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| Body Rust & Wheels | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 31 2010, 04:41 PM (1,030 Views) | |
| yiffzer | Aug 31 2010, 04:41 PM Post #1 |
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Forgot His Manpurse
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Rust has been there since 2 years ago. Now is the time I want to do preventive measures. How do I take care of this while making it look like it never happened? Any good guides around? ![]() ![]() And my concern is with the wheels. All of the wheels look like this (without any hubcaps). Would it be similar to taking care of body rust?
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| batever | Aug 31 2010, 11:53 PM Post #2 |
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New Member
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With the wheels, that's just surface rust but it's a good idea to stop it. I'd suggest just treating the rust with rust reformer, then painting over with black enamel paint. You could also use Naval Jelly to remove the rust, then prime it with an antirust primer, then paint. As to the body--better get a book about rust repair. Making it look like it never happened is something of a big deal. You're likely to find that that rust goes somewhat deep into the sheet metal. That rust on the edges of the door surface will likely require some metal removal, and it will show in the contour of the door. "Faking" or replacing that door edge is tricky. Most pros would just replace the door skin to get perfect cosmetic results. For the more surface-y areas, simply sanding the metal with a power sander, priming, and repainting will work. But some of that rust goes deep and may require the removal of some metal and patching the missing area, either with a metal patch or with fiberglass and resin. I'd suggest fiberglass and resin unless you have access to a welder. the rust on the bottom of the door probably means water has been getting in the door and sitting at the bottom of the door seam, which means it is rusting right through the bottom of the seam from the inside. Your window weatherstripping probably is not going a good job sealing the water that runs down the windshield and excluding it from the door cavity. Pull the inner door panel off to see. While it's off, pour a glass of water on the outside of the window and see if any comes inside the door. Do you have a welder? You're likely gonna need one. You can do basic repairs with fiberglass after you remove the rusty metal or with just bondo skim coats if you can find clean metal underneath after sanding. But you may want to see if you can get a door skin and replace the entire door skin. Which is either a welding job or an adhesive job but it's not an easy thing for the average do it yourselfer normally, in particular if your goal is to make it look like it never happened. There is a big gap in skill and equipment between a body repair that works and one that looks like it isn't even there. Eastwood co. sells some rust treatments that may be useful, depending on what you find when you start looking closer. I'd be more concerned about that rocker panel rust than the door because it could lead to structural issues if you don't stop it. In general, even if you can't get it to look like it never happened (due to a lack of painting and surface prep skills), it's a great idea to get rid of as much of the rust as possible and prime and paint/seal the metal off from contact with water and O2. As long as a particle of rust exists on that metal it is opening the surface of the metal up to more rust. That's how rust on steel functions. So removing the rust (start with the really surface rust, which is just a sand and prep/paint job) is always a good thing. Also, be aware that if you are spraying paint on your car, you have to mask like heck to protect everything else that's not being painted. Probably like the whole side of the car and up onto the roof, plus the wheels. Overspray WILL go somewhere you don't want it unless you mask a large area of the car surface. Edited by batever, Sep 1 2010, 12:07 AM.
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| Jittney | Sep 1 2010, 12:07 AM Post #3 |
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Anchorage 92 XFi
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Maybe start with fixing the hinge to keep the door from striking the threshold. One member, 5 O'Clock Charlie, did a nice series of photos on his door hinge repair. http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z17/5_O_Clock_Charlie/Geo%20Metro/Metro%20Door%20hinge%20pins%20and%20bushings/?albumview=slideshow |
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| yiffzer | Sep 2 2010, 08:40 PM Post #4 |
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Forgot His Manpurse
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Thanks for the replies, guys. I will be working on the body sometimes but at the moment I'm more concerned about my wheel. Take a look: Left RightThe left wheel does not spin freely. It is rough and probably needs lubrication. This is probably what would kill MPG. I'm not sure of the correct naming for this: wheel bearing? Anyone know how to fix this up? And is the rust for the wheel bearings normal? |
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| Rooy | Sep 2 2010, 08:50 PM Post #5 |
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The big rusty thing you're looking at is the drum. Wheel bearings are a few inches in diameter and pressed into the center of the drum from the inside. It could be a bad bearing, it could also be the brake shoes hanging up. Does it just feel rough but spin freely, or is it hard to turn, like the brake shoe isn't fully released? |
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| yiffzer | Sep 2 2010, 11:22 PM Post #6 |
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Forgot His Manpurse
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When you spin it, it still does spin but not as smoothly as before. It feels like it's gotten drier/rougher (similar feeling to losing lubrication). It isn't difficult to turn. And these are rear wheels, not front wheels. There aren't any brake shoes (right?). |
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| Rooy | Sep 2 2010, 11:31 PM Post #7 |
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If the bearing has gone bad usually there will be some play. Grab the drum at 12 and 6 and push/pull and carefully feel for any movement. This might be easier if you bolt the wheel back on. You have drums in the rear. Drum brakes use brake shoes. Front has discs and brake pads. |
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