To break or not to break?

I'm just after a bit of advice about my jimny.

Y reg red hard top M13A dohc, 88000 miles mot and tax but lots of rot to boot floor and under the rear seats?

I can get a floor but its a few bob and then would need fitting. ( Big Job? )

Am I best breaking it and then buying a better one or mending this one.

Thanks for any advice.

In The Olden Days I was forever welding bits on the old wrecks that I used to drive, and once they had rusted, the replacement pieces seemed to rust 10 times as fast as the rest of the car, so I'd be inclined to get rid of it for one without any rust. (This is difficult, unless the badge on the front says Toyota, Suzuki are a bit cheap&cheerful as regards finish and durability)

If you break it expect to make very little, as you will be stuck with parts like the transfer box and the chassis for ever.

As any fule nos, a car is worth more as the sum of its broken up parts than as a complete vehicle, but this relies on selling every part.
The engine will sell easily, and the gearbox, the wings bonnet and doors, and the front axle.

I think I'd bodge the rust and try and sell it as a runner while prices are still high, then get a cleaner one in the summer when prices drop.

Just how bad is it? Have you had any professional advice about it?

A good welder would tackle it and you'd be surprised at how inexpensive it can be, there are plenty of welders out there that make a good living on jobs like this. If you did all the prep work like removing the carpet, exhaust and seats etc. then do the underseal and protection after it would keep your costs down.
You need to weigh up if yours is otherwise in good shape, if the expense of repairing yours is worth it compared to breaking it and buying another. Breaking it will leave you stuck with slow moving and less desirable parts. Its not quite as easy as it sounds, you either take parts off piece meal or strip it and weigh in whats left and store the parts to sell. It can take a long while to recoup the money.

You could always sell it as it is and be upfront about it. At the age its at its falling into the realms of a DIY project. You could dip out on some money and just offload it for someone to tackle themselves.

Have a search on here for rust and boot. There are some people who have tackled serious rust and have the pictures to prove it. I don't think I have read about anybody buying a whole new floorpan...

Seems a shame to break it for a bit of rust assuming the rest of the car is OK...

I have considered breaking mine aswell but seems a shame to as it is a good little offroader... but then if i get no interest in it, there may be no choice.

example of rusty floor here....
bigjimny.com/index.php?option=com_kunena...0066&Itemid=75#30115

Wow that can't be a coincidence, mine looks the same or perhaps slightly worse.

The welding job looked excellent.

Food for thought definately.

The idea of selling as is could be an option, I suppose with a simple plating job it could make a good 2 seater for an offroading?

I'll have to find a good welder local to west yorkshire/lancs border.

Thanks everyone

Hey Up,

That's all mine got, plated.
The bits that didn't fall out were welded over then underneath given a good Shultzing.
Inside was 'red leaded' then painted over with some black Hammerite I had.
The rear seats were not going back in so no thought given to losing the mounts etc.
£100 for it doing by a bloke just round the corner.
His job is auto welding etc. It was good enough for me.

One word of warning though.
If you have it welded, cover the glass in the rear to protect from weld splatter. My side windows have a few small 'pock' marks in them. Not a problem unless you want to tint the rear windows, you'll probably get air bubbles??

Keith

Keefe wrote: Hey Up,

That's all mine got, plated.
The bits that didn't fall out were welded over then underneath given a good Shultzing.
Inside was 'red leaded' then painted over with some black Hammerite I had.
The rear seats were not going back in so no thought given to losing the mounts etc.
£100 for it doing by a bloke just round the corner.
His job is auto welding etc. It was good enough for me.

One word of warning though.
If you have it welded, cover the glass in the rear to protect from weld splatter. My side windows have a few small 'pock' marks in them. Not a problem unless you want to tint the rear windows, you'll probably get air bubbles??

Keith

I guess you/he took the petrol tank out first?
John.

Well I dropped it off with a local guy today to fit in around his other work. £100 didn't sound too bad.

Straight for an MOT after that if all is well.

Yeah, Good choice, Keep Truckin!!

Johnniehec wrote:
I guess you/he took the petrol tank out first?
John.

LoL!!

Well aye! Low enough to put an heat blanket over it to 'keep its cool'...