Thread: Rust

Don't bog it, get a cheap fiberglass kit and fiberglass it, way better option.
Cheers Peter

If you have that much rust there I would be lifting the front carpet and checking the floor in the foot wells. This is another common rust spot as once the underlay is wet it takes a long time to dry out. Also check around the Alpine windows.

The water is probably coming in from the top of the rear door as it does not seal very well. Spray around with a hose and see where it is coming from.

As said Fibre Glass would give a better finish and easier to use.

Originally Posted by flyreels

Don't bog it, get a cheap fiberglass kit and fiberglass it, way better option.
Cheers Peter

Thanks mate, fibreglass kit it is.

Does the area need to be primed/rust proofed after doing the fibreglassing.

Regards
Rich

Originally Posted by Landover

If you have that much rust there I would be lifting the front carpet and checking the floor in the foot wells. This is another common rust spot as once the underlay is wet it takes a long time to dry out. Also check around the Alpine windows.

The water is probably coming in from the top of the rear door as it does not seal very well. Spray around with a hose and see where it is coming from.

As said Fibre Glass would give a better finish and easier to use.

The alpine windows have a bit of rust but have not checked the the front foot wells yet (dreading the thought).

I noticed that the black trim above the rear door is cracked so will get some black sealant and repair that and will get the hose out as well.

Many thanks

Rich

Originally Posted by OlliesLRover

Thanks mate, fibreglass kit it is.

Does the area need to be primed/rust proofed after doing the fibreglassing.

Regards
Rich

Hi Rich, the fiberglass once set (making sure it is liberally coated with resin), will be waterproof, But I would just paint it or rust proof the whole area it as it would stop any further rust in the floor and maybe paint the front floor pan or any other area that needs it. The best place to buy the rust coat would be a bodywork shop or supplier as they would be the cheapest.
Cheers Pete

Originally Posted by flyreels

Hi Rich, the fiberglass once set (making sure it is liberally coated with resin), will be waterproof, But I would just paint it or rust proof the whole area it as it would stop any further rust in the floor and maybe paint the front floor pan or any other area that needs it. The best place to buy the rust coat would be a bodywork shop or supplier as they would be the cheapest.
Cheers Pete

Thanks Pete, that saved me heaps of $ and time, the kit only cost $30 and there was plenty to do the job plus it was much easier to do than I thought.

Regards
Rich

Originally Posted by OlliesLRover

Thanks Pete, that saved me heaps of $ and time, the kit only cost $30 and there was plenty to do the job plus it was much easier to do than I thought.

Regards
Rich

I am Glad it worked out well Rich, it looks good now mate.
Cheers Pete

Originally Posted by Landover

If you have that much rust there I would be lifting the front carpet and checking the floor in the foot wells. This is another common rust spot as once the underlay is wet it takes a long time to dry out. Also check around the Alpine windows.

Well I decided to check under the front carpets and believe me you weren't wrong.

The passenger side was the worst, the underlay was soaked and the foam on the back of the underlay was as rusted as the floot well.

Judging by the amount of rust and slime on the underlay plus the condition of the foot well, it leads me to think it has accumulated over years, so it is difficult to judge how much water is leaking in at any one time.
Interestingly there was no pattern of water marks to follow to any of the major rust spots which were mainly on the floor it's self and in the corners and rounded bottom edges of the flywall, there was no trail or rust marks indicating that water had run down the flywall and into the foot wells.

Any way after many hours of drying, wire brushing and fibre glassing, then adding heaps of anti rust and kill rust the passenger side is done.

The drivers side was bad, but no where as bad as the passenger side, I finally got that side cleaned up as well.

Then after finding & checking the aircon nipples for blockages and finding none, it was time for the hose to come out, and yep you guessed it murphys law prevailed not a drop came through.

So I just went around looking for any sus areas that water may seep thru and went to work with the silicon.

Rather than go through the pain of having to pull the car to pieces to get the carpet out in the future (because there will be a future) what I did was slice the underlay from the front seats forward and followed the bottom contour of the consol to the start of the flywall, this way then I only have to take the carpet trim off, and fold the carpet back then I can take the underlay out in one piece, thus enabling me to check the floor on a regular basis after rain in approx 10min.

The other thing I did was get some thin ribbed rubber and place this on the floor first then put the underlay on top of that for 2 reasons:

1/ Because the foam on the bottom of the underlay is still rusted even after picking the worst of it out, so this will prevent this rust from working from the top down and causing havoc.

2/ Because the rubber is ribbed on the bottom I'm hoping any water that seeps in will just wet the floor and won't be in contact with the foam of the underlay, which I reckon is the bigger cause of rust than water just seeping in.

Regards
Rich