Looking at a Maverick for sale, concerned about rust, how bad is the rust on the roof, and does the area in the trunk where the wheel wells meet the floor look bad?
That doesn't look bad at all. It is by no means anywhere CLOSE to the 'worst' I've seen/fixed myself... If that's the only rust on the car, I would pull the trigger, but make sure you go over the car very well first! It appears that the windshield chrome has been moved/removed (based on the witness mark showing below the top piece of chrome). The rubber gasket also looks very new. This makes me suspicious of the previous owner trying to address a "leaky windshield". Having said that, I would pour some water down the cowl grilles and check the inside of the car for water... A rusted cowl is not easy nor cheap to fix. How are the tops of the fender aprons over the shock towers? The other spot to check is the rear quarter panels behind the wheels and the trunk drops. Good Luck!
Thanks, this car has had water leakage into the interior previously, new carpet, headliner, patches on the floor boards. The engine compartment was repainted. Just worried about how solid it is, especially the roof rot.
Is it just surface rust or is it completely through on the roof? From the image it looks like it's just surface rust. If it was coming through from behind I think you would see bubbling around it and across the rest of the windshield opening. I agree with Paul, looks minor to me.
That roof rust will turn to holes when you try to clean it up....That said, the rust extends into the windshield channel. That will be holes too...Hence the window leaks. Not the death nell if you can fab/weld. Rule of thumb...What you see is only about 20 to 30 percent of the actual rust damage. so plan/price accordingly...Good luck!!!
Water leakage into the interior space is making me suspicious of a cowl leak. If you are looking at purchasing this car, it's worth pouring a gallon of water down the grilles in front of the windshield and seeing if any of it ends up on the floor mats...
