1976 LS Rust and tim tams

[elcono]

Hi

I have a question, its not the most exciting in the world im afraid

My question is about rust

At what point is rust a concern? I have a 1976 LS 5 door diesel that I picked up for 800 bucks and before I start anything major I would like to check the body out and do anything that needs doing now rather than later

Overall the car is pretty good, I have done a hammer test (tapped the inner wheel arch from the underside to see if it went straight through) and the only thing it seems to have left is a hole the size of a 5cent piece

The rear tailgate however sounds like I am crushing stale tim tams every time I shut the boot

So my question is, at what point is rust a concern on the MK1? is there any other major areas to check? is there any other tests that are a bit better than "the poke your finger through it" or "tap it with a hammer to see what happens"

I am a big fan of measure twice cut once, im not looking to rush it. Just looking to get it done properly so the car can last another 40 years (by which time bolt on hydrogen turbos will hopefully be common)





ELC