12 replies to this topic

[mini_mezza]

hi all,
the rust on my scuttle panel has started to get pretty excessive now, and im not sure of the best way to tackle it.
any advice or tip as of what to do and how to do it would be much appreciated
many thanks,
Rob.

[minibarnerz]

it all depends where is is on the scuttle? you got pics? if its easy to get to, can is be cut out and new metal welded in?
if its in the corner above the a-panel/wing its likely you will need new closing panels too??? repair panels are readily available, but in all likelyness its a windsreen out job in which case might as well replace the whole panel! this envolves taking wings off too though.

hard to say without seeing pictures, as everyones idea of "excesive" rust is different!

[mini_mezza]

well i have the pics, you can see that its going pretty bad on the drivers side, bubbling up in the middle and starting to go on the passenger side too!





im not really sure what to do, as I use the car frequently and dont really have the funds to do a full repair just yet (sometimes being a student isnt all fun!) , are there any temporary measures that people can suggest until i can afford to do it properly?
any suggestion will be helpful!
many thanks!

[minibarnerz]

thats not too bad and you should be able to do a fairly basic repair!!

id take the windscreen out, clean the area around the bubbles with something like a wire brush on a grinder, then use fibreglass and/or filler to repair the surounding area before repainting and replacing windscreen, easy to do in a weekend!

obviously ideally you want it seen to properly.... ie new metal welded in etc...

but really not too bad, seen lots worse! just dont leave it!

[Shifty]

thats not too bad and you should be able to do a fairly basic repair!!

id take the windscreen out, clean the area around the bubbles with something like a wire brush on a grinder, then use fibreglass and/or filler to repair the surounding area before repainting and replacing windscreen, easy to do in a weekend!

obviously ideally you want it seen to properly.... ie new metal welded in etc...

but really not too bad, seen lots worse! just dont leave it!

Are we looking at the same pictures??

Someones been there before and covered up the rust, the only proper way to fix that is by replacing the scuttle.

[sonikk4]

Got to agree with Shifty there, the scuttle is not a happy camper plus the windscreen rubber will need to be changed as its cracking up.

[minibarnerz]

yeah, i do agree, it should be replaced. but as mini_mezza said, cant afford it at the moment and is there a "temporary quick fix" which is what i described, would never recomend filler as a permanant repair

so would like to point out, what i said to mezza, is purely that, a quick fix, not a permanant fix!!
just to clear that up.

[Scallywag630]

+1 with Shifty. Hate to "rain on your parade" but you might also need a top dash rail.

Edited by Scallywag630, 06 February 2011 - 10:37 PM.

[Shifty]

Note the line of red paint on the windscreen rubber, someones already been there with the filler.

This doesn't bode well for the rest of the front end at all. You can replace the scuttle without removing the wings, I'd be having a good poke around and seeing what else has been covered up.

If the scuttles been rusted for a while then that can lead to door steps rotting and the floor pans.

Tip of the iceberg!!

[mini_mezza]

thanks for all the responses people!
as for the overspray, this is from when the front end was replaced, so everything else is in good nick, they did from the scuttle forward, so the A panels and wings are only a few years old, but at the time the scuttle was fine just needed the colour match, so there is no filler here just pure rust and some poor painting skills!
I frequently have a poke round the car on rust patrol and apart from a little bit in the boot floor and this scuttle the rest of the car is good and solid!
Shifty i see you say that it can be replaced without removing the wings? how much work does this involve? and what sort of prices would i be looking at?
thanks!

[onzaash]

did you ever sort this? did you replace the scuttle without removing the front end? i really dont want to do that! im in the same position.

[liam_italian]

thats not too bad and you should be able to do a fairly basic repair!!

id take the windscreen out, clean the area around the bubbles with something like a wire brush on a grinder, then use fibreglass and/or filler to repair the surounding area before repainting and replacing windscreen, easy to do in a weekend!

obviously ideally you want it seen to properly.... ie new metal welded in etc...

but really not too bad, seen lots worse! just dont leave it!

Are we looking at the same pictures??

Someones been there before and covered up the rust, the only proper way to fix that is by replacing the scuttle.

I was thinking the same thing, that scuttle is clearly passed it!

Unfortunately only only real and proper way to deal with a panel is far gone is to remove it and replace with a new scuttle panel.

[Frog]

Yeah replace it, I did a car that had been "repaired" before, took the screen out to find a 10mm thick screen lip (filler). When I removed the scuttle, the top dash rail was gone & also the top inch of the bulkhead, had to spend ages fabricating new bulkhead before I could fit anything else.