Lock down work

[Razor61]

 

[Razor61]

The problem area has now been started. Rather than get a plate welded in, which I would if I could, I decided to take the advice of using epoxy and aluminium mesh. The area has already been prepared and rust treated etc, so aluminium mesh was cut to size and shaped, holes drilled in the wheel arch ready for stainless self tapping screws to hold the mesh in place, epoxy applied to relevant areas, mesh attached and fixed with stainless screws, more epoxy applied over the whole area to form a thin film over the area. Waiting for it all to set/cure and then more epoxy over the whole area to create thick coverage. Maybe another depending on how it goes. Then a spray of anti chip paint and some under body coating of some sort.

[Razor61]

Epoxy has now had another coat applied, dried and smoothed out a bit............ It’s not perfectly smooth but it’s a solid/waterproof repair and will last a long time. Someone looking at the repair will maybe think its a bodge job and has just had some slap applied all over but I know what work has gone into it and I’m happy it’s been done right ( and the other repairs ) Maybe not as good as welding in a metal plate but pretty close if not ( it would have needed sealant etc at the bottom edge anyway though) but I’m 100% it’s structurally sound and has ‘stopped the rot’, pardon the pun. I’ve sprayed it all now with anti chip paint and will maybe give it coating of under seal or do the whole wheel arch/s. While the cill covers are off and therefore I can get to the fixing holes along the bottom, I emptied a few cans of cavity wax into the cills via these holes giving plenty of attention to the rear where the holes were. The cills themselves are totally solid but the rear ‘end plates’ ( for want of a better expression ) were the bits that needed attention and inside the cill in this area there was some surface rust that was treated but nothing to worry about at all really. Different story maybe if it had been left for another year or two.

Ive already put back the cill covers etc back on the drivers side and will do the passenger side today then a really good wash of the whole car. The cill fixings I bought from eBay (twice cos I lost the first lot!) fit perfectly so they were well worth it. I’ll take a some pics later and post them.

[Razor61]

Everything is back together but I noticed some rust areas on the passenger rear inner arch. Not much to begin with, just a very small area where the under seal had failed and I could see a bit of rust. So jacked up the car, took the wheel off again and started scraping which revealed a larger area, not a surprise to be honest. Scraped and wire brushed to reveal the affected area, pic below, then treated as normal. I will look at both rear inner arches properly at the weekend and find as many other bits as possible, treat them and then spray on some fresh under seal.

The ‘problem’ area after using aluminium mesh, epoxy and painted. It’s not smooth but it’s rock solid and after I coat it with under seal it will be fine and look better.

[Razor61]

On 3/31/2020 at 4:13 PM, ambermarine said:

Paul

Best treatment for the strength in place is the aluminum mesh soaked with epoxy resin then applied as a plaster,this will bond better than fibreglass and will wear better.

When it as gone off build it with more layers and shape into the contours.

Thanks for the advice Phil and is, more or less, exactly what I did. In hindsight I should have used this method on the other bits as well but they were nowhere near as bad so I’m still happy with it.

[ambermarine]

Hi Paul

I have owned several yachts over the years and also worked around boats in marinas and found epoxy a great material for the repair work on hulls and superstructure.

A mistake a lot of people make is using new fibreglass on old it does not key properly and eventually the bond will fail ,epoxy will bond to most surfaces and as a good flow rate meaning it gets into all the nooks and crannies expelling air voids its tensile strength is also vastly superior to fibreglass resin.

[Razor61]

21 minutes ago, ambermarine said:

I have owned several yachts over the years and also worked around boats in marinas and found epoxy a great material for the repair work on hulls and superstructure.

A mistake a lot of people make is using new fibreglass on old it does not key properly and eventually the bond will fail ,epoxy will bond to most surfaces and as a good flow rate meaning it gets into all the nooks and crannies expelling air voids its tensile strength is also vastly superior to fibreglass resin.

