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FCP Euro Service Kits

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Rust is a dirty word. I've had my share of rusty automobiles, and have come to learn that it isn't necessarily a death sentence for your car. Living with a rusty car can be a pain at times, but if you are comfortable with your own repair abilities, or at least willing to know when enough is enough, you can continue to enjoy your vehicle for perhaps much longer than you thought.

A Tale of Two Benzes

The first section of rusted floor pan that broke away on my 1976 300D. The first section of rusted floor pan that broke away on my 1976 300D.

Until quite recently, I had a 1976 300D. The car was a tank, and I had acquired it for practically nothing because the previous driver thought he had destroyed the transmission (he had only overfilled it). The car had just over 300,000 miles and ran like an absolute dream. Make no mistake, the car was totally used up and, admittedly, towards the end of it's life. However, because the engine and transmission were in such marvelous shape, I decided to restore it. I had ironed out all of the chassis electricals, (including the factory air conditioning!), and began work on the interior. That's when I found the extent of the rust problem. A previous owner had patched a tremendous hole in the passenger floor pan, and then painted and coated it so that it looked original. It was truly a masterful deception, and I almost felt like I deserved it for not having noticed. I punched the plate out and found that not only was there practically no floor pan, but the rust actually crept all the way up the inner rocker panel. Essentially, the structure on this part of my frame was completely compromised. Since this job was far more than I could handle with fabrication and welding alone, I decided, somewhat broken-heartedly, to sell the car to an enthusiast who would find the drivetrain a new home. As much as I loved the car, I recognized quite quickly that I couldn't afford to keep it with this level of repair necessary.

A before photo of my rear suspension and brake line. The entire brake system was dead weight. A before photo of my rear suspension and brake line. The entire brake system was dead weight.

Somewhat before I sold my 300D, I purchased a 300E, this time a 1990 model that hailed from the cold and icy depths of Illinois. Being from Texas, I had painfully little experience with road salt corrosion, and this car practically ate my lunch. Luckily for myself, and all parties involved, the body was in fine condition, with very little evidence of rust. The entire suspension and brake system, and most of the hard fuel line were completely gone. With the help of my dad, and many hours under the blistering Texas sun, we replaced all of the brake components, suspension components, and even the hard brake and fuel lines. It seems wild to think of the time and effort we put into this old car, but in the end, we saved an unbelievable amount of money by buying genuine parts through FCP rather than the dealer. With all of the repairs, my 300E is practically a new car, and I am always impressed with it when I walk outside, though that may just be pride in ones' work.

The Right Patch

Front suspension after 5,000 miles. New control arm, spring, shock absorber, brake caliper, etc. 300E Front suspension after 5,000 miles. New control arm, spring, shock absorber, brake caliper, etc.

So why did I fix the 300E and not the 300D, considering that the time investment was much higher? The answer is simple- I felt comfortable with the repairs on the 300E. I didn't want to run the risk of making a poor patch on the 300D- or worse, having the rust return with a vengeance. There are several options when dealing with body rust. You can always go with the tried and true method of cutting out an exact replacement panel and welding into place. However, this does not necessarily stop the rust from spreading, especially if the plate and the welds are not treated after the fact to prevent corrosion. This panel can rust away quite quickly, and accelerate rust in the original metal by leaving exposed surfaces. Another method is to fiberglass over a rusted hole. This often works quite well, except that the repairs tend to be obvious and will diminish the value of a restored car. Also, there are cases where improper gel-coat application can trap moisture into the seam where the old metal stops and the fiberglass begins. This can also accelerate rusting of the original panel. In short, I wasn't comfortable with performing any of these repairs myself, and so I cut my losses and pushed onward with my next project.

None of this is to suggest that body rust cannot be correctly repaired. In fact, I've seen some unbelievable repair work on sheet metal that looked and held up better than the original. It has simply been that for my time and effort, I can accomplish more by replacing corroded hard-parts than I can by attempting sheet metal repair- something I have very limited experience in.

I'd love to hear some of your experiences with rusty autos, and what you have done to keep them on the road! What made you decide that enough was enough?

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Dan BullmoreDan Bullmore is a physicist and engineer from Houston, TX. Preferring the old to the new, Dan has owned many examples of Mercedes and Volvos and has devoted much of his time to maintaining and understanding them.


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Written by :
Dan Bullmore

Dan Bullmore is a physicist and engineer from Houston, TX. Preferring the old to the new, Dan has owned many examples of Mercedes and Volvo vehicles and has devoted much of his time to maintaining and understanding them.


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