3 replies to this topic

[nigos]

I have just stripped my car down to do some rust repairs but I have found something I wasn't expecting.  A section of the rear panel has been replaced at some point and was clearly not seam sealed properly as it has started to rust down the seam.  Annoyingly there is also rust behind the plate for the rear seat belt mount which I cant really get to with out removing it, or the rear panel.  See pictures below:

 

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The only viable solution I can think of at this moment is to replace the rear panel or this section of it again as this corner of the bumper lip has rusted away as well.  Either way I will have to remove some of it to get rid of the rust in the seam.

 

Does anyone have any other advise on the matter?  I don't want to paint the car and then have rust come through again a year or so later.

[coopertaz]

if bumper lip has gone then no option to renew here, but is 3 panels. boot floor, valence and hinge panel. i always use weld through primer on these then spot or plug weld before seam sealing. for belt mount can you not get in with flexible dremel attachment (found these a must have!) then rust treatment?

[sonikk4]

Looks like the rear window aperture to me. And also the C pillars.

 

If so a couple of options here. The C pillar where you cannot get access to i would look at popping the spot welds on the seat belt mount, remove the rust the re weld in the seat belt mount.

 

Now the seams, this is more difficult and will require some careful cutting. So the same process again, find the spot welds and drill them out. Very carefully right in the radius use a 1mm stainless steel slitting disc on a grinder and cut out one side of the seam until you get to clean metal. Now using 0.9mm steel sheet, cut a strip of steel the same width as the flange and tack weld in place. Now use the same  process to do the same to the opposite side. Now before you tack weld the other strip in place if you do not have access to a spot welder drill some 3/16th minimum holes in one piece of the strips you have fabricated. Roughly 1 inch apart. Apply a liberal coating of Zinc rich weld through primer to both mating faces of the steel you are going to weld in. Clamp together, tack weld the other strip in place, check everything is ok then pulse weld in the radius's both sides. Now you can plug weld / spot weld the two sections together.

 

Now this is something i do all the time in areas like this is to carefully use the slitting disc to knock back the welds in the radius's you have welded. You can get a very good result using this method but take your time and dont rush.

[nigos]

Thanks for the replies.  Some very useful advise.  I have already removed the rear valance I just need to separate the boot floor from the rear panel so I can carry out repairs.