My XE ESP has some rust in the A pillar, plenum chamber and rear window. Would the best way to repair this be to weld in plates of metal then grind and filler, or cut sections out of a wreck and follow the original seams?

If i grind out the rust from the a pillar (substantial) will i be causing more structural damage than good for when i want to weld it up?

It's a matching numbers genuine ESP, so swapping parts accross to a good body is outa the question ATM.

Surely someone out there has had a rusty XD/XE/XF and done a simmilar job???

9 times outta 10 its easier just to rebody them

So u rekon rebody all the parts and then weld up the body number, grind smooth and restamp the numbers to match the id tags?

sadly, its cheaper than repairing a badly rusted shell

Unfortunately its then no longer an XE ESP.... It can be done and remain as strong as it was previously, but it depends how much rust there is.

andrew, considering the number of GT's out there that left the factory floor as mere falcons or fairmonts, and are only GT's cos of the VIN plate, i dont see it as that big an issue, but in this case, as its an EFI6/auto XE ESP, it isnt even worth rebodying

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/XE-Fairmont-Ghia ... dZViewItem

Last edited by Interceptor on Mon Dec 05, 2005 2:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

Its the difference between being genuine or not. I know id rather have a genuine gt rather than a non genuine, same as id rather have a genuine esp than not. I was just saying that it is possible to repair as long as the rust is not too great or if it doesnt destroy part of the structural integrity of the car.

i have to agree, if i can repair it, if it is not going to cause structural damage-me cutting out pillar sections-then i will do it.

It's not the point of whether its gonna be worth as much as a GT, or "its not worth doing" cos it's my car and i like it regardless of its money value... i wouldn't have expected that to be an issue in this community?

they used to weld new roofs on em years ago after roll overs etc so as long as u weld in the same strength steel thats rolled in the same way u shouldn't really have a drama. that said it would be easier to restamp another shell

id take it 2 a good pannel shop & just let them have a look, get a quote from them..
that will help u decide wot 2 do. i had the same prob in my xf, so i sold it off for parts

You can repair the rust in this area with a lot of time and care.

Firstly you need to find out why the rust is happening, there is a bad design in the A pillars which creates a water trap, hence the rusting at the seams. This can occur in an otherwise pristine car.

You will probably need to remove the complete dash, guards and front doors to get right in there and do a decent job, plus you will also need to remove all other parts that might catch fire or get damaged when welding. Go to a wreckers and have a look at a shell to work out how far your rust has gone and how much you will need to do to fix it. Also take the trims off and have a look right around the windscreen for rust holes, water often gets in through small hidden rust holes in this area and you will probably need to take the screen out to weld it up.

You can make up sections out of the same gauge steel to repair small sections or cut a section out of a wreck to repair a badly rusted section.

Needless to say in this area you need to do a decent job as it is a critical structural section.

Rustproof it and seal it inside when completed and if you do it right it'll outlast the rest of the car.

Swapping all the bits to a decent shell can be easier, but can lead to legal problems if you are unlucky and someone looks very closely at the car one day.

I'd spend a week or two fixing it up if the rest of the car is OK

If your keen on keeping it original and it sounds like you are find a good panel beater who can give you some ideas on what to do.
Its hard to say what to do without seeing it.
Find some reputable panel beaters in some car mags (Perth Street Car) and have a word to a few guys.