18 replies to this topic

[Artful Dodger]

You can patch up and spray over it, but it will be back, I rubbed mine back to bare metal, treated the rust and re-painted it, all as described above.

















A few months later it was back.
Cut out the rot and weld in new metal, which is what I have just had to do, these pics were taken last summer. I have now replaced the whole front end.

Best way forward

that was because ( no disrespect) you only rubbed it down, i can see from the pics that around the indicators there still is little bits of rust. you have to absolutely get rid of all the rust, otherwise it gets worse. also, what primer did you use? lacquer and top coat is porous, so it all really relies on a very good etch primer and then primer on top of that to stop the moisture from getting to the metal.

again, knotted wire wheel on a grinder gets rid of all of the rust, because its so damn agressive!

Edited by MiniclubmanGT, 17 May 2012 - 05:39 PM.

[sonikk4]

Fair play to him though giving it a go, once there's rust coming from the seams in the wings and front panel that's it, its replacement time.

Doing what he did was a good try but as i have said on so many threads now once rust is coming from those seams its time to think about a new front end.

I agree with miniclubmanGT here with the rear screen, there will be perforated metal. No point really in filling it as the rust will return. New metal is the proper course of action there i'm afraid. Its a pity with it being metallic paint as its a swine to match it properly and nearly impossible with spray cans.

As a very temporary measure you could grind it all out and fill it for the summer but come winter time consider a proper repair. Also around those areas there are no repair panels just the complete back end so you would need to fabricate some repair pieces.

[AVV IT]

as i have said on so many threads now once rust is coming from those seams its time to think about a new front end.

+ 1 on that!!

The main problem here is that the rust bubbles you can see on the surface are normally just a symptom of larger rot in the seam and on the rear side of the panel, rot that is being fed by dirt and moisture from behind. By treating just the top side of the problem, you potentially make matters worse as the new paint effectively seals in that moisture and stops it from escaping. Meaning the rust bubbles will probably be back with a vengeance ,shortly after the next down pour.

If you're not going to replace the front end, then at the very least you need to try and address the undelying problem first, before going anywhere near the corrosion you can see on the surface. You need to get behind the panel and remove/grind away all the corrosion you can get access to, dry the seam out as thoroughly as possible using a heat gun, then treat with a chemical rust converter, before fully painting and protect the area. Start with etch primer (or an epoxy primer), followed by a good zinc based primer, then stone chip, top coat and then preferably a covering of waxoyl covered over by a pair of plastic wheel arch liners as well. Only when you have done all this should you then attempt to deal with the corrosion on the outer side of the panel, using similar methods.

This will make for a much longer lasting repair, but is still really only a temporary measure until you can get around to replacing the front end. It's not always necessary to replace the entire front end though. If you strike early and your front panel is still in good condition, then you can sometimes get away with cutting just the wings away to give you access to the front panel side of the seam. If the corrosion can be removed fully from the front panel then sometimes only new wings are necessary, however you will generally only be able to establish this once the wings are off.

Edited by AVV IT, 17 May 2012 - 08:05 PM.

[mymini007]

Yeah the rust was taken away, didnt take a pic, but it was etch primed and regular primer, but it came back through the seams, and up from the bit where the bumper fits on. Thats why I replaced the lot