3 replies to this topic

[daehttub2000]

The Chicago salt finally ate through the bottoms of my 95's door panels. The little spot bondo/paint thing isn't going do the trick anymore. Is it time to throw in the towel and join the legion of rusty old Subaru's in road salt country?

What tricks do you folks have for hiding/slowing this disaster until the weather warms up? While my Subie is still caked in road salt, I can see the rust coming completely through on the bottoms of all my doors and the wheel wells. It's been a brutal winter here in Chicago snow/salt wise.

Aside from cosmetics, what suspension parts should I be keeping an eye on after 14 salty Chicago winters?

I'm off to the car wash. Hope the sprayer doesn't blast holes through the rusted panels... Doh!

[gbhrps]

Here in Southern Ontario, Canada, we share your pain. Salt is used in abundance and sheet metal doesn't stand a chance. Out in Alberta its too cold for the salt to work so they use sand. Their problem then becomes one of replacing windshields with regularity instead.

What I've seen done in the past is to blow grease through the holes with a grease gun. It virtually stops the rot in the locations where you can get it in. Other than rust proofing your car from new with oil guard or similar, and redoing it each year prior to winter, there really isn't a satisfactory solution. Move to Arizona?

[bheinen74]

my 92SS is literally starting to have pieces fall off it. rocker panels and doors, quarter panels, big holes. why the good cars are sitting in the garage for winter.

once it gets holes in it in lots of places, its better to locate a rustfree car from out west and ship it to you, if you like the year of car and style you have, dont even try to find one local to replace it with, gotta look to the west.

[hankosolder2]

Well, if it's localized to the doors, you could install good used doors, preferably from a non rust belt state. You could also cut part of the door skin off (the frame is usually saveable) and weld/braze some fresh sheetmetal on. It's a lot of $ for an older car unless you can DIY, but if the suspension, subframes and strut towers are sound it might be worth doing. If not, it's time for a different car.

Nathan