Saving a rusty car

[ph9]

I've got an old Mk1 Yaris which has reached the end of the road.

It has a few mechanical issues, but nothing too major.

Unfortunately, the underside has seen better days!

Inspection shows holes in both sills, holes near the rear spring mounts, and holes in the floor (probably within a few inches of the seatbelt mounts).

I know a welder who could patch it up, but I think it's got to the stage where it would continue to disintegrate and require further welding each year in order to pass an MOT. More importantly, I think any patches would be stronger than the surrounding metal, so it just wouldn't be safe.

Presumably, it's not possible to buy a new body shell, and finding an old Yaris which isn't rusty is probably an impossibility, plus it wouldn't make sense to transfer bits from my rusty car to one which isn't as rusty!

So, I'm curious - is there a 'proper' way to safely repair a car with these rust problems, and if so, what would need to be done?

[ph9]

Thanks!

If I were to strip the car to a bare shell, would that make the repair easier?

Also, would it a good idea to look for new panels (if they're available for a Mk1 Yaris) including sills and floor pans?

I'm just mulling over the options. I know repair would cost more than the car's worth, but I'd prefer not to scrap it, and presumably, if it was repaired and protected with Bilt Hamber's finest (for example), it could last a good few years.

[ph9]

Thanks!

It;s funny, but I actually discovered the sill repair panels the other day. However, I'm not sure these would be sufficient to fully repair my car. Are they just the outer layer, or do they also contain the (I'm not sure how to describe it!) bits within the sill and the panel which wraps around to the floor?

I'm thinking about going to see the guy who's done welding on the car up til now, and see what he reckons about a longterm repair using these panels (and other panels). He was surpised at how much the car had deteriorated since he'd welded the front subframe last year, and said he personally wouldn't repair the car. However, I'd still like to know about a repair.