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Front jacking point and seam RUST: Advice Requested
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epowell
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2019 5:39 am    Post subject: Front jacking point and seam RUST: Advice Requested Reply with quote

Hi All...

...last couple of days of nice (freaky) hot weather before the Winter will start > so I am now taking a good look at the FRONT wheel-wells/jacking point/seams RUST. Everyone knows this is a very typical area that rusts >>>> but I personally have never had a chance to deal with this area so I don't quite know what the accepted protocol is...

Here is what it looks like:
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See next foto....
....what I am guessing is that there is a certain amount of rust on the inside, so in order to prevent it all from just coming back I should open up this area enough to get that interior rust out... so should I start with cutting a hole something like the next foto?
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...or is it a pity to destroy the exterior panel - and a better ideal to try to go IN thru the wheel-well area?
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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Alaskaberrys Premium Member
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2019 11:35 am    Post subject: Re: Front jacking point and seam RUST: Advice Requested Reply with quote

I ended up going through the wheel well mostly as I was afraid I’d not be able to do a good job on the outside.

Best would be to replace the whole piece - wheel arch, etc as I’m sure the rust has migrated up the length of the seam. But, I decided to cut the rust holes out, pull the seam sealer and clean it out and treat with Ospho, weld patches, paint and later soak the inside with fluid film (probably annually).

Finding the holes under all that undercoating -
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Cut out -
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I did paint some POR-15 inside in the areas I could reach before welding shut.
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epowell
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Location: Czech (mostly) Vancouver (sometimes)
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2019 11:55 am    Post subject: Re: Front jacking point and seam RUST: Advice Requested Reply with quote

Nice job!
How did you cut those holes, Dremel mini-cutting wheel? My grinder will never cut such fine holes.

Very tough to weld is such tight spaces also.

Yes, this is the reason why I paused today to get some advice > I REALLY wanted to finish everything off today, but at one moment I came out of my DENIAL and realized that I have something bad going on on the inside..... but I really really would rather not mess up the exterior. Geez, my van looked so perfect when I bought it, and not due to rust coming back I have had to mess up a lot of the exterior. Kinda sad - but the guy who repaired all the old old rust, did a half-assed job. Now it is all slowly coming back.
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2019 11:07 pm    Post subject: Re: Front jacking point and seam RUST: Advice Requested Reply with quote

That was exactly my situation, rust not completely removed some time ago during a restoration. By the time I bought it - imported from a Germany - the rust was coming back pretty strong and starting to bubble paint.

Ideally, I would be cutting out every bit of it and replacing whole panels and frame members, but I just don’t have the experience nor resources for that. So, like you, just trying to keep the rust at bay and under control. Fortunately for me I have a shop for my plumbing business and was able to keep the doka in there for the last 18 months as I slowly worked the rust holes in my free time. A bit more difficult for you to take that kind of time when working on the weathers schedule.

I used a dremel with these cutting heads. Went through A LOT of them but they fit into very small spaces well. The welding turned out to be a great learning experience - I still am pretty poor at good looking welds but now have enough experience to actually make sense of the books and videos on the subject. Over the initial learning curve and on to the fun stuff. With your woodworking skill I think you’d adapt to it quickly. It to is more about the visualization of how it’s going together in a sensible way then the actual “welding”. Space and $$ are the only real limitations (like everything! Very Happy)

I admit I was pretty discouraged for a few months - endlessly finding new rust holes - more depressed with each one. But now all the holes but one are gone - replaced with new metal and repainted and it’s got about a gallon of Fluid Film sprayed into every conceivable nook and cranny. Rust is still there in spots I can’t reach but hopefully put to bed for awhile.
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