Actually, that's quite believable. I lived in Syracuse in the
mid-70s. Because they got tons of lake-effect snow, roads were salted
like mad from Oct to April. You would see cars that were less than
5 years old with serious rust. Many folks put the good car away and
drove a 'winter rat' during the snowy months.
-----
Original Message -----
Sent:
Sunday, February 11, 2007 12:19 PM
Subject:
Re: [FWDLK] car lifespans
My 58 Fireflite convertible started life in Syracuse,
NY. Evidence shows that it changed hands in 1960 and moved to Madison,
Wisconsin, where it died in 1968 of terminal rust failure and got
stuffed in a garage and forgotten. The second owner that took it to
Madison was a professor at Syracuse, and transferred to the U of W.
When I tore the car apart to restore it a second time (as
if you could call the first time anything but a patch job), we
discovered the lower quarters, fender caps and bottom skins had all
been replaced. This would have occured PRIOR to it being sold to the
second owner in 1960, as he stated the car never had any work like that
done on it while in his care. Now THAT is some serious speed rusting !
Most of the FL cars that made it out to Seattle suffered
from the perpetual rain we got there, even without the salted roads. I
live in the desert now, and the sheetmetal fared as well as baremetal
would in the desert. I find FL cars from time to time. The dust gets
in them here and settles to the lower body areas. Then, when the rains
do come, the cars have mud pies drying out in their lower bodies for
weeks or months after. It isn't like the salt cars, but even the dry
cars suffered from lack of build quality.
Brent
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