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tried to do a search on it but got discussions of it but no definition or pic. thank you

It's when moisture gets in between the machine and the main liner!  Many cases it will cause a lot of rust damage that requires more work to repair

 :needphotos:

      You will probably find a picture if you search for 'Vendo 56 beltline rust'.

I have had several machine with rust problems.  I just recently tore down a Barqs 55 Embossed.  Lucky I did I saved it from any further rust.  I could see the metal starting to thin in on area all the way around.

It survived sandblasting, will have to treat the rust area appropriately before painting...

Belt line rust happens at the area where the tray above the compressor area meets the edges of the main body.  As Jared (Slapshot42) said, moisture gets into the insulation and ends up at the edges of that tray, which are spot welded to the body.  Those spot welds tend to wick the moisture in and you end up with a 'line' of rust at the level of where the tray sits.

The pics are from a V-44 that I owned for a while, you can see the line pretty distinctly.  I didn't take apart the machine any further since I got a great offer on it as-is, but I did provide them with these photos as part of the sale listing.

Condensation inside the machine is supposed to drip down into the bottom of the interior tub and then go out through a drain tube into a collection jar/basin in the compressor area.  Over time the tube gets plugged or the seal where the drain line and the tub are attached will crack and the moisture can then leak into the layer of insulation that is between the interior tub and the metal sheet that forms the top of the compressor space.  The wet insulation just sits there and the moisture leads to rust which will eat out the sides of the main cabinet where that bottom layer of insulation sits.   Here is a pic of the cabinet pieces I had to replace in my machines.  Both pieces are the top of the compressor enclosure from each of my 2 machines along with the replacement pieces I had installed.

Here it is pretty bad.  When you take off the liner, the first picture shows you how bad the damage is caused by the condensation/moisture that's not properly draining.    If you look at the 2nd picture, right above where the compressor would be, you'll see the damage that ate from the inside out.  This is called beltline rust as it usually goes around the entire machine.   If you have damage on the back, more likely than not you'll have damage on the sides that need repairing.     Needless to say, this machine wasn't salvageable.

(http://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s438/Jonathan816/e4f60fd2-d34d-4555-92e6-b2b42e108061_zps5453de8d.jpg) (http://s1051.photobucket.com/user/Jonathan816/media/e4f60fd2-d34d-4555-92e6-b2b42e108061_zps5453de8d.jpg.html)

(http://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s438/Jonathan816/backblasted.jpg) (http://s1051.photobucket.com/user/Jonathan816/media/backblasted.jpg.html)

This is a great thread for new members... great images also... way to go guys.

When you say, this machine wasn't salvageable?? any good body guy can cut out and reweld new metal in that area... I have it done all the time as 90% of all machines I restore have some degree of rust in this area... and I replace the bottom pans in all of the machines I do.. so don't let it scare you off too much ,anything can be fixed with proper knowledge.

And $$$

It's all about the economics, Anyone can fix up a pinto and put in 20k of work, but if it's only worth 15k when finished why bother?