Hurricane Sandy salt water insurance claim auctions.

[375instroke]

What would it take to fix these cars?  They aren't covered in mud.  Were they hosed off or something?  That Hemi Charger had white interior and black carpet, and it looked fine.  There was a '67 427 4-speed Vette that went for $15,000.  Do these cars need to be completely torn down and dipped?

[bill440rt]

Do these cars need to be completely torn down and dipped?

Yup. 
All depends how high the water level came. Anything submerged in salt water for any length of time is garbage.

[odcics2]

Do these cars need to be completely torn down and dipped?

Yup. 
All depends how high the water level came. Anything submerged in salt water for any length of time is garbage.

So, what about cars driven back in the day on salted roads in the winter?  I remember driving my 68 Charger in salt spray that covered the entire car and got in everywhere, like down the cowl, down the glass in the doors and 1/4 panels.  Entire bottom covered.  In the frame rail holes, etc. In all the weld seams...
Are, er I mean were, all those cars garbage too??    Plenty of them got restored, down the road...    A lot of them got moved around the country.  You could be driving one now!!

What about any car that has been raced on the Bonneville Salt Flats?   There, you get salt dust EVERYPLACE,, including inside wire harness connectors. Take that car back to a humid state and what will happen in 20 years??   

Any opinions on cars like that???     

[bill440rt]

Do these cars need to be completely torn down and dipped?

Yup. 
All depends how high the water level came. Anything submerged in salt water for any length of time is garbage.

So, what about cars driven back in the day on salted roads in the winter?  I remember driving my 68 Charger in salt spray that covered the entire car and got in everywhere, like down the cowl, down the glass in the doors and 1/4 panels.  Entire bottom covered.  In the frame rail holes, etc. In all the weld seams...
Are, er I mean were, all those cars garbage too??    Plenty of them got restored, down the road...    A lot of them got moved around the country.  You could be driving one now!!

What about any car that has been raced on the Bonneville Salt Flats?   There, you get salt dust EVERYPLACE,, including inside wire harness connectors. Take that car back to a humid state and what will happen in 20 years??   

Any opinions on cars like that???     

Big difference between driving on salted roads vs a car that is SUBMERGED in ocean water for a length of time.
You also have to look at another part of the big picture. What happens when "X" part goes bad? These flood cars are insurance claims. Their phone rings, and "X" issue now becomes part of a growing claim. 6 months later, "Y" goes bad. 8 months after that, "Z" pops up. Crap, now there's a hole in the frame rail because they didn't get all the salt out. OK, maybe that's stretching it, but let's face it. These are flood losses. Every corrosion issue that pops up is going to part of a growing insurance claim. Unless, the car owner agrees to "Agreed value", they are fully compensated, and can keep (or dispose of) their precious car. The claim is over. Personally, I am very thankful I'm not going thru what some of these car owners are.

Again, you asked for my opinion, that's all I can give. Others may think otherwise.
If you'd like to restore one of these salt water flood cars, go ahead. Let us know how it works out for you. You have pick of the litter to choose from around here in the northeast.

[charge69]

odcics2 and bill440r/t raise some excellent points about trying to "salvage" one of these cars. If, and that is a big "if", the particular car did not get the electrical system wet and no water came in the interior (looks that way on the Hemicharger) I probably would give it a good try to restore it but would NEVER pay $154k salvage price for one.

Flushing the bottom with fresh water for at least 24hrs. MIGHT get it clean enough to call it "flushed" but it might not. There are a lot of nooks and crannies for the salt water to hide. Then again, I had my ENTIRE body acid-dipped for about 48 hrs. to get the rust off. The body was completely sprayed with a neutralizer and then a rust preventative and it is still great to go! Not a single spot of rust on the now-covered with paint, including the underside, body 3 years later. No sign of continued acid burn either.

I guess it all boils down to is how much salt-water was the car actually exposed to and how much time has passed and how much can you buy the car for. If it (the specific Hemicharger) was cheap and minimal exposure is verified, I might try to save it. If you got it cheap enough from the salvage dealers, a complete teardown and acid dip might even be feasible as I doubt any body panels would need to be replaced. It probably would take a skilled restorer to save it, though.

[Tilar]

There are products that will neutralize salt. They are used on salt trucks that are used for clearing roads. Believe me they get as much salt saturation as any of these cars that were completely submerged.  You could hypothetically take the interior out of one of these cars and spray inside the door panels and anything else that might have salt with a pump sprayer and the neutralizer and then rinse them with a garden hose.  Just a thought.

[Mytur Binsdirti]

Bill's right. Keep in mind that if the insurance companies ever thought that a submerged car would not be a total loss, you can believe that they'd find a way not to pay out.

[Back N Black]

I don't think the salt water will do enough damage to the car where you have to tear it down and restore it. A friend and I submerged a 79 ford half ton in salt water and it was there for 3 days before we got it out. We drained all the fluids ,fired it up and it was on the road 4 years after the incident. It was a big tree that killed it.

[69 OUR/TEA]

What ya think that Hemi chargers gonna hammer for at auction,even being flood victim???

[polywideblock]

hi, have you guys heard of "salt away"  http://www.saltawayproducts.com/    made to flush engines/clean boats but on a $154000 car I'm sure a couple of hundred would be well spent. hell what an idea for a business    salt removal     any takers  Phil

[odcics2]

bill440rt said: Big difference between driving on salted roads vs a car that is SUBMERGED in ocean water for a length of time.


I think a car being totally exposed to salt baths for many years, season after season can be pretty brutal.  I've been there, living in a 'salt belt" state!!

If a car is in salt water a few days and cleaned with at least fresh water, I don't think thats as bad, IMO.

Either way, I have a '69, so I'm not in the market at all!   

[HANDM]

I too was thinking why not re-submerge the car in fresh water, rinse and repeat....   

[mauve66]

my understanding of "salvage" titles is that you can never insure them for full value again, maybe this only applies to newer cars but i would check with my proposed insurer 1st
i looked into this for a SRT10 truck and they would only insure it for 12K even though i would be into it for 24K when it hit the road again

[bill440rt]

I think a car being totally exposed to salt baths for many years, season after season can be pretty brutal.  I've been there, living in a 'salt belt" state!!

Either way, I have a '69, so I'm not in the market at all!   

Me too! 

[375instroke]

I hear people launder the title in Mississippi, then back to their resident state.

[odcics2]

I hear people launder the title in Mississippi, then back to their resident state.

In fresh water??   

[1974dodgecharger]

salt is good for you....

[odcics2]

salt is good for you....

But not for metal.