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rust repair with screen out


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#1 gurkatank

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Posted 05 August 2005 - 01:11 PM

ive got rac auto windscreens coming on wed to put in a new front screen and im taking mine out myself on mon. while its out i thought i might as well sort out some slight bubbling around the scuttle. apart from painting my arches, ive never done any touch ups on the car (mpi cooper). anyone got any useful hints or suggestions on the best way of treating the affected area to remove the rust and stop it coming back and also to stop the paint job looking like it was done by a 4 year old.

#2 Bluemini

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Posted 05 August 2005 - 05:53 PM

The only way to get rid of rust is to grind or cut it out. If it isn't too bad then you may get away with a wire wheel on a grinder and a load of filler to smooth it all back out again.

#3 dklawson

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Posted 07 August 2005 - 01:18 AM

Bluemini is right. Sadly, there is no truly permanent prevention for rust apart from removal and replacement of the metal. However, as a stop-gap measure until you're ready for proper bodywork, do a Google search about POR-15. I know there's a U.K. distributor for it as I've seen it mentioned in MiniWorld. It's not as easy to use as the instructions lead you to believe, but with the time you have remaining, it's probably your best bet.

Succinctly, remove the old glass and it's rubber gasket. Sand away all the rust and paint in and around the opening in the car body where the rubber gasket sits. Apply the MetalReady (acid etch) prep that POR-recommends. Later, apply two coats of the POR paint followed by a fog coat of your top-coat primer. Then, 24 hours later, paint the opening. It's a LOT of work to accomplish with the time you have left before the glass man comes. (by the way. POR sells a starter kit of paint that includes the cleaner, acid wash, and a half pint of their paint. It's enough to do most basic repairs. The price for it over here is probably the equivalent of 8 GBP).

#4 gurkatank

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Posted 08 August 2005 - 03:45 PM

when i rubbed down the front (under the headlamps) of my old mini to do a bit of diy rust fixing it looked alright for a few months but then came back back with a vengance and rusted 10 times faster than it was before, even though i used a rust proofer, primer and the correct paint. if my scuttle isnt too bad (few bubbles no more than 20mm) should i leave it until i can afford a pro front end respray or the the rust be stopped at the first opportunity even if it is by me?

#5 dklawson

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Posted 08 August 2005 - 04:30 PM

Not knowing what the MOT requirements are I can only offer general advice about the repair in general.

A bubble that is 20mm in diameter is HUGE. If you have a bubble that large coming from the inside out, there isn't likely to be any sound metal left behind it to fix. From your description I'd say that you are looking at replacing the scuttle as the only long-term solution available. If you tamper with the bubbles that are there, you are probably opening Pandora's Box. On the other hand, this isn't going to get better and you need to plan on doing proper repairs as soon as possible.

In general, most "rust conversion" coatings don't work well. POR and some of the similar products are a little different (and better) as they are a complete system (less top coat) which soaks into the rust and seals it with a urethane-like coating. However, with the glass man coming this week you don't have time for any of this.

FWIW, I have tried the conversion coatings (10) years ago and did more damage to the steel than good. At that time the conversion coatings were all latex suspensions of phosphoric acid. They were supposed to convert the rust to iron phosphate with a latex coating. The latex still lets moisture reach the surface... and in my case it acted like it trapped moisture against the surface... making the situation worse.

#6 gurkatank

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Posted 08 August 2005 - 05:04 PM

sorry when i say 20mm i mean 20mm but only about 3-5mm wide. if as you say you think these might have rusted through will the screen removal pull the rusty bits out, meaning ill be forced to do a repair or is rusty metal still quite strong. its fine for the mot as apart from the crack in the screen it passed last wk.

#7 gurkatank

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Posted 08 August 2005 - 05:05 PM

incidentally 20mm is by far the largest. ther are about 3 other areas that are about 3mm in diameter




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