Rust, Welding, and MOTs.

[Raize]

I have a problem. My car has some rust issues that probably need to be fixed before it will pass another MOT. A picture says a thousand words:

http://i.imgur.com/B9bng.jpg

I find bodywork a frightening and unfamiliar thing to work on, so I'd appreciate some advice on each of these rust areas. Such as the severity of each area, which of the rusted areas will cause MOT fail and which will not, suggested repair method (fiberglass or weld), and estimated cost of getting it fixed (not including respray, just to get it structurally sound. I can paint it myself).

Scrapping it is not an option.

[Conian]

I'd say always weld, there was metal there for a reason.

[pk500]

if it is within 12" of suspension brakes or steering mount ect and seat belts it needs welding any sharp edges on body work can be tapped over ! the problem is the further you get in to it the more rust is found

[davepoth]

Conian said:

I'd say always weld, there was metal there for a reason.

If it's a car you want to keep, you use new metal, and always a lot more than is absolutely necessary if you want it to look nice. By the look of that sill I'd guess the rot has got fairly deep into it; I doubt patching will do much good so a full replacement may be in order. For the wing, if it's a bolt on item and they're available, it might be worth getting a new one rather than fixing what you have.

For the wheelarch though, a thorough rub down may reveal some good metal as the corrosion looks fairly minor.

[J4CKO]

I have a 944 which has soem rust coming through, done bits of welding and have a Mig but am practising on old panels, its nothign major (had an endoscopinc camera in there to check) but needs attending to, it is basically cutting out the old stuff in and putting a new piece, look on Retro Rides for inspiration and what some of the nutters on there can do. Get good gear, practice, prepare, take your time and you can get good results, it isnt rocket science.

[Fire99]

J4CKO said:

Get good gear, practice, prepare, take your time and you can get good results, it isnt rocket science.

It's a far less common sight (welding cars) than it once was, but there was a time DIY car fixers all across the country would be patching up their Fords, Austins, Opels etc. My mates Manta had lots of 'metal attention'

The the most skilled welders are incredibly neat but there's no reason you can't learn sufficient skills quite quickly to do the kind of work in the OP's pics. It's just a case of doing lots of preparation, taking your time and then spending a bit of time 'prettying' the visual areas after.

[Raize]

davepoth said:

By the look of that sill I'd guess the rot has got fairly deep into it; I doubt patching will do much good so a full replacement may be in order.

It's not actually the box section of the sill, it's more like a flat panel that extends back about 6 inches from where the box section ends that has the rust hole...

I heard you can easily kill yourself with fumes if you try and weld galvanised metal, and 924's have galv chassis. I guess the best thing would be to sand to bare metal, weld in some plain steel, then use a zinc primer before painting to give some extra protection.

[NiceCupOfTea]

If it's a car you want to keep, do it right and do it once: No patching, no filler, no fibreglass. Cut all the rust out, new metal welded in properly, rustproofed, painted, waxoyled, undercoated.

If you're not up to it yourself, take it to a classic specialist or a marque specialist, make clear exactly what you want done, get a quote but both be clear that if more appears under the skin it could cost more. If they offer a cash job or "mates rates" avoid in my experience as they will be quick to wash their hands if it comes through again. Work In Progress photos too.

£3k and counting chasing rust/paintwork on my Saab 900!

[Raize]

Before doing anything else, should I grind/cut off these rusted parts and paint the exposed metal with waxoyl, or should I just leave it as it is until I am ready to weld in new sections?

[NiceCupOfTea]

You'd have to clean the waxoyl off before welding - I would be tempted to leave it until the work is going to be done (I did with mine, no idea if it made it worse). I could show you some of the pics of my car before the work, they would make your teeth itch!

[Fish981]

A brief squint at your pictures doesn't show any obvious MOT failures.

[Raize]

Fish981 said:

A brief squint at your pictures doesn't show any obvious MOT failures.

[Ozzie Osmond]

Put it into an MOT shop which can do the welding for you and tell them to repair as much as needs fixing to pass an MOT for the next couple of years.

Bodge the rest with fibreglass when the pass certificate is clutched firmly in your hand.

[Raize]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Put it into an MOT shop which can do the welding for you and tell them to repair as much as needs fixing to pass an MOT for the next couple of years.

Bodge the rest with fibreglass when the pass certificate is clutched firmly in your hand.

Everyone knows that if you don't go to an "MOT-only" place they'll just make up work to charge you for

[s p a c e m a n]

How long are you planning on keeping the car? Taking a brief look I think that you are going to be chasing that forever if you just patch it up, if you are just planning another 12/18 months I would fiberglass the necessary and just cover the underneath in a tub of waxoyl. Any longer and you might as well go at the entire car properly with new panels.