De-rusting!

[Steve200sx]

Hi guys, i have had a good search about on here, and spent a few hours reading through Petrols thread but cannot find what i am after.

I have the rear underside of my S14a stripped (no subframe or fuel tank etc) and I am trying to find out if I need to remove all of the OEM stonechip/paint down to bare metal, or if i can remove just the seam sealer and surrounding areas, remove all the patches that have lifted the paint, check spot welded areas etc.. and then zinc primer the areas with bare metal, with a 2k topcoat and then stonechip? Or do I need to be really anal with it and take everything back to bare metal and start from scratch?

Im hoping its not the latter!

Futher to that, will the OEM stonechip (if very clean/de-greased) take another coat of stonechip as there will obviously be some over spray of the new primer, 2k and stonechip onto the old stuff?

Thanks

Steve

[piman2k]

Don't remove the seam sealer unless you're planning on replacing it. Why would you be checking the spot welds mate, they're not going to collapse. You're just doing a visual/hammer test for rust under the car.

But yep, get rid of everything and spray the metal on the car, not the factory stonechip.

[Steve200sx]

Apologies, seam sealer would be added after removing the factory stuff to check, got it all sitting with me so no problems there

OK so it all has to come off? no problem, just wasnt sure if I should remove the OEM stuff if there was no sign of rust underneath. Best get a few more poly/wire disks in!

[piman2k]

Seriously, don't remove the new seam sealer unless you absolutely have to. It's going to be better than anything you get off the shelf.

[ady_mi16]

when i did a underside refurb on mine I removed everything, seam sealer and all, guess whats behind that seam sealer, yes rust and lots of it!

they rot from the inside out, my car looked good underneath untill i started taking everything off then you realise the truth. the rust is everywhere, you find random spots of rust under the underseal in places where yu think it would be fine.

my refurb thread is here petrol helped alot with mine, petrols refurb was done on a car in very good condition to start with mine was far more typical of the majority on uk roads.

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.p...t=fortune+rust

after spending 200hrs on mine underneath it was really good but it was a massive job, good luck with yours, hope it goes well

[-ghost-]

The seam sealer hid a lot of rust on my car from surface rust to metal you could push your finger through.

Strip everything to bare metal and start again if its a bit thin then cut it out weld it up. Have a good read of petrols thread like ady says the guy has some great help and tested alot of products.

Try to buy in bulk saves you quite a bit in the long run. I use 1-4 wire brushes a day.


good luck.

[Steve200sx]

Thanks for the help guys, I will have a thorough look at your thread Ady, hopefully give me something to aim for!

I have found one hole so far (underneath some good condition seam sealer front of rear drivers side wheel arch) and plenty of rust around the seals and surface rust behind the fuel tank, but no holes in the chassis rail yet, and the area behind the boomeranges that brace the subframe is also, thankfully, free from corrosion.

I will start a small project thread with pics to show progress.

[mark_clio2]

Seriously mate take the whole lot off, paint,factory stonesh*t and seam sealer, it will save you in the long run like i am finding out (and I own a import, so even they cant escape), then buy s**t loads of wire brush drill attatchments, shares in bilthamber and away you go, have a look in my project thread...the one i wish i never started....