Sorting the rust!

I've spent the day taking my car apart chasing rust! I did notice the rot on the bulkhead when I bought the car a few months a go. We were graced with a dry sunny weekend, so I grabbed at the chance to sort the rust out properly before the winter really kicks in.

It wasn't as bad as I originally thought, thank god! From the middle of the car to the rear including the sills, the floor, the arches, subframe, suspension, chassis etc were all solid, not even any real surface rust, (see pics) so that's a massive relief On the front however, different story The bulkhead was flaking off in big lumps (both sides). The seam/press welds along the inner wings and chassis rails, right up to the bumper bar were also rotten and flaking off! Thankfully there were no holes, just all surface!

So took the old girl to bits, removing the front wheels, front bumper, wheel arch liners, side skirts, washer bottle, resonator box to fully remove and treat the rust. Using a wire brush and a large flat blade screwdriver to remove the stubborn big bits I got rid of all the loose bits and got it back to solid metal. I treated all the rot with Locktite Rust Remedy Cement, good stuff that is, kills the rot and seals it, Lovely! Next, got a big tin of old school Underseal with Waxoil additives along with a 3'' brush and got painting! I done all the front arches, chassis rails, subframe, welds, bumper bar joins, bulkhead and as the sills as a precaution. Much better now, all sealed and protected for the winter and hopefully the rot won't rear its ugly head again!







While I was waiting for the Underseal to dry, I decided to make continual use of the fab weather and paint the callipers red and paint the brake disc hubs silver. I wire brushed the callipers, cleaned and painted them up. It looks smart now and has really freshened the old girl up no end!

Good job man, hopefully she should be protected for good few years, and the calipers are looking really good, did you just paint brush them on? or did you dismantale then spray them?

Cheers! Yeah hopefully it will keep it protected. I just hand painted them on the car. As long as you clean them up properly and give them a couple of coats they come up brilliantly. I used a small fine artists brush to paint them. No need for calliper paint. Hammerite is best for the job because its a metal paint that acts as primer, undercoat and top coat all in one application that's formulated for use direct to rusty surfaces! It covers all basis and dries quick and leaves a great smooth finish.

Blimey Jsmith, you sound like you could sell sand to the Saudis! How much are Hammerite paying you? Looks like you've done a great job though - again, its one of my 'jobs to do'... My last MOT had advisories on 'front (floor) suspension component mounting prescribed area...corroded...not excessive'. Had a look, but not sure where they're on about. However, spotted plenty of places which need attention. May pick your brains when next under there...

Looking again at your pics, would that area in the 2nd pic count as the area I've described on my MOT advisory?

Haha! I just like it when products do exactly what they state or claim!

Yea that sounds like the same place for the rust. Very common. I'd advise getting done before the winter. Take advantage of the last few warm dry days we have!

Hi jsmith, I've been under mine and I'm in the process of spot treating the obvious bits. Whilst under there, I noticed the brake lines are looking rusty (quite bad, I thought, in places). There's plenty of a white residue (which I'm hoping isn't too much to worry about) with some rust coloured 'proper' rust. Thought I'd try treating them, but couldn't get into them- they're behind a plastic grille held in place with plastic hex clips and a bracket with a 10mm screw on the end. Does anyone know the procedure to get in? I tried but got nowhere, thought I'd better ask around!
Also, what's the cleaning procedure? I guess emery cloth to remove corrosion. Once prepared, can I underseal them? Or an oily rag? Advice, as ever, gratefully received....

I've looked on the Ling's parts website and I'm actually talking about the fuel, return and vent pipes. No advisories mentioned about these on my last MOT - surely these are included in the test? Meanwhile, I'll look again for the brake lines...