Hurricane Ian got this 1968 Shelby

[Coralsnake]

If the salt water got to it, you are going to have salt in all the seams, inside the frame rails, rockers, seat pans, etc. Imagine the damage to things like the radio and wiring connectors. Not to mention the engine...

It really needs to go to bare steel and be neutralized as soon as possible.

There is a lot you can save, but its not going to be cheap.

[shelbymann1970]

Sounds like then someone underinsured their car then. 80K in a hurricane zone? Not very smart... And ask Bill if you should just dry out the interior. There is more to cleaning up a flood damaged car than just drying it out especially with bacteria it has been subject to. Not only that was it salt water?

[shelbymann1970]

Easy peasy formula:

Salt water + metal (iron, stainless,  brass etc/all) = toast

Salt water intrusion is the worst enemy, no matter what any one does to attempt to negate,  you will be dealing with its corrosive results for the rest of your life.

As the Beatles would say:

"Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be .... Whisper words of wisdom, let it be"

A chem strip will get rid of any salt problems but you know what that means... Then take all the other components...

[tesgt350]

This Jag is coming up this Friday......................

https://www.copart.com/lot/61528792/salvage-1956-jaguar-xk140-fl-punta-gorda-south

[tesgt350]

If I figure it right on the site, that White piece of Tape on the Door with the Yellow Line indicates the Water Line.

[CharlesTurner]

Pictures aren't very good to determine how bad the flood damage was.  NJ car could have already had rust repair in the past.

[tesgt350]

Here is a Hurricane thought to ponder........... You have 3 or 4 Vehicles but just 2 Drivers in the Family.......... Would you toss the keys to your other Vehicles to one or two of your Neighbors to drive them to safety or to where THEY were going, to get away from the Hurricane?  Seeing all these flooded Cars has me wondering why they just left them behind.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

Salt damage won't matter to the next owner. If he pays 85 it'll get a quick wash/wax new interior patched together engine/trans and be off to Barrett Jackson in a heartbeat. 2-3 owners down the line will be wondering why their car is disappearing before their eyes.
There is not enough room at 85 to spend another 60-70 to do it right.

[gt350shelb]

Salt damage won't matter to the next owner. If he pays 85 it'll get a quick wash/wax new interior patched together engine/trans and be off to Barrett Jackson in a heartbeat. 2-3 owners down the line will be wondering why their car is disappearing before their eyes.
There is not enough room at 85 to spend another 60-70 to do it right.

yep it  will be hosed out and detailed and flipped

[Bill]

And ask Bill if you should just dry out the interior. There is more to cleaning up a flood damaged car than just drying it out especially with bacteria it has been subject to. Not only that was it salt water?

I cannot stress that enough, the bacteria covering every surface, in every crack and crevice, deeply embedded into anything porous, can not only make you terribly sick when breathed in, but if you cut yourself on such a surface, and do not take care of it immediately, can be absorbed into your bloodstream, and kill you from the inside out.

Bill

[98SVT - was 06GT]

I cannot stress that enough, the bacteria covering every surface, in every crack and crevice, deeply embedded into anything porous, can not only make you terribly sick when breathed in, but if you cut yourself on such a surface, and do not take care of it immediately, can be absorbed into your bloodstream, and kill you from the inside out.

Which is why I said NEW interior. It's cheaper than trying to clean and reuse the damaged stuff. I had a friend who used an ozone generator to clean out the smells in cars he flipped. He had a bad one and left it on all night it destroyed the stitching in the seats.

[pmustang]

If the salt water got to it, you are going to have salt in all the seams, inside the frame rails, rockers, seat pans, etc. Imagine the damage to things like the radio and wiring connectors. Not to mention the engine...

It really needs to go to bare steel and be neutralized as soon as possible.

There is a lot you can save, but its not going to be cheap.

Pete. Do you think the salt could ever be well enough neutralised in the shell to make it so it won't creep out in years/months to come? My friend was looking at a convertible that was a recent flood car. 38 inches of salt water! and I said in my opinion it was done.

Just wondering your thoughts. Cheers. Peter

[Coralsnake]

I dont have enough experience but if you chemically stripped it I would think the chemicals could get in the same areas?

I recall some previous hurricane cars, from years ago, it would be interior to do a follow up

[Bill]

If the salt water got to it, you are going to have salt in all the seams, inside the frame rails, rockers, seat pans, etc. Imagine the damage to things like the radio and wiring connectors. Not to mention the engine...

It really needs to go to bare steel and be neutralized as soon as possible.

There is a lot you can save, but its not going to be cheap.

Pete. Do you think the salt could ever be well enough neutralised in the shell to make it so it won't creep out in years/months to come? My friend was looking at a convertible that was a recent flood car. 38 inches of salt water! and I said in my opinion it was done.

Just wondering your thoughts. Cheers. Peter

While not Pete, but having dealt with plenty of fresh and salt water flood cars while I still owned my shop in the northeast, I can tell you with a complete tear down, and a three part immersion process, that yes, you can neutralize the progressive and future damage of the contaminated water currently attacking the car as it sits, essentially a petri dish, galvanic, chemically, and biologically. Hard and soft parts not able to be chemically treated (interior parts, plastics, fiberglass, etc) can be treated with commercial grade Ozone systems (what hospitals used to use for full room treatment to kill bacteria/germs), then flushed/cleaned with fresh water and soap products, before once more treated with Ozone. Wiring harnesses, plan to replace them all, as water wicks it's way inside and will eat it's way through like a cancer. In fact, for the prospective buyer, I'd suggest at least a full 24 treatment of Ozone on the interior before any tear down is started. Maybe even bag (or place in a small, fully enclosed shelter) the entire car and do this for 48 hours as a safety measure. No matter what the uninitiated people will tell you, you cannot be too safe in this type of situation.



Bill

[shelbymann1970]

Bill, thanks for your expertise on this subject. What is scary is that some will not do it right and it could kill or make an owner down the road very sick. That is why the history of cars are so important.