define "too far gone"

[supere30]

looking for some insight on my '73 220D
this is the extent of the damage to the floors in the front, the back on both sides seem ok.
i dont have the heart to part this car, and i'm amazed how after 40 years it still drives.
what do you guys think? too far gone? slap it back together and drive it around town?
i want to fix this car, but i dont have a welder or really any power or air tools?
does anyone have an idea where to start? i know for a starter like myself harbor freight seems like a friendly place. I'm not loaded + i have a new wife that looks at me funny when i mention dumping a ton of money in this car.
thanks in advance for the kind words on my bucket!

the car

the damage




when i thought it didnt have that much rust.

[MommysLittleMonster]

No way compadre.

If the floors are that bad, imagine what the rest of the chassis looks like.

[johnnytsunami]

no tools? no welder? you have no idea. push it off a cliff.

[P78]

flintstone car...

pass it up

get a better body, and salvage the good parts from this one to that

[Oxer]

your car is the definition of too far gone. can it be fixed? sure. can you fix it with tools from harbor freight? no chance.

[TeckniX]

get a bunch of bolts, rivets and a drill - Get some metal to build joist across and then cut up a big sheet of diamond plate (or other metal) that you can 'bang' on/bend to fit within the entire driver side.
It wont be pretty but at least your foot wont be going through.
Something like this, but wayyy wider and longer:



Checkout how this guy repaired his with 'simple tools'
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa7d-m0EwNQ"]1972 Mercedes-Benz 220D - floor repair - steel patches - YouTube[/ame]

Or be on the lookout for another car with less rust but some parts missing and swap all your stuff over - then sell your car to the scrapyard for its weight in metal.

Proper way is to cut everything out and re-weld of course.

[supere30]

lol flinstone...
thanks for the input guys.
finding one of these with minimal rust will require more $$$$ than I'm into this specific car.
i found one for $450 and looked at it the other night, but the floors were almost as bad.
i may try this method with rivets and what not to get some experience.
my budget for a welder and other tools may only be around $600 or $700.
when it comes to it, its the perfect car to gain experience from. just looking for a good way to start, i will consider everyones advice about buying a more solid car and pushing this one off the cliff.

[andybob]

no tools? no welder? you have no idea. push it off a cliff.

To fix this the way it should be fixed, you're going to need a decent outer shield MIG and some metal fab tools. This would be a hell of a lot of work.

If it were me, I'd walk away from it and find another project. Fixing rust really sucks.

[A4crn]

Yeah man, what everyone said, just keep looking till you find a better car for a good price. These cars tend to rust a lot so try looking for one that has been cared for. Parts are expensive too, so add a few thousands to your intial estimate of the cost of the restoration.

That said these guys stock almost everything for old Mercs (they're in Spain)

http://cochera.com/

[Stupid Kid]

You can put it on life support but you cant save it

[scweet14]

ehhh, i would just go find a better one in better condition. save yourself the money while you still can

[aLaFleur]

Forget about the rust, it's a Benz. RUN

[rab71]

Floors are easy to fix, either welding or pop rivet. Its basical flat sheet metal you can bend by crimping or clamping to a table. Simple... Check the rest of the car, especially brake lines and fuel lines. You don't want to have to replace all that shiz. Also check suspension points where there can be stress such as strut towers or shock mounts. If all that is good and the car runs well, I say go for it. Pull the interior buy a bunch of sheet metal a pop rivet gun, a grinder and cutting wheels or a tin snips and go to town! Then cover it all in 1970's shag carpet and nick name it the SHAG mobile! Good luck!

Oh and I forgot to mention. Where ever you pop rivet new metal seal it with some sort of sealent, such as urethane, or roof sealant. Sticky goopy shit. Then go under the car and paint and undercoat it.

[Belvader]

ive dealt with floor pan repair before because rust but DAMN, I think it is able to be fixed but your gonna have one hell of a time doing it. please don't prove me wrong I love seeing old benz's like this fixed up... and low

[rab71]

That wiring job scares me more than the floor...