Comprehensive S14a refurb

[Polo2]

I cant believe how mint this car was befor you started dont let some one like me get near it!!! ever!!

[Petrol]

I’m in no rush to get it back together. I just want everything as good as I can get it. It was in pretty good nick before I started which has made things a bit easier

Struggled removing the rust off the wings, it’s not easy when you don’t want to scratch the paint so I decided to deox them



Left it overnight and after a quick wire brush





Some areas were difficult to get to




Luckily I have built up a good selection of wire brushes over the years with different profiles



When masking up, if the tape isn't wide enough, rather than trying to stick 2 or more pieces together on the job. Stick them together first and then apply. it's a lot easier

[CrazySx]

Good work as always Pete, ad best of all, education for us I can se lots of updates this wknd, considering we have been granted some sun

[Smoothound]

Still coming along nicely I see ! Have you had the rear windscreen rubber out yet? (I did a search but couldn't find any reference)

I took mine out last week and there was lots of surface rust. The only reason I spotted it last June was because it had just started to bubble around the bottom right corner

I did have it fixed by the body shop, but it's come back again, so enforced with Petrol's shared knowledge, I've tackled it myself !! Cheers Dude

Once the rubber was out, and I started to cut through the paint with a dremel, it became apparent that there was light oxidization under the paint, pretty much 50% of the way around. Mainly in the corners, and along the bottom edge.

Some de-ox gel got rid of it though! Some Bilt-Hamber etching primer went on last night, and it's in the bodyshop today to have some paint back on top. So should be as good as new!

When I first asked people about this problem, no one seemed to have had it before, but I'm suspecting that alot of S14s and 14as will have some hidden rust under that rubber. It seems to happen because the water gets under the seal, and then sits in the bottom of the rubber gulley around the rear aperture, gradually seeping through the paint and causing the rust. If not caught early like mine, I'm sure this will eventually turn to rot!

If you remove the plastic trim you can probably see if there's any rust starting, without having to take the rubber out. If you do see some under the plastic trim, then there's a good chance there's worse rust under the rubber

I think it's wise for eveyone to do this check as most of these cars have now had 10 years of salt water hanging around there

Thank god I caught it on mine !

[Petrol]

I can se lots of updates this wknd, considering we have been granted some sun

That was the kiss of death It’s been raining all day and the forecast for tomorrow isn’t too clever Pity I was working yesterday when it was sunny

Still coming along nicely I see ! Have you had the rear windscreen rubber out yet? (I did a search but couldn't find any reference)

I haven’t seen any indications of corrosion behind the rear windscreen rubber but I will have a good look. Thanks for the heads up though I have never heard of this before, anyone else had this problem?

Glad to see some of my pointers are helping others out. It all makes it worthwhile

[gepeto]

Does anyone know products that compare to Deox gel in terms of Quality?

They don't ship to Canada and I need some kind of rust removal gel - I've been contemplating Eastwood's rust removal gel..

Petrol : Have you looked inside the rear of your rocker panels, where the sunroof drain tubes go?

I finished removing all the tar from my floorboards and stripping the inside of the s14 this weekend and notive it was full of rust, as the drains just throw water in the rocker panel

[Mr G]

anyone else had this problem?

Not sure about the rear windscreen but when I had my front replaced there was lots of rust under the seal. Saying that, my seal had been hacked about by a previous owner for some reason so that was probably the cause of water getting underneath.

I'd still definately check both front and rear on yours, even if your seals are intact.

[Petrol]

Does anyone know products that compare to Deox gel in terms of Quality?

They don't ship to Canada and I need some kind of rust removal gel - I've been contemplating Eastwood's rust removal gel..

Petrol : Have you looked inside the rear of your rocker panels, where the sunroof drain tubes go?

I finished removing all the tar from my floorboards and stripping the inside of the s14 this weekend and notive it was full of rust, as the drains just throw water in the rocker panel

This stuff looks top notch. Going to get some and try it

http://www.por15.com/Data%20Sheets/metalreadyreg.pdf

There's no sunroof on my S14a, I have had a look inside the sills at the back and they are rust free.

I'd still definately check both front and rear on yours, even if your seals are intact.

OK thanks, I’ll have a look next time it’s out of the cover.


Good progress today, sprayed the wings






And at long last the back of the bonnet. Been waiting weeks to do this

[gonzomagic]

Pete, what can I say, but wow

What is there left to do?

[Petrol]

What is there left to do?

Finish stripping the front (almost done that today)
Remove rust and respray front end of shell
Shotblast (I will get this done professionally) front suspension arms, engine mounts, subby etc and paint
Still got 1 caliper and 1 front strut to sort. I will shotblast these
Re spray the sideskirts, door handles, front & rear bumpers

There’s loads of parts I’m undecided about like the brake and clutch master cylinders, they might just clean up with the minimum of hassle but then again I might have to strip them to sort. Brake pipes are another problem. The green electrocoat finish is intact but the plating on the nuts has tarnished. It seems madness to replace them, as the cost will be substantial for a few of them.

I checked under the rear screen rubber and didn't find any rust. Just a bit of dirt




Front is 99% stripped now. It all looks good. Underneath the slam panel is OK




NS chassis leg



OS



Tunnel



Just the brake servo to remove. I can't get the fuse box out so I will have to work around that



Total extent of rust behind seam sealer on NS inner wing



Front end should be easy to sort

[Mr Bizzle]

I cant believe how mint this car was befor you started dont let some one like me get near it!!! ever!!

Damn right!

The work that has gone into this project is truly awe inspiring. I can't believe it!

What i don't understand though...

