I just bought a 1980 elky for my 15th bday and the some of the bed trim is missing. The trim on the very top on the horizontal part is there but the trim right below that on the side where the buttons would go for a top is missing. Where could i get trim?

Also there is rust in the bottom right corner of the both doors.(not the actual door, the body). what are some other places that rust would normaly be? The sheetmetal was replaced not too long ago so there is no rust in the wheel wells. It seems to be pretty good shape with very, very, very little rust anywhere. But some help would be extremly appreciated.

I know that i did not describe the above with great detail but that is the best i can do because i am not very good at telling storys or giving details(i am not allowed to even try to tell storys im so bad) :oops:

but if anyone understands or thinks they understand, i would really love to have any help.

thanks

for the trim parts try www.originalpartsgroup.com and how bad is the rust?

I'm not body expert, but if the rust is just surface rust, you can check out a product called POR 15 (http://www.por15.com/).

Keep checking on this forum. Others with much more knowledge will be able to help.

Your going to put this Elky on the road when you get your license. How much time do you have before it is going to be driven?

The 5th generations (78-87) tend to rot in the following places. These are worst case scenarios as I have seen here in NJ -

SHEET METAL:

The floor behind the seat and in the spare tire storage compartment.

The underside of the doors (inside) and in the door jambs - back bottom (front of quarter in door jamb).

The rear quarters at the wheel wells.

The roof above where the door glass meets it.

The cowl where the windshield wiper motor mounts.

The bottom lip of the rear glass and inside the bed near the front.

FRAME:

The rear frame rails at the rear axle (the humps over the axle)

The rear frame horns where the bumper shocks insert.


These are all the places where I have seen rot in 5th gens. Other forum members may know of places that I have not mentioned.

Although most of the places I listed have rust repair panels available, I do not believe they are available for the door jambs or the roof repair - others might be able to verify this. Check your car thoroughly - especially from below for the floor and frame. Hopefully yours is one of the "little to no rust" versions.

If you can describe the areas better, we can probably help you out in your repairs. Maybe you can post some pics of the affected areas?

Good luck and keep us informed of your progress . . . .

Dan

thanks alot, i will probably get my license in a little more than a year so i have some time to work on it. Also how would i get some pictures posted on here? digital camera?

Yes, use a digital camera to post pictures, or you can use a regular camera then scan the (paper) photos in.

When you have the pictures as digital files (usually .jpg or .gif), go to this link to get some website space to post them. http://elcaminocentral.com/cgi-bin/new.cgi

Welcome Joe! Lookin' forward to seeing some pics!

I hope to be getting some photos in maybe thursday

sorry i know its been a while and still no pics but i got in trouble with the parents and couldnt get any pics