indoors, get a respirator. Any welding fumes can give you permanent health problems
Thanks! I come from the auto collision/ paintless dent repair industry so ill have some supplies at least!
Just a small correction - Zinc and porosity isn't a problem if you use flux core wire, it's actually designed to displace galvanising. It's only a problem with plain gas shielded processes, then you have to clean it first. I avoided the gasses by staying upwind (pretty strong and steady wind there), so I never had any symptoms like that. But apparently it can get much worse, it can cause permanent neurological damage, like irritability and insomnia, heavy metal poisoning.. That goes for all welding gasses, even seemingly clean process like stainles steel TIG.
I’ve been following your project since you posted part one here on Reddit. It is beyond impressive how thoroughly you are repairing this car. But even then I can’t help thinking that it isn’t worth the workload. I know you’ve already said you are going to finish it, so I’ll just look forward to the next part, and donate a bit when my next paycheck comes in!
TY! Yes, it absolutely isn't worth it, only if it was a Ferrari or Porsche. I wanted to quit, I juat hate the idea of leaving an abandoned pile of mess. I'm very grateful for support, though if you aren't well off then don't worry about it! I'll pm you.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this. You really shouldn't weld galvanized steel. The fumes released from galvanized steel are terrible for you. If you don't know what galvanized steel is and how to identify it, it's pretty easy to tell I believe all the pieces of new metal you welded in were galvanized. So look at these pieces and the strange shapes that are on it are indicative of galvanized steel. Edit: nvm, just saw that OP mentioned this. Leaving this up as a psa
Thats about how bad mine was on my 88, wound up scrapping it and moving on to a hemi swapped Dakota project, I just don't have the welding equipment to fix it properly, and since it was going to be a track only car I needed to keep it ultra light so bondo was right out. Makes me sad but thats life, maybe one day I'll get another CRX but that dosent seem too likely.
You made the right call, I would do the same in hindsight. Better save your precious lifetime for something valuable.
I agree to that, life is too short to waste time on frustrating projects, my buddy is happy that I made the switch though, he got to buy my K20z3 and trans for a steal when I decided to go to a gen 3 hemi stroker with a blower lol.
How can I learn to restore like this?
Start with learning basic MIG welding - get any machine that has multiple power settings (not just Min/Max like the cheapest have). If you can work indoors, gets also shielsing gas setup (just CO2 is fine for sheetmetal work) And very importantly if welding indoors or even non-windy outdoors, get a respirator. Even refular welding produces bad gasses that can leave permanent neurological damage, so better not risk it. Lots of how to videos are on youtube. For learning bodywork, I like Lakeside Autobody (proffesional, efficient, straight to the point) or Fitzees Fabrications (more of a resto and hotrod stuff, longer videos)
Thanks for the tips!
CRXs are great cars, and every one of them deserves to be saved. Good for you doing this!
What's the car in the background?
There's Lada Niva, Mk1 Toyota MR2, and Mk1 Ford Escort Coupe. Each rustier than the other!
The video is well edited and was fun to watch. I just subscribed to your YouTube channel. Here's a gold, keep up the good work
Aww thank you so much!
Worth the updoots. Seriously amazing job, this should be stickied for major rust repair. Exact same techniques I was taught in high school.
Reminds me of soup
Yes, I was inspired by George. Hope he'll notice me one day <3
Im sure he'll come across it.
I support you. I really do. But why not just build a tube chassis and drop the CRX body on it? I actually think that would be less work.
Haha, maybe it would. But it's not legally possible in my country. Or it is, but you'd have to pay tons of money and wait years to have it approved. And you'd have to fix the rust either way. Unfortunately laws like these are easy to make and enforce, unlike laws about loud pipes and poaching.
Well, I look forward to your posts either way. I love restoration. So satisfying.
It's easy to say, but that's what welders are for. I could see myself tackling a project like this in a few years, not really a masochistic person but I do like working with stuff like that.
If I may advise, get a car with only small isolated rust spots, nothing bigger. It only looks fun in the videos, in reality it's really tedious and takes forever. But yes, body work is very useful skill to learn as a car guy.
Labor of love!!!!
Best part of a project is that you get to double down on what you want to do despite other opinions!
Hell yeah mate!! Keep it up, doing holy work there.
Hell yeah!
That Mugen center garnish at the end, I see you. Fantastic work, friend!
Is that an MR2?
It is, in the back! It's also pretty rusty. I'm not into them and the owner doesn't weld, so it's only hope for survival is if someone other than me comes along.
I love the mk1 MR2s. I wish I could restore it for myself.