Why didn't you just strip it all back to a chassis and get it dipped and electrostaticly primed and then re-painted? Would have saved you a ball load of time.

But then again, that is expansive and would probably still leave you with LOADS of stuff still needing to do...

Just amazing work none the less mate.

[Petrol]

I did consider dipping, electro prime and full paint job. It costs around £3-4K The main problem is my lack of facilities. It’s difficult enough on the drive as it is. The main reason I didn’t do this however is that in 10 years time, when it’s quite old and hopefully still mint, I will be able to say “the blue paint on the shell is original”

Massive progress today Decided that cleaning the front end up would take a lot longer using the carcoon. It would have been very difficult to degrease it without ruining the carcoon base. It also takes quite a while to fit and remove. The problem was the axle stands were sat on the carcoon base so I couldn’t just roll it off. The solution...







I brushed on a total of 3L of Jizer to get rid of the old waxoyl and grease. Then I washed it down twice with a very hot washing up liquid solution. I used 250ml of persil in half a bucket of water Rinsed off with the hose and it looks like this







Did the same with the loom and every single plug





Used this opportunity to raise it up quite a bit, should make life a little easier



Might not seem like a lot, but it was the job I was least looking forwards to

[muttley]

Kin ell mate, now thats what I call dedication

[dougal200]

fantastic work mate,

you have been the inspiration for my project (project 400sx) with the detail levels you have been achiving.

what will you be doing to treat the rust on the seam in the bay where the rust has crept under the seam. deox c will not get under there will it?

[doktorn]

Cheers Pete,

Have been following your progress here for a while. Always been curious about that Deox-C stuff. Shipping rates kept me from ordering though. But ever since seeing your first pictures of your results with it, that Deox-C came to mind whenever finding a rusty part needed to refurbish. As I only have one healthy eye, I just won't go near a shotblasting gun. So I last week I thought, what the hell, it's only money. I ordered both Deox-C and the gel. Seriously rusted brackets have now been in the bath for 24hrs and the rust is almost all gone. Truly amazing product, thank you for testing it out and letting the SX world know about it :-)

One question to you though, what is your experience of mixture life? How long/much can you use a bath before it gets exhausted?

[Smoothound]

I checked under the rear screen rubber and didn't find any rust. Just a bit of dirt

Unscrew the plastic trim off that runs along the bottom, check under there for any rust. If it's OK there too, then you've got away with it!

Not sure how common it is, but I know I'm not the only one!

Got mine back yesterday, all shiney and perfect again.

Sadly, still can't source a new rubber from anywhere

[Petrol]

what will you be doing to treat the rust on the seam in the bay where the rust has crept under the seam. deox c will not get under there will it?

If it’s run under the seam then I will split it to remove the rust. The reason water has got behind the sealer in the engine bay is poor adhesion. It comes pre formed and is just stuck on. I would like to meet some of the guys from the assembly line to ask them a few questions

Cheers Pete,

Have been following your progress here for a while. Always been curious about that Deox-C stuff. Shipping rates kept me from ordering though. But ever since seeing your first pictures of your results with it, that Deox-C came to mind whenever finding a rusty part needed to refurbish. As I only have one healthy eye, I just won't go near a shotblasting gun. So I last week I thought, what the hell, it's only money. I ordered both Deox-C and the gel. Seriously rusted brackets have now been in the bath for 24hrs and the rust is almost all gone. Truly amazing product, thank you for testing it out and letting the SX world know about it :-)

One question to you though, what is your experience of mixture life? How long/much can you use a bath before it gets exhausted?

Only too happy to help out with the products I'm using. Good idea not to go near a shotblasting gun, I got sand in an eye and it’s not nice. The Deox lasts for ages and will still work fine even when it’s black. I have 2 tanks, this is the larger one which is mixed up at about 10%




The small tank I use for removing plate from nuts and bolts and is mixed up full strength at 20%



As you can see the solution is black but they both work fine.

Unscrew the plastic trim off that runs along the bottom, check under there for any rust. If it's OK there too, then you've got away with it!

Thanks looks OK to me. OS



NS



I was expecting the screws to be rusty



I know this car has been looked after and the previous owner looks at this thread from time to time. I'd just like to thank Dave for looking after it in the 6 years he owned it It's made this refurb relatively easy

[doktorn]

The Deox lasts for ages and will still work fine even when it’s black. I have 2 tanks, this is the larger one which is mixed up at about 10%



The small tank I use for removing plate from nuts and bolts and is mixed up full strength at 20%



As you can see the solution is black but they both work fine.

Interesting :-) That was my main concern, that it wouldn't last long.
Do you have the baths cold or do you use some kind of heater? Directions say that process is faster in warm solution.

[Petrol]

I don't have heaters in the baths. The small one is inside so it's always warm. If you have something that's badly corroded you will have to take it out of the bath and scrub it. The best way to do this is scrub it under a running hose pipe. This method reduces the amount of rust going into the tank and extends the life of the Deox

Scraped off the seam sealer on the inner wing just in front of the door. No rust



Had to split the seam under the arch where the brake pipe bracket goes - both sides. Deox gel will sort the rust




Front crossmember came up like this after a good wire brushing. Not good enough though. The black at the bottom of the pitting is rust. Paint over that and it will come through so again, Deox



Exactly the same with the scuttle panel



Had to split the seam where the turret attaches to the inner wing on the OS. The NS is OK



Rust always starts around welds. Stripped all the spot welds back to bright metal



There's quite a few nuts welded to the shell. I will also do these



Hope this good weather holds out

[Martin...]

Wish i had the time, money, patients and energy to do this...