Gents,

Since I got the car I had these little paint bubbles and knew there was rust behind. With all the discussion recently on the forum on painting, I thought I would investigate further by tapping away with the back of a screwdriver.....
Found this..... initially.....




Had to investigate further with a grinder.....

Look away now , if you don't like horror stories.



Bugger!

I'm not actually too worried as I've dealt DIY with something similar on a 1972 Triumph GT6 in the UK, but here in Bahrain finding the dreaded tin worm came as a bit of a surprise.
Off to my local mechanic now, as I just don't have the kit to fix this at home.

 

That's the kind of corrosion I'd expect to find in a UK car based near the sea - certainly not one in Bahrain!

Graham

 

Graham,

Bahrain is a Arabian desert climate, but there's a local phenomenon where people park cars next to a swimming pool or a grass verge. From the humid air, or from watering the verge border, this results in the rust & corrosion on only one side of the car. The other side of my Jag is just fine!

 

Here in the UK, some Jaguar owners go for a more even rust balance.




Graham

 

That appears to be an inopportune time to open the boot!

 

That sucks, but I have the same issue to tackle at some point. On side had a previous repair, but needs done again. The water picture looks like someone thought they were James Bond! Lol 😁

 

In the US, that is the road gutter side that holds the salty water. The right sides are always more rusty than the left.

 

deserts are ancient seas and seas contained salt water. the salts are still present after the water left mixed in the sands.

what occurred in your case is the powdery sand worked its way into the body work with the wind and set there waiting for some moisture to arrive. given that salts are hydrophilic the water vapor was attracted from everywhere including lawn sprinklers, routine washing and even interior moisture. then it did its magic.

many friends have obtained cars from Texas here in the USA impressed with the excellent condition regardless of age. even if they garage queened them in a more temperate climate, in many cases one saw massive corrosion simply bloom overnight. much of Texas is an ancient desert.

enough flushing needs to be done to solvate the salts and flush them away. Acetic Acid works very well without harming plating and finishes when diluted to ten percent. the challenge is flushing out the inner body work, but well worth the extra insurance of a car not becoming a battery.

 

Gents,

Used a wire brush and the following to clean behind the panels as best as I could reach through the panel holes. Everything looked okay esp. important as the rusty panel is above the jacking point of the car. The Naval Jelly Rust Dissolver stinks though and left it on overnight and used battery water to wash away thoroughly before handing over to my local mechanic.



Car came back from the body shop and all is well again in the world. See below. Total cost = BHD200 equiv USD 529 including a front bumper re-spray as well (hit tyre carcuss on freeway, and car park rash)

 

Well done at a true bargain price. How is the other side of the car?

 

I would have liked to see an "in-process" picture with a determined smiley face diligently welding new metal into the rusted rocker, so I know it wasn't just rolled up newspaper and Bondo under the nice paint.

 

curious as to what the repairer did in terms of future rust mitigation. FYI even when welding on clean panels, the preventative coatings are oxidized away. this includes any zinc dipping. ideally he applied weld through primer before any installation. the standard is to apply permanent coatings from the inside involving interior R&Is which is often why it is not performed and in a few cases access ports are cut from the inside. subsequent to the permanent coating, a renewable product is recommended. these range from gels to oils and waxes as determined by area and owner preference.

 

Well at least we all agree what needs to be done on a quality repair that lasts esp. where rust is involved. Ungn is right in that there are some unscrupulous people out there.

Short answer to Whitehat, is that I don’t know. Mechanic said it was zinc treated and wax oiled behind before welding new body panel. No evidence that he cut an access panel to treat the back of the body’s new weld. Still at the low price I paid, so be it. Or as they say in this part of the world ... inshallah.

 

Perhaps he was told to cure his rust by dipping his headlights???

 

In Fla. there is a constant battle with rust(Salty air?). I use 'FOZ" which is a brand of phosphoric acid that converts rust(iron oxide) to iron phosphate. which can be cleaned and then painted over. Of course the repairs you have in your doors will need a little more than 'FOZ'.

 

How else can you drain the water out?

 

Rust makes me cringe. I had an XJ6 that was gorgeous. It started to rust out, so I had it completely gone over and new metal welded in and new paint. Six months later - bubbles started to appear in the same old places. I was planning on being buried in that car, it ran great, but the tin worm got to it before the worms could get to me. I guess there are ways to slow the cancer. Maybe someday aluminum and carbon fiber will be more affordable.

 

Fortunately we do not allow rust in Texas.