'73 Thing and Hurricane Sandy

[BeachThing]

So my '73 Thing which I had restored in 2006 is a casualty of Hurricane Sandy. I keep it at the shore in a garage that was flooded. I got down to the garage 2 days after the storm and the water line on the walls measured 25". I was able to push the car out and clean the garage. There was little water inside the exhaust pipes and on the floor pans (which are rhino coated) that I cleaned up. The next week I went back to have the car towed to a local auto shop and the car had to be dragged out of the garage because the rear left wheel was locked up. After 2 weeks of sitting in a lot, the shop called and said it was totaled. They said water in the engine, starter, transaxle etc. He estimated $8-$10K to fix. My local mechanic back home (which I totally trust) said no way, so I'm having it transported back home for him to look at. I have a very basic understanding of the mechanics of cars so I was hoping to see if anyone had recommendations/suggestions of items I should have him look into other than the obvious items (engine, transaxle, brake drums) for a car that was sitting in 25" of brackish bay water for a few hours. Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

[apba12m]

All electrical items that were exposed will be in bad shape, maybe shot and have to be replaced. also gas tank and vent system. throttle and clutch cables and casing will need to be replaced. oh don't forget the ebrake cables and casing.

[saddlesore1]

IT'S A VW.......
Drain the oil in both the trani and motor. Refill. Then DRIVE IT.
25" is nothing. worse case. You may have to replace the wheel bearing and some parts may rust out over time.
These cars are virtually bullet proof

[Glenn]

Magnesium engine cases don't like salt water.
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[BeachThing]

Thanks for the quick response. I checked the trunk area and there was a little water in the front bucket area but the water didn't get up to the gas tank. I'm thinking the water rose to right above the bumPers but I'll measure when the car gets "home". I'm sure it didn't get up to the front/rear lights but we'll have to look at the wiring under the car. I'll have the mechanic check the throttle, clutch and ebrake cables. Thanks again.

[BeachThing]

"Drain the oil in both the trani and motor. Refill. Then DRIVE IT" That's kinda what my local mechanic said. He suggested replacing all fluids, remove the spark plugs and turn the engine and see what comes out. Try and get the engine started and go from there.

[Derek Cobb]

There's a HUGE difference between a fresh water flood and a salt water flood. Salt water can do a tremendous amount of damage in a very short amount of time. If you got salt water in the motor, it's toast. Same with the transmission. It'll ruin the wiring, all the electrical connections and if it get into the body seams you'll be driving a rust bucket in no time. I know it sounds really awful, and it is.
I haven't got any good news for you. Complete dis-assembly and cleaning of everything that got soaked in a very short amount of time would be the only solution I could think of, and that window of time has already come and gone.
I bet the car is totaled, sorry to say.

[citroen]

here is some salt water damage from a past hurricane on a thing ron and i are restoring there can be hidden damage they do not like salt water

[BeachThing]

Thanks. I appreciate the advice and the honesty on my situation. Car arrives tomorrow night (Wednesday) and I’m hoping to have it on his lift Thursday. I’ll take pics and post. Not sure yet how to upload pics or I would have sent a "before Sandy" pic but I'll look into that tomorrow.

[VW Addict]

You can upload them here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_upload.php?cat_id=666

Under Thing category.

[BeachThing]

Here are the before restoration (2004) and after (2006) photos.

[VW Addict]

What a beaut! Love the color you picked out too!

[citroen]

you need to save this one. Hope there is not much damage.

[joescoolcustoms]

I was on the NC outer bank islands in mid-October and stopped by a friend's place that rents fiberglass buggy's for use on the islands. Eric showed me transaxles he had in storage that had been exposed to salt water in Irene's passing. It looked like they exploded from the inside out. Chunks of the cases where popped outward they corroded so badly, and quickly.

You have such a beautiful Thing, I would re-restore it. If you catch it now, you may not need to do near as much as when you did it the first time around, but I would take it completely apart for a good cleaning of all body panels. Make certian the pan tunnel gets cleaned because it was under salt water at 25 inches.

Be prepared to replace the engine and transaxle. I would not just drain/refill to run. You wil not see the damage from just draining, and they may be able to be saved if you look at them first. Split the engine case to check the crank. If the water was high enough to get into the exhaust pipes, it has gotten into the heads and then cylinders.

Best of luck! Hope I am wrong.
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Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[capedave]

maybe a soak in fresh water with some salt away?

Put it in a small yard pool?????

Outboards that have been submerged the immediately submerge in fresh

to get rid of the salt.

[citroen]

heres what happens to the transmission if you dont clean

[saddlesore1]

I am sure all of these pictures are from cars expose to saltwater and never touched afterward.
Go to auto parts store get a can of Gunk spray the crap out of the car and wash with tap water liberally. They get many cans of WD40 spray the crap out of it again. let sit until you are able to wipe the WD40 off.
I would suggest draining the motor and trans of oil as soon as possible. Refill both. Pull plugs. Then spray the crap out of the insides of the cylinders with WD40. Then turn the motor over by hand to get well lubricated again.
All will be fine. The car looks great Save it.

[NOVA Airhead]

Really nice looking car and Things are great for the beach.

Would your insurance not cover the costs? I have a stated value policy on my vintage VWs.
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[citroen]

Yes this thing sat for a few years before we got to it . I was just showing what will happen if you dont start cleaning as soon as possible. Things dont like salt water and salt water is hard on electrical parts . Hope the damage is not great because that was a nice thing.

[BeachThing]

The car is home. The corrosion on the bottom is a lot worse than in the engine compartment. Attached are pics of the car from yesterday. The bottom of the blue tape is the 25”waterline. I don’t think the water level actually got to 25” inside the engine compartment. I think the engine trunk seal and door seals did a good job of keeping some water out of the car and engine but definitely some leaked in.