Rusty Red Terror

[Chenz]

I am looking for some advice on getting the rust repaired from under the screen on my 200Tdi Fender.

A few weeks ago I noticed some bubbling of the paint under the screen between the pop up vent and the screen on the passenger side. A bit of a poke around had me concerned with the depth and extent that the rust had taken hold.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/07/1399.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/07/1400.jpg

It looks to have also gone into the pillar behind the snorkel

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/07/1401.jpg

I took it to a couple of local panel beaters who both said "Doesn't pay us to do this sort of work anymore. We do volume smash repairs only"

My brother in law worked as a panel beater for many years and said he would do the cut out and welding to repair but his questions were:

Can you lift the hinged screen section out without undoing the front roof section?
Can you take the front two hinges out and slide the whole screen out down and out?

I know I have the pull the interior trim and probably the dash section out to get to the inside of the problem but any advice and assistance the AULRO brainstrust can provide would be greatly appreciated.

While I have the screen out I want to change the glass and the seal which is cracked as the windscreen has plenty of stone chips and dings which will probably break once we start fiddling around.

I would be happy to hear from others who may have had a similar experience.

Thanks

[goingbush]

That firewall is stuffed, for me the only option to to buy a new one or find a good second hand one, How did it get that bad - has it been in the ocean ??

Also look at a Galvanised one from UK,

its a lot easier to swap a firewall than you think.

[Epic_Dragon]

in the mean time dose it in as much as you want of rust buster from bunnings. that stuff its whats stopping my panelvan rusting away when its kept outside!

[Sitec]

Look deeper into the bulkhead.. Are the door pillars ok especially just below the bottom door hinge. Footwells... Lift the mats and see what the foot wells are like. Check the front face where the top of the wings bolt to the bulkhead.. If all of these are fine, then repair what you have. Yes, the screen will come out without lifting the lid. Loosen the fixings on each side behind the doors tho. Remove the flaps and all the plastic clutter inside. Once you reveal it the job won't seem so bad.

[Chenz]

That firewall is stuffed, for me the only option to to buy a new one or find a good second hand one, How did it get that bad - has it been in the ocean ??

Also look at a Galvanised one from UK,

its a lot easier to swap a firewall than you think.

As far as I know the former owner did not go on any beaches etc. The underside is fish oiled to the max and there is little if any rust anywhere else in the old girl.

[Chenz]

Look deeper into the bulkhead.. Are the door pillars ok especially just below the bottom door hinge. Footwells... Lift the mats and see what the foot wells are like. Check the front face where the top of the wings bolt to the bulkhead.. If all of these are fine, then repair what you have. Yes, the screen will come out without lifting the lid. Loosen the fixings on each side behind the doors tho. Remove the flaps and all the plastic clutter inside. Once you reveal it the job won't seem so bad.

Thanks for the info. I will pull it down and have a look and see what needs to be done. In the meantime I will dose it up with rust stopper