How fussy are you about rust?

Gel

What do you do if you find a bit of a rust hole? Do you reach for a welder or is it okay to use a bit of isopon if it's just a little one? Do you just drive the car on saying I'll deal with it eventually. It's not going to fall apart after all!

You see the reason I ask is that if a car is 30 or 40 years old then it should be rusty unless it's fully restored and if we worry about every little detail then we'll never enjoy the car! My MG Midget looks really cool and yes I've discovered a small hole in the sill, a hole around the bumper hanger and the bottom inch of one of the A posts is gone. Should I panic, do I patch it up and drive on or do I need to learn to weld fast?
I actually bought a mig welder a while back but I don't have time to learn so I also throwing this out there. If someone would do the repairs for me they can keep the welder!

Cheers!

gn3dr

Gel wrote: »

What do you do if you find a bit of a rust hole? Do you reach for a welder or is it okay to use a bit of isopon if it's just a little one? Do you just drive the car on saying I'll deal with it eventually. It's not going to fall apart after all!

You see the reason I ask is that if a car is 30 or 40 years old then it should be rusty unless it's fully restored and if we worry about every little detail then we'll never enjoy the car! My MG Midget looks really cool and yes I've discovered a small hole in the sill, a hole around the bumper hanger and the bottom inch of one of the A posts is gone. Should I panic, do I patch it up and drive on or do I need to learn to weld fast?
I actually bought a mig welder a while back but I don't have time to learn so I also throwing this out there. If someone would do the repairs for me they can keep the welder!

Cheers!

Generally if you've got holes coming through the sills then there's probably a lot worse inside the sill. 1 inch of an A post gone would probably point to this as well.

Gel

Well It's just one hole, I tapped hard along the rest of the sill and can't find anything. I also got hold of a gadget that you can put to the surface and it will tell if there's rust underneath and it read fine for the length of the sill. Pity I didn't have it before I bought the car.

macplaxton

Depends where the rust is.

If it is non-structural, I'll get round to it eventually, but it saves time/money in the long run if you catch it early.

If it's structural (e.g. sill), I'd be brickin' it. If it wouldn't pass a NCT, I'd see to it straight away.

Henry Ford III

At a minimum rub it down and treat it with a rust remedy.

ianobrien

For me, if I find a bit of rust I generally head to the panel beater. I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to the Fe2O3. I also use NOS panels when possible and yes they do cost a bit.

Max_Damage

Fibreglass filler does the job for me.

carchaeologist

I love the kind of rust that im the first to find,i hate the kind of rust someone else has got to before me,usually with newspaper/filler/bits of rolled up sandpaper,etc. I had a beetle years back that had patches made from bits of an old copper cylinder and fibreglassed in place. Expanding foam is another good one lately,spray it in,cut off the excess and fill and paint over!

Ford4000

Rust is bad no matter what quantity its in, it spreads very fast and cn leave a car dangerous, if there is fairly obvious rust i dont think a car is worth taking to shows it just aint right my opinion obviously and as regards fibreglass filler, it should be banned, gammy cheap horrible crap that makes nothing but a mess for someone else to tidy up !!!

spooky donkey

Rust: Im against it.

I do try to sort it out as soon as I can.

quattro777

Very fussy :D
I have never bought a car with signs of rust. If I did it would be straight off the bodyshop with new panels, no packing with filler.

I've walked away from cars in the past because of minor bubbling.
Rust doesn't appear overnight, if the owner hasn't bothered to sort it out what else has he neglected?
Fibreglass filler is ****e of the highest order and is used by the same people who think underseal is a structural component.

ikb

if there is fairly obvious rust i dont think a car is worth taking to shows

Hardly fair.
My Zodiac is showing signs of the dreaded tin worm here and there,:(
Not structural, but if you started on them- you would end up doing an expensive respray..Car looks great from a couple of feet away, and I am always being complimented on her condition.:)
Rust is the Enemy, any structural work should be attended quickly (and if necessary professionally).
Have used POR 15 with some sucsess.:pac:

Run_to_da_hills

carchaeologist

ikb wrote: »

My Zodiac is showing signs of the dreaded tin worm here and there,:(

What MK zodiac is it? My uncles MK3 is the same,looks great,but when you look up close theres small bubbles and stuff like that that adds up to most of a respray if you do them all.

ikb

carchaeologist wrote: »

What MK zodiac is it? My uncles MK3 is the same,looks great,but when you look up close theres small bubbles and stuff like that that adds up to most of a respray if you do them all.

Apologies for the late reply, was working in the peoples republic, No interweb all week (How did we ever manage),
its a Mk3 Automatic, 1965,DZI (Dublin).Looks Black but is really dark dark brown (like bournville chocolate). Id put up a photo but im hopeless at P.c.ing.(Any guideance welcome)
Has some microbubbles under the paint on one wing, Bottom of A post is starting a hole, small rusty bits on doors, and one on rere wing by boot. Add a few dings and scrapes... there you have it.:)

Which one is your uncles, I think Iv seen most in the country at this stage?

[/IMG]:D


Aut Viam Invanium Aut Faciem!

carchaeologist

Gorgeous car,cant be too many irish ones about.

kasper

the zodiac is beautiful i havent seen one since about 1973 on the roads

ikb

Thank you guys for all the Accolades
I believe my baby deserves them, She is what She is. And despite what ford 4000 says, She got alot of interest at show today.
In a field of (maby) 200 cars, EVERYONE who commented had good memories/ thoughts/ comments, etc. There was lot of interest.
That said, The topic is rust...!
Rust is the enemy.
Structural decay is a no no. Cosmetic is another thing.
You have to stay on top of it!........ But it doesent mean you cant show or be proud of your car.
I need anew boot lid. Anyone got one?