RUST REPAIR HELP PLEASE ?

[Blown_FC]

I'm rady to get stuck into the rust repair work of my FC sedan resto....it is now a completely stripped shell with front subframe, doors, boot, bonnet, tank ect all removed.

I'm no panel beater, so I'm asking for any tips or hints on what to do or what not to do when repairing rust.

My car looks pretty rust free, untill you look closer ! I have it in all the good places....like at the base of the B-Pillar, wheel arch ( inside door side ), floor pans and body crossmembers ect.

I have ordered new floor pans and crossmember, but for the rest of it, I think it's a matter of "DO IT YOURSELF".....for example....the lower sill panel that runs along the bottom of the doors is in good nick, but inside it, is full of sand, dirt, rust flakes and crap like that, so how to I get it out, or how do I get the sill off without stuffing it, so I can put it back on ?

Any hints, tips, and especially photos would be a huge help.

Cheers

Mark

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

I'd be working on the non-cosmetic stuff first to get some experience. Really it would be in your best interest to practice on some old panels first, welding rust sections is nothing like welding tube/angle/whatever. Get yourself to a library and see if you can borrow any panel beating books, or look around on the 'net.
When you have finished those sections you will have a good idea or not about tackling the cosmetic items. You may want to call in a panel beater for these items.
This is the foundation for the car, so it sets the standard for what follows, crap bodywork will mean crap final job no matter who the painter is.

[Ed]

Hi Mark,

I've had a long battle against the dreaded rust, and I've got it beat now!    zillions of hours later, 2 welders and litres of Metal Ready and POR15!

hints.. Ken McLean did a tech article on sill replacement, available in the technical section of the club site, would be very useful to read first.

In my experience the rust you see (especially in the sill area) is the cliche "tip of the iceberg" if you have rust flakes, dirt and sand, I would guess there is more underneath there.  Once again the tech article should help you remove and replace the outer sills.

The floor is pretty easy, just place your replacement section over the area, mark it out and cut to about 1 - 1.5 inches inside the line, re-fit and trim more accurately as you go.  Less is best... measure twice cut once.

An overlap of about 0.5 - 1 inch is desirable for a mono floor (to retain strength).  Stitch weld in place, on both sides then seam seal it up.

I use weld thru coating to ensure the welded area doesnt rust out again prematurely.

I'll see what I have in the way of photos, most of them aren't scanned so bear with me.

Make your plates as accurate as possible, less gap the better, spread your heat and don't rush it.

The best quality welding gear you can get your hands on too.. I prefer MIG but better panels are achieved using gas.  Also get yourself a good Grinder.. Harko can elaborate more on this.

As Stinky suggests practice practice practice.....

Good luck

Cheers

Ed