When I got my Super 15 years ago, it was nasty looking with dents, some bondo, a really nasty RR door, and poor paint, but luckily not much rust. I had the body done by a place in San Rafael in 2003 (now out of business, as seems to be the case with most body shops). They stripped it to bare metal, replaced the RR door with one I found in LA, sorted the brazing/bondo in the LF fender, dealt with the local rust, and painted it. Looked great. I saw it in bare metal and saw the rust repair areas, so I know they weren't just bondoed over. However, within 6-8 months the rust spots were bubbling back. Was I happy? No, but the shop disclaimed responsibility, and in fairness they had low-bid the job. Then they went under. They only way I'd have gotten satisfaction would have been to sue them, which I was not willing to do.
Fast forward to the present. About two months ago some kindly person keyed the trunk, all the way across on my Super, and then two days later a dog hit me (I didn't hit it, it ran into me on the mean streets of Emeryville). It was a pit bull with a head and chest made of steel, and put a dent in the hood and LF fender. So with all that piled up, and 8 years' advancing of the rust spots (no they haven't gotten better on their own), it's time to do some bodywork.
See pics of affected areas. I have pulled most of the trim off the areas that'll need work, and I'm hoping to get away with localized painting, but we'll see how it goes with the bodywork. The roof rust is nasty, and a very hard place to get at. I have the headliner pulled down, but it may have to come farther.
Conrad Stevenson is going to do the cutting and welding, and then most likely Andy Schank or D&M in Albany will do the paint. Conrad did basically this work x100 on his Colli wagon some years ago, and there's another Super in ahead of me for similar work right now. So he's kinda in the groove on this. I got a settlement check from the insurance company for the key damage, which will cover probably 20% of the whole job if I'm lucky.
At the same time, planning some project creep in advance. Will put in a new windshield as mine is nicely pitted from age and I have a few new ones. My 50+ eyes don't like the glare much at night, so new glass should be a good improvement. Also, the driver's seat is wearing through after 15 years, so I'll get its base redone. Might sort out some better door panels at the same time, we'll see.
Driving the pre-turbo Berlina in the interim (see its own thread), which is not a hardship, but it's not as fun. It's fast; it's got a good 2000, headers, and the Spica is working well. Plus it has brakes and wipers now, more than I can say when I drove it home.
Andrew
Fast forward to the present. About two months ago some kindly person keyed the trunk, all the way across on my Super, and then two days later a dog hit me (I didn't hit it, it ran into me on the mean streets of Emeryville). It was a pit bull with a head and chest made of steel, and put a dent in the hood and LF fender. So with all that piled up, and 8 years' advancing of the rust spots (no they haven't gotten better on their own), it's time to do some bodywork.
See pics of affected areas. I have pulled most of the trim off the areas that'll need work, and I'm hoping to get away with localized painting, but we'll see how it goes with the bodywork. The roof rust is nasty, and a very hard place to get at. I have the headliner pulled down, but it may have to come farther.
Conrad Stevenson is going to do the cutting and welding, and then most likely Andy Schank or D&M in Albany will do the paint. Conrad did basically this work x100 on his Colli wagon some years ago, and there's another Super in ahead of me for similar work right now. So he's kinda in the groove on this. I got a settlement check from the insurance company for the key damage, which will cover probably 20% of the whole job if I'm lucky.
At the same time, planning some project creep in advance. Will put in a new windshield as mine is nicely pitted from age and I have a few new ones. My 50+ eyes don't like the glare much at night, so new glass should be a good improvement. Also, the driver's seat is wearing through after 15 years, so I'll get its base redone. Might sort out some better door panels at the same time, we'll see.
Driving the pre-turbo Berlina in the interim (see its own thread), which is not a hardship, but it's not as fun. It's fast; it's got a good 2000, headers, and the Spica is working well. Plus it has brakes and wipers now, more than I can say when I drove it home.
Andrew