32 replies to this topic

[bunch1980]

Getting to know my mini more looking over it more and more, in good nick for age I think. Today removed the between arch rubbers (its a 93 sprite) as they were coming off and lots off dirt in them.
Cleaned all off and as you can see in pictures on one side the sill edge seam has spilt apart some with rust and on i think what are square drain holes rust around pretty much all of them.
Is this a bad sign of rust to come and whats best way to treat the seal and any other rust like i have on inside of wheel arch?
There is also 2 small patches where rear bumper is rubbing on rear seams where im guessing at some point the bumper has been knocked in to make it rub on seams as I dont think it should be so close normally.

Overall what is best was to treat these more under body areas to prevent further rust etc other than strip it right back to metal and paint etc??

Attached Files

•  sill_seam_rust.jpg   158.64K   47 downloads
•  f_arch_rust.jpg   143.69K   40 downloads
•  silll_drip_hole_rust.jpg   112.76K   48 downloads

[Ethel]

I'd say most of that is likely to be from internal moisture traps so not really anything to be gained from painting over it. I'd say there's years of life left out of as well.

Knock off any loose paint by all means but the most effective treatment would be to bet a nice runny rust converter squeezed in to the gaps then maybe some waxoil.

Getting to know my mini more looking over it more and more, in good nick for age I think. Today removed the between arch rubbers (its a 93 sprite) as they were coming off and lots off dirt in them.
Cleaned all off and as you can see in pictures on one side the sill edge seam has spilt apart some with rust and on i think what are square drain holes rust around pretty much all of them.
Is this a bad sign of rust to come and whats best way to treat the seal and any other rust like i have on inside of wheel arch?
There is also 2 small patches where rear bumper is rubbing on rear seams where im guessing at some point the bumper has been knocked in to make it rub on seams as I dont think it should be so close normally.

Overall what is best was to treat these more under body areas to prevent further rust etc other than strip it right back to metal and paint etc??

[rick.spi]

it will look a lot worse on the inside than the outside, take a stab with a screwdriver and see what you have left.

if i was you i would catch it now before it gets any worse.

[bunch1980]

I'd say most of that is likely to be from internal moisture traps so not really anything to be gained from painting over it. I'd say there's years of life left out of as well.

Knock off any loose paint by all means but the most effective treatment would be to bet a nice runny rust converter squeezed in to the gaps then maybe some waxoil.

Getting to know my mini more looking over it more and more, in good nick for age I think. Today removed the between arch rubbers (its a 93 sprite) as they were coming off and lots off dirt in them.
Cleaned all off and as you can see in pictures on one side the sill edge seam has spilt apart some with rust and on i think what are square drain holes rust around pretty much all of them.
Is this a bad sign of rust to come and whats best way to treat the seal and any other rust like i have on inside of wheel arch?
There is also 2 small patches where rear bumper is rubbing on rear seams where im guessing at some point the bumper has been knocked in to make it rub on seams as I dont think it should be so close normally.

Overall what is best was to treat these more under body areas to prevent further rust etc other than strip it right back to metal and paint etc??

Thanks do you mean you think there years of life left in the sills?

That was my next idea really to add some sort of rust preventer in holes and waxyl or tectyl etc

[bunch1980]

it will look a lot worse on the inside than the outside, take a stab with a screwdriver and see what you have left.

if i was you i would catch it now before it gets any worse.

Yeah i can imagine so, where these square drip holes are it is like a hollow section?

I have tapped all over the sills with my hand and no flakes or anything soft, sure dont look like any heavy deep brown rust anywhere.

How would you suggest to catch it before it gets worse?

[rick.spi]

take a stab with a screw driver see how soilid they are. take up your inner sounddeadening and take a look at you inner sills, the only way really is to cut out all the rust and replace it with fresh metal, problem is you end up chasing it usually as as said before there is moistire traps under there which just attract rust, they rust from the inside out usually so what you see on the outside is onlythe tip of the iceberg.

mine is gettin done at the moment, at first it looked like yours but after u pokes around it reavealed some nasty tinworm and is getting alot cut and replaced. it stared as a little hole like yours and ended up in inner and outer sill replacement and a few patches on the floor.

sounds dfrastic but if you dont replace any rist with new metal it will just come back with vengance, you may be lucky and its just a bit of surface rust for now, the only way to find out is to clean it up tho.

Edited by rick.spi, 17 April 2010 - 11:35 PM.

