4 replies to this topic

[majorj0nny]

the cancer of classic cars ...

whats the best way of dealing with the following situations -

1) light surface browning , my boot floor is nice and strong inside and underneath, but the years of scuffing by the spare, etc have left the paintwork scratched and slightly browning ? Im thinking rub is down with a fine sandpaper , apply some kind of rust protection and respray ?

2) subframe is strong - but brown and dusty... again - rub down and paint with something ??

3) generally is it best to leave the underneath of the car underseal free or plaster it in a thick coat ?

4) rusty holes, im guessing it advisable to weld holes in structural body sections, but if I have a small 2 inch hole in the top corner of the rear valance , how best to clean that area up , seal to prevent further rusting, and paint ?

5) inner arches - amazingly my inner arches seem pretty clean rust wise, it helps that the car has pretty much zero undersealing so I can see the original dusty looking paintwork, the only rust is on the weld seam - this seems to be surface rust - rub down and paint ? or rust treat ? then stray original colour or just take no chances and underseal.

Id be kidding myself if Im trying to achieve a showroom perfect finish, but Im concerned that plastering everything in underseal might just hide any future problems as they show up ?

as for rust curing products - I currently have Krust, and some rust beater hammerite stuff ? and probably underseal.

what rust fighting products are popular in the mini world? is there anything I should definitely have at the ready ?

[Simont]

nothing can 'cure' rust, i take the approach that you grind rust prime then paint it

[sonikk4]

If its surface rust without any pitting then rub back to bare metal, treat with Krust or any other product of your choice then etch prime prime and paint.

If the metal is starting to pit then its time to think about replacing it. Yes you could wire brush, grind it back etc but remember this mini bodywork is thin and will only take a certain amount of grinding back.

Sub frames are built out of thicker gauge steel so are more tolerant with regards to cleaning up. If you have the sub frame off the car then it may pay you to have it media blasted then you can paint, powder coat etc.

You need something on the underside of your car, Stonechip followed by paint and and then a coat of waxoyl is my choice. Other folks may go for painted underside followed by waxoyl. Don't go slathering huge amounts on as that defeats the object really, nice even coats will do fine. Those hard to get to areas will need injecting with waxoyl

Then before each winter season have a look underneath to see if there is anything damaged, if so treat that area and re protect.

Rust in seams, this is a problem. Once its started this is no real way to easily sort it out. Yes you can treat the outside of the seam with Krust, Jenolite etc but you cannot get into the seam itself. The only long term solution is to either replace that affected area or replace the panel.

You only have to look at the front panel to front wing seams. Notorious for rusting and the major cause of most mini front panel replacements.

[lrostoke]

I'd recommend POR15 as a good paint to use underneath..We painted one of ours 2 yrs ago whole floor underneath (after extensive repairs) paint is holding up well with no underseals or waxoil on the outside..we did waxoil any cavity we could find

[6joshh6]

My rust prevention is usually a good wire brushing with a drill, the application of Hydrate 80 (great stuff, won a practical classics long term rust prevention test) followed by priming and painting. In places such as the engine bay, there is waxoyl protecting the paint, underneath its under-seal (old tractor oil is good stuff too) and a routine of adding grease to any screws/bolts removed keeps screw holes good. Rust prevention is just about being prepared and getting it sorted ASAP.