Richieu -Technical help desk

[richieu]

OK
Here you can ask questions and read tips on how to restore your beloved AE86. This thread will only relate to the bodywork, fixtures and fittings of the car not electrics and mechanical as I have only so much time I can spend in the evenings answering questions

Don't be affraid to ask even if it sounds stupid, we all had to start somewhere and if you do it right first time it will mean you can move on to another part of your build quicker.

[nmwisima]

No questions yet, but thats a nice thought. Thanx

p.s Here's one: Is there any way to prevent rear hatch from rusting all the time?

[James]

Good to see my suggestion didnt go unnoticed

If I have rust holes or just rust starting out in my pannels is it ok to use rust convertor and then use body filler over it rather than having to cut it out and weld new panels in places.???

I have little rust spots that im fixing now and once I do all the body filler and paint I dont want the rust to re apair but this rust convertor which you paint on says it will stop rust from "growing". Whats your thoughts on this?

[banpei]

I moved the topic to the Question and Answer section.

Question: Any experience with rust on a sunroof?

[richieu]

Rust the enemy of all AE86's

If you adopt the following rules regarding rust you wont go wrong!

Rust is caused by the oxidisation of metal in the atmosphere. All steel rusts from the minute it is exposed as an example we shot blasted a shell the other night and because it was a nice summer evening with no rain forecast we decided to leave it outside the workshop till morning. When we arrived the next morning the whole shell had gone orange, this was the start of the metal oxidising.

There are various factors which can speed up the rate of rusting the biggest cause is salt. You will notice that norther European cars tend to rust quicker and more severely that southern European cars this is because in notrthern Europe the climate is wetter and we use a lot of salt to keep the roads from icing up.

How to deal with rust.
Its important to not only get rid of the rust you can see but treatr the area to get the rust you cant see.

For example in nmwisima's casethe rust scabs should be rubbed down with say 120 grit wet and dry to remove the high spots and to smooth the area (you can use water with the wet and dry paper as this helps to clean the paper as its working)

Make sure you go 5% larger than the rust area back to shiney clean steel.
Once you have done this apply a rust converter (chemical that neutralises rust using ferric acid) this will convert the rust to an innert skin that will never rust again. Once you have done this and let it cure cover over the area with body filler or body putty (knifing compound or stopper in the UK). Let this cure fully and than rub down with wet and dry paper and a block starting with 240 grit working to 1200grit, by this time you should end up with a really smooth finish.

Now close your eyes and very gently run the tips of your fingers over the area, you should not feel any bumps or dips if you do you need to either rub them down or fill them, if not wash with mild washing up liquid and water and then dry the area thoroughly using a heat gun or hair dryer.

Mask off the area and warm it up with the heat gun so that it is warm to the touch, this ensures that the area is completely dry and the primer will adhere and dry on contact. Build up the l;ayers of primer allowing each coat to dry before applying the next (say 4 to 5 coats)

Once the primer is dried (leave over night or in the sun if you can) rub it smooth with 1200 grit wet and dry paper and then 2400 grit to finish.

wash and dry as you did at the start then apply several light coats of paint by aerosol of spray gun like this,

1st coat very light and leave for say 5 minutes (called tack coat) this provides a good bonding coat for the other coats)

apply second coat moving leaft to right and leave for 3 minutes

apply 3rd coat moving up and down

4th coat should be left to right and finish with diagonal strokes.

Finally just as the 4th coat is about to dry apply a heavier coat (move slightly slower with a can or increase thinners in spray gun)

What wll happen is that the solvent in the final coat will migrate down through the other drying coats and a shine will start to appear. Dont worry if this doesnt happen we have enough paint on to remedy. Leave to dry thoroughly ( six hours minimum or overnight). Remove masking and forget about it for atleast a week as th paint need to harden.

After a week take some of the 2400 wet & dry paper you used on the primer and some soapy water and a rubbing block and gently move over the area painted and the surrounding painted area, this will blend in the repair. once you have a dull finish all over dry with a rag and then apply some T Cut or rubbing compound rubin in circled and straight lines untill the area shines when you wipe with a dry soft cloth. Leave this now for another two weeks as the sremaining solvent needs to leave the paint and it can cure. after two weeks apply a good high solids polymer wax or silicone coating and buff of with a dry rag.

Voila!!! Repair done

[richieu]

James

Depending upon the size of the hole say no more than a finger nail, tap in the hole with a rounded hammer to make a crater. Put some filler on som card and stick it to the back of the hole (from inside if you can). If you cant do this use fibreglass bonding filler P38 and slightly fill the crater. Let this cure and then use an easy sand body filler to fill up the rest of the crater leaving the filler slightly proud of the hole.

When this has gone off use some 120 grit paper and a rubbing block and move over the whole area untill the surface is smoothe with the rest of the panel.

Then carry out the riming and painting as in the above post.

[James]

You are the man!!! Thanks for that awesome info. This should be made a sticky!!!

[Mux213]

And a sticky it is, really nice to hear this from someone with experience !

[James]

Ive just stripped down my drivers side door. Theres a slight dent in the door and some one had put filler over top to hid it then they painted over it with anti rust paint. However they did a bad job and the paint cracked. So thats why I stripped it. Once there was metal showing where the filler was I used Rust Netuliser which is meant to netulise the rust the I used Rust Convertor over that. Now I will use body filler to smooth over and then primer it then paint. Is this a correct once of protecting it from getting rusted in future.

Cheers

[richieu]

Hi James

Remove all existing filler from dent

Scratch the dented area with a knife or sharp blade in a criss cross pattern ( this gives the filler something to cling to as door skins flex a lot)

Apply a coat of rust converter only if rust is evident then carry out repair with filler as above

Good luck, if you need any further help just ask

Cheers Richie