Donor car decision..

Why take off the undercoating? It makes the car quieter, adds some protection to the underside etc.

You are just adding work that's not needed.
dang you got me thinking now, it just seemed like the thing to do, when I saw all the old undercoating I kinda assumed I'd be removing it down to clean, not necessarily bare, metal and then prep and finish with black rustoleum, por-15 maybe, thinking frame rails and floors pretty much clean up the entire underboody and sealing it from future rust. I've very little experience but wanting to learn hoping to learn from othres experience. what are your thoughts, just treat the surface rust that is showing and leave the existing undercoating as is, I'm afraid theres rust under that will get worse over time. what do ya'll think. acid dip? soda blast? sand blaster? manual putty knife w/ heat gun is most likely due to budget
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dang you got me thinking now, it just seemed like the thing to do, when I saw all the old undercoating I kinda assumed I'd be removing it down to clean, not necessarily bare, metal and then prep and finish with black rustoleum, por-15 maybe, thinking frame rails and floors pretty much clean up the entire underboody and sealing it from future rust. I've very little experience but wanting to learn hoping to learn from othres experience. what are your thoughts, just treat the surface rust that is showing and leave the existing undercoating as is, I'm afraid theres rust under that will get worse over time. what do ya'll think. acid dip? soda blast? sand blaster? manual putty knife w/ heat gun is most likely due to budgetView attachment 547809

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Well... The question you need to ask yourself is "what do you want to do with this car?"

Too often, I see guys stall on projects because they get wrapped up in the minutia of over restoring their car. The car ends up taking too much time and money and they lose the desire and drive to finish it.

If you want to build a show car that never gets driven, knock yourself out and scrape, wire brush etc. and then prime and paint accordingly. Plan on buying the truck and enclosed trailer and have tons of hours and cash in the project.

If you want to build a street driven, fun car, stop fussing over it. Power wash the underside and take a look at what you have. If the undercoating doesn't fall off, the metal underneath it is in good shape. Wire brush and clean the rusty areas, paint it with your favorite rust paint, and then spray some undercoating over it. BTW, if you use POR-15, spray the undercoating while the paint is still tacky.
 

This thread is a combination thread talking about the undercoating and the hood pad.
There is some great information in this thread.
You can find the best product for replacement or fill in of the undercoating areas that are lose.
I agree with knocking off any lose undercoating, then using the product in the thread above.
Dont' knock it all off. Don't put POR 15 on it. Easy process to clean, respray and leave alone.
 
all comments appriciated. I was never thinking showcar, its just an old car, I'd just like to drive it again eventually. nice wheels/tires, stance is important. I look at it like this, I'm never going to get my money back so I'm a DIYer if when possible
 
Why take off the undercoating? It makes the car quieter, adds some protection to the underside etc.

You are just adding work that's not needed.
Because as the undercoat dries out, it cracks. Cracks let in moisture that is then trapped, speeding up rust.
Much better off removing it and coating with Fluid Film, or the like.
 
The blue car really looks to be a better overall car than your other car. Were it me, I'd strip everything I'd ever think of using off the first car AFTER looking closely at the blue car to see what it might need. It looks like you have the room, so keeping your parts on whichever ends up being the donor, doesn't look to be an issue...unless your city or HOA loses their **** over inoperative vehicles. Another reason to keep the parts car as intact as possible, until you need a part or two. You don't want that to look the part of a derelict vehicle.
 
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