SO going on half a year since I blew the brake line and crunched my fender, I finally started taking it off. Well now I wish I hadn't. Kind of. I knew my radiator support and inner fender apron were rusted a bit. The PO let a battery rot out in the battery tray. I had planned to do some patching in this area and add some stability like a Monte Carlo bar. Then I found out the collision and stress from breaking some rusted on bolts cracked the radiator support in such a way, its not attached to the frame rail anymore. To me, this accelerates the need to replace the inner fender apron, and the radiator support. That also seems to put the scope of the job to more than just replace the fender, patch stuff, get by until I can do the body work. So now I was thinking about it and it seems sensible to just accept that the car is too far gone, and take whats good, and get a new roller. Which brings me to the REAL problem. I love Comets, I want to be driving one. It's the smallest car I can drive, and that is actually important to me. However, I'm currently stuck driving this Subaru which is smaller than I can actually fit in. I didn't have much choice as the Subaru was pretty much free, and I lost 2 cars in a week last year. So the tiny Subaru is RAPIDLY accelerating some health problems I have, and really highlighting to me, that maybe I need to drive a mid- to full-size car for real. So, I'm looking for advice. I can't decide if pulling the parts off and storing for a year or 2, sell out altogether... I'm a bit lost.
depending on your finances you could get a full front end swap to rack n pinion and cut the whole inner radiator support shock towers and all off and throw it all in the scrap pile get a tubular fender support and radiator support fabbed up (like guys do to big block mavs/comets) check bob hatchers car out if thats not an option and its too rusty for you to repair or afford to have repaired I believe its time to find another car that not all rusted. BUT you could wind up with a car thats rustier than yours under bondo if I could afford it I would go with my first option even for a daily driver it will give you a MUCH better handling car and would be so much more enjoyable to drive and will give you tons of room under the hood to work on especially if you stayed with a small block. you would have so much room the Chevy guys would be envious
Yes I now have a Daily Driver again, so the Comet can be the project again. The problem is I'm a year out from the place I can work on it being ready, and nowhere to store it until then. If I could have gotten it driving I could have bounced it around town for the rest of the summer and found somewhere to winter it. It would be REALLY hard for a car to be rustier than mine under Bondo. It's not really the money, or that I don't think I can do the work. I don't have anywhere to do the work. Things haven't picked up for me as well as I'd have liked, can't get out from under my debt enough to get out of rent controlled housing:16suspect. My student loans are almost as much as my rent right now. I will get the pictures added. I meant to last night but it's a circus at home right now. They are painting the apartment and decided to put plastic on all the windows and air vents. 80 degrees and I can't even open a window. (This thread is kind of worthless without pics)
From your post: 1. I don't have anywhere to do the work. 2. Things haven't picked up for me as well as I'd have liked. 3. Can't get out from under my debt. 4. Rent controlled housing. 5. Student loans You asked for our opinions......so...... You are in no place in life for a "hobby" car. You can always pick up a hobby later in life when things are better. 1 thru 5 need to be fixed first.
craig is correct. even if things get better in say 5 years and you can store the car in a secure place for $30 a month thats $360 a year just to keep the car and then times 5 years 360x5= $1800 that same $1800 would be better spent in 5 years on a better car. sometimes the emotional attachment gets the better of us. I go on an emotional roller coaster with my black comet all of the time. one month I can spent a few hundred $$ and then two or three months go by and I have spent $0 on it and it kills me because I can see it finished in my head BUT I dont have loans to pay and I dont share an apartment (IM guessing) and I have a wife with a good paying job so I have more than one income. you should sell it until you get settled in life and get things going the way theyre supposed to be. just keep an eye on the cars that come up for sale youll find a good one when its time and youll be surprised at how cheap youll get it. let it go. youll feel better especially if someone will repair it regardless of what it takes or atleast ells you that so you think its going to a good home. youll never forget it but if you dont let it go now. it will be WAY worse in 5 years if you just let it set in storage good luck with your decision
