RUST - Where you need to look for it underneath.

[KipVR 1]

Ok I've just spent the last few days inspecting, cleaning and prepping the underside of my Corrado. Up until Nov 2007 it was a daily driver, after which it has not seen the light of day until last Monday.

 

I've never garaged it in the 8 years i've had the car, because i've never owned a house with a garage. :( It was garaged before I had it though- up to 60k. It's now on about 120k.

 

I have found several rusty areas on the underside of the car, if I'd left them for another 2 years of normal use they would have been holes needing welding etc. As it is I've caught them all in time and there is nothing on the car that a wire brush attachment and some rust killer can't cure.

 

The worst bits were as a result of poor handling of the car- the jacking points were used without rubber pads- bloody tyre fitters. Heavy guage so didn't affect the areas too badly.

 

Right up inside the rear wheel arches needed a fair amount of attention, what would look to be just a small fleck of rust, would be a 2 inch diameter patch, all happening underneath the sprayed on seam sealer, which is brilliant at preventing water ingress until there is a leak path, at which point it prevents the water from getting out too. You will find water creeps along panel seams.

 

The car is sprayed with seam sealer at the factory - not stone chip although the two are similar in appearance, however not many people have seam sealer spray guns- so VAG issue a shultz gun alternative (what we call stone chip).

 

On the rear arches there was nothing like enough seam sealer on the top of the turret (where the shock goes through), both turrets were reasonably rusty, although it's quite heavy guage steel there. There are also wax injection points (black blanking grommets that havent been seam sealed over) in the wheel arches, all around the grommet holes needed attention.

 

Lots of the clip studs had rust climbing up the studs and then spreading out- again you couldn't see it until you'd scraped it away. Particularly bad where the fuel filter is.

 

Given that my car is one of the later ones to be built, you might want to take a rear wheel off, jetwash and clean the arch and then have a thorough inspection........

 

Anyway, just thought I'd share the info :D and if there is any interest, I may well offer a cleaning, repainting and rewaxing service.

[dukest 0]

if there is any interest, I may well offer a cleaning, repainting and rewaxing service.

 

:thumbleft:

[Guest]

Top work. Fully agree with needing to give things a GOOD clean to really see how long you can expect the car to last. I ought to do more on the 8v but can't face cleaning two!!

Oh and talking of cleaning - where you show by a green circle that dirt collects have you taken the rear cards off and had a good look what's going on inside? I found loads of dirt = water trap collecting on the inside and blocking drain holes.

 

I love your cradle. I've been cleaning mine either on axle stands and lying under it or borrowing Brunyees twin post.

Using the twin post feels like heaven but it's all still up above me.

 

I'm also not stripping every part off the underneath. Mine is a bit by bit job as I want to be able to take the car to shows but seeing those pics makes me wish I could strip it all down.

[Leonard 0]

Nice write up buddy.

 

I really want to get the underside of mine tidied up. So if you start a small business going, keep me posted :salute:

 

Keep up the good work

 

Matt 8)

[Leonard 0]

Nice write up buddy.

 

I really want to get the underside of mine tidied up. So if you start a small business going, keep me posted :salute:

 

Keep up the good work

 

Matt 8)

 

P.S That jig is safe yeah :wink: :grin:

[_leon_ 0]

awesome work - would love to strip mine and do this work

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The fact you only get 5 - 10p sized rust patches (usually only surface/cosmetic) on these cars at 15 years old is a testament to their build quality. Turn an Escort or Cavalier of the same vintage onto it's side and it's a different story!!

 

Other than those chassis areas, a few other places I've found are....

 

Around the rear number plate light holder. The plate itself is galvanised steel so doesn't (or shouldn't at least!) rust, but the screws rust and also can rust the tailgate where they thread through, on both sides. Usually always worse inside the tailgate.

 

Under the front arch liners. Look for bubbling on the A post side of the wing and around the plastic nutserts that hold the liner in place.

 

Front wheel arch lip. Look for bubbling around the self tappers.

 

Behind the rear number plate plinth. VAG used rubber spacers on it to prevent the plastic rubbing on the paint (lots of turbulence at the rear of the car at speed) but it wasn't sufficient. There may be 10p patches where the plastic has contacted the paint over the years.

 

I haven't actually seen a Corrado with tinworm holes, just the usual surface stuff.

 

Best way to get rid is with an abrasive wheel in a drill (B&Q sell a brilliant one) and take it back to bright metal. The remaining pits are tricky. Commerical "Kurust" type treatments seldom last but the best one I've used to date is FE-123 or Dinitrol RC800 is also good. The less you use of it, the smaller the chance of it coming back.

