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I just bought my sixth Type 4 but have never run into this problem that I have with it. Rust. The front left side of the frame is almost totally rusted away. This is where the front suspension bolts to, as well as the front bumper.

Am I screwed? Or is there any way that a good body shop could repair this somehow? Will I have to find another 412 to part out to get this part of the frame to have welded on? The car (wagon) is in near mint condition except this.

Help, please!!

Thanks

Yes a good body shop can repair it. Get an estimate as it may not be worth doing compared to finding something better to build from. It may be better to buy another car and use parts from this one to restore the other.

Just out of curiosity, was that part of the car sitting on the ground for a long time? Rust is a fact of life down here on the coast, but it's usually well distributed, and almost never clean through...having rot in one spot usually means contact there with dirt or something else damp for a long time.

Too bad, I know what it's like to fight rust. I just finished removing rust and old paint in the engine bay area of my '73 412. It's no fun

Strip it of all good parts, cut all the good body metal off and move on to your next one.

Is that the problem from the fuel filler leaking that Ray spoke about which eats the coating away and lets rust form? I wonder what the limit is with rust on the 411/412 since isnt it a unibody? You would need a good shop I guess if its bad since that is a suspension point and you could have a dangerous situation if the front section gave way,but they seem to be able to rebuild anything if you have the money and a good body/frame shop! Maybe Ray has the limits from experience? bill

The rust from the fuel filler is on the right. But...look real carefully. has this car possibly been wrecked....and had the new factory sheet metal welded in? If so...many bocy shops had a real habit of leaving that metal poorly undercoated, primed or both. I got one like that. It was straight as an arrow. Drove it for a year...until the right front suspenion started collapsing. Looked under the dash and found a whole row of stickers from new suspension and body parts that they had peeled off and stuck on the firewall. Since they neglectedto undercoat...the welded metal spots rusted the fastest. Ray