Rust Repair Help

[ButtersThatsMe]

Howdy all,

 

I've had my rolla for a few months now and after tackling the main faults (rear wheel bearings, dodgy alternator and other frustrating electrical faults :rant: )

I think it's time to tackle some of the rust on the body. Namely around the fuel door, a spot on the roof and the bottom of the rear guards on both sides.

 

Can anyone please point me in the right direction as to which sort of sheet metal I should be picking up to use for the repairs? What sort of thickness? Also does it

need to have any special coatings? From what I can gather it should be zinc anneal. I had a good search around the forum but couldn't find anything specific mentioned.

 

Thanks for the help.

[B.L.Z.BUB]

Ideally you'd find the sections that are rusty from another KE70 that isnt, cut them out and weld them in.

Cheap option for correct steel would be to find some cheap as chips damaged panels and cut sections out of them.

[altezzaclub]

That's the best way to do it ^^-

 

Otherwise chat to a panelbeater and get some plain steel off him. He should have steel the same thiickness otherwise welding becomes difficult with one piece taking longer to melt.

 

Zinc coated steel does stop it rusting, but sadly the zinc burns off where you weld it so the joins all rust anyway. The vapour from welding zinc coated steel is toxic and the heavy metals bind to the nervous system, giving you the zinc shakes when you'v done it for long enough.

 

Think of it this way- its taken 30years for the original steel to rust through, so if you replace it with ideantical stuff you have another 30years before you worry about it again!

[ButtersThatsMe]

Thanks for the input guys. I'll have to keep an eye out for dirt cheap panel sections from other cars to "reduce, reuse and recycle".

Might even pick up a thrashed rolla and pick it apart for donor steel as well as any good bits and pieces to swap and send it to the scrap yard when I'm done.

[ke70dave]

If i was in the market for scrap metal for fixing rust sections, i would ring up a wrecker and ask how much they want for a bent unusable front guard off any car.

 

I'd hope it would be free, as who else is going to buy it?

 

I have previously fixed a few rusted panel sections using an old door, worked pretty good. But i was only dealing with bits that coudnlt be seen easily.

 

if i was too fix rust secions on the outside of the car, that was a funky curvy shape, i really would try and cut the exact same peice from the exact same car and weld it in. Easier to get it looking OEM.

 

As altezza said, zinc coating wont do anything once you have welded/sanded it. best to just use normal scrap metal, and make sure you use etch primer and proper paint once you are done.

[altezzaclub]

The problem with getting another car the same is that they all rust in the same places!

 

Don't hesitate to put a notice up at your local TAFE where they teach panelbeating, asking for some young advanced apprentice to give a hand with a project car for beers... You could offer the car up for a panelbeating teaching model if that is how they still work. Many years ago I had my Lotus Europa used in the wheel alignment classes for free alignments while they got an exotic car to work on. Also, find some small panelbeater and take it in, ask him how much he'd like to shape the metal for you to weld in.

 

Make a mate out of your local wrecker too, they will often let you have shit for nothing if they can't sell it. The Triton steerng arms I got last week came for nothing, but the L'cruiser steering bar we turned into a cross-strut bar I paid $80 for as they are in great demand.