 

Once cured, prime with U-Pol Acid etch #8. And for the chassis paint on some Greystripe rubber protection or the Shultz stuff Kip mentioned, at least 5mm thick, but not too thick around suspension mounting points, perhaps 2mm. Once thorougly dried, put a liberal layer of Dinitrol 4941 on. Don't use black waxoyl, it's shite.

 

At the end of the day you'll never achieve professional bodyshop results, but for DIY use, those products are as good as it gets and work a lot better than the Halfords level stuff.

 

HTH

[KipVR 1]

Top work. Fully agree with needing to give things a GOOD clean to really see how long you can expect the car to last. I ought to do more on the 8v but can't face cleaning two!!

Oh and talking of cleaning - where you show by a green circle that dirt collects have you taken the rear cards off and had a good look what's going on inside? I found loads of dirt = water trap collecting on the inside and blocking drain holes.

 

I love your cradle. I've been cleaning mine either on axle stands and lying under it or borrowing Brunyees twin post.

Using the twin post feels like heaven but it's all still up above me.

 

I'm also not stripping every part off the underneath. Mine is a bit by bit job as I want to be able to take the car to shows but seeing those pics makes me wish I could strip it all down.

 

Hi Judith, when I'd finished the build of the engine interior etc, i was going to take all the door cars etc off and wax everything, I was hoping not to find too much stuff in there!!

 

You can get the cradles from Frost, they'll easily take the weight of the car with the engine in, you just have to make sure all the oil and petrol is drained before you tip it! The only downside to them is that you have to keep the rear beam and the front subframe on which is a bit of a pain. See my thread in my sig for more pics

 

Once cured, prime with U-Pol Acid etch #8. And for the chassis paint on some Greystripe rubber protection

 

Tha's exactly what I've used! Although i've then got the VW schultz on top of that and then mystic blue over that....Agree with you about the other places but was only really talking about the underneath of the car.

[davidwort 0]

chunks taken out of the windscreen surround paint by screen fitters is particularly nasty as you don't see it rusting through underneth the plastic trim insert.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Once cured, prime with U-Pol Acid etch #8. And for the chassis paint on some Greystripe rubber protection

 

Tha's exactly what I've used! Although i've then got the VW schultz on top of that and then mystic blue over that....Agree with you about the other places but was only really talking about the underneath of the car.

 

Yeah sorry, I didn't want to get too involved in the other areas either, but I couldn't help myself :D

 

The Acid etch primer is brilliant, it sticks like poop to a blanket (lesser primers wipe or flake off too easily) and prepares the surface very nicely indeed. It takes rubberised underbody compounds really well, which is better than putting it on bare metal imo.

[Toad 0]

Once cured, prime with U-Pol Acid etch #8. And for the chassis paint on some Greystripe rubber protection

 

Tha's exactly what I've used! Although i've then got the VW schultz on top of that and then mystic blue over that....Agree with you about the other places but was only really talking about the underneath of the car.

 

Yeah sorry, I didn't want to get too involved in the other areas either, but I couldn't help myself :D

 

The Acid etch primer is brilliant, it sticks like poop to a blanket (lesser primers wipe or flake off too easily) and prepares the surface very nicely indeed. It takes rubberised underbody compounds really well, which is better than putting it on bare metal imo.

 

Whereabouts were you buying the primers etc from?

[KipVR 1]

You can buy most of it at halfords mate :D

[herisites 0]

Good thread! I'm gunna get me some of this stuff as will be tidying my engine bay once the engine is out!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Yeah Greystrip and U-POl Acid etch from Halfords, or somewhere like www.expresspaints.co.uk does all the good brands of paint / primers / laquers etc including colour match aerosols and touch-ups etc.

 

FE-123 rust converter- http://www.rust.co.uk/rust-converters.cfm

 

Dinitrol RC800 rust converter - http://www.rust.co.uk/popup.cfm?p_i=405071&p_n=405071

 

Dinitrol 4941 (underbody wax, doesn't wash off like black waxoyl) - http://www.rust.co.uk/popup.cfm?p_i=405024&p_n=405024

[-=Kris=- 0]

if there is any interest, I may well offer a cleaning, repainting and rewaxing service.

 

I might have to take you up on that one, brother! let me know if you think of going ahead with that ;) :salute:

[daleyboy 0]

When i removed the fuel tank on mine i found a patch where the catch for the fuel flap goes through the wheel arch its hiding behind the fuel tank neck so a really difficult spot................