Need to Unload my B2

wildbill23c said:

So you just say cut out the worst part, then clean up the area as in sand it down and apply this material? Looks to be about $45-50 a gallon so it wouldn't be that bad as far as cost, and if its something I could apply without any special equipment I'd be good to go.

Click to expand...

While I've never actually used POR15 yet I do have a quart waiting for my next opportunity to use it. I have heard great things about it and it can be applied with a brush. However, it is recommended that it be topcoated in areas exposed to UV.

Thanks guys maybe I'll give the Por15 a try this spring when I can work outside in nice weather.

Drove it around a bit this afternoon for the first time in the past couple weeks, and surprisingly it started, figured the battery would be dead but it had plenty of cranking power and was running pretty well as always. It just looks horrible, and it leaves a trail of oil and coolant wherever it goes LOL. That will be another spring project getting that last oil leak plugged, and the radiator replaced.

I love POR15...

There is good rust stopping stuff in the paint section at any home depot or similar store for like 6 bucks that will stop the rust. Should be done in warmer setting like a garage but will really help the appearance if you "rattle can" some paint over it. Pains me to see any 1st gen ranger or B2 rotting away when 10 bucks could really stop it and improve the appearance. I get the stuff in a jar that you brush on anywhere, then when it dries adequately I paint over it, been working for years. Also no front pic? why is the hood not closing properly? I don't want to bum you out but I got a nice 88 B2 w a bad trans for 500 bucks, If I was you I would really try to clean up the rig looks wise to get back at least most of your investment. Wish you the best w it.

richard booth said:

There is good rust stopping stuff in the paint section at any home depot or similar store for like 6 bucks that will stop the rust. Should be done in warmer setting like a garage but will really help the appearance if you "rattle can" some paint over it. Pains me to see any 1st gen ranger or B2 rotting away when 10 bucks could really stop it and improve the appearance. I get the stuff in a jar that you brush on anywhere, then when it dries adequately I paint over it, been working for years. Also no front pic? why is the hood not closing properly? I don't want to bum you out but I got a nice 88 B2 w a bad trans for 500 bucks, If I was you I would really try to clean up the rig looks wise to get back at least most of your investment. Wish you the best w it.

Click to expand...

There's a front pic somewhere but anyhow not much worried about it. The hood wasn't closing right because I didn't have it closed purposely because my multi-meter and battery charger were sitting under the hood just right to not allow it to close.

Clean it up with what? It needs body panels replaced plain and simple there's no washing it. And those pictures are a year old, as in I brought it home shoved it off the trailer and snapped the pictures.

I really wish I knew what is all over the hood, I thought it was just dirty, but I washed and scrubbed it and it won't come off, it doesn't look like rust either, just really weird. The whole thing needs sanded and repainted, but that's about $8000 to have the whole thing redone including replacing the body panels that are rusted, and that's about 80% of my annual income right now so I'm thinking about just sanding and taking care of what I can now to at least keep the issue from getting worse. Then as time goes by I can start getting the panels and then just take everything down to the body shop and having it done.

$500 for something that didn't move? At least mine moves LOL. These B2's aren't worth much but you sure see them listed for thousands of dollars, found 1 today that looks like someone wrecked every side of it, none of the body panels matched, none were painted just asking for rust.

I'm kind of thinking my B2 is a lost cause the more I look around the more rust I find so I may just leave it as is, drive it around until the tires are worn out then call Pacific Steel to come get it. There's no way its worth more than scrap price and there's nothing on it or in it worth salvaging or parting out and I'm sure as hell not wasting my time tearing it apart to do so. Maybe the side windows and back window but I wouldn't even attempt removing that stuff myself I'd have it broke before I got it out LOL.

Anyhow enough said, I'll keep it as is till the tires are worn out again then I'll get rid of it. I'm not letting a $400 set of tires go to the scrapper.

personally, I'd do a budget boost and cut the fenders. Throw some cheap/used MT's on it, weld the rear axle up, and RIDE...

4.0B2 said:

personally, I'd do a budget boost and cut the fenders. Throw some cheap/used MT's on it, weld the rear axle up, and RIDE...

Click to expand...

If I had money I would, I had to save my tips from work for 3 months to come up with the money for the tires I just put on it. I work 6 days a week and can't afford to get out of town so why would I waste money on any sort of mods?

I'm just going to drive it until A. The engine blows up, B. the transmission fails, C. The tires wear out or D. I fall through the floor.

I originally planned on restoring it, but I don't see that happening with my income and I know for a fact I won't win the lottery to help out. So I think I'll patch it up as best I can and just drive it till A, B, C, or D happens.

I don't know anything about body work or I'd attempt the panel replacements myself.

Hmm, I have a local place that will buy tires I may check with them and see how much they would give me for the tires, then go find a set of crap ones and throw on to get it movable to load up and haul off. Either way I gotta do something I'm tired of throwing endless amounts of money I could use for other things at the B2 and not seeing any progress.

If someone wants a few better pictures that can maybe point me in a direction of some simple rust repairs I'd be glad to take some this week. Like I said I don't know anything about body work so I don't want to try and take that on myself. Problem is it is extremely expensive to have it fixed I know that, and just the passenger side is $1200 in parts/labor alone, that doesn't include primer or paint.

I guess the bottom line is, if I was able to keep the rust at bay long enough to get money to have it fixed and slowly restored on the outside, I can do the inside on my own pretty easily. Would it really be worth it in the long run? The thing is 30 years old, would it be of any considerable value if say it was in good condition as in all the rust issues fixed, the body rust taken care of, and properly repainted? I've also been told that this yellow/cream paint scheme is extremely rare.

I can't say I've seen that color scheme ever so you may be right there.


As for considerable value?

As mentioned before, B2 just aren't a high value car. Sure there is a core group of enthusiasts and just plain nutty people like myself that love the B2 (and probably end up with several if I had the space), but it isn't one with any real collectors appeal like say many of the muscle cars.

I've seen some one owner survivors with something like 10K original miles where they were trying to get upwards of $20K but never seen them get that. I have seen some go for a bit over $10K. I've seen ones with much higher mileage in very good condition (some rust still) go for 7K. These probably don't represent typical prices however. I got mine which was pretty close to the same condition than that one I saw go for $7K for a third the price..

Will value go up as they get older? I wouldn't be too optimistic. I find it hard to believe the cost of bringing it up to a condition where it might sell for $7K would be less than what you put into it unless like you said, the paint scheme made it especially valuable.

Sad to say that.

I know I will never get my money out of mine. I pays my money for the time I enjoy driving it.

I think you should learn how to do body work. I used to know nothing about it until I started reading on the internet how to do it, now I'll at least attempt a few body repairs/repaint. And I'm only going to get better the more I do it. If you want it to look nice and repair the rust/damage without paying thousands of dollars to an auto body shop, learn to do it yourself. Take your time, read articles/write-ups how to do it (there's even several good ones on TRS) and think of it as a long term project with the reward of having a good looking BII at the end of it that you'll enjoy driving.

Thanks everyone I think I will see what kind of damage I can do on my own. Now if I just had a welder.