[Ethel]

Have a nose round some of the restorations in the projects section there's bound to be some useful piccies. The drainage holes are along the joint between the inner and outer sills, there's also and extension of the cross member the seats are bolted to where the jacking point is. It's hard to say from a photo but I would be surprised if there isn't one or two more MoT's life in that.

[cookie4343]

Start off with a wire brush attachment in a drill to remove any scabs off rust, then treat the rust area's with jenolite or anyother rust treatment then prime and paint.
Drill 2 holes in your inner sills from the inside and inject with waxoil, fill holes with rubber gromments.

To be honest from the pictures it looks really solid, just slight surface rust

[bunch1980]

Start off with a wire brush attachment in a drill to remove any scabs off rust, then treat the rust area's with jenolite or anyother rust treatment then prime and paint.
Drill 2 holes in your inner sills from the inside and inject with waxoil, fill holes with rubber gromments.

To be honest from the pictures it looks really solid, just slight surface rust

Yeah i guess doing this on the under body areas should be quite easy and dont need to worry to much about the paint finish after.
Will not squirting waxoyl or similar from outside through these square holes have same effect?
If not where do I drill holes?
I will also do as been said and have a look under the carpets etc on inside of sills and hope its not worse or showing through there!

Yeah i havent gone mad hitting it with a screwdriver but rue would know if it was crumbling away there, its either coming from inside where water has got in trough seam or is just surface rust but
either way best to treat it before it gets worse same for patch on wheel arch and my rear seams or any other under body bits and do it in the summer!

Edited by bunch1980, 18 April 2010 - 08:58 AM.

[bunch1980]

Had a quick look under carpet inside today couldnt see anything coming through there will look more closely when i can.

I guess there could be rust in side this area as i think its like some sort of box section a hollow area but not quite sure how the sills all go together here need to look a parts diagrams
or some thing to see.

[rick.spi]

this is what it looks like inside, it does have mounts in the middle (jacking points) and mount at either end (used in the factory i believe) apart from that this is it, my mounts where rust traps and are now cut out behind and fresh inner sill panels bits are cut and welded in...



picture taken today

the outer sill is then just plug welded or spot welded on top (when the weld has been dressed and the inside painted)

Edited by rick.spi, 18 April 2010 - 10:45 PM.

[bunch1980]

this is what it looks like inside, it does have mounts in the middle (jacking points) and mount at either end (used in the factory i believe) apart from that this is it, my mounts where rust traps and are now cut out behind and fresh inner sill panels bits are cut and welded in...



picture taken today

the outer sill is then just plug welded or spot welded on top (when the weld has been dressed and the inside painted)

I see thanks great picture, so outer seal really just doubles up tightly against inner one? and the only hollow big voids are those sqaure drain holes and as you say jack points etc?
I think on mine biggest worry is where water has gone down behind rubber seam seal and then what i think is join between outer and inner seal and where its rusted as you can see in picture the seam has seperated some, so dont know how bad it is right inside between the the 2 panels.
I guess if i squirt somethhing like waxoyl through those drain holes it will all work its way around and hope fully stop it getting anyworse and if any more water gets in there etc.
I had a good poke with a screw driver on worse side and all i did was make little dings lol that looked like fresh shiny silver metal around those drain squares!

[rick.spi]

thats good news then

yes the outer just goes over that really, it needs a little panel making at the front on mine too.

i would take it back to bare metal. krust it, then etch prime it, then a skin of filler if necesary, then some primer, then topcoat and laquer etc. squirting waxoil in there is another good idea i recon

mine fell through nearenough when i poked them lol.

oh well all the fun of mini owning.

i would make a start on it as soon as you can tho, then you wont have to worry for a little while more...

Edited by rick.spi, 19 April 2010 - 10:52 PM.

[Scallywag630]

this is what it looks like inside, it does have mounts in the middle (jacking points) and mount at either end (used in the factory i believe) apart from that this is it, my mounts where rust traps and are now cut out behind and fresh inner sill panels bits are cut and welded in...



picture taken today

the outer sill is then just plug welded or spot welded on top (when the weld has been dressed and the inside painted)

I would recommend seam welding them on for more strength.

Edited by Scallywag630, 19 April 2010 - 11:02 PM.

[rick.spi]

its spot welded in the factory. so is more than good enough for the job, plus if the outer is all seam welded it dosnt come off again in the future

Edited by rick.spi, 19 April 2010 - 11:10 PM.