Hi Phil

I've used epoxy adhesives before but never thought of using it for large areas etc, first thing that comes to mind is fibreglass, it works a treat and it really is rock solid. Thew fibreglass I removed was like straw and just pulled away very easily. I didn't know what to buy so I looked around a bit on the internet and decided to get 2 x tubes of 'West System Six10 Thickened Epoxy Adhesive' and is used in the marine industry I think, my thought was that it would be thicker for the vertical surfaces and not run as much. It is thick though and not exactly cheap but for my purpose it was ideal I think. I didn't get it smooth but I should have read the instructions better as I think it 'thins' the more you work it. Fixing the aluminium mesh in place with stainless self tappers and then epoxy resin over the whole area, as you suggested, resulted in a very strong repair. Maybe just as good or maybe better than welding in a steel plate in this particular area, it would have been difficult welding the bottom of the plate to the cill so I would have needed to use some kind of sealant in the area anyway I think. Also welding in one particular area further up the wheel arch could have resulted in the exterior paintwork, which isn't covered by a trim panel, bubbling which I didn't want at all.

Now all the cill covers and mudguards are back in place, most of the repaired area is covered and it looks fine. The worst side is more visible but even then you wouldn't notice unless purposely looked. 

Thanks again, it was good advice!!

 

[ambermarine]

Hi Paul

I could get into a long discussion on how good the West System is with all of its products from filling compounds and bead systems it is by far superior to most other systems but as you discovered not cheap which is why you really need to use it .I have used other cheaper systems on commissioned projects supplied by the client and the results have been very varied in application and end results.

[Razor61]

I made the right choice with the West System stuff then🙂 pics below of the repair areas with all the trim back on.

 

[Malc]

strangely, I see a weight on your nearside rear wheel on the OUTSIDE  !!!

Mine are all on the inside and i think always have been too 

Malc

 

[Razor61]

36 minutes ago, Malc said:

strangely, I see a weight on your nearside rear wheel on the OUTSIDE  !!!

Yep, that particular wheel was the spare wheel I think hence the original weight on the rim. When the tyres get replaced it will be sorted.

[Razor61]

Job for weekend is............wire brush and clean the underside and inner wheel arches while the weather is still good and apply Bilt Hamber Dynax stuff. On a whim, while looking for some snow foam, I bought a ‘Bilt Hamber underbody anti-corrosion kit’ which includes 2 x cans of S50, can of UB, can of UC and 1l surface HD. I also bought some Hydrate 80 to try.

I’m not 100% sure which Dynax stuff to apply where, apart from UB in the arches?, so if anyone has used this before and can help it would be great.

I have already done inside the cill’s with other cavity protection stuff which is ‘Normfest Protector - cavity protection’, I bought this along with the sealant etc from ECP for repairing the inner arch holes and protecting inside the cill’s while I had all covers/trim etc removed. This was at the start of the lock down period, seems a long long time ago since I started all this work................

[Razor61]

jack the car up on the off side rear, wheel off and axle stand in place ready to coat with Dynax stuff. I then decided to have a really good look round the arch lip etc which I had wire brushed, treated and then sprayed with ant chip paint not long after I bought the car October ish last year. I’m glad I did because it needed attention. I think doing what I did last year before winter had kept the rust in check but needed doing properly now and will probably have been a lot worse after another winter. After much scraping, wire brushing and emery cloth I removed the under seal from the arch lip to approx 80mm from the arch lip until I hit thicker under seal and the rust stopped. The under seal in this area is very thin but gets noticeably thicker the further up you go. When done I degreased the whole area, rinsed and then dried with paper towels and the Mrs hair dryer until it was bone dry again. Applied the Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 from the kit I bought and I’m just waiting 30 mins to apply a second coat as per the introductions. Pics below are an example of what I found, since the picture I removed the arch trim plastic grommets, and also a picture of a plate that has been welded in and coated in a very similar place to the other side which I repaired earlier. You can just make out the plate which is a wrong way round L shape or J shape starting at the top where the visible rust ends, if that makes sense and you will need to rotate it 90 degrees. This must have been the repair carried out when it failed the mot in April 2017, it’s very solid and looks a good job so I’m not worried about it.

[Razor61]

Both sides done now, scraped, sanded and treated with Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 ready for painting tomorrow. Don’t know how good it is but the reviews say it is. My body is aching after being a contortionist under the arches but if you run your fingers inside the arches now they are as smooth as the clay barred paintwork😀 well almost! Well chuffed with what I’ve done today and it definitely needed doing. Tomorrow will be painting inside the arches etc, just wish I had some Por15 to use but a few coats of anti chip paint will be more than enough for now and will buy some Por15 and coat it again. Beer o’clock now and will sit in the sun 😎, satisfied that I’m at least one step ( possibly 10 ) closer to making the car last another 24 years.

[Razor61]

Sprayed some anti chip paint round the arches today. Pics below of what it looks like now and is a vast improvement. When I get the Por15 it will get a couple of coats, brushed on which is easier, then maybe a bead of sealant in the corner to create a chamfered edge for water to run off.

 

[Razor61]

More pics of arch lip.

 

 

[Razor61]

It was a painstaking job, time and effort along with a lot of swearing and patience but worth it in the end. My body is complaining big style but it’s done now until I get the Por15 paint and then it will be a breeze😎

Dynax coating will have to wait till another time..............when the weather is good again.

[ambermarine]

Hi Paul

With regard to the finished surface of the lip and the use of sealant .

The main issue for this area is collection of dirt and the subsequent moisture it retains when wet the best finish is a smooth surface as it is as the moment so any dirt is washed off in the regular use and a quick hose down every time the car is washed.

[Razor61]

3 hours ago, ambermarine said:

The main issue for this area is collection of dirt and the subsequent moisture it retains when wet the best finish is a smooth surface as it is as the moment so any dirt is washed off in the regular use and a quick hose down every time the car is washed.

Hi Phil, good advice thanks and I will follow it. I was just toying with idea of putting a bead in the corner but it would have been a pain to do anyway without a ramp plus I've had enough of being a contortionist for a while!! When I get the Por15 I'll paint it with that and then it will be a super smooth finish. Once this is done I'll coat whole the inner arch with the Dynax stuff but maybe not the inside of the arch lip area as it will be well protected already and the Dynax stuff might make it sticky (if that makes sense) but I'll find out when I do a test area and it's set/cured/dried. Thanks again.

Paul

[Razor61]

Finished painting the rear arch lips with Por15 yesterday evening. They have been de rusted as much as possible, scraped, sanded with emery cloth, degreased, wiped over with panel wipe, dried completely, treated with Hydrate 80 (2 applications), 3 coats of Isopon stone chip protector and finished with 2 coats of Por15. I don’t think I’ll see any rust in those areas for a long while

i can give the car a good wash etc today, I haven’t washed it for a couple of weeks due to doing the rear arches etc.

[Razor61]

Cleaned the rear arches again and coated with Dynax UB (Black) then after 24 hours drying coated with Dynax UC (Clear) I would have coated with again with Dynax UB but didn’t have enough in the can I think so did it with the clear coating.

[Malc]

Paul, maybe if I paid a visit to my cousin in Kirkham we could swap cars for a month or two and you could finish off all your excess energy getting mine up to speed ......  during the lockdown of course 

Malc

[Razor61]

3 hours ago, Malc said:

Paul, maybe if I paid a visit to my cousin in Kirkham we could swap cars for a month or two and you could finish off all your excess energy getting mine up to speed ......  during the lockdown of course 

Malc

No problem at all Malc.........for a reasonable fee of course😉

[Razor61]

I think I’ve reached the end of the work for a while now. After all the work I’ve done over the past few months, crawling underneath, kneeling for long periods in contortionist positions, constantly up and down etc plus everything else without doing any major damage to myself, I’ve done something to my right knee simply walking down some steps this morning and will need to rest up until it’s better. Something just ‘went’ and I can’t bend it or put weight on it but I’m still alive and will continue with work on the car in the future, don’t know what yet but I’ve got plenty of time to decide 😀 I won’t even get chance to use a new polisher/buffer kit I bought, the one I have started making some strange noises and didn’t feel right. The new one is a Rupes Bigfoot..............not cheap at all but you get you pay for like anything else in my opinion.

Malc, the work on your car will need to wait for a while😀 when all this virus situation has got better and you are in Kirkham maybe we can meet up for a beer and a chin wag🍻

[Razor61]

On 3/30/2020 at 10:16 AM, steve2006 said:

Question is....did you eventually find the clips or was it a case of tentatively asking the other half “You know those clips I bought, have you seen them anywhere” then increase social distancing while waiting for a response. 😀

I know it’s a while but I have found the clips and all the other stuff I couldn’t find last year, rear wheel bearings, lots of new OEM bolts/nuts/washers, poly front strut bar bushes and a few other new bits. I had put them all in a box underneath a tray with old pension/inland revenue paper work. I must have just looked, saw all the paper work and not bothered looking underneath. I was killing time this afternoon sorting out and tidying my workbench in the garage because the Belgium Grand Prix was delayed, I would have found them one day of course or someone else would after I departed this world🤪