FAQ: Rust Areas & Concerns

A friend of mine (retired mechanic) in AZ (grew up in Minnesota) often joked that he'd have the best of both worlds if he had a desert car with a mid-west interior. I will say that I see alot fewer cracked dashboards and sun-bleached seats and door panels back here - the interior pieces are better in the junkyards around here.

However, the rusted out cars & trucks on the road around here just drive me crazy - I saw better cars in the wrecking yards (& go to the crusher) in AZ than I sometimes see going down the roads here.

But... It has a perfect interior !!!

That BUG is Toast!!!

I think it WAS a Porsche...

I just noticed a knocking noise in my Riv at the right front. When I jacked it up to look for the source, I found part of the sub frame rotted out. It made the noise as soon as I started to jack it up. I may try to weld some angle iron over the rotted section, just to get me through the winter. Probably part it out in the spring. I just replaced the water pump and belts last weekend......it runs fantastic.....big disappointment. I'll probably look to buy another one, this time from a warmer climate.

You may want to consider putting a used cradle in it. It's really not that hard to do. Just rent an engine holder to hold the engine/trans up and start unbolting stuff. I can walk 'ya through it if you want to go that route....

I might consider doing that, as I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the car. I just bought a replacement, so I have some time to think about it. It runs great. I'm either going to part it out, sell it outright and lick my wounds, or make the repair you mentioned, if it's not really that bad of a job. Thanks for your reply.

Sadly, my Riv suddenly won't fly faster than 40mph without the front end shaking like the devil.
A look-see under reveals what is seen in the photo. Has corrosion spelled the end for this ride?

Is this at all curable?

Looks like Cradle mounts. Not Catastrophic, but a pretty big job.

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t8662-write-up-cradle-mount-insulators-bushings

Folks,
Since the cradle event (photo above) my Riv will not start. Perhaps a ground was broken... the symptoms are similar to the bad key resistance issue. I won't be able to make heads or tails of how this cradle is normally mated with the frame until I get it on a lift (via flatbed).
Before I make that move, can anyone direct me to existing undercarriage photos that may be on the site? I'd like to see what a solid (relatively rust-free) undercarriage should look like.
Appreciate your input.
Thanks.

That's a mess and very unsafe,you need to weld plates.there's no floor left big nightmare!!!

Yes,
Very unsafe. That's why I'm looking for real time undercarriage shots to see what this assembly should normally look like. Need to decide what to do next.
Thanks for responding.

The pic's would just look the same but metal shinny and you know rust free.If you don't have a welder or know were to get one you might want other options just to find someone to do that work is going to be hard enough never mind the cost!!!

There's this write up about removing the subframe: (but no pics)

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t2799p15-write-up-transaxle-removal-installation

and this one has a pic of the subframe out of the car:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t2090-identify-this-part

but I can't find the pic you took.

HTH
-Derek

Deekster,
Please forward the cradle shown above, overnight express

I didn't know my Riv came with a cradle. Seems the previous owner didn't change the diapers often enough.

Shame there's no pix with the writeup.
Thanks for the link!

Since my Riviera is driven in the wisconsin winters, and due to its age, it has developed some rust on the underside including parts of the frame, the wheel wells, and just about everywhere else underneath the car. These cars are getting pretty old now, and have been on the road for some time, so it makes sense that a lot of them will have problems with rust. I just recently tackled the rust on my riv and decided that i might as well make a write-up for anyone else who may want to get rid of some rust/ prevent more rust. I'm sure this isn't the best way to deal with rust, but it was an efficient and reasonable method for a young guy like me.

Supplies list:
-4 cans of undercoating( I got mine from Fleet Farm)
-2 cans of Rust Fix( I got this at O'reilly's, It's made by duplicolor)
-Wire Brush
- A rag and some water


Before Picture


Step 1:
Jack up your Riviera and remove the wheel for better access to wheel well. (Don't forget your Jack Stands!)

Step 2:
Using your wire brush, brush down all areas of concern. Try to remove all loose materials.



Step 3:
Wipe down all areas that are dirty and that you have wire brushed so that the surface will be ready for adhesion of sprays.


Step 4:
Now spray the areas with Rust Fix. Apply multiple even coats.


Step 5:
After letting the Rust Fix dry apply your Undercoating throughout all areas of the wheel well.


Step 6:
Inspect wheel well for areas that you may have missed with the undercoating and spray where needed.

Now you are done with one wheel well and have 3 more to go! Your efforts will be worth it when you look at your now clean and black wheel wells. You can also use the same steps to attack rust anywhere else on the underbody of your car. I recommend undercoating parts of the frame and cradle.

That sure looks better. Nice job !!! POINT+ (I hate rust)

Thanks Dave!

that looks great! I love that rust converter stuff.

nice write-up.Thanx.looks much better now.

Are the 98 and 99 models subject to the same inner frame collapse as the previous models?

There seems to have been a rash of incidents with collapse of inner frames .

Rust is rust and the corrosion warranty is only 6 years long.

So, has anyone dealt successfully with failure of the frame at the cradle mounts? Mine have rusted in my '95. Is there an alternative to parting out or junking?... can these areas be fixed? All else with this car is in very good shape.
Thanks in advance

denim wrote:

So, has anyone dealt successfully with failure of the frame at the cradle mounts? Mine have rusted in my '95. Is there an alternative to parting out or junking?... can these areas be fixed? All else with this car is in very good shape.
Thanks in advance

I am having a local welder repair mine as I write this; I have a problem but we caught it early.

Basically what you can do - can't locally hydroform frame pieces but can fabricate repair pieces with metal brake and some patience then MIG them together. Takes time and jigs.

After the welding is done I will coat the underbody to retard further rust. I did not realize it had gotten as bad as it is. I have some small (quarter size) perforations and proportionately more surface rust. It will all be fixed this week.

Thanks, Albert.
I'm working on an engine replacement (as time allows) in my '98 because of the rust issue with the '95. I'd be happy to have one of these on the road! But I would also like to rehab the '95 if possible rather than part it out.
That said, it sounds like it could be a major job to patch a car that has already failed, unlike yours that is still intact. In mine, things are already out of spec and askew. Maybe a non-rust-belt chassis, wrecked but intact in the front half would be easier to weld in instead of a cobble job on my broken down NY ruster.
In any case, it also sounds like the interior may have to be torn up to avoid the heat of welding process. All totaled, a heck of a lot of work (and $$), not including the cradle and bushings part. What do you think?