Newbie In Trouble...... Extreme Arch Rot, HELP!!

[CorradoVR6-Turbo 0]

good work mate,glad to see the car mended instead of stripped for parts! but how the hell did it get like that? was it parked in the north sea :scratch: :lol:

[mariojoshi 1]

Jason! I'm sorry the arch didn't have quite everything you needed :( It was impossible to tell what would and wouldn't be of use when we were cutting it out.

 

Really pleased to see your progress though. You sounded determined to get her sorted, and it looked like you're well on the way!

Good show lad! :clap:

 

Josh

[KipVR 1]

Good to see you putting the effort in with the welder :clap: Totally agree on TIG welding too, it's just a shame there aren't more people doing it anymore, have you tried mig brazing? Works really well and it's very tidy, although you still need a lot of heat sometimes as per steel mig.

[JasonB-70 0]

Josh, more than happy with the arch I got from you. Good solid panel with no rust :grin: , getting the rest was wishful thinking on my part. The arch structure was the critical bit because it would be nigh impossible to fabricate from scratch or would have needed about 3 gallons of filler and days of rubbing down to shape it and cover up the mess. Once done, Frankenrado will be solid for a few more years with the inner arch and sill being the only give aways that work has been carried out.

 

I think I have found where water was getting in between the panels. On my inner arch, looking up from the wheel towards the filler neck there is, should say was, a small hole through the underseal and the panel. I'm pretty certain, in cases of rot in that area, the filler boot can rub through the paint over time, any water splashed up there hangs in drops on the filler boot and slowly the rot begins. Once through, every puddle you hit sends water up the arch and on its way down drips round the filler boot and into the hole then running down inside the panel. That's the only hole I could find that went in between the panels. Taking with it dirt which clogged the drain in that back part of the panel. The sun roof drains are clear so I think that's how water got into the lower rear quarter but the sill has me stumped, I may never figure it out. Anyone got any theorys.

 

Definetly advise you people to have a little looky next time you jet wash out your arches. Have a look with a torch to see if the underseal is still fully intact up behind the filler boot. Any underseal peeling away will hold the water up there and help it rust.

 

kipVR - Love the 3.2 implant, don't think my rado is worth doing that to though :( If I ever get an excuse to transplant this VR engine into my mkII Golf then I might invest in a newer Corrado and do some mods.

 

Fingys crossed I'll have my new garage built by the end of the summer, the missus will have her new big kitchen and we'll probably never see each other again (her words, not mine) except for eating and sleeping. Warmth, lighting, a bench with a big vice and a 2 post lift if I can get one. Then I can do some real work again. Driveway DIY sucks big time!!