I like to make old, cruddy stuff look great by detailing, cleaning, or painting it. There's nothing like spending pennies on something and having someone compliment you on how great it looks.
That being said, I'm making a foray into body work with the Shelby CSX I acquired last year. It has the strangest rust I've ever seen on a vehicle. Either it looks factory fresh, or it looks like rust eating piranhas had their way with it. I'm learning how to cut out all the bad stuff right now. Next is welding in patch panels, starting with the floors.
The angle grinder is the answer when it comes to cars from the Northeast.