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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