Opinion Poll

The rust could be cut out and you could fiberglass in those sections thus not affecting the wood grain in anyway. That doesn't look that bad.

 

I covered Orange County mostly from '86 on.....
Been to Simon's, but not very often. Don't remember the people.
As long as you're happy with their work, that's all that counts.

One of my favorite shops in the area was Autobody by Caldwell, a couple blocks away.....

 

I'd tend to agree with what has been suggested here but were I in your shoes, I'd definitely consider a shop or body man who will use panel adhesive as opposed to welding. I did paint and body work here at my home for fifteen years and I am mostly self taught - but I have used panel adhesive with excellent results and no issues. The key with the adhesive is prepping the area properly and don;t use the fast drying mix. It comes in different formulas that set up i n anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour for complex repairs where time is needed to situate the panel properly.

I'd also urge you strongly to find someone who restores cars because he loves old cars more than for the money. I can vouch for what AZBLACKHEMI said about this kind of work taking far longer than you first anticipate and there are two reasons for that:
First, the rust that you see is more often than not, the tip of the iceberg. I always told my customers that the rust that you should be worried about is the rust that you can;t see when you are standing there looking at the car. It's what is behind what you can see that can gobble up hours and days of repair time. I understand totally what he says in his posts and he sounds like just the sort of person who I would want to give my car to.
Second, commercial body shops are all about the dollar and time is money. Again, I agree with AZBLACKHEMI about spending countless hours that you could never bill the customer for because they could never afford it - even at $10..00 per hour - and no body shop wants to get into a shouting match with anyone, nor can they afford to pay wages and overhead so that the job gets done right. So, many of them refuse restoration work and others will cut corners where ever they can and the customer gets screwed in the process.
I can sympathize with you having sentimental attachments to the car but if the car really means anything to you, then for goodness' sake, fix it and don't pass it off to someone who wont care and just use it up. I'd really recommend finding someone who loves old cars and works out of their home rather than a commercial shop. if the person working on the car likes and appreciates your car, then he is going to do the job as he would do his own and the results will simply be better. Turn your wagon over to a shop full of guys with the old "It's all by the hour - and hey, I'm just an employee here and this is just a job" attitude and trust me, they WILL cut corners because they don't care and the car is just an old boat.
Take your time and find the right private guy who works on his own and loves old cars, get references and take the time to follow up and check them out - and if he gets that gleam in his eyes and a smile on his face when he sees your car, you'll know that you have found a guy who will put his heart into the work. I did some restoration work and I can tell you that it is a win/win situation when the job is done. For you, your baby has received the aid that she needed and for the person who does the work, he'll feel as if that car takes a piece of him with it when it leaves and that is a feeling that you have to experience to understand. He's poured his heart into the job and indeed, he does become a part of that car. Just my opinion.

 

Excellent comment Booboo59er.

 

whata coininkydink....I just had this conversation with a guy today

I thought his head was gonna explode when he got the quote for 'cutting out rust' and replacing it

so after a long conversation...i said...
...."why not just BONDO it up till your ready to go the full pull?"
..."that way it'll look good for a while till your dollar'd up"

He looked puzzled for a minute....then said...'can you still buy it?'..

then we went and chatted it with our body guy....and badabing !

the customer was thrilled that someone took the time to suggest a alternate solution

....and he booked the car in for 'quick fix' and a date for next year to have it done proper!!

now mind ya....thats not for everyone....and AZ does freekin beautiful work !!!!
......just throwin it out there...cuz i can
If this guy doesnt buy my 65 CometSW this weekend....then thats what im gonna do to it..
..good fromafar...and farfromagood...

 

Sent you a pm Glide Aways.

 

Thank you all for your replies and support. I've made the difficult decision to put my wagon up for sale. Financial, and now physical (health), means preclude me from giving my wagon the car it requires. I have lots of photos and will provide them upon request to genuine/serious inquiries.

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18788

Matt

 

I was reading your entire thread and was so excited for you, I thought OMG he's actually going to take his baby to Phoenix and get her done right! And that opinion from Booboo really in forced the guy we're waiting on for Fannie. It's like he described him to a T. It's a long wait but I know it'll be worth it.
But know you have to sell I'm sure it was a tough decision...good luck with the sale, I hope it's swift and as painless